ninjalawyer
Member
Handgun Stolen While Shipped Via UPS! -- UPDATED!
Arrgh, this is a hassle I'd rather not have to deal with the week before my wedding. I can only hope that it doesn't become a terminal hassle for someone else down the road...
After a web search and a few phone calls I found a 'smith who would do some work on my Bersa Model 85 and my Detonics Combat Master Mk. VI. Living near Boston, Mass., the nearest suitable shop I could find was halfway across the country in Baton Rouge Louisiana. I packed the two guns up as well as I could, sealed the box, and brought it along with my fiance while we ran some errands last week, keeping an eye out for a place from which I could ship it.
We ended up in Medford, another Boston suburb, where I spotted a Mail Boxes Etc./UPS store and seized the opportunity. I had heard from an employee of a local gun store that UPS would only ship handguns next day air, and that it should cost about $30. When the clerk told me that next day air shipping on my package including the insurance I wanted would cost around $60. This was a lot more than I'd been lead to expect, so I decided I needed more information. I told him that I was shipping handguns, and asked what the policy was. He told me that regular ground shipping was okay for handguns, and that it would be less than a third of that price. Having the assurance of the UPS employee, and having paid for full insurance anyway, I jumped at the chance to save $40. With the wedding and honeymoon in France coming up I was hardly in a rush to get the guns there and back.
The package arrived at the 'smith on Friday, and apparently was opened on Saturday morning. I got their voicemail around noon, local time, and immediately called them back. Apparently when the 'smith opened the box and read my letter/work order it became obvious that the Bersa I referred to was not in the box. On closer inspection, the package weighed more than a pound less than the shipping label indicates that it did when I dropped it off, and there was an incision cut into my packing tape along one edge, which had been carefully taped over.
The Medford Police officer I dealth with proved less than helpful. Another officer insisted that I drive over half an hour there to give my sworn statement, but then the officer I dealt with refused to file a report, telling me that I had to go to my home town's PD (my licensing authority) to do so. I left to file my insurance claim with UPS, and then back and politely asked him to take my report to save me some time and effort, and he again refused. I went back to my fiance's apartment (again over half an hour away) and called my local PD-- who of course, insisted I had to do it in Medford! I called back Medford, and asked him to call my local PD so that they could resolve the correct procedure amongst themselves. The Medford cop told me that "he didn't want to get into a pissing contest" with my local PD, and agreed to take my statement and file the report. So I drive back there again, another half hour+ each way. From the time I got the message to the time I got back from filing the report, I spent about 6 hours, mostly haning out waiting in the Police Station or driving back and forth. Not how I wanted to spend the last Saturday before the wedding.
In any event, I think I should be covered. The guns should be reported stolen and the insurance should cover the loss. Getting a valuation on the handgun is going to be tricky, though, since the Model 85 is EXTREMELY RARE here in MA, and no more can be brought into the state due to the Attorney General's "safety and consumer protection" regulations (from which the police are, of course, exempt). I think I'll write up a letter explaining the value of the gun, leaving blanks for the dollar figures and bring it to a respectable local dealer familiar with this sort of situation. Hopefully UPS will accept that-- if not, I'll have to sue 'em... I'll keep you guys posted.
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EDIT 11:55P.M. 5/25/04
My Bersa has been recovered by the Police from Malden, a town bordering Medford!
This is a huge load off my back, both in knowing that my gun isn't in the hands of dangerous men and in the elimination of bureaucratic headaches I don't have time to deal with.
I don't have all the details yet, but it looks like the Medford police got a report of some kids driving around waving a gun around. They passed the word to neighboring towns and a car matching the description was pulled over in Malden, and the officers saw one of the passengers making suspicious movements. They searched the car and found my Bersa under the front seat. The didn't tell me the identity of the thief, but it has to be the clerk from the UPS store, since he was the only person who knew that there were handguns in the box. Apparently they ran the numbers on my gun and found the report, which was unclear on the number of guns stolen, so they called me earlier tonight to check out his story. They just called a second time looking for some details to include in their report.
Since it's in evidence now it's going to be a while before I can get the Bersa back, but at least it was recovered quickly and wasn't used to hurt anyone. If only all the bad guys were that dumb...
