The Schnoodle Shack - Final Update - Goodbye My Friend

[Jim Edgerly]

Thanks for the advice Dusty. I filed a claim...let's see if they do anything with it. I opened the package, which destroyed it, to check for additional damage. At least I have pictures of what it looked like before I opened it. I don't have very high hopes from UPS. I have filed complaints before about damaged packages and in the past I have never even received acknowledgement that there was a problem. But, as they say, can't hurt.

[Jim Edgerly]

This may not look like a lot of progress, however those of you that have followed my build know that I have been building my Shack in my basement over the winter, and that this is a sign of progress! My Shack is 5 feet wide, and my basement door is only 3 1/2 feet wide, which means building it using only screws so it can come totally apart to get it through the door and be reassembled with screws/glue in the driveway. I have reached the point of the build where it is time to start dismantling the Shack. The floor and two walls are now leaning against the basement wall, and I've got most of the internal pieces-parts stacked up and ready to be reinserted inside the Shack once the walls are up.The only thing left to do in the basement is to build some sliding doors for the forward clothes storage bump-out. That will be a "slide into place piece" so will not interfere with the rest of the reconstruction.

The weather in Massachusetts has not be very cooperative for working on the trailer (cold/rainy...typical NE spring). I'm getting a little done here and there, and it's getting close, but still a little more work before putting my Shack puzzle together on top of it.

Still no resolution on the UPS damaged shipment of roofing aluminum. I filed the claim a week ago and they still have not determined the final disposition of the claim. Hard to believe they can be so fast on the dump-and-run delivery, yet so slow on the customer service end. I guess it is really not that big of a surprise.

[Miriam C.]

UPS needs business shipping. You might get the people who shipped your Al. involved. Surely they guarantee delivery to your door safely!

[DMcCam]

Hi Jim, any progress is good for sure. It really sucks when you spend hard earned cash on materials only to get them trashed. I hope UPS takes care of you perhaps allowing you to replace the damaged aluminum.

Take Care, Dave

[Jim Edgerly]

It's been 10 days since I filed the claim. I took a harder line today in an email to UPS. Their delay is unacceptable, and I'm looking for either 1) them to order me replacement Aluminum @$209, 2) reimburse me for $193 so I can order it (I get a 10% on-line disc), or 3) half the price I paid so I can fix the damage, plus my original cost of shipping...total reimbursement of $103 (paying them to screw up shipment just adds insult to injury). Their choice, but I want a rapid resolution to the claim because the cost of aluminum has gone up since my original order. I've laid out my expectations, I just hope they choose one soon, and stop the dickering around. Time for them to either poop or get off the pot!

[wagondude]

Get the shipper involved. They payed the shipping bill, they are the ones UPS will pay attention to ( I don't work for UPS but I am in the business). The shipper should fix your situation and then file a claim themselves. BTW, the way that was packed, I doubt that it would have made it through our system unscathed.

Bill

[Jim Edgerly]

More progress to report. I have moved the floor out of the basement and into the garage. This last week I have been busy reassembling it, this time with plenty of glue and screws. You can see in the pictures below that I needed to make holes for the bolt heads to sit in once the floor is flipped over. I also needed to route off 1/16 inch along the sides because of the the C-channel frame. The edges needed to be reduced so the floor makes contact with the steel members across the width of the trailer.

I bought some "Black Beauty Fence Post Asphalt Fence Paint" to paint the bottom (recommended by more than one person somewhere in here). Says it's good to put on fence posts placed in direct contact with the ground. Well, after painting the bottom of the floor with a couple coats of this I have come to the conclusion that this is nothing more than slightly watered (oiled) down driveway sealer. It looks the same, it smells the same, it has the same consistency and stirs the same, it goes on brownish and dries black like driveway sealer...it even manages to get all over your hands and clothes the same way driveway sealer does. I put it on with a brush on the edges, and a roller on the flat. I've got 2 coats on already, and I have so much extra I will put on another coat or two before flipping the floor over and bolting it down. The only difference between this and driveway sealer is that this is a "specialty item" and therefor costs twice as much. My advice...if you want to go this route then buy driveway sealer for half the price!

