# My 1948 Mercury bicycle badly damaged during delivery to my house !



## 1969nam (Jul 18, 2015)

The 1948 Mercury bike I purchased earlier this week was badly damaged during shipping. The shipper was Fedex. The bike was poorly packed with a minimum of bubble wrap. The front fender and wheel were rubbing against the frame of the bike. Not one piece of cardboard was used between the front fender and frame with rear fender and luggage rack were used to prevent any rubbing of the parts against each other. Handle bars and pedals were wrapped. Metal luggage rack was split. Back fender was flat against the rear tire, fender braces were mangled. Multible paint scrapes throughout the bike. Worse packing job I have ever seen. I have received two bikes from Fedex and UPS in the last year. The bikes were well packed with tons of heavy duty bubble wrap, plus cardboard. A nightmare in the making !!!!


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## Schwinn499 (Jul 18, 2015)

Ouch...been there done that....no fun for sure...hope you get justice...


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## 1969nam (Jul 18, 2015)

I would have posted more pictures......I have had about 2 hours of sleep, due to the fact, I am really ticked off. Chris tells me on the phone, " I have shipped over 107 bikes, this is the 1st time a bike has been damaged." I am sure he is telling me the truth, yea RIGHT, I can walk on water.


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## 1969nam (Jul 18, 2015)

1969nam said:


> The 1948 Mercury bike I purchased earlier this week was badly damaged during shipping. The shipper was Fedex. The bike was poorly packed with a minimum of bubble wrap. The front fender and wheel were rubbing against the frame of the bike. Not one piece of cardboard was used between the front fender and frame with rear fender and luggage rack were used to prevent any rubbing of the parts against each other. Handle bars and pedals were wrapped. Metal luggage rack was split. Back fender was flat against the rear tire, fender braces were mangled. Multible paint scrapes throughout the bike. Worse packing job I have ever seen. I have received two bikes from Fedex and UPS in the last year. The bikes were well packed with tons of heavy duty bubble wrap, plus cardboard. Now I have to wait for Chris to refund my money, only after he has filed a claim with Fedex. A nightmare in the making !!!!




This bike should have been shipped in 2 boxes......He charged me $100.00 for shipping. If he is so experienced in shipping bikes, why not use 2 boxes, instead of jamming such a beautiful piece of history in one box to save a few bucks. I would have gladly paid for 2 boxes.


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## Euphman06 (Jul 18, 2015)

The more and more I ship, the better I get of course. If the fenders don't fit without touching the box, it goes in a separate box. I think the last bike I shipped in two boxes from east to west coast cost me $92 with bikeflights and that was insured and picked up at my house. That of course doesn't include the typically 3-5 hours to pack it. Even if the fenders fit, I now let the rear braces off and jam cardboard between the wheel and inside fender so it has some wiggle room without the braces bending to hell but not too much room so the fender creases if bent (in theory at least..) I've had good luck with this method so far. Of course the whole thing gets wrapped with bubble at the end so there is no wiggle room in the box. Paint should never touch paint! It has no chance of surviving.


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## syclesavage (Jul 18, 2015)

that bikes value really went south due to incompetence on this guy you call Chris I hope you get something resolved bout it. Good luck


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## delgan (Jul 18, 2015)

That would make a grown man cry!


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## how (Jul 18, 2015)

That is just why I never shipped a bike, even though asked to many times.


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## the tinker (Jul 18, 2015)

Honest to God I don't know what some folks are thinking when they ship stuff out. Just in too much of a hurry and too lazy to get the right packing. Once it leaves on that truck anything can happen. 
When I come home and find something I have been waiting for on the porch with a big hole in the side of the box my heart just sinks .  I guess when we purchase something, at the risk of sounding sarcastic, we should tell the seller in no uncertain terms it better be "well" packed, in fact over packed.


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## redline1968 (Jul 18, 2015)

Insurance? I always pay for insurance no matter what.  Looks like they just thrashed the bike in the shipping process.


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## 1969nam (Jul 18, 2015)

The fellow stated he did take out insurance......so he is suppose to contact Fedex on Monday.


