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How much should a shipper pay for your lost belongings?

Posted at 9:51 PM, Sep 28, 2016
and last updated 2016-09-29 01:55:10-04
When your business is small, big unexpected costs can be a nightmare; in the case of Arizona Transaxle, it nearly closed their business.
 
Owner Bill Capatch hired R and L Carriers to transport $60,000 worth of parts to his small Phoenix shop. The shipment arrived, but his parts did not.
 
He says after months, R and L Carrier only offered $85 dollars. That amount would be 10 cents per pound.
 
It's something Bill didn't see, but was told he agreed to it when he agreed to the shipping. 
 
With his parts still missing, months later Bill says he got a call from another shop in the Valley. Somebody was trying to sell the shop a transaxle, much like the $25,000 dollar transaxle that was supposed to be shipped to Bill.
 
And the shop had video of the sellers. Police got the license plate number, tracked down the vehicle and made two arrests.
 
Turns out Bill's parts had been stolen.
 
Police records show one of the accused thieves, Roy Jason Madrid, was an R and L worker there at the time. Records show the two removed a pallet from the dock and the parts were hidden in Madrid's mother's yard. R and L Carriers did offer Bill $5000, but only towards future shipping.
 
Given what happened, Bill wanted no part of that. Though he had his parts back, Bill had to spend thousands in the process. R and L would not reimburse him. In fact, R and L Carriers would not return any of my calls, emails or even a fax I sent them.
 
While you may not be shipping auto parts, Bill's advice is good. He says to make sure to look through all the fine print for any limited liability agreement. That can tie you into minimal refunds, even if the business is at fault.
 
Let me know what you think about this. Call the Assistance League of Phoenix volunteers at 1-855-323-1515. 
 
You can also send me an email or a video email where you attach a video explaining the problem.
 
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