It all started about 2 weeks ago when I was reading another forum where the discussion is devoted to my favorite receiver, the Sony STR-DA777ES. It was noted that there was one on Ebay so I naturally looked and saw that the price was reasonable so I won the bid. I asked about the original box and it was not included but an assurance that it would be "well packed" was stated. Well, as anyone who has dealt with electronics and UPS can attest to, the box arrived last week in pretty rough shape but intact. The inner box, however looked pretty good, at least at first. The seller had jammed the 777ES into a DB940 box so it was tightly packed. But UPS had managed to apply such rough handling that the volume knob had been forced through the inner box and all the way to the outer box. This resulted in the volume knob being bent in and causing the outer case to buckle on the right side. Needless to say I was shocked and angry. I personally don't think it was packed sufficiently. I did pay for the UPS insurance to cover what I paid and am currently waiting for an adjuster to come out and assess the damage. I'm not real optimistic that they will come through with a solution. My question is this: would you even entertain the option of having this receiver repaired with what must have been quite a blow during shipping? It still has 3 years left under warranty but I'm sure that is in question now with this damage. I'm not as fussy about appearance as I am performance and I don't know what else may have been compromised inside. Thanks for letting me tell my sad tale and would like constructive opinions as to what my options might be. I do like Sony ES so please refrain from brand bashing.
I hate UPS. They are the worst shipping company. Even worse than the USPS. A couple months ago they delivered my speaker stands to the wrong house ON THE WRONG STREET. No one was home so they decided to just leave it on the porch while it was raining. When I called to complain, they basically blew me off. I would rather pay an extra $50 than to ever have those incompetent fools touch my merchandise ever again.
I have sold alot of equipment on Ebay and have no problems shipping with the USPS. I have heard nothing but horror stories about UPS. I would try to lay it back on the seller. Eventhough he insured, it is his responsibility to pack it properly. See if he will refund your money, send it back and have him deal with the insurance claim. It's worth a try. If he is a reputable seller he should try to help solve the problem. Tell him you will leave negative feedback if he doesn't want to help. Eventhough the warranty still has 3 years, I doubt it will cover damage like this.
