Posts Tagged ‘claims issues’
DOCUMENTED UNPACKING – a quick look
Thursday, March 10th, 2011When shipments arrive that are insured by others it is vital to open and inspect the contents to make sure that damage has not occurred during shipping and handling. That’s pretty much common sense.
So you open the crate or box, remove any obscuring packing material, and reveal the artwork. If it’s OK, you are lucky. Because if it isn’t OK, you have already made a mess of the job. In forensic terms, you have compromised the crime scene. How? By not carefully documenting the condition of the crate and contents at each stage of the unpacking.
Sometimes called “documented unpacking” the process requires that at least two observers be present during the opening process and that photos are taken at each stage of the procedure. We often end up with 60 or more photos, so thank goodness for digital photography. Photos show the condition of the crate from the outside before any work is done, and then each stage of the opening procedure thereafter.
As the photo at left demonstrates, the documented inspection process also serves to protect the interests of the company or personnel doing the unpacking. In this case we show that we are indeed opening the correct side of the crate as marked.
Many artworks have been damaged by recipients inadvertently opening the incorrect side of a crate. So you want to document that you have followed any and all unpacking instructions, thus demonstrating that any damage found within was not due to incorrect handling on arrival.
Photos also show interior packing of the crate, materials used, and location of the art with relation to the side of the crate or enclosure. You look to see that there is adequate space and/or foam or other “buffer” between the contents and any rigid portion of the crate or packaging. The type, thickness, and location of the internal packing materials seen also serves to document the care taken by the sender/packer and to mitigate, if they are adequate, liability of the sender for damage due to insufficient packing or poor choice of materials. Packing materials are saved until it is clear that all parties to the shipment have signed off on the arrival condition and that there are no claims issues pending.
In this case we don’t have permission of the owner to show the artwork involved, so the photos will stop short of actually revealing the artwork in the crate pictured. But normally your photo sequence would include a full set of photos of the artwork once uncovered. And with close-ups taken of any problem or suspected areas of possible damage.
A buddy and a digital camera can also be your best ally when receiving any sort of packaged item shipped through freight or the mail, especially if valuable. In the event of any apparent damage,always, always, save the packing materials. The web has sad stories aplenty of consumers who have tossed the packaging on damaged goods upon the advice of the shipping company, only to have the claim denied later by that same company on the basis that, yes, the materials were not available for inspection. Having a photo documentary of your unpacking experience and damage found should also go a long way towards getting you a successful resolution to your claim, assuming you insured the shipment in the first place.
In most cases, professionally packed goods arrive in excellent condition. But you never know which will be the exception. And and if you wait until the artwork is exposed to begin documenting, you may be chasing the proverbial horse that has already denied the claim.
Betsy Dorfman