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## halfatruck (Jul 18, 2015)

I have shipped a few complete bikes through Fed Ex, you have to pack them with the thought in mind of what is the worst thing the delivery Co. can do, then pack to stop the damage that would result......a little bubble wrap won't do it.......


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## CWCMAN (Jul 18, 2015)

WOW, shame on the seller who poorly packed this bike. You should always pack a bike with overkill in mind. Removing the front wheel and axle, removing bars, seat, pedals, and fenders and properly wrapping and securing said items so as to not ping pong around the box causing damage. Line the interior of the box with extra cardboard, old pillows, blankets, what have you always block and protect forks. I can go on....

Expect a little rough handling from the shipping gorillas because it will happen but poor packing is a no, no and no bike will survive that.

I recently had two bike shipped to me, one through FedEx and the other through UPS. No real issues to talk about. And YES, use two boxes when appropriate. 

Just my two cents


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## 1969nam (Jul 18, 2015)

CWCMAN, I agree with you 100%. I would pack the bike as if I were sending the bike to myself. Lazy is the only word I can think of right now......


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## fordmike65 (Jul 18, 2015)

I just had a nice ladies bike arrive beat to hell. Maybe three small pieces of bubble wrap, a couple extra pieces of cardboard...that's it. Box was not beat at all, but the headlight & tank beat the crap outta each other the whole way, carrier smashed into fender & a bunch of the carrier paint ended up rubbing off onto the inside of the box. Waiting to hear back from seller...


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## Jeff54 (Jul 18, 2015)

1969nam said:


> I would have posted more pictures......I have had about 2 hours of sleep, due to the fact, I am really ticked off. Chris tells me on the phone, " I have shipped over 107 bikes, this is the 1st time a bike has been damaged." I am sure he is telling me the truth, yea RIGHT, I can walk on water.





I'd expect in fact INSIST! the seller pay return shipping expences too!..

And, maybe he did it 'accidently, on purpose' because, this looks like a bondo crack:






If not disclosed, sometimes peps 'accidently on purpose' do these things out of guilt. Bondo bad! covers rust that comes back and haut ya. [wink]


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## walter branche (Jul 18, 2015)

not shippers fault , pack them like you would like to receive them , if the buyer does not want to pay for the packing and insurance , they do not deserve the bike . no shipper cares what is inside , especially if it is insured , ..  all it takes is one employee that has had a bad day -and  your box suffers, ..also insurance payment can be disputed , especially when the photos are displayed before settlement , good luck ,,   I travel thousands of miles each year , to pick up the items , ..I ask my clients to photograph what is for sale , and then the party begins , ..   If you allow another person to touch it ,move it, etc . you are asking for trouble ,,  Bike Flights has been the best place I have ever used , . sometimes double boxing , really helps ,,   I flew to London with my blue bowden in a double box, i flew home from dallas with my red bowden double boxed , never had a mark on it ,GOOD LUCK ,   there sure are a bunch of nice machines being found and offered to the citizens ..wpb


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## vincev (Jul 18, 2015)

Is the seller a Cabe member?


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## 1969nam (Jul 18, 2015)

1969nam said:


> The 1948 Mercury bike I purchased earlier this week was badly damaged during shipping. The shipper was Fedex. The bike was poorly packed with a minimum of bubble wrap. The front fender and wheel were rubbing against the frame of the bike. Not one piece of cardboard was used between the front fender and frame with rear fender and luggage rack were used to prevent any rubbing of the parts against each other. Handle bars and pedals were wrapped. Metal luggage rack was split. Back fender was flat against the rear tire, fender braces were mangled. Multible paint scrapes throughout the bike. Worse packing job I have ever seen. I have received two bikes from Fedex and UPS in the last year. The bikes were well packed with tons of heavy duty bubble wrap, plus cardboard. Now I have to wait for Chris to refund my money, only after he has filed a claim with Fedex. A nightmare in the making !!!!




No bondo......all metal, went over it with a light weight magnet. Both sides of the luggage rack are split. Have to find a good metal man with excellent painting skills.


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## GTs58 (Jul 18, 2015)

Wow! Just freakin bubble wrap? I had a bike shipped loose in a box that was just completely filled with popcorn. Same results, busted up bike. Sorry to see this happen.


