Putting Out An APB For Missing Super Duty
 

Sadly, I'm having to put out this APB for a missing Super Duty block. I bought a standard bore '74 SD block from one of this forums regular posters. That part went fine. But FedEx Freight has lost it. Their searching can't confirm anything except that it was dropped off in Peru IL. and on what date. I'm in western WA. so it was supposed to be dropped off at the Portland OR. terminal before heading to me. It was shipped in a plywood crate.

I would appreciate everyone keeping their eyes and ears open for a SD block "suddenly" appearing on the market. Casting date is A094. You can PM me for the partial VIN and EUN.

Any help you can give will be immensely appreciated!

***UPDATE - as of Monday 10/4 the block has been found. See post #17 below.***

Keep using their search que and sign up for updates. This will put it at top of their activity list where managers will see it. The box probably got broke and someone got scared. Try the search 20 times a day or more.

Shoulda road tripped it.

Hope your bought big $$ insurance on the shipment.......
 

With items this valuable, we normally insure for 2x value, as it really gives the shipper incentive to make sure it gets delivered.

Thankfully, we haven't had cause to claim on anything this rare.

Good luck!

Well that totally sucks

Yup! Hidesight is always perfect. Guess I coulda hired you to bring it to me. :D: :o

Thanks! I'll need it.

Seller did put insurance on the block. But so far, everyone I've talked with says it's pretty much worthless. You can't prove to the shipping company what the value of something is when there isn't another one to compare it with. Also you can't prove the condition of something that can't be found. Doesn't mean I won't be trying though. Might have to lawyer up!

Had a part I bought from the parts place get marked delivered , 8 cameras on the property and no fed ex truck ever dropped it off or even showed up. They fought me on it for weeks even w camera footage at the delivery site . Finally they agreed to cover it when I escalated the claim to the right person

SD455 theft inside job?
 

Did not the shipping company charge for insurance?

Did not the person contracting for the shipping ask to see a rate chart, paid for shipping insurance for a given amount, and the shipping company accepts the payment for the shipping and for the shipping insurance?

How is that not fraud on the part of the shipping company?

How many people have been so ripped off?

Sounds like it is overdue for a class action lawsuit. If shipping companies can get away with that, they can get away with stealing stuff.

Were such terms as Pontiac SD455 on any shipping company paperwork/computer file, accessible potentially for persons working within the shipping company to thus locate, target, and steal such items?

FedEx is horrible right now I’m scared to order from summit because of fedEx used to be 1-2 days now it’s lucky to be a week they are 2.5 from my house. From what I have learned fedEx uses lots of sub contractors.

I sold a set of r/a II heads not to long ago and shipped to California I wanted the buyer to insure each box for $3000.00 Incase one was lost I explained that if one didn’t show the value of the other was compromised. Only did $1500 each but all went well and both showed up. They did get shipped UPS. Good luck with the block hopefully it shows up.

This was/is my block. All FedEx has is conflicting stories. Paper work said nothing about it being a SD block. I packed it so it would survive the lift truck jockies and such. They are telling me that I have to wait 21 days before the battle begins on value but we'll wait and see. I am just worried it is in a dumpster some where

You shouldn't have to do this but it probably warrants a trip to the Peru terminal in person. The ideal outcome would be for you to gripe enough in person that the terminal manager will walk around with you; in the hopes of spotting the crate in some corner (maybe the shipping manifest got torn off and nobody knows what that crate is for?) It's waaaaay harder to ignore a person than to ignore a phone call or email. Bring a picture of the crate for proof of what you're looking for, if available.

FWIW,
Eric

Having been down this road, most likely the pallet, or more likely the box part got broke. Have seen hold off on answers till they get it to a terminal to put it on a bigger pallet, re strap, etc. Then it just shows up, damaged container, and possible damaged goods. Have seen a bent Tommy lift allow a small pallet to slide off. I would say the shipment is damaged, vs stolen. They wouldn't open it, or know what it is. Keep using that tracking tool a LOT.

You should only need to show comparable value to prove what the block's value is.
 

If the shipper declared a value and the freight company accepted the shipment, they are pretty much on the hook unless THEY can prove that the item is worth less than that.

As far as not being another one to compare it with, that's probably not the case. We've got TWO not-YET-spoken-for SD455 blocks. One is a 1974-dated Y8 and the other is a 1974-dated Service Replacement block. They are not currently for sale, but, as the old saying goes, 'Everything is for sale at the right price'. I'm sure there are other SD blocks out there with owners who might not be thinking about selling them.

Message me directly if you need any documentation of the 'replacement value' for the freight company.

More wishes for good luck! It would be nice if they could just figure out where it is sitting......

A number of years ago, I shipped a 421 block to a guy in the upper mid-west. I put a piece of dense half-inch foam on a pallet, banded it to the pallet, then built a crate around it. Since I was an individual, the trucking company that had the best rate for an individual required me to pay with cash or certified check. The block was wrapped in plastic wrap and had a large garbage bag over top of it. Before I built the crate over it, I wrote my name on it in permanent marker on card stock and plastered multiple address labels on the bag. I also wrote my name and phone number with permanent marker on the 2x4s I used to build the pallet.

I paid in cash and got a receipt from the shipper. A few weeks after I shipped the block, the guy receiving the block called me and said it had not arrived. He called the shipping company and gave them the paperwork number I had, and they claimed that shipment did not exist. I called the shipper, who said that was one of their numbers, but they had no record of the shipment. The recipient was beginning to think I scammed him, so I paid a visit to the trucking company myself. I found that the guy who handled the paperwork had been fired that day, and they had no record of the shipment. I showed them a copy of the paperwork, but denied it had actually been delivered.

The back and forth went on for a couple of months. Then out of the blue, I got a call from a guy at a shipping facility about an hour from the destination. He said he had a pallet there that had been damaged had something leaked on it. They tore into it and found my address and phone number, so they called me. I called the recipient, and he decided to drive to the facility to pick it up because neither of us had any faith or trust in this shipper. When he got there, he found it dirty but undamaged.

I am a design engineer. My employer ships industrial UPSs and power distribution equipment all over the western hemisphere. We are seeing massive damage from shippers, and they are claiming improper packaging and it was damaged before it was shipped. I don't know if the shippers are understaffed and are pressed to meet schedules, or if they're trained apes that don't care. I'm seeing pallets crushed in a manner that most likely occurs when a forklift rams one pallet into another and keeps pushing. The damage we're seeing is unreal.

GOOD NEWS. The missing SD block has been found. FedEx just called me and they found my crate in Portland where it has been for over a week. Package is going to be delivered today

yay!!

Awesome!


:)

Public Service Announcement:

Any time you ship something, mark you name, address, and phone number with a permanent marker. Mark the pallet, put cards with this information in the box with the part, and attach to the part if possible. Trucking terminals are extremely rough on packages, especially those that are moved around with fork lifts. You'll have a bettery chance of getting the part back if you make sure someone can find your name and address once they start unpacking the item to identify it.