Help with damaged Predalien UPS claim

[chosenone]

Hey so I recently ran into a little problem and I wanted to see if anyone could help me out. I recently sold my predalien life size bust and ended up shipping it out basically across the country which i didn't want to but ended up having to, it cost me $360 just to ship the guy. Anyway when the guy received it two of the talons on the mandibles broke off as well as a piece of clear resin or plastic from the cheek so he wanted to return it which i refunded him the money and opened an insurance claim through ups which they initially denied i guess but my UPS store ended up disputing the claim and got it approved for me. They said they needed proof of sale which i gave them but they also said they needed a invoice for possible repair costs. He said they will take whichever one is less and refund me that amount of money. So my question is can anyone quote me a repair price for this piece, the guy at the UPS store just said a copy of an email with a estimate is enough. But at the same time what should i do here because i know that if i get this repaired and attempt to sell it again obviously the price is going to be affected so should i put that in the estimate cost for repair. Also I don't know what to do since i REALLY don't want to ship the bust again as it was crazy expensive and a pain to pack up. So if there is someone that could message me or something and we can work out something through email and i can send pics of the damage and hopefully work out some sort of deal or any advice would help out. Thanks

 

[ascello]

Sorry to hear about your problem and I'm not sure what to recommend. I was on the receiving end of a heavily damaged Predalien bust and it wasn't a fun experience for anybody. Mine was only taken out for inspection and put back in the box before it shipped to me. It was described as new/mint condition and I believe it was. The problem is the box has styrofoam blocks glued on the inside to hold the bust in place. Either these blocks fell off or had to be removed to remove the bust for inspection and were/or could not be re-glued or replaced. The bust just bounced around in that huge box and had three mandibles broken off, the dome broken into pieces and various chips off the top and sides After I sent photos, the seller did, ultimately, refund my money. I did have to ship him back the bust, which was hugely expensive, so he could open a claim with UPS. I'm not sure how he ever made out with that claim but it was an unfortunate and expensive experience for both of us. I hope everything works out for you. Good luck.

 

[chosenone]

Sorry to hear about your problem and I'm not sure what to recommend. I was on the receiving end of a heavily damaged Predalien bust and it wasn't a fun experience for anybody. Mine was only taken out for inspection and put back in the box before it shipped to me. It was described as new/mint condition and I believe it was. The problem is the box has styrofoam blocks glued on the inside to hold the bust in place. Either these blocks fell off or had to be removed to remove the bust for inspection and were/or could not be not re-glued or replaced. The bust just bounced around in that huge box and had three mandibles broken off, the dome broken into pieces and various chips off the top and sides After I sent photos, the seller did, ultimately, refund my money. I did have to ship him back the bust, which was hugely expensive, so he could open a claim with UPS. I'm not sure how he ever made out with that claim but it was an unfortunate and expensive experience for both of us. I hope everything works out for you. Good luck.

thanks yeah its too bad it got damaged i was really hoping the guy who bought it would have been closer so i could have just driven it to him but unfortunately that wasn't the case. I just don't understand how or if they will take the depreciation of value of the piece once it has been restored into consideration if i get it repaired.

 

[Vitus]

That sucks. The last story I heard like this UPS told the guy they do not cover depreciation. It was the ALien 3 dog alien and the tail broke in half.

 

[turtle]

Sorry to hear about the damage. I would try working the UPS person a bit more. Let him know that the item was sold as new in box. And that with collectibles, once damaged, looses it's value substantially. Even after repairing it, the statue cannot be consider new anymore and can only be classified as refurbished good. Also, let him know repairing will cost quite a bit of money, plus shipping to and from the repair facility will cost a grip as well. Maybe hitting him with so many factors will push him to reimburse you.

Lastly, if you need a quote, maybe Silentsurfer will be able to help you out. Hit him up and let him know your situation. Good luck and I hope everything works out for you.

