Mailing Flute for Maintenance

[Fox]

How do you all feel about mailing your flute to get a COA? I currently take my flute to an instrument repair place about three hours away. I was thinking of sending my flute to fluteworld to get it's yearly COA, but I'm anxious about mailing my flute to them.

[fluteguy18]

I always mail my Miyazawa back to the distributor in Iowa. Cris is my tech there and he's fantastic. If he can't do it, I let Erik do it or else I send it to Robert Johnson in Michigan. Seeing as how the only Straubinger certified technician is unfortunately one that I do not like (both in personality and in work quality), mailing is my only choice.

As long as it is packed well, I don't see any problems. You just need to make sure that it is insured. If you don't have it insured already, pay for shipping insurance. Don't 'double' insure it though (private and shipping). If it gets lost, neither will pay because they would assume the other company should pay. Insurance should always be for the replacement cost.

[pied_piper]

In the past, I have shipped flutes and other musical instruments and had no problem. However, I have heard discussions from a number of repair techs that have had problems collecting payment on shipping damage (with shipper's insurance). This seems to have become a bigger problem in recent years. The general consensus is that the two big shippers often deny damage claims to expensive instruments by declaring inadequate packing, even when an instrument was double boxed with loads of bubble wrap and foam peanuts. The shipping companies have said that you must expect that packages will be dropped, fall off the back of a truck, etc., and the packing must be sufficient to protect against such typical handling. Their position seems to be if the contents are damaged, well then, it obviously was not packed well enough and that means that insurance does not cover it. They apparently have the final word on whether they pay-up on insurance claims for damage. You apparently have a better chance of collecting if it's lost or stolen in transit.

Do a Google search for "damaged musical instruments" and preface it the name of one of the big two shippers. You will find plenty of similar stories. So, I would suggest that you not ship an expensive, pro-level instrument unless you have it insured through Clarion or a similar musical instrument insurance company.

[cflutist]

Speaking of packing, this is how my Brannen flute arrived last year with foam all around it.
There was another piece of foam on top flush with the top of the box.
They say to save the box for shipping back to them for COAs.

[Fox]

In the past, I have shipped flutes and other musical instruments and had no problem. However, I have heard discussions from a number of repair techs that have had problems collecting payment on shipping damage (with shipper's insurance). This seems to have become a bigger problem in recent years. The general consensus is that the two big shippers often deny damage claims to expensive instruments by declaring inadequate packing, even when an instrument was double boxed with loads of bubble wrap and foam peanuts.

pied_piper - When I was returning the extra flutes to fluteworld I went to UPS. Is a small one person store. The guy told me that if I was going to insure the flutes the best thing to do is to let HIM pack it for me (I don't remember if there is an extra charge). He told me that if it's done that way then the company is not able to say it was not adequately packed because it would then be considered packed by them.

cflutist - wow now that is VERY properly packed.

I think that next time I need a COA that I will ship it to fluteworld. Thanks guys for the comments.

[Arlee]

The shipping companies have said that you must expect that packages will be dropped, fall off the back of a truck, etc.,

Really? I mean understand packing to protect against these sorts of things, but I don't think the expectation should that these things will happen... That just seems like awful PR to me = /