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Family Heirloom Damaged During Delivery

Cynthia Paul was excited to get a family heirloom she was willed from her grandfather.

“I am all about the family and family history,” Paul said.

The nearly 100-year-old grandfather clock had to be shipped from Connecticut.

She used UPS Freight to ship it to her home in Miami Springs.

“It looked beautiful because it was lying down. But once we stood it up, that’s when we saw it was destroyed,” Paul said.

Paul says the clock was nearly snapped in half.

She paid $550 to repair the damage to the clock.

She says she thought she would get the money back since the UPS shipment was insured with up to $600 of liability coverage. She says after reporting the incident to The UPS Store and filing a claim with UPS Freight, the claim was denied.

“He said the claim was denied and I said why, and he said because you didn’t open the package that evening,” Paul said she was told.

Paul admits she didn’t unpack the clock at the time of delivery because she says the shipment arrived four hours late and the clock arrived in a box with dozens of screws.

At the time of delivery, Paul signed the Consignee Memo, which means she accepted the package in good condition. She says she didn’t know she was supposed to inspect the clock prior to signing and says she signed the form despite portions already being filled out by the delivery driver.

After her claim was denied, she called NBC 6 Responds.

“What’s 550 dollars to you, I paid to fix the clock, that’s like a drop in the bucket,” Paul said about the company’s denial.

We reached out to The UPS Store about Paul’s issue.

In a statement a representative told us “After speaking with the freight claims department we learned that the claim was denied because the items was signed by Ms. Paul and released as “no damage delivery.” Given her situation and that there were additional reasons behind not being able to open the crate at the time of delivery, we have decided to provide Ms. Paul a goodwill payment to honor her request for the repair estimate.”

She says she got a call from the company soon after saying they would cut her a check for the money.

Within days Paul received a reimbursement check in the mail.

“I’ve wasted six months of my life on this and I have grandpa’s clock here and that is all that matters,” Paul said.

A spokesperson for UPS Freight sent the following tips for consumers that use freight to ship large items or ones that are over 150 lbs.

· All freight items require signature at time of delivery.

· Prior to signing the delivery receipt, the receiver should fully inspect the package for any damage (ie., dent, scratch, etc.).

· Receiver should open the package while the driver is there to confirm the item is in good condition.

· Once the review is complete, the receiver should carefully read the delivery receipt to acknowledge responsibility.

· Once a customer signs the delivery receipt, they are acknowledging approval of the delivery and any damaged discovered later will not be considering for claims reimbursement.

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