 

[ComputerFly]

Don't forget, if you do get a valid quote for repair, you would still need to include shipping both ways as part of that cost. That should balloon any quoted up almost to the sale price. Also explain to the UPS rep that 'shipping' was how it became broken in the first place, so they could possibly just end up with a second claim.

 

[chosenone]

Thanks guys I'm going in to talk to them and pick up the package tomorrow so ill try and bring up these points and I've sent in some estimate requests to some fine art restoration places so hopefully the quotes are high enough that they will just choose to refund my money rather than going through the hassle and trouble of shipping him out for repair

 

[DrQ2]

Hey so I recently ran into a little problem and I wanted to see if anyone could help me out. I recently sold my predalien life size bust and ended up shipping it out basically across the country which i didn't want to but ended up having to, it cost me $360 just to ship the guy. Anyway when the guy received it two of the talons on the mandibles broke off as well as a piece of clear resin or plastic from the cheek so he wanted to return it which i refunded him the money and opened an insurance claim through ups which they initially denied i guess but my UPS store ended up disputing the claim and got it approved for me. They said they needed proof of sale which i gave them but they also said they needed a invoice for possible repair costs. He said they will take whichever one is less and refund me that amount of money. So my question is can anyone quote me a repair price for this piece, the guy at the UPS store just said a copy of an email with a estimate is enough. But at the same time what should i do here because i know that if i get this repaired and attempt to sell it again obviously the price is going to be affected so should i put that in the estimate cost for repair. Also I don't know what to do since i REALLY don't want to ship the bust again as it was crazy expensive and a pain to pack up. So if there is someone that could message me or something and we can work out something through email and i can send pics of the damage and hopefully work out some sort of deal or any advice would help out. Thanks

I would say this is something that cannot be fixed. Once broken its a broken item.

 

[playa7]

I personally wouldn't chance sending it in for repairs. As sending the piece once to the customizer, then once more back to you, then a final time when you sell it again, wouldn't be worth it in the end. So many possibilities of damage may occur during those times.

Besides, I'm sure you just wanted the money, instead if the piece itself, correct? If so, then I would recommend claiming a total loss. Tell ups that it can't be fixed and just get the total amount reimbursed to you and keep the broken pieces. You could fix it later if you decide to do so.

I recently went through this insurance claim BS myself ( I was the buyer). My item arrived broken and I claimed it a total loss and they reimbursed me my total amount minus shipping. In the end I got my money back and I kept the broken pieces. I plan to glue them back together myself. So basically I got a free (refurbished) collectible. Took about 5 months of going back and forth with USPS to get my money, but in the end it was well worth the hassle.

Good luck to you.

 

[dfchang]

1. Done right, the piece shouldn't drop in value really at all. Pros can perform invisible repairs and in many instances make the piece better than new if area is properly reinforced etc.

2. Piece this size should only be done locally as shipping it back and forth to a professional paintmaster would be too expensive.

3. As long as you have a receipt on a letterhead clearly stating the cost of repair and what was done you should be reimbursed for it no problem. I've had similar situations with UPS and they've always honored it

Be aware that if the price of repair is too high, they may simply refund the total amount of the item but typically will demand to take the piece which is usually destroyed . . .

 

[Vitus]

1. If you disclose that it was repaired which you should then it probably will drop in value in the eyes of the buyer or they will use it as an excuse to get a deal. I know I would.

 

[Shropt]

I would stay firm that it's irrepairable. I'd at least fight the "repairing" idea for a bit. I do insurance work and I always offer stupid ideas like this first to see if the person bites.

 

[DrQ2]

1. If you disclose that it was repaired which you should then it probably will drop in value in the eyes of the buyer or they will use it as an excuse to get a deal. I know I would.

Thats the main problem. Take people on this site. One person compares it as a car. An that's just a unopened item. Then you have people who say the tape is cut so they want more off.

 

[Vitus]

Getting a deal on something damaged and repaired doesn't sound like a problem to me.... Not sure If I got your point.

As a side note I think I've had worse luck with buying sealed stuff... I always seem to find damage or defects.

I should just buy repaired stuff and save a ton lol.