Opinions?

drob

Member
2
Hello All,

Curious to hear peoples opinions on this? We asked for a quote on a shipment below (I've already addressed that we need to lay things out in absolute detail to protect ourselves) and carrier gives a rate and nothing else, we agree and send over the tender. Driver picks up and goes to delivery and can't bring it up the stairs and there is no one to help him( never asked us to arrange help). Who do you think is at fault for this? or is it a shared blame


Would you be able to provide a rate for the following shipment?

It is a couch that is boxed and skidded.
190 lbs
84x40x44

Shipping from XXX to XXX

It could load into either a straight truck or a sprinter van.
Delivery will require the couch to be brought inside and there are 5 stairs to go up entering the building.
 

loaders

Site Supporter
30
I don’t see how the amount paid has much to do with this. Whether the rate was $100 or $1000.00, the fact is, the driver cannot carry the thing in by himself. Sorry Drob, but you should have asked at the very least, if there was anyone on site to help the driver, or even quizzed the shipper if they thought this was a one person job. You gave the driver a “Mission Impossible”.
 

lowmiler88

Site Supporter
30
Loaders if the pay was $100 then I'm pretty sure nobody would deliver a couch which requires 2 people, if it was in fact $1000 then yes it makes sense. I guess what I'm saying is did the carrier know they needed 2 people and that it was going upstairs?
 

loaders

Site Supporter
30
Evidently not, or the thing would have been delivered already. That seems to be the missing piece of info. The dimensions are spelled out, along with the weight of the piece and the fact that the driver will have to manually delivery it into the building up a flight of 5 stairs. Maybe the carrier looked at this and said, hey, let's use Arnold for this delivery, he's a strong guy. Or maybe they didn't look at anything and just sent the guy on his merry way. In any case, my opinion is that the freight broker should have been a bit more inquisitive and asked a few more pertinent questions before sending this order off to the carrier. Yes, it could be argued that the the carrier should have been more proactive and asked the broker the same questions about assistance at delivery, but the order started with the broker, it is his customer and by extension....his freight. That said, he should be a bit more familiar with it, or if not, find out more about it before making it someone else's problem.
 

Beep Beep

Member
10
They knew it was a couch (Couch, 190 lbs, boxed & skidded)

The last time I tried to lift MY couch at home, the wife had to help me...

So I'm guessing the carrier who took the order should have known better...
 

Freight Broker

Well-Known Member
30
Maybe take the couch off the skid and out fo the packaging... and then slide it up the stairs. I did that myself once.. sliding it is a whole lot easier than carrying it..
 
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what1ship

Member
10
I would put in back on the truck, tell them you need a helper for the delivery and relax on my new couch waiting for their response.
 

loaders

Site Supporter
30
In a perfect world, the carrier would have received the load confirmation, read it and said” whoa...hang on a minute, this delivery obviously needs two men....what’s that brokers phone number, we have to straighten this out.” Or in an even more perfect world, the broker would have said” just a second there Mr Customer, before we have the driver load it and get there, will there be someone on site to help the driver get this couch into the building.?” The broker was the first point of contact and as such, it should be their responsibility to ask all the right questions. Everyone who has responded here is saying the same thing.....190lb couch....1 driver.....I don’t think so. Why then didn’t the broker say the same thing when he received the order?
 

drob

Member
2
Thanks for the varying inputs.

Just to clarify it was known upfront that there was no dock on the delivery end and this went in a sprinter. Also it was communicated above the size, dims and weight and the fact it needs to be brought inside up 5 stairs. BUT we didn't specifically say it needs to be 2 man, etc. Personally i think the carrier didn't read through it at first and just threw a rate back quickly and used the excuse after the fact they "assumed" we had someone there to help. Same way we assumed that they would put the math together when quoting. Obviously assumption was the problem here.

In the end we are paying the original carrier the agreed rate, sourced a second 2 man delivery to get the job done and taking it on the chin. Lesson learned for moving forwards.
 

Michael Ludwig

Well-Known Member
20
Sorry folks ... I'm not buying it.
If the dispatch was exactly as the OP stated in the the original post, then it's 110% on the carrier. The dispatch clearly stated what was required of the delivery.
Could the broker have been more proactive? Absolutely. The simple question of "Give me the names of the two people making the delivery so I can inform the receiver." also would have solved the problem.
 

markhamboy

Well-Known Member
20
Sorry folks ... I'm not buying it.
If the dispatch was exactly as the OP stated in the the original post, then it's 110% on the carrier. The dispatch clearly stated what was required of the delivery.
Could the broker have been more proactive? Absolutely. The simple question of "Give me the names of the two people making the delivery so I can inform the receiver." also would have solved the problem.


Like my customer would say ( Let's line our ducks ) to make sure things are done right. the more question are asking the better it is. 10/4?
 
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