A fun day ...

[Old_Paint]

Today started out as a bottling day for some homemade beer that I brewed about 3 weeks ago. That beer is transferred to the bottling bucket, but that's about as far as it got. Instead, I brewed up a 10 gallon batch of my go-to beer, Rapier Wit, with just a tweak of lemon peel to it, and got that in the fermenting buckets. But what does this have to do with tractors, you might ask? Well, only enough to provide me with my grown-up beverage of choice after a good day of tractoring.

HOWEVER, I actually did do something today.

The first week of January, I ordered this from BXPanded:

Today, I received this:

I'd turned the bar around at this point to photograph it, but you did notice the holes in the edge of the box, right?

The monkey that drives the Fred X truck put it on my front porch, leaving this:

and this:

The idiot driver didn't bother to notice the sharp teeth sticking out of the pitiful packaging provided by BXPanded, and was too lazy to come up the stairs and place the package on the decking rather than just shoving it from the bottom step. You can see where he shoved it at least twice unsuccessfully until aggravation made him decide he needed to shove harder. When all else fails, get a bigger hammer. I just had rotator cuff surgery on BOTH shoulders since June of last year, and had absolutely NO problem picking that bar up and carrying it. One would think a guy that delivers packages all day for Fred X would be in reasonably good physical condition, certainly better than a 62 year old still recovering from a total rupture in the right shoulder and bone spur removals in the left. I just built this porch 3 years ago and now this? I spent a LOT of money on this to not have to paint and maintain it. Between the decking and vinyl railings, I spent pretty close to $2500 building a rather small porch. These horrible scratches are right in front of my front door, too. I'd like to drag that bar across his face like that a couple times. Dunno how many of you have priced composite decking lately, but it's EXPENSIVE, especially considering it's made mostly from recycled plastic and sawdust. The repairs to my porch are going to cost me more than the damn bar did. More than half the decking boards are damaged. Someone needs to pay for this crap, and I'm leaning toward BXPanded. I ordered a Piranha bar because it's SHARP on the edges. And I do mean SHARP. Why would any MORON put a piece of hardened steel that's got a sharp pointed toothed edge on it and weighs nearly 60 pounds in a cardboard box barely strong enough to hold beer bottles? The shipping department at BXPanded needs this bar dragged across their face a few times too. How much could it really cost to put something across the sharpened edge of that bar to protect other freight from it, and whatever it might get put against? It ain't like it cost a lot of money to produce these things. The 'machining' is not that accurate. Apparently they subtract 1/2 inch from all measurements to make sure it fits in the bucket. Had I known the fit would be what it is, I'd have measured to the bucket web, not to the added gusset which adds another 1/2 inch to the total width. Not sure why I bothered measuring the total width of the existing cutting edge. This thing's nearly 2 inches shorter on each end.

Well, at least baby's got an appetite for destruction now. Took longer to run back and forth for tools than it did to install.
Installed:

The bolts that came with it are a bit on the short side. Getting the lock washers on was a bit of a challenge. I had to pull the ends out without the lock washer, clamp the 'ears', then take the nut back off. After I managed to get the lock washer on, I was lucky if I got one thread in the nut. I was very worried about them cross-threading or stripping. But, both bolts tight, bar tight, now to try it out tomorrow. I tightened it with a 1/2" drive impact, so it shouldn't go anywhere.

Now to go lay some complaints about my porch.......

 

[jimh406]

Ouch. I can’t imagine why BXpanded thought cardboard would stop those teeth.

I’d personally put the blame on the packager not the carrier, but that stinks either way.

 

[Lil Foot]

I know what you mean about that packaging. Mine arrived with more silver than cardboard showing, but thankfully, my front patio is concrete. The driver carried it right up to the front door, and SHE was about 110lbs soaking wet.
I hope you get some satisfaction, but I suspect that Piranha will blame the shipper for mishandling the box, and the shipper will blame Piranha for poor packaging.

 

[Old_Paint]

I know what you mean about that packaging. Mine arrived with more silver than cardboard showing, but thankfully, my front patio is concrete. The driver carried it right up to the front door, and SHE was about 110lbs soaking wet.
I hope you get some satisfaction, but I suspect that Piranha will blame the shipper for mishandling the box, and the shipper will blame Piranha for poor packaging.

Starting with Fred X.

 

[Old_Paint]

Sent an e-mail with photos to BXPanded too. Ripped 'em, because that kind of crap just pisses me off. If my generation did that crap when it was us delivering packages or packaging products, we were FIRED. No one cares anymore, especially about other people's property. The Piranha certainly isn't the cheapest on the market, so I don't understand why it isn't packaged better.

