Is this normal?

surfwhere

Gerry Lopez status
Aug 5, 2008
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Board shipping is a dice roll everywhere. Laws vary everywhere.

Carriers live inside heavily fortified legal castles when it comes to claims.


Claims are not generally made at retail, they are at replacement cost for the shipper (Gary).


Customs refunds may depend on you going to customs agent and requesting adjustment due to value not being what it is due to damage. Original paperwork may have that as your responsibility.


Not sure why you didn't get full credit for board and shipping except for principal of board being repairable. If board now really belongs to carrier not you then you should get full refund. That might change customs as well but I'm not sure. For surf shops, dumb Asian board companies make you cut boards in half and send them pics if you want damaged/defect refund.
 
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Goodfish

Michael Peterson status
Feb 22, 2014
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Yeah, I understand that they do everything they can to protect themselves. My main point of contention is how it was dealt with. Basically, I got "Oh, well. Not my fault." No attempt to take some of the responsibility or help mitigate the loss. Just heaped it on me.
 

Goodfish

Michael Peterson status
Feb 22, 2014
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"Your PayPal claim has been denied."

I think it's because of a technicality. I just tried to claim the money back from the shipping I paid through PayPal, not the board itself. Started a new claim looking for a full refund through the PayPal invoice for the board. In their PayPal Purchase Protection legal, it says a customer can claim an item as 'Significantly Not As Described' if "The item was materially damaged during shipment." I've sent them all the photos and evidence, so they surely can't dispute it this time.
 

Goodfish

Michael Peterson status
Feb 22, 2014
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I escalated this one straight to PayPal as Gary didn't responded to my last email. He responded to PayPal pretty quickly saying he had refunded me for the transaction! Pretty ballsy, but then I thought about it. I think he's played it very well. He separated the shipping payment and the board payment, so I could never get the full refund. I guess there's something in the legal stuff about not being able to dispute a shipping claim as the board did arrive, only in a worthless condition. The compensation he got from the shipping company that he sent me is about AU$100 under what I paid for the board itself. If I add that to what I paid him for the shipping, then what I have lost is about $400 (including the custom fees I paid too).

I guess the way he sees it as it being my choice in getting the board shipped. Keeps his conscience clear I suppose, but not the way I would do business. I doubt he would react this way if something happened in a shipment of his boards to Drifter in Bali or the other shops that stock his boards around the world. I sent him another email saying I was pretty shocked how he can use a technicality to wriggle out of any responsibility and just dump it on me. Also, as a returning customer who has recommended his boards to many of my friends, I think it's a bit low-class that he did absolutely nothing to try to mitigate my loss.

Anyway, don't hold out much hope for getting any of the missing $400 back.
 
Last edited:
Nov 17, 2007
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I’ve had success calling PayPal and Disputing cases. They sometimes will decide over the phone vs dragging out it over days
 
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racer1

Tom Curren status
Apr 16, 2014
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What erks me the most about this thread is that your shaper is getting a credit on shipping that he is probably upselling to you. We don't know what kind of bulk rate he gets and he's passing off a higher number to you. I do it to clients all the time, but if there's a mess up I refund them. That's probably why he's not refunding you because the shipping number you paid is marked up.
 

deforestcooper

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Nov 1, 2016
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I escalated this one straight to PayPal as Gary didn't responded to my last email. He responded to PayPal pretty quickly saying he had refunded me for the transaction! Pretty ballsy, but then I though about it. I think he's played it very well. He separated the shipping payment and the board payment, so I could never get the full refund. I guess there's something in the legal stuff about not being able to dispute a shipping claim as the board did arrive, only in a worthless condition. The compensation he got from the shipping company that he sent me is about AU$100 under what I paid for the board itself. If I add that to what I paid him for the shipping, then what I have lost is about $400 (including the custom fees I paid too).

I guess the way he sees it as it being my choice in getting the board shipped. Keeps his conscience clear I suppose, but not the way I would do business. I doubt he would react this way if something happened in a shipment of his boards to Drifter in Bali or the other shops that stock his boards around the world. I sent him another email saying I was pretty shocked how he can use a technicality to wriggle out of any responsibility and just dump it on me. Also, as a returning customer who has recommended his boards to many of my friends, I think it's a bit low-class that he did absolutely nothing to try to mitigate my loss.

Anyway, don't hold out much hope for getting any of the missing $400 back.
I think what you really want is a Firewire Hydroshort! :LOL::shaka:
 
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Bman76

Nep status
Mar 10, 2011
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Some years ago I bought some fins from the Deadkooks guy. They never arrived. I went through PayPal and they were awesome and took back his money. He then said, "Close the claim and i will send them.' I did and the fins still didn't arrive. I went online and the guys over at realsurf forum went ballistic and with enough pressure - he gave me my money back. I realise this is a different situation, and I've only had good experiences with Gary, but he needs to make this right.
 

Goodfish

Michael Peterson status
Feb 22, 2014
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Yeah, I've never had an issue like this in 10 years of getting boards shipped here. Seems he is just more than happy to pass the buck as he knows I'm a board every 2 or 3 years from him kinda customer. Not someone he has any reason to really look out for and take care of.
 

npsp

Miki Dora status
Dec 30, 2003
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Yeah, I've never had an issue like this in 10 years of getting boards shipped here. Seems he is just more than happy to pass the buck as he knows I'm a board every 2 or 3 years from him kinda customer. Not someone he has any reason to really look out for and take care of.
That is BS!! regardless of being a big or small customer you should be treated fairly and made whole. I've been in sales of some type or another for the last 30+ years and one thing I learned is the you treat ALL customers as if they are your biggest most important customer.
I doubt anyone whose read this thread will buy from this guy in the future. The $400.00 he saved by stiffing you will cost him a lot more in $$ and reputation in the long run. The guys a dunce.
 

racer1

Tom Curren status
Apr 16, 2014
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Okay. Moving on. I guess fix the board. Is there a good repair guy where you're at? Then resell it. But I know what country you're in, I don't know if anybody in that country even knows Gary or what that board is worth.
 

JDJ

Miki Dora status
Mar 1, 2014
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Damn. This story sucks. I had a great experience dealing with Gary. But I’m sorry to hear you’re out of pocket so much.
 

Goodfish

Michael Peterson status
Feb 22, 2014
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The board's been at the repair shop since Gary wasn't interested in getting it sent back. That was about a month ago, but the ding doc's wife has just had a baby, so I'm just waiting for him to let me know. He quoted me about $150 for the repairs. Some friends took a look at the board and said it's worth a shot - it could snap first wave or it could last a while. I've no interest in the board, but I'll put it up for sale with a disclaimer about the repair job when it's done...
 
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surfwhere

Gerry Lopez status
Aug 5, 2008
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The board's been at the repair shop since Gary wasn't interested in getting it sent back. That was about a month ago, but the ding doc's wife has just had a baby, so I'm just waiting for him to let me know. He quoted me about $150 for the repairs. Some friends took a look at the board and said it's worth a shot - it could snap first wave or it could last a while. I've no interest in the board, but I'll put it up for sale with a disclaimer about the repair job when it's done...
Fixed properly there shouldn't be a problem. Getting some money back on customs might be done if you go through the trouble of trying.

I had a shipper drive a fork into a box of boards and damage 3 of them. The box was reported damaged but since I couldn't tell them the total repair charges as fast as they wanted them they said it was too late to make a claim. I waited until the repair guy finished them. I tried again in a protest but they were decks about it, again. Total devaluation was over $1000 aesthetically, repairs only cost like $150. Ate the $150. Similar damage to the pic you shared on page 1. Repaired boards still going strong, ride like new.
 
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