The running boards are just sitting on the supports and will be shaped before bolting down.

I seriously had no idea it would be this much work when I started this project. It's been a lot of fun, but just lots more work than originally planned.

[Jim Edgerly]

Still working on some form of compensation for the shipment of damaged aluminum I received from on-line Metal-Supermarkets over 3 weeks ago (see earlier post, this page). Don't know if UPS or Metal-Supermarkets was to blame for the damage...all I know is that it has been over 3 weeks since receiving the damaged shipment and nobody, other than me of course, seems to be interested in making it right. UPS finished their "investigation" a couple weeks ago, but under UPS policy they will not tell the customer the outcome...they will only communicate with the shipper.

Apparently Metal-Supermarkets has a bunch of private companies that they deal with, and I have to go through the "on-line agent", who communicates with the "shipper". I had a tooth pulled last Monday, my 3rd molar, and it was easier than dealing with UPS/M-S! The on-line agent said last Monday he was working with the shipping agent, but on a follow email to him today he responded "I am looking into it with the store right now."

All I know is this...that when all is said and done, there will be more said than done...and I most likely will not be very happy with the outcome.

I will update this file as soon as there is a resolution with Metal-Supermarkets, and people can use that information to base whether they want to do business with them as an aluminum/metals supplier.

[Jim Edgerly]

Time to skin the bump-out in plywood. Really tight radius here, about 7 inches. Trying to bend 1/4 inch plywood that tight without cutting kerfs would be impossible. Even cutting a lot of kerfs 2/3 of the way through I am worried about breaking the plywood so I am bending it a little bit at a time. I will go down tomorrow and tighten the straps a little bit more. If I don't seem to be making fast enough progress I will try wetting the plywood first, then tightening the straps.

As you may have guessed, still no word on the aluminum compensation. I got tired of waiting so I hammered out all the damage. It's just a matter of seeing if they will compensate me anything for the damage and my effort to fix their screw-up.

[pete42]

I'm Not any help in your situation but I once refused to take delivery of a cover for my pickup
the manufacture thanked me for doing it seems it's easier for them than taking delivery then trying to send it back.
I know UPS didn't give you this option by drop and run.
they do it with my insulin all the time even the ones that must be kept cool.
good luck on your claim.

[sleepcookiemonster]

Sorry to hear your ally sheets got damaged, the same thing happened to me 3 times,so i got the sheets powdercoated ,came up real good and doesn,t cost that much.

[Jim Edgerly]

More progress is being made, though sporadic. I got a few pieces assembled last weekend. The weather has not been cooperating lately as it has been raining just about everyday I have a chance to work on the Shack (welcome to spring in NE). My garage is more crowded than my basement so work in there is near impossible. Yesterday I got so desperate to do something that I tried working in the garage. After a couple hours of the rain abating I dragged the lawn mower/bikes outside then dragged the Shack onto the driveway. Seriously, within 10 minutes it started to rain so everything got shoved back into the garage. Took lunch then worked on the Shack for a couple hours in the garage, while it was not raining. So, dragged the mower/bikes outside then the Shack. Again, it stated to rain within 10 minutes. So I looked skyward, said some choice words, and shoved everything back into the garage. The rain let up after 30 minutes or so, but I learned my lesson and did not drag the Shack back out. After a couple hours of lighter sky and no rain I determined the rain was done for the day, so AGAIN I dragged the mower/bikes outside then the Shack. Went back to the garage for my step ladder, and before I could unfold it by the camper...IT STARTED TO RAIN...seriously, within 60 seconds of bringing the Shack outside it started raining, after no rain for two hours! SHOVED everything back in the garage, closed the door, grabbed the dog and threw a rainy day movie into the DVR. Apparently, for some unknown reason, God did not want me working on the Shack yesterday. Will try again today.

