"Our job is delivery; not safe delivery"

I've been working to resolve a UPS damage claim for over two months now. I just learned today that UPS will settle my claim for less than 1/3 the replacement value of the damaged item, a mere 1/2 of the estimated repair costs. Why? Because that's the dollar figure for which the shipper insured the package.

Okay, sure. I guess this makes sense. It doesn't seem reasonable to settle a claim for more than the insured value of the item. At least not until you consider this:

They damaged the merchandise!!!

They were hired to deliver a package. And they dropped it along the way, damaging my stuff. But somehow they don't think they ought to be held accountable. Why is this?

You know, when I hire someone to deliver a package, I'm not just hiring them to get it from A to B, I'm hiring them to get it there in good condition. If they break it, then they didn't do their job. But somehow, they think differently. They think their job is simply to get it there, in any condition. If you want to make sure that your merchandise is protected, well you have to purchase insurance for that. Don't expect them to be responsible for what they're handling.

"Sometimes things just happen," the UPS representative told me. Yes, I understand that. But if that something happens on your watch, is it not your responsibility? "It's no different than when you buy a car and have to purchase insurance for the car," she followed up. No, it's not just like that. If I buy a car, and the dealer wrecks it prior to delivery, then said dealership is responsible, right?

I mean, what if insurance hadn't been purchased for the package at all? What would they tell me then? "Yes, it's our fault that it's damaged; too bad you didn't purchase insurance, because now your stuck with broken stuff." But thankfully some insurance was purchased for my item. So now they're just telling me, "if you want to fix the damage we caused, then you have to pay half."

Bullshit! Pure bullshit!!