Printing wolf on the box would see them some careful handling too, for a while...
Bike manufacturer sees huge reduction in delivery damage by printing TV on box
11–20 of 245 posts
Re: Bike manufacturer sees huge reduction in delivery damage by printing TV on box
#12Clever, but seems ethically questionable. Why do the shippers care about breaking a TV? Presumably there are repercussions, such as an insurance plan. So why don't those repercussions just apply to bicycles? If they're fined for enough bikes being broken, they should probably learn that they need be more careful than they thought, right? EDIT: Toning down my choice of words.
I don't think shippers are just about breaking a TV. I believe it comes down to the, perhaps, subconsciousness of "TV = fragile" whereas a box with a bike, something we expect to be pretty solid, doesn't seem like it would be damaged quite so easily.
Yeah, I get that. But it turns out that they're wrong. Are you suggesting that shippers try not to break things purely out of courtesy? Maybe, but I think incentives aren't aligned such that that can go a long way. With no other feedback, they want to get their job done quickly so that they can move on to the next, and get paid for moving more things.
If they're doing this purely out of courtesy, then yes, I could understand that being wrong about the fragility of bicycles could lead to such a disparity of broken things, since they pay no consequences for being wrong. However if there is a simple insurance policy, which I can only imagine any business would have with a shipping company, they are paying consequences for it, and they would have reason to learn, and try to treat bicycles a little more like televisions.
Apparently this isn't happening, but I don't understand why.
EDIT: I would add that the only explanation I have is that bicycles are less expensive than televisions. This implies that putting a television on the box leads the shipping company to believe that they have to put more time (aka money) into care for the box than they actually have to. This is what lead to my comment about fraud.
Re: Bike manufacturer sees huge reduction in delivery damage by printing TV on box
#13Unfortunately, the boy who cried wolf will apply if this is more widely adopted, and then pity the poor folks who order TVs.
Re: Bike manufacturer sees huge reduction in delivery damage by printing TV on box
#14Unfortunately, the boy who cried wolf will apply if this is more widely adopted, and then pity the poor folks who order TVs.
Maybe the resulting increase in shipping insurance payouts will finally force logistics companies to actually give a fuck about their quality. It's about time.
Re: Bike manufacturer sees huge reduction in delivery damage by printing TV on box
#15I wonder if the number of stolen boxes (either while in shipment or when left on porches) went up?
Re: Bike manufacturer sees huge reduction in delivery damage by printing TV on box
#16Earlier quoted context omitted.
I don't think shippers are just about breaking a TV. I believe it comes down to the, perhaps, subconsciousness of "TV = fragile" whereas a box with a bike, something we expect to be pretty solid, doesn't seem like it would be damaged quite so easily.
Yeah, I get that. But it turns out that they're wrong. Are you suggesting that shippers try not to break things purely out of courtesy? Maybe, but I think incentives aren't aligned such that that can go a long way. With no other feedback, they want to get their job done quickly so that they can move on to the next, and get paid for moving more things. If they're doing this purely out of courtesy, then yes, I could un…
Shippers huck stuff around with little regard for the contents, particularly if they aren't blazoned all over with fragile/biohazard stickers. Fedex and UPS tend to be just about one-half step above the folks handling baggage at the airport, and how many times have you seen those people wing around suit-cases like they were throwing the hammer in the Olympics, and seeing just how far back they can toss from and still hit the conveyor belt?
If I had a nickel for every time I've had an Amazon purchase refunded or replaced because the delivery person smashed it to hell, or jammed it into a mailbox that was clearly too small, or left it out in the rain unwrapped, or even tossed it in the snowbank during a storm that dumped a foot and a half of snow and disappeared it until spring... I could probably buy a candy bar.
Re: Bike manufacturer sees huge reduction in delivery damage by printing TV on box
#17[deleted]
Re: Bike manufacturer sees huge reduction in delivery damage by printing TV on box
#18Clever, but seems ethically questionable. Why do the shippers care about breaking a TV? Presumably there are repercussions, such as an insurance plan. So why don't those repercussions just apply to bicycles? If they're fined for enough bikes being broken, they should probably learn that they need be more careful than they thought, right? EDIT: Toning down my choice of words.
Organizations are bad at communication. How do you disseminate that the information that "look guys, bicycles are fragile too" to ten of thousands of logistics workers?
This is an awesome hack, and it's a great way to fix behavior without having to collide with bureaucracy.
It's not ethically fraudulent because the shipper shouldn't be breaking anything. And I'm sure they do pay fees for what they break, and the shipping company is trying to do what it can fix that, but putting a picture of a TV on the box is still more effective than whatever the shipping company is trying.
I'm scared to think what else you would view as ethical fraud, if pictures-on-boxes qualifies. I tell baristas that I want "room for cream" in my Americano. But I never put cream in it--- I just want less volume so that when I walk I won't spill hot coffee on my hand. #EthicalFraud
Re: Bike manufacturer sees huge reduction in delivery damage by printing TV on box
#19Printing wolf on the box would see them some careful handling too, for a while...
Or a bobcat. Or just put one in the box.
Is the success rate of printing the decoy box that much better for the relative cost compared to just putting shock stickers on the box, though? Probably. But one is an accidental effect with no guarantee that it will work, versus a tool that is designed for this specific purpose.
Re: Bike manufacturer sees huge reduction in delivery damage by printing TV on box
#20Earlier quoted context omitted.
I don't think shippers are just about breaking a TV. I believe it comes down to the, perhaps, subconsciousness of "TV = fragile" whereas a box with a bike, something we expect to be pretty solid, doesn't seem like it would be damaged quite so easily.
Yeah, I get that. But it turns out that they're wrong. Are you suggesting that shippers try not to break things purely out of courtesy? Maybe, but I think incentives aren't aligned such that that can go a long way. With no other feedback, they want to get their job done quickly so that they can move on to the next, and get paid for moving more things. If they're doing this purely out of courtesy, then yes, I could un…
Bikes cost as much or more than televisions these days almost across the board. Obviously the cheapest bikes cost less than the most expensive televisions, but a decent 50" flat panel is around 600$ USD now and an entry level road bike is maybe 750-800$?