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New Heresy III speakers arrived damaged... WWYD?


ironman

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The factory boxes meet shipping requirements... the double layered cardboard is weight rated for the speaker it's being shipped in them, the boxes have separate corner protectors and they have 1"+ foam centering chocks. This will protect any speaker.... unless the speaker is mishandled. Then any damage could happen.

 

39184916510_dec005dd66_k.jpg

 

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1 hour ago, MetropolisLakeOutfitters said:

 

Is that how they came?  Well there's your problem right there.  Any dealer that sends out Heritage speakers via UPS ground ought to be horse whipped.  

 

Yep, that was how they came -- and you've articulated the problem and solution quite well. Thanks for your input.

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4 hours ago, Schu said:

The factory boxes meet shipping requirements... the double layered cardboard is weight rated for the speaker it's being shipped in them, the boxes have separate corner protectors and they have 1"+ foam centering chocks. This will protect any speaker.... unless the speaker is mishandled. Then any damage could happen.

 

39184916510_dec005dd66_k.jpg

 

 

 

After seeing these boxes first hand, you would have to be an idiot to ship these by common carrier. But, as always, thanks for playing.........

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6 hours ago, Schu said:

The factory boxes meet shipping requirements... the double layered cardboard is weight rated for the speaker it's being shipped in them, the boxes have separate corner protectors and they have 1"+ foam centering chocks. This will protect any speaker.... unless the speaker is mishandled. Then any damage could happen.

 

39184916510_dec005dd66_k.jpg

 

 

Um, they clearly do NOT meet shipping requirements.  Have you not read all the previous posts comparing Klipsch Heritage packaging with others?  ..As I said, my Vandersteen 3A Sigs and Paradigm Signature S8 v2 were comparable in size/wt. to my Cornwalls and the difference in how they were packaged was like night and day.  Ditto my friends large floor-standing PSB's (do not recall model but they were > 70lbs each). And though I picked each of these up from my retailer, when I sold them I used UPS and neither had ANY damage upon arrival to the buyer.

 

The cardboard boxes were considerably thicker, the corner spines much more robust (and made of dense foam w/ the Paradigms) AND each speaker was completely wrapped in very thick plastic.  

 

Yes, maybe using a better courier (read: NOT UPS) would help but almost all the damage I've seen pictured in this thread would NOT happen if Klipsch packaged their speakers the way these other premium brands do.  So, no, Klipsch's current packaging most definitely DOES NOT meet shipping requirements. 

 

I recommend people exhibit zero tolerance for ANY damage they find on their newly arrived Heritage speakers.  Eventually, angered retailers who have to deal w/ all these returns will bring enough pressure on Klipsch (who ultimately pays the cost) to spend another $30-40, or whatever, on better packaging.

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RF-82 II - not super light, heavy foam enclosing tops and bottoms, center foam to hold the speaker in place.  Fairly hard to crush a corner though if hit any place other than the corner, not too good though would need to be an impact of a couple of inches.  That seems pretty reasonable.

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2 hours ago, ODS123 said:

I recommend people exhibit zero tolerance for ANY damage they find on their newly arrived Heritage speakers.  Eventually, angered retailers who have to deal w/ all these returns will bring enough pressure on Klipsch (who ultimately pays the cost) to spend another $30-40, or whatever, on better packaging.

 

THIS is primarily why I am sending my new Heresy III speakers back.  The damage is minor and mostly not visible when the speakers are against the wall, and part of me would rather just avoid the hassle and live with it.  But accepting this damage is giving Klipsch the green light to continue their current bush league packaging practices.  If enough of their beautiful speakers are returned, ruined by unnecessary shipping damage, maybe the message will get back to Klipsch from their authorized dealers.

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15 hours ago, garyrc said:

My Klipschorns were delightfully overpacked, with a wood and Styrofoam box within a box ... but that was in 1982. 

 

They were sent to the local dealer, who inspected the outside of the boxes, and said, "any problems, just call."  There were none. 

 

The same with my Heresy IIs.

 

I love brick and mortar stores.  Paul Klipsch would drop into the two I frequented whenever he was in the Bay Area.   He conducted a seminar at one of them, in celebration of his 80th birthday. 

 

Then we moved to a "small" town (~~50,000).  There was no Klipsch dealer nearby.  My Belle Klipsch and RSW 15 subwoofer were delivered by a dealer, in his van, with a store more than an hour away.   No charge.

 

Those were the days.

These were the days--Bygone days. The vast majority of people don't audition speakers anymore....As I read over this thread it unfortunately bolsters my opinion that it just isn't cost effective to mass market these wonderful speakers. They are furniture grade, artisan quality whose purchasers expect perfection---That comes with a cost in a society that is always looking for a deal. That said, this Forum is the single most effective advertising tool for the Heritage series and unfortunately for Klipsch it is also the number one asset & liability insofar as Customer Service is concerned.

 

10 hours ago, Schu said:

^ I could not agree more... UPS is the shipper that smashed my La Scala II's.

 

10 hours ago, Westcoastdrums said:

UPS has destroyed three large and expensive pair of speakers for me now, well packed also! I felt bad for the shippers.  Fedex for me, specifically fedex freight, not one by comparison.  

 

51 minutes ago, ironman said:
3 hours ago, ODS123 said:

I recommend people exhibit zero tolerance for ANY damage they find on their newly arrived Heritage speakers.  Eventually, angered retailers who have to deal w/ all these returns will bring enough pressure on Klipsch (who ultimately pays the cost) to spend another $30-40, or whatever, on better packaging.

 

THIS is primarily why I am sending my new Heresy III speakers back.  The damage is minor and mostly not visible when the speakers are against the wall, and part of me would rather just avoid the hassle and live with it.  But accepting this damage is giving Klipsch the green light to continue their current bush league packaging practices.  If enough of their beautiful speakers are returned, ruined by unnecessary shipping damage, maybe the message will get back to Klipsch from their authorized dealers.

If they were my speakers I would've called and acted more outraged than I really was but willing to accept a discount. Otoh, the damage on schu's seemed more apparent and I would've sent them back....All of this said I liked the good old days when I bought my speakers locally, picked them up myself and on occasion realized it was I who damaged them in transit. 😨

 

Good luck and enjoy your very nice speakers when they get to your satisfaction and expectations. :) 

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3 hours ago, ODS123 said:

Yes, maybe using a better courier (read: NOT UPS) would help but almost all the damage I've seen pictured in this thread would NOT happen if Klipsch packaged their speakers the way these other premium brands do.  So, no, Klipsch's current packaging most definitely DOES NOT meet shipping requirements. 

 

I recommend people exhibit zero tolerance for ANY damage they find on their newly arrived Heritage speakers.  Eventually, angered retailers who have to deal w/ all these returns will bring enough pressure on Klipsch (who ultimately pays the cost) to spend another $30-40, or whatever, on better packaging.

 

Don't speak for us, I ship Heritage, Professional, and RF-7III's all the time, never had a problem, because I do it the right way.  It's still possible for damage to occur even with freight, but realistically speaking only two things are going to happen, either something is going to tip over and hit it, or more importantly, the forklift drivers are going to stab it.  They stab my reference premier stuff pretty often.  I wouldn't mind having them double boxed for extra insurance against this, but this is much different than surviving a 3' drop to a corner or down a 20' long UPS slide, which is the biggest problem here.  It's not Klipsch that is getting stuck with returns when this happens.  Klipsch always sends out Heritage via freight.  If a dummy-head dealer decides to ship it back out via UPS, that's on them for taking that risk.  

 

I actually do agree with you on some things but not with Heritage.  It's the things like RP-260F / 280F, and especially R-115SW subs that are the problem for us.  There should be no reason why an R-115SW or Reference Premier tower should not be able to be shipped via UPS but they will half destroy the things nearly every time.  At best the boxes will look like hell.  Even if there is no corner smashed up or big hole in the box, they can get dropped straight to the bottom of the box which will bust the plinth in half because it's just styrofoam instead of the more cushiony foam that will absorb an impact.  I have to ship the 15's on a pallet to ensure a safe delivery, which is very wasteful considering how much volume I have.  SVS has much better packaging, PB-2000's can be sent with UPS with no issues.  Same with the monster Parasound amps, they are double boxed with some strong cardboard, just never an issue at all, even after they make multiple trips across the country.  We're talking about 80 pound very awkward boxes and they're perfectly fine.  But no with these 115's I have to use freight, which not only costs more, but I have to pay for a $15 pallet with every shipment on top of that.  After considering the pallet and wrapping, it might cost me $160 to ship an R-115SW properly.  I can ship one via UPS for half that though, and I've moved 20 in a month before.  Do the math.  That's potentially about $20,000 a year down the tubes at that rate, just from this one item.  It's a big deal.  

What is no fun on top of this is that technically they don't adhere to UPS standards, which includes 2" foam all the way around, and when you make a claim, UPS will argue this point upon inspection, so it's harder to win a claim than it should be.  Some online dealers don't even try to make a claim, they'll just play a numbers game, they'll send some of this stuff out and if it's damaged, they'll just send another, without asking for the original back.  So yes a proper box could be made for a fraction of this cost and avoid most of this while providing a better experience to the customer.  I just don't agree that they need to do it on Heritage as to enable people to ship the things via UPS ground.  

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5 hours ago, ODS123 said:

 

Um, they clearly do NOT meet shipping requirements.

don't be nuts...

 

the shipping is boxes meet all requirements set forth by carriers.

 

if you have any experience in logging a high value claim, you have come up against very stringent perimeters by which compensation is to be approved, you quickly learn manufacturers know at which level they can ship, receive damages and still have claims payouts. the La Scala II original manufacturers shipping boxes meet and exceed all requirements, end of story.

 

that doesn't mean you can still damage contents. damage can still occur even in a pelican case.

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1 hour ago, Schu said:

don't be nuts...

 

the shipping is boxes meet all requirements set forth by carriers.

 

if you have any experience in logging a high value claim, you have come up against very stringent perimeters by which compensation is to be approved, you quickly learn manufacturers know at which level they can ship, receive damages and still have claims payouts. the La Scala II original manufacturers shipping boxes meet and exceed all requirements, end of story.

 

that doesn't mean you can still damage contents. damage can still occur even in a pelican case.

 

Firstly, I’m not “nuts”, though thanks for your concern. ;(

 

Secondly,   “...meeting all requirements set forth by carriers”  matters less than meeting the packaging expectations of the customer.  You seem to be suggesting that meeting the minimum required by UPS is sufficient, yet we see persistent customer complaints here, and I’ve heard similar from my dealer, about the comparatively poor job Klipsch does in packaging their Heritage speakers.

 

I have spent plenty of time on web forums for Paradigm, PSB, and Vandersteen and seldom, if ever, see complaints about shipping damage like I do here.  So Is it just coincidence that these other brands also use much thicker boxes and more generous use of dense foam?

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1 hour ago, Schu said:

don't be nuts...

 

the shipping is boxes meet all requirements set forth by carriers.

 

if you have any experience in logging a high value claim, you have come up against very stringent perimeters by which compensation is to be approved, you quickly learn manufacturers know at which level they can ship, receive damages and still have claims payouts. the La Scala II original manufacturers shipping boxes meet and exceed all requirements, end of story.

 

that doesn't mean you can still damage contents. damage can still occur even in a pelican case.

 

The cardboard boxes that my Heresy III's were shipped in may meet the minimum requirement.  The internal packing absolutely does not.  And in any case, it's beside the point, which is that it would cost Klipsch next to nothing to add four long angled styrofoam pieces to protect the edges of their speakers.  That alone would eliminate the overwhelming majority of damage incidences.  One would think that Klipsch would have an interest in adequately protecting the speakers they take so much pride in manufacturing.

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  My La Scala ii’s arrived with damage on the corner of one bass bin box. It was complete penetration on the corner about 10 inches up. 

  The freight company driver said he marked it on pickup. I noted it on delivery ticket. Luckily it was slow at work and ran home to meet the truck. 

  Removed both bass bins and inspected them. No damages to my fading eyesight. The foam corners had prevented damage. 

  All Heritage speakers need the 2.00 worth of additional packaging to minimize the chance of damage. And be palletized to make this easy on the trucking company. Even the Heresy model.

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