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## sleepy (Jul 18, 2015)

What a shame....appeared to be a beautiful bike. Survived intact since '48 and gets mangled in 2015 due to poor packaging.

Hope things work out in your favor.


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## 1969nam (Jul 18, 2015)

Sleepy.........things always have a way of working out for me !!!!


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## Dave K (Jul 18, 2015)

I am 99.99% sure Fedex is not going to pay out on this as the damage is due to packing negligence.  Keep a close eye on window to file a claim, would hate to your time frame to file a claim expire as he goes through the song and dance with Fedex.


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## hellshotrods (Jul 18, 2015)

Dave K said:


> I am 99.99% sure Fedex is not going to pay out on this as the damage is due to packing negligence.  Keep a close eye on window to file a claim, would hate to your time frame to file a claim expire as he goes through the song and dance with Fedex.





If Fed Ex pays anything, they will want to keep the bike.  When a claim is filed and they have to pay (take a loss), Fed Ex will keep the merchandise.    Something to think about....   You won't get a check from Fed Ex or UPS until they have the merchandise and package in their hands.


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## 1969nam (Jul 19, 2015)

I could care less about filing a claim for damages. I will keep the bike, I will preserve this bike. This bike is part of our American history. I paid for the bike, the bike is mine to keep. " What doesn't kill me, makes me stronger ".


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## Freqman1 (Jul 19, 2015)

I agree with Dave K. about FEDEX not paying. They, rightfully, will counter the bike was not packed properly. If there is a silver lining here it is that the bike was restored and not original so any damage can be repaired without damaging  the value of the bike. I hope you can enjoy the bike. V/r Shawn


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## 1969nam (Jul 19, 2015)

Freqman1 said:


> I agree with Dave K. about FEDEX not paying. They, rightfully, will counter the bike was not packed properly. If there is a silver lining here it is that the bike was restored and not original so any damage can be repaired without damaging  the value of the bike. I hope you can enjoy the bike. V/r Shawn




The bike is a keeper......I respect your signature. Thank you for your service.


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## 1969nam (Jul 20, 2015)

Jeff54 said:


> I'd expect in fact INSIST! the seller pay return shipping expences too!..
> 
> And, maybe he did it 'accidently, on purpose' because, this looks like a bondo crack:
> 
> ...




No bondo at all......metal is split on both sides of luggage rack. The pressure impact of the rear fender pushing up against the luggage rack.


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## bobcycles (Jul 20, 2015)

*While FedEx is perfectly capable of mistreating their cargo, I always FIRST blame the 'packer/shipper'.  Years ago I used to ship with UPS.......but due to SO many bicycle claims?  They became impossible to deal with.  I had friends who worked there and told me the horror stories of horrible pack jobs and lying/scamming customers seeking to line their pockets with scam claims. From my 30 years+ experience shipping and recieving bikes,   I always blamed the HOBBY before I did the shipper.  So many idiots who simply don't take the time to pack a bicycle properly.  You pack it right?  You PROTECT against mishandling by UPS or FedEx.  Combine poor packing with outright fraud where people filed bogus claims to recoup on shipping and you end up with Freight forwarders who want NOTHING TO DO with bicycle collectors or 'vintage' bikes.  There was a So Cal collector who was notorious for this.......the guy in Ventura KK who actually encouraged the people he ripped off to file "bogus claims"......  Ruining the playing field for honest collectors and shippers.   I hate to see nice bikes ruined or damaged in transit.......but it can almost ALWAYS be prevented if the LAZY ........shiftless Packer takes their TIME to DO THE EPHIN JOB RIGHT!*


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## partsguy (Jul 20, 2015)

hellshotrods said:


> If Fed Ex pays anything, they will want to keep the bike.  When a claim is filed and they have to pay (take a loss), Fed Ex will keep the merchandise.    Something to think about....   You won't get a check from Fed Ex or UPS until they have the merchandise and package in their hands.




I have had to file a claim twice and all they needed was proof of what was shipped with good pictures.


