Complete Shipping Failure

FIRST General Forum
#21

Well, after taking many pictures we finished… unwrapping… the robot. We have some rather comical damages.

  • The light was ripped from the top of the robot, leaving two of it’s mounting posts inside the robot. Both domes were shattered, and the reflector lens was ripped off. Ironically, both the normal and replacement lightbulbs are fine :slight_smile:

  • A forklift tong went straight through a 40 amp fuse. We got to see inside! Those things are awesome… The 40 amp was about 4 inches from the RC, though, so we’re kind of worried… we’re going to test the robot as soon as possible.

  • Our frame is bent, but we can’t tell if that was our driving at Philly or the forklift. I’m thinking half and half :slight_smile:

  • Our autonomous control panel on the robot was ripped to pieces. The left/right switch has been torn up, and the rotary switch that controlled the autonomous program settings had it’s output dial sheared right off.

  • There were pistachio shells all over our robot! They rammed our crate and then ate lunch over it!

Anyway, the incident has actually made me happy. Since we have to go to the Maryland State Fair and the Duel on the Delaware still, we’re going to build Phoenix, a new robot based off of the drive train and pieces of Functional Decoration that embodies all that we’ve learned about this game. Woohoo!

Anyone have a replacement light dome set or extra suction cups they’d be willing to give us? Will trade for Fisher-Price motors…

#22

At the Phoenix regional we noticed someone had taken the “door” side off our crate but then put it back almost the same way with the same screws. Hrrrmmm. No damage or anything missing though. At LA all was well. We still have to wait for it to show up back at home so we’ll see how that goes.

#23

ok so its been a few years, but i just thought this was worth reviving the thread for:

in 2005 team 422 (now, unfortunently without gui as a fulltime* team member, though he helps tons) we got forklifted AGAIN

not to bad this time though. for the 2005 challenge we had used our leftover weight to put curved 1/8 steel sideshields on the two sides of the robot. we thought if anyone tried to ram us theyd be flipped. that never worked. fortuenntly however, when we saw we had been forklifted yet again, we rushed to discover that one of our sidesheilds had ben hit! they saved the life of TryForce, because the way the dents looked, it might have gone right into the electronics board. so what are the odds that in 2003 and 2005 the same team got beaten down by a forklift?

and gui, if you are reading this, i just want you to know that we still have a huge box full of unused fisher price motors!

#24

This sounds absolutely atrocious… We pay the shipping companies good money, and I for one don’t expect to be jerked around!
If any teams don’t get results from talking to Higher-ups in the shipping company, go to the authorities! lawsuits aren’t half bad either.

#25

We recently redsigned our crate. There is additional support on the bottom area. More room was given to be picked up by the fork trucks. To combat being stacked or left in the rain during competitions, the craate is part of the pit design. This was all down because a few years ago we had a forklight go through the crate as well.
Yes, none of this should happen but perhaps we should consider that techincally you can ship the robot for free.

#26

There is nothing you can do about having scuffs and scrapes on the outside of the crates and it will happen in shipping. 237’s own crate is finished nicely on the outside and it has some marks on it. When the crates are put on trucks, planes, loading docks they will rub up against other objects. They can even get scuffed with the bulkhead on the forklift. Expecting to always have a pristine exterior on a crate is unrealistic.

Now, having large gouges, punctures and holes in the create is unacceptable. The problem lies in trying to figure out WHO did it. While FedEx shipped it they might have had nothing to do with the damage. The people at the venue may have damaged it during loading or unloading. FedEx doesn’t load/unload the trucks at the venues, that’s where the shipping/recieving department at each venue comes in. They could damage something then shrink wrap it and then load it on the truck when FedEx shows up.

At times I’ve had to fill in at the shipping and recieving department where I work. I can also tell you that don’t be surprised if settling a claim takes weeks or even months. If you do notice damage to your crate photograph it BEFORE you open it. Take pictures of all sides. Then take more photos as you open it then finally of the contents. Also when you get the paperwork/bill of landing from the truck/shipper make a note of the damage at time of delivery when you sign for it.

#27

Our crate magically gained at least 45 pounds. They charged us for 55 lbs over. It’s the same crate we’ve used since our rookie year (2002), and we’ve never had overage charges before. The robot was 10 lbs overweight, but we can’t acount for the other 45. This is all assuming that the crate weighs 280 lb crate with a 120 lb robot in it and no batteries or extras.

