Here’s a warning from Sweetwater’s Shipping and Service Departments for those of you shipping or receiving gear:
In the vast majority of cases, we experience no difficulties with shipping products. In general, manufacturers pack things well, and we here at Sweetwater double-check and double-box orders to help protect them in transit. On the outside chance you should have shipping damage, especially concealed or hidden damage, you have 14 days to make your claim – that’s it. So, when you accept delivery on that new mixer and your new control room isn’t quite ready yet, MAKE SURE you un-box the desk and commission it. (That means plug it in and run a signal through everything, every input, every output.) If there is undiscovered or concealed damage, we will have no way to make a claim if you’ve missed the 14 day cut-off.
The moral of the story, check the box for external damage when you receive an order, but also be sure to check the operation of new equipment within two weeks of receiving it from the shipper.