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## 1969nam (Jul 21, 2015)

bobcycles said:


> *While FedEx is perfectly capable of mistreating their cargo, I always FIRST blame the 'packer/shipper'.  Years ago I used to ship with UPS.......but due to SO many bicycle claims?  They became impossible to deal with.  I had friends who worked there and told me the horror stories of horrible pack jobs and lying/scamming customers seeking to line their pockets with scam claims. From my 30 years+ experience shipping and recieving bikes,   I always blamed the HOBBY before I did the shipper.  So many idiots who simply don't take the time to pack a bicycle properly.  You pack it right?  You PROTECT against mishandling by UPS or FedEx.  Combine poor packing with outright fraud where people filed bogus claims to recoup on shipping and you end up with Freight forwarders who want NOTHING TO DO with bicycle collectors or 'vintage' bikes.  There was a So Cal collector who was notorious for this.......the guy in Ventura KK who actually encouraged the people he ripped off to file "bogus claims"......  Ruining the playing field for honest collectors and shippers.   I hate to see nice bikes ruined or damaged in transit.......but it can almost ALWAYS be prevented if the LAZY ........shiftless Packer takes their TIME to DO THE EPHIN JOB RIGHT!*




BOBCYCLES......you hit the nail on the head. The seller was too lazy to correctly pack the bike with care. Just too lazy is the right word ! I have my work cut out for me to fix this bike I am keeping. The bike lasted since 1948 in great shape, all it took to destroy it was downright laziness from the seller not paying attention to what they were doing.


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## delgan (Jul 21, 2015)

There is a JC Higgins manifold decaled bike on ebay--just like the one I got 62 years ago for my 6 th birthday except mine was a 24". The only reason I won't bid on it is I am afraid as how it will look when it gets to Indiana from Texas. I would hate to unbox and find what you found. Glad your keeping it and good luck on repairing and enjoy.


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## 1969nam (Jul 21, 2015)

delgan said:


> There is a JC Higgins manifold decaled bike on ebay--just like the one I got 62 years ago for my 6 th birthday except mine was a 24". The only reason I won't bid on it is I am afraid as how it will look when it gets to Indiana from Texas. I would hate to unbox and find what you found. Glad your keeping it and good luck on repairing and enjoy.




The seller claimed he packed and sent over 107 bikes across the USA. Mine was the only one damaged. I trusted he knew what he was doing. Unless the seller has 99.9% to 100% feedback, has been on ebay for a long period of time, plus specializes in bikes.......NEVER will I purchase a bike from a rookie ebayer.


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## squeedals (Jul 21, 2015)

Fed Ex is not responsible for a crappy pack job. File a complaint to eBay and send pics of the bike "before" and "after". If the dispute goes your way they will refund some $$$$ out of the sellers account. I know.....I've done it. I'd say the seller owes you a good 1/4 to 1/3 of the final price and a refund on shipping costs. You can keep the bike....but you are entitled $$$$ back........no buts. 



Don


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## 1969nam (Jul 21, 2015)

squeedals said:


> Fed Ex is not responsible for a crappy pack job. File a complaint to eBay and send pics of the bike "before" and "after". If the dispute goes your way they will refund some $$$$ out of the sellers account. I know.....I've done it. I'd say the seller owes you a good 1/4 to 1/3 of the final price and a refund on shipping costs. You can keep the bike....but you are entitled $$$$ back........no buts.
> 
> 
> 
> Don




Thank you for the information.


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## 1969nam (Jul 22, 2015)

delgan said:


> There is a JC Higgins manifold decaled bike on ebay--just like the one I got 62 years ago for my 6 th birthday except mine was a 24". The only reason I won't bid on it is I am afraid as how it will look when it gets to Indiana from Texas. I would hate to unbox and find what you found. Glad your keeping it and good luck on repairing and enjoy.




Delgan,
The reality is.......you open the box, then whamo !!! A sucker punch, then a kick in the stomach. The darn Mercury head badge is even missing !! I am on the healing end of my nightmare, I had 2 quarts of paint mixed yesterday, I have already started by taking the bike apart. I'm ready to start the healing process ! The sad part is, EBAY does not allow NEGATIVE FEEDBACK to be posted any more, this really plays into shafting the BUYER.......


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