#28

Because every team has the resources to hire a lawyer to work on them getting back money that won’t even cover court and legal costs, right?

#29

I’d actually recommend sending complaints to FIRST as well as the shipping company, since they’re the organization that is contracting the shipping, not the teams. Not to mention they’ve probably got more pull with the shipping company.

#30

The drayage company did this to 100 at least two times while I was on the team, and possibly more since.

In my senior year, FedEx weighed our crate at 280 lbs. All we shipped in it was the robot, and the controls.

We arrived at our first regional, and drayage was saying that we had to pay around $100 in overweight fees.

So apparently on the way to Sacramento, the crate jumped from ~280 lbs to ~500 lbs.

#31

My suggestion would be to write a concise explanation of what you see as the problem. Have your mentor(s) attend your local team forum (should be held during the last two weeks of May) to hand this in. If your mentor(s) cannot attend, send this explanation to FIRST, Attn: team support. That way FIRST can try to address these issues, see if there is a pattern.

There are many layers and parties involved in shipping. Teams, FedEx, local drayage, SES.

If you have a Senior Mentor, also send to them.

#32

After reading all this and learned the horror stories of the crates being damaged, I have to say that Fedex and the drayage company is the only one who is NOT executing Gracious and Professionalism.

I am proud of you guys dealt & pick up the stree and fix your own robot and do the right thing by contacting FIRST. Its really common sense for the guys at drayage company to think that there are over 500 robots built by students that cost $$$ flying all over the places need to be handled VERY careful unfortunately they aren’t. This is why you come in here and tell us about so the entire FIRST community can help you guys the best we can. We are not the families of competiting robot teams, but we are a family of Gracious and Professionalism, because we know it better than anyone in the world.

-WJS :smiley:
Team Resistance #86
Webmaster/Mentor

#33

I can beat you all. After LSR, 57’s crate just disappeared for about a week. Yellow Freight said they’d given it to Fed Ex. Fed Ex said they never got it, and it was nowhere to be found at the arena. Then it just magically appeared at Fed Ex and got to our shop, also in Houston, shortly after. Granted we’ve ended up with a crate, eventually, but I was pretty worried about the large amount of expensive tools we had packed in that crate.

#34

Here’s an interesting story to which I STILL don’t know the exact details:

Last season, our robot was supposed to be shipped home after Chesapeake. We’re west of Annapolis. SOMEHOW, our robot and crate wound up (together, thankfully!!) in NEW JERSEY, the opposite direction. This wouldn’t have been incredibly odd, but the 'bot STAYED there for several weeks, with no explanation that I ever heard. A few members of the team experienced some painful “seperation anxiety” while Meshach took a detour…

#35

A few members of the team experienced some painful “seperation anxiety” while Meshach took a detour…

AWWWW -

#36

I have worked in a shipping and receiving department before and have seen some pretty incredible damage. On one occasion fedex actually managed to break a solid steel control arm that belonged to a Ford Explorer. I don’t see how that is possible short of running it over with something. Another time, we received a shippment of rusted sheet metal brackets, in a waterfilled bag with an appology note taped to it. Other times packages would simply disappear or come in with boxes mangled beyond belief.

#37

http://powerstandards.com/FedExVerdict/
http://usgovinfo.about.com/cs/consumer/a/fedexpays.htm

Nope, wouldn’t even come close to covering court costs, right adam?

Every team has a right to be treated fairly, and if it takes one team taking legal action to show FedEx that we are paying customers, then so be-it.
I have no doubt hat FIRST tries to stamp out the damage caused by deliveries every time it happens and somebody complains to them, but what they do obviously isn’t showing FedEx anything, because it keeps on happening.

Note to adam: Next time, please don’t respond to something that I’ve posted in a rude/demeaning way, because I am not trying to argue… Only to have my opinion be known.

#38

I recommend not shipping batteries in the crate it has caused our crate to be overweight twice. Take the batteries to comp via someone driving, it is a lot cheaper than having to pay overweight charges. We made a lighter crate this year, we were over 400 because our crate alone was weighing in close to 250. Also they do make composite skids and crates that can come apart and are very light, it is a good investment. Normal wear and tear and objects that protrude are obviously gonna be hit, scraped or broken. Remember FIRST and FedEx sometimes stack crates, you must design your crate with the ability to withstand 1000 pounds on top of it.

#39

Which is as good a reason as any to mark the crate “Do not stack”, “This side up” (with an arrow), etc…

#40

They will still be stacked