Progress on getting some compensation on my damaged aluminum is going slower than Shack assembly! After 26 emails back and forth, plus 3 phone conversations over the last 40 days, it appears that something is going to come back to me, but Metal Supermarkets doesn't know WHAT yet because although UPS has admitted fault they still have not cut a check to Metal Supermarkets so that they can credit my credit card for the damage. According to Metal Supermarkets about poor UPS customer service..."The problem is that they are a conglomerate and do not have enough competition."...which in my opinion is like the pot calling the kettle black. UPS is clearly at fault for not only causing the damage, but also dragging their feet about "making good." I firmly believe that the UPS damage claim process is so complicated and lengthy in hopes that the customer will just "give up" and let UPS off the hook for damages. A good indication of UPS "customer service" policy is that they refuse to talk to the end user customer who receives damaged goods, and will only communicate with the shipper about resolution. I am also more than a bit disappointed with Metal Supermarkets in not more actively working the customer service issue with UPS. I mean seriously...40 days is enough time to flood the world, never mind compensate for damaged aluminum. Sorry for the tirade...just frustration talking here.

[aggie79]

Jim,

Your teardrop is looking fantastic! I wish I had your woodworking skills to cut everything so precise and be able to re-assemble it later. Hopefully you'll soon get resolution on the shipment damage to your aluminum.

Where I live, the weather challenges are heat and sunburn, not rain. Several times, I set up a screen room to work in.



If you have one, or plan on getting a canopy for your teardrop, that may help you get some extra working time.

Take care,
Tom

[Jim Edgerly]

Thanks for stopping by Tom...I appreciate repeat viewers to by build journal. I also appreciate your kind words. It sounds like if I take your weather down there, and mix it with my weather up here, then divide by 2...we would still have some pretty horrid weather for building teardrops in. I guess we make due with what we have because no matter how hard we wish it were different...it isn't!

I don't have a canopy to build under...check here for the saga of my golf umbrella idea. http://tnttt.com/viewto ... highlight= See, not all my ideas turn out so great!

And the difference between a mediocre teardrop builder and a good teardrop builder is the good teardrop builder knows how to hide his mistakes.

Thanks again Tom, and take care.

[Jim Edgerly]

FLAME ON:

After 33 emails back and forth, 4 phone conversations, and 47 days have passed since receiving my damaged aluminum, Metals Supermarkets finally made settlement on the damaged aluminum. Purchase price of the damaged aluminum plus shipping (estimated shipping as it was part of a larger order) was $160, and Metals Supermarkets (MS) offered $120 to settle the claim.

I emailed to MS: "Time keeps on ticking away on this. I hope they don't think I'm going away on this because I'm not. I think it is part of UPS strategy to put people off until they give up...luckily I'm retired so I have all the time in the world. Please let me know the current status on this and if they have any excuses for why it is taking so long to resolve something so simple."

MS response next day: "I have not received any money from UPS other than a small Cheque for $17.83 which leaves me with a battle on my hands. I have decided that we need to act on this, as it has already gone on too long and could go on a lot longer. I want to deal with this claim today, but being as we did not get the original amount from UPS and it is uncertain at this time what we will receive, I can only offer you a rebate of $120.00 – Would this be acceptable to you?"

I long ago hammered out the damaged edges of the aluminum, and am left only with scratches to buff out. I also accepted the $120 settlement offer as truthfully I was losing hope of receiving any settlement on this damage. However, this entire experience leaves a sour taste in my mouth. I am frustrated with UPS because I am constantly receiving damaged packages (package not content) from them...some with packages smashed in...they have left my packages out in the rain...and I hate their "drive-by" form of delivery where basically they slow down and throw your package out on the front lawn. However (again) Metals Supermarkets is not without fault here. They required constant prodding to work this issue, and only followed up after I requested it. There is no way a reputable company would have let 47 days lapse before offering some form of settlement. Did they really package it properly for shipment...I question that. Plus there is the fact that only after I stated that I would not give up and go away did a settlement offer immediately come forth. Which makes me wonder if UPS settled and paid long ago and it was Metal Supermarkets keeping my money and hoping I would just give up so they could keep it.

Did they keep $40 to cover their cost of materials and give me the remainder? Don't know, never will!

Conclusion: I Don't like UPS...I Don't trust Metal Supermarkets. Will I use UPS again...have to. Will I use Metal Supermarkets again...no.

FLAME OFF: