Shipping Woes

@Rod M. posted:

I am curious if @Michael Hokkanen (OP) opted for the 5.00 concealment charge that is offered during checkout?

When I first started in the hobby I purchased a new engine. My wife didn't see me bring it in. But, when I blew the whistle for the first time she commented from downstairs that she had never heard that whistle before and wanted to know if I purchased a new "train".

I have always laughed at Menards concealment option. Getting it past wifey is the only thing I can think of. So called "porch pirates" are not selective and don't care what they steal. (so far - not a problem in my area)

So obviously, the answer is - no.

@Michael Hokkanen posted:

When I first started in the hobby I purchased a new engine. My wife didn't see me bring it in. But, when I blew the whistle for the first time she commented from downstairs that she had never heard that whistle before and wanted to know if I purchased a new "train".

I have always laughed at Menards concealment option. Getting it past wifey is the only thing I can think of. So called "porch pirates" are not selective and don't care what they steal. (so far - not a problem in my area)

So obviously, the answer is - no.

Only reason I asked is I wondered if it concealment would possibly have gotten it in a box as opposed to gift wrap.

I wasn't concerned with porch pirates or being sneaky.

Guess I'll find out. Ordered the 50.00 nuclear station and did the concealment option

Is Menards shipping from a central or local location?

If local, it must depend on the local store's shipping policy.

All of my Menards train stuff has been shipped inside a cardboard box... not butcher-wrapped.

I know that I always need to have some CA glue on hand when I order a Menards structure, and I always need to be prepared to make adjustments to the wheels when I order Menards rolling stock. Call me crazy, but I actually think it's kind of charming how they have chosen to learn how to make trains from scratch without buying somebody else's tooling etc. They're getting better and better at it, but they still make plenty of mistakes along the way. I want to encourage them all I can so that they don't stop making the train stuff. That would be a tragedy.

-Eric Siegel

I guess I got lucky!

This is what my 5.00 concealment charge got me.

Perfect condition, I'm pleasantly surprised. This is the half off (advertised as most likely store display), nuclear reactor. Appears to be unopened, brand new.

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

One of the bonuses for shipping for me is that the regular USPS guy is really on his game and he tries to make sure the packages delivered to the house are as protected as possible.  That's not that easy at my place as my front "porch" is less that protected.

Last year I had ordered something and the shipper sent it via FedEx. When I got home my package was about five feet in from the road just up from the mailbox. Problem with that was the house is about a quarter mile away from the road. The UPS guy when he delivers calls me. The one occasion I was off and he told me that he'd call and try to leave the package(s) up by the front door or on the overhanging porch at the other end of the front of the house. He also said if it was raining, he'd pop the box in plastic. How's that for service?

I did receive my second package. Ray was very helpful. I think some items are too delicate to ship in the mail successfully.

@Dave NYC Hudson PRR K4 posted:

How's that for service?

I think the level of service is frequently dependent on the delivery driver and not the company.  In my old house, I had the same driver for almost 30 years, I got to know him very well.  He's retired from UPS now, and we're still friends.  He would always put the packages on the front porch out of the weather, even when he had to slog through snow to walk around there.

Those days are gone with the exception of our regular USPS guy.  However, he tells me he's retiring pretty soon, so I'm guessing the service will go downhill there as well.

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

I think the level of service is frequently dependent on the delivery driver and not the company.  In my old house, I had the same driver for almost 30 years, I got to know him very well.  He's retired from UPS now, and we're still friends.  He would always put the packages on the front porch out of the weather, even when he had to slog through snow to walk around there.

Those days are gone with the exception of our regular USPS guy.  However, he tells me he's retiring pretty soon, so I'm guessing the service will go downhill there as well.

Yeah John that is true. A good number of years ago when I would say service was better for FedEx, the guy who delivered my computer was a good guy. Within 5 years service started going downhill for FedEx as a whole from what my one coworker had said(shipping guy), so I would hope nothing would come FedEx. Of course it really depends on who is shipping and who is delivering the packages. We've all seen how some folks have gotten miracle packages where the outer box or the box in general doesn't look great, but the inside is fine. I'm fortunate that everything that I've gotten has usually come in with no damage to the box, and the packaging in general has been very good or great.

For a number of years the regular UPS drivers in my AO knew where I lived and where my business was. My home and business was two different routes, two different drivers. Even if I shipped to my house, that driver would give the package to my business driver and they'd drop it off at my shop regardless. Unless for some reason I was closed then he'd hand it back off and take it to my house same day.

My business USPS delivery man was someone to set my clock by, that was 10 years ago or so he's retired. 9am every morning.

These days I'm lucky to get mail before I close up and go home in the evening. My rural USPS driver is a regular fortunately, it's the one day a week temp drivers that I never know when or where my package might be.

I've only had a couple of claims against the shipper in many years - one was an original ex+ Bascule Bridge 20 years ago in Louisiana and it looked fine upon arrival but one of the cross braces was severely bent when opened. I looked again and there was a nice hole in the side of the box where a 'rod' of some sort had penetrated the package in transit damaging the bridge. This was before Lionel re issued them and was worth about $400. I talked with my UPS driver and we put in a claim for $250 damage and they let me keep the bridge. I was ok with that.

Another experience around the same time was purchasing a K-Line scale Hudson with PS3 installed. Seller used Priority Mail and sent it from Maryland. It got lost some where along the way and didn't show up until over 2 weeks later!  He had used an older box that had a 'Parcel Post' label still on it so it got bounced around who knows where. Wouldn't run and I had a MTH tech fix it (minor repair) for $25 and the seller reimbursed me.   I still have the locomotive. After 20 years now.

In over 6 yrs at my hobby shop, I think we only had two packages arrive damaged enough to put in claims with and both were settled ok.

When I was in ''HO'' I made a purchase and UPS ''dropped the ball''. I did get reimbursed . A few months later while trimming the bushes I found that UPS ''dropped the ball'' behind and under the bushed where I did not expect find any packages since they never left them there before.

My best story is when I ordered a tuner for Christmas. It was due by December 19. When it didn't come I panicked and called the company. I got one just in time. Later, in July actually - the original order showed up. (I returned it as a duplicate)