FedEx/Customs Purposely Damages Vintage Car Part

[Born30YrsLate]

Figured I'd share this little story with everyone as a public service announcement. So I find and purchase a rare pair of NOS Thrush Mufflers 2.5" inlet & 2.25" outlet...compatible for Big Block application. Anyways the guy ships them from Mexico so they have to pass through Customs. They show up and immediately I was concerned as I could hear rattling around in the box of metal on metal...now I wish that had been the only issue. So I pull the mufflers out of the box and find not 1, not 2, not 3, not 4, not 5, but 6 holes drilled into them...5 in one muffler and 1 in the other...then they simply threw the mufflers back into the box with the only protective packaging being a couple packing peanuts....HOLY CRAP...why couldn't they just x-ray them, have a dog sniff them?...why stop at 5 holes in one of them - why not put 6, or 7, or 8. I always like to give recoginition where it is due...good or bad...THANK YOU FEDEX/Customs for purposely destroying a rare part without any just cause! I would like to give them props for not drilling directly into the bird. YEs - this was a Custom's job, the "Opened For US Customs" tape is a dead give away and comparing pre-shipping pics to arrival pics along with the nice shiny metal in the drill holes confirms it...what can I say. http://www.yenko.net/attachments/usergals/2012/10/full-445-1025-thrushholes.jpg

[mockingbird812]

Tell them you will install them on your car and when you asphyxiate you will send them the bill!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sorry to hear of your woes. What is your next move?

[Mr70]

I read Thrush has always been the choice for many a pot smuggler.

[L72copocamaro]

If you had insurance on the package you can make a claim. If they are like UPS, packages are automatically covered for $100; not much, but take what you can.

[MosportGreen66]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Mr70</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I read Thrush has always been the choice for many a pot smuggler. </div></div>

Pot is hardly as issue coming out of Mexico now that we have downtown Chicago farms...

[mssl72]

That's insane!! <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/no.gif <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/thumbsdown.gif

File a claim and take them for all you can get.
What were they thinking?!?! I guess they weren't. Idiots...

[69 Post Sedan]

That sucks.

IIRC, everything at FedEx is insured for a minimum of $100. I always make sure the seller, including myself, has them insured for what they are worth plus shipping.

Good luck, Kurt

[MosportGreen66]

Hey Fred... I spoke with some FedEx commercial guys who I do millions of $ in business with each yr. Please send me a PM - your box is full.

Dan

[Born30YrsLate]

Unfortunately the claims form that was filled out by the shipper was for roughly 10% of what the total cost was...so I'm not hopeful on much of a settlement. It's not really the money thing either as now finding another pair...but what really burns me is what reason, even a bad one, would there be to justify drilling a bunch of holes in someone else's property...maybe it was training day and my stuff got picked for drill demonstration class.
Rick, it's like Custom's themselves uses Thrush mufflers to smuggle their own weed in and they were expecting a shipment to come through for themselves but were disappointed when my stuff turn up empty...with 5 holes in one they were obviously expecting to find something...where's the lazy worker when you want them? I'd be ok with a smart but lazy worker cause an ambitious moron can do much more damage...as demonstrated here.

I was on the phone with people from FedEx and the Dept. of Customs and Border Protection for most of the day yesterday, but I'm just some guy complaining about some old mufflers. The likely path forward will be to weld up the holes and try to match the dark blue paint with some hi-temp stuff and touch-up the welded areas.

Dan - I sent you a PM.

SO...if anyone runs across an NOS pair of these mufflers, I'm looking. These are the round type with 2.5&quot; inlet and 2.25&quot; exhaust.

[x Baldwin Motion]

http://www.yenko.net/attachments/usergals/2012/10/full-445-1025-thrushholes.jpg


that totally sucks, but oddly it reminds be of using an air chisel gun on the muffler of a 69 Camaro to get more louder power (around 1975) <<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/biggthumpup.gif

by the way, that is great looking car you have there, cool stripe. more pictures?

[Fast67VelleN2O]

And this is the main reason why I never fudge the value on customs forms for out of USA customers when they ask me to. Hopefully, everyone can see why its so important to keep the value on international shipments. Its worth the few extra bucks to make sure your ass is covered.

-Matt

[scuncio]

Crazy, really feel for you there. Agree that it's not worth dickering with the value on customs forms.

[Lynn]

That really sucks. Surely they have trained dogs. Anyone know? With the ends open, a drug dog could easily detect.

Just thought of one other possibility. Perhaps they do have dogs, and the seller had smoked some pot. Those dogs are pretty sensitive, and maybe the dog sensed something.