So much for the "some hick in Tennessee" theory.
Arrgh, this is a hassle I'd rather not have to deal with the week before my wedding. I can only hope that it doesn't become a terminal hassle for someone else down the road...
After a web search and a few phone calls I found a 'smith who would do some work on my Bersa Model 85 and my Detonics Combat Master Mk. VI. Living near Boston, Mass., the nearest suitable shop I could find was halfway across the country in Baton Rouge Louisiana. I packed the two guns up as well as I could, sealed the box, and brought it along with my fiance while we ran some errands last week, keeping an eye out for a place from which I could ship it.
We ended up in Medford, another Boston suburb, where I spotted a Mail Boxes Etc./UPS store and seized the opportunity. I had heard from an employee of a local gun store that UPS would only ship handguns next day air, and that it should cost about $30. When the clerk told me that next day air shipping on my package including the insurance I wanted would cost around $60. This was a lot more than I'd been lead to expect, so I decided I needed more information. I told him that I was shipping handguns, and asked what the policy was. He told me that regular ground shipping was okay for handguns, and that it would be less than a third of that price. Having the assurance of the UPS employee, and having paid for full insurance anyway, I jumped at the chance to save $40. With the wedding and honeymoon in France coming up I was hardly in a rush to get the guns there and back.
The package arrived at the 'smith on Friday, and apparently was opened on Saturday morning. I got their voicemail around noon, local time, and immediately called them back. Apparently when the 'smith opened the box and read my letter/work order it became obvious that the Bersa I referred to was not in the box. On closer inspection, the package weighed more than a pound less than the shipping label indicates that it did when I dropped it off, and there was an incision cut into my packing tape along one edge, which had been carefully taped over.
The Medford Police officer I dealth with proved less than helpful. Another officer insisted that I drive over half an hour there to give my sworn statement, but then the officer I dealt with refused to file a report, telling me that I had to go to my home town's PD (my licensing authority) to do so. I left to file my insurance claim with UPS, and then back and politely asked him to take my report to save me some time and effort, and he again refused. I went back to my fiance's apartment (again over half an hour away) and called my local PD-- who of course, insisted I had to do it in Medford! I called back Medford, and asked him to call my local PD so that they could resolve the correct procedure amongst themselves. The Medford cop told me that "he didn't want to get into a pissing contest" with my local PD, and agreed to take my statement and file the report. So I drive back there again, another half hour+ each way. From the time I got the message to the time I got back from filing the report, I spent about 6 hours, mostly haning out waiting in the Police Station or driving back and forth. Not how I wanted to spend the last Saturday before the wedding.
In any event, I think I should be covered. The guns should be reported stolen and the insurance should cover the loss. Getting a valuation on the handgun is going to be tricky, though, since the Model 85 is EXTREMELY RARE here in MA, and no more can be brought into the state due to the Attorney General's "safety and consumer protection" regulations (from which the police are, of course, exempt). I think I'll write up a letter explaining the value of the gun, leaving blanks for the dollar figures and bring it to a respectable local dealer familiar with this sort of situation. Hopefully UPS will accept that-- if not, I'll have to sue 'em... I'll keep you guys posted.
_____________________________________________________
EDIT 11:55P.M. 5/25/04
My Bersa has been recovered by the Police from Malden, a town bordering Medford!
This is a huge load off my back, both in knowing that my gun isn't in the hands of dangerous men and in the elimination of bureaucratic headaches I don't have time to deal with.
I don't have all the details yet, but it looks like the Medford police got a report of some kids driving around waving a gun around. They passed the word to neighboring towns and a car matching the description was pulled over in Malden, and the officers saw one of the passengers making suspicious movements. They searched the car and found my Bersa under the front seat. The didn't tell me the identity of the thief, but it has to be the clerk from the UPS store, since he was the only person who knew that there were handguns in the box. Apparently they ran the numbers on my gun and found the report, which was unclear on the number of guns stolen, so they called me earlier tonight to check out his story. They just called a second time looking for some details to include in their report.
Since it's in evidence now it's going to be a while before I can get the Bersa back, but at least it was recovered quickly and wasn't used to hurt anyone. If only all the bad guys were that dumb...
So much for the "some hick in Tennessee" theory.
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