Customs Ruined my processor! This was no "shipping mistake"

Coldkilla

Diamond Member
Oct 7, 2004
3,944
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Situation: Selling Processor. Sold March 5.
Shipment contained: Original Processor Box, with original green molded processor packaging material. The processor, strapped inside by what normally holds the processor + the heatsink.
Shipment Type: Standard Ground. Insurance: No.
Reason for possible packaging return: They did not see my name. (It was on the side of the box, not pictured, also Dave's last name was edited out for privacy). There was 4 carbon copies on the side of the box. All of which also had my signature on them.

A month + a week goes by after the sale. I've been talking to the purchaser, Dave for nearly a month, trying to explain that I did not rip him off. I refunded his money the second I felt this deal was going south.

After responding to my last email to Dave, the doorbell rang. I didn't order anything so was kinda appalled when I saw the box in the delivery guy's hands. The package was addressed to my Aunt Mary. Why I have NO idea. Perhaps it was because she was the one who lived in this house before I did, but surely I never mentioned her name anywhere on the postage.

I open the box: The first thing I see: Yellow tape marked on the box: "OPENED BY CBSA - OUVERT PAR I'ASFC". I open the box and pull out the processor box. The tape was cut that sealed it. I open that, and a puff of green smoke rushes out. At this point I'm shocked, speechless... The green molded foam that kept the processor and heatsink together was in thousands of pieces, the pins on the processor were bent in every way imaginable. I mean WHAT THE HELL kind of people do this? The processor was locked in position, strapped down nice and tight. But someone ripped the box open, rummaged through the box's entire insides, ripping the green insulation into thousands of pieces and destroying my processor!

Here's a picture of the account: Link
The boxes: Link
The Main Box + The Processor Box + The Green Processor Insulation + Bubble Wrap + Plastic Casing from processor (Missing) + Insulation around the Plastic Casing + the strap locking the processor into its slot.

What action should I take if any? I know it wasn't "insured" but I don't know even if "insurance" covers deliberate sabotage including the complete destruction of my item.
 

Safeway

Lifer
Jun 22, 2004
12,075
11
81
That is weird.

It doesn't look like the green foam would have completely locked the processor down, as you said. It looks far too small to fill that volume. I imagine that there was a substantial amount of wiggle room. The heatsink broke the foam apart and damaged the processor.
 

Baked

Lifer
Dec 28, 2004
36,052
17
81
USPS didn't ruin the shitty packaged package, Canada's customs did. Get your facts straight.
 

Coldkilla

Diamond Member
Oct 7, 2004
3,944
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71
I don't understand. The processor was encased with a small plastic insulation. Which is gone now by the way, leaving only the strap that would contain the processor in place along with the heatsink. Not to mention, the Processor box itself had additional insulation to ensure nothing was going to move around. I've shipped probably 100-200 things in packages similar to this in my life time, and I've not once had a shipping mishap. I used more shipping insulation than I should have imo, but I wanted to be sure it made it to Canada in 1 piece. Not 10,000.

Now obviously the processor broke loose and ravaged through the case, but there are large tears in the box which indicate something else.

Edit:
Originally posted by: Baked
USPS didn't ruin the shitty packaged package, Canada's customs did. Get your facts straight.

Very possible. I'll change op.
 

thomsbrain

Lifer
Dec 4, 2001
18,148
1
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I assume there was more packaging than what we see? A heatsink with ANY wiggle room is like having a battering ram inside the box.
 

Coldkilla

Diamond Member
Oct 7, 2004
3,944
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I added a picture, it honestly looks like from the pictures as if there was no packaging materials at all. I'm amazed myself. I added the picture to enforce that it was a box inside of a box which was insulated wholly 100%.
 

Coldkilla

Diamond Member
Oct 7, 2004
3,944
0
71
Does insurance usually cover meaning full neglect and use of force on someone else's property by means of nearly destroying everything in the box?

On the other hand, I'm used to 'auto insurance' with UPS (up to 5000 I believe for free) where I live. But since then I've grown tired of paying $13 for an item that USPS charges $3.50 to ship. I wish that "wrongful neglect and purposeful destruction" of property would give me some credibility to aid in my case...
 

quikah

Diamond Member
Apr 7, 2003
4,178
729
126
You are SOL without insurance, might be able to file a claim with customs?

Are any of the pins broken? If they are just bent you can bend them back, usually it still works ok. I have had to fix a couple of processors with bent pins, but only a couple bent ones. Might be tough is there are a lot of them bent. Anyway, it is pretty easy to fix, just get a small jewelers screwdriver and start prying them back up. Then use a credit card or something to line them up.
 

RESmonkey

Diamond Member
May 6, 2007
4,818
2
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Homeland Security - Canadian style! They obviously knew what they were looking at and what they were doing: dismantling a bomb.

:) lol
 

imported_Baloo

Golden Member
Feb 2, 2006
1,782
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You may have no recourse here.

Had to study this abit. But I see the problem. You left out your name as the shipper of the package. Big no no for international freight. Sucks they messed it up. Not a big loss though. There is nothing you are going to be able to do about a foreign entity messy up your product.
 

Coldkilla

Diamond Member
Oct 7, 2004
3,944
0
71
Yea, my name was on the side of the box. Displayed, containing 4 pieces of carbon copies with more of my signatures. If they feel the need to ravage through all of my things and distroy them, I find it amazing they didn't look on the side that said "Sender's Name: _________, Senders Signature, ______________"
 

potato28

Diamond Member
Jun 27, 2005
8,964
0
0
Thats Canadian Customs for ya. Always get the insurance and hope that they never find your package or its fucked.
 

Rubycon

Madame President
Aug 10, 2005
17,768
485
126
I bet it would be ok if it was LGA. If none of the pins are missing (too hard to tell from photo) it would probably work after straightening them up with a .5mm lead pencil. Tedious task though!
 

Hyperlite

Diamond Member
May 25, 2004
5,664
2
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Originally posted by: Rubycon
I bet it would be ok if it was LGA. If none of the pins are missing (too hard to tell from photo) it would probably work after straightening them up with a .5mm lead pencil. Tedious task though!

that was going to be my suggestion, i'm willing to bet you'll get nowhere with customs. break out the mechanical pencil...
 

aphex

Moderator<br>All Things Apple
Moderator
Jul 19, 2001
38,572
2
91
Does USPS Priority to Canada cover a certain amount automatically without Insurance? Its some indemnity coverage or something.
 

CrackRabbit

Lifer
Mar 30, 2001
16,642
62
91
Originally posted by: Rubycon
I bet it would be ok if it was LGA. If none of the pins are missing (too hard to tell from photo) it would probably work after straightening them up with a .5mm lead pencil. Tedious task though!

Credit cards work well for this task too.
Rescued a couple of old Athlon64s that way.
 

Linflas

Lifer
Jan 30, 2001
15,395
78
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Originally posted by: Rubycon
I bet it would be ok if it was LGA. If none of the pins are missing (too hard to tell from photo) it would probably work after straightening them up with a .5mm lead pencil. Tedious task though!

Got to file this away for future use. I was putting an socket 939 Athlon 64 into a MB Friday and it slipped out of my fingers right above the socket and bent a couple of pins. I ended up using a twist tie to straighten the pins back out. The pencil trick sounds a lot easier. :)