No idea I'll get any relief from either, but the repairs are probably going to be on the order of $1000 just for materials. Everything on that deck is custom fit, too. That took a while. Nearly every 'board' in the main decking has to be replaced. Patching it is NOT an option on the front porch. I put a lot of effort into building a strong porch and stairs that also looked good and wouldn't kill me with maintenance. I used pressure treated lumber for all the framing and posts, NONE of which makes soil contact. I poured a concrete slab where the old brick/block stairs were and built a wooden structure in it's place.

We took it apart and pressure washed and touched up the painted parts last summer just before I had my right shoulder done. I used all stainless and galvanized hardware when I built it, so I didn't have to replace but a very few screws that were embedded in knots and wouldn't back out. There isn't a piece of mild steel in it. Not a single nail, either. EVERYTHING was done with screws or bolts. I built a hybrid stair with solid stringers on the outside edges, and cut stringers hidden underneath. I could probably drive my truck up those stairs if they were wide enough.

 

[OrangeKrush]

I just ordered mine Friday, I’m sure it’s going to look the same by the time it gets here, unless your chewing azz gets to them. I’ll let you know if packaging looks any better.. I understand your frustration with the deck.. that stuff is expensive and for that reason! Maintenance Free! I would be talking to BXpanded and the delivery people, surely the person delivering it felt or seen the edges protruding out of the box. This just shows the carelessness of some employees not All. No respect or no clue??
I feel your frustration!

 

[Old_Paint]

If you look at the box where I opened it by my back steps, it's painfully obvious that EVERY tooth had penetrated the box and was protruding when he put it up there. I can't imagine why anyone would turn a sharp edge down in their hand to lift it. You can see the notches in the bull-nose of the landing where he shoved several times before got it on the porch far enough to keep it from falling off. I looked a minute ago, but the lighting's too poor right now. I'll look again in the morning, but so far, there's at least 6 of the boards with a cut across them.

When you do receive yours, I'd be interested to know if they improve the packaging. I let 'em have a good ol' LA (Lower Alabama) azz chewing. Even just a couple pieces of 2x4 to sandwich the teeth would have been so much better. Good, simple to install product, but geez, you're sending a giant serrated edge steak knife. Maybe something to protect handlers is in order? This thing is NAS TEEE! Can't wait to try it out. When you get it, be careful handling it. It is SHARP. It's sharper than most wood splitters I've seen. It should slice through any root silly enough to be near the surface like hot butter. Should make back-drag leveling a little better, too. The straight edge on the bucket just seems to lift too much in float. I'm really good at making bumps that I have to clean up with the box blade.

Gotta give it to Woodland Mills. They pack stuff like they're sending out a challenge to shippers. A friggin STEEL crate and pallet inside 1/2" thick double layer cardboard. The cardboard holds NOTHING except the WM label and shipping papers. Everything is individually bubble wrapped and in plastic bags as well. VERY nice packaging. I was highly impressed (if not a little frustrated) with the miles of clear packing tape that is IMPOSSIBLE to see on bubble wrap.

I've been spreading out my new equipment purchases to different vendors. Several reasons, really, but most of all, so I can get a good idea of the quality of the product as well as the service, front end and back. I wanna know who to go back to if I need/want another toy to go in my retirement toy box. I'm not impressed with BXPanded's service yet. The product looks good, but they've got some schmoozing to do to win me as a repeat customer. On top of the long delay (original promise was 2 weeks, it took 8) the pitiful packaging may have cost me a rather large repair bill. That is not a good way to do business.

 

[Justasquid]

Man that really sucks. I would think fedex is responsible since they were the ones that actually did the damage. but getting them to pay up will probably be a different story. The company I work for we ship fedex freight and we had a total loss of product due to a fire when one of their trucks was in an accident. This was 10’s of thousands of dollars. They were kind enough to return the damaged product to us a few weeks later. meanwhile, our customer had to wait over a month for us to manufacture new equipment.


‘’I don’t suppose there is a way you can flip the boards over to the other side is there?

 

[Nicfin36]

You'll love the bar. I love mine. That sux about your deck. You ain't kidding, that composite decking is expensive! Like you said, people don't care any more. Truly sad times.

 

[OrangeKrush]

I think they told me 4-6 weeks. I emailed them 2 times and called once and they were very quick to get back to me and answer the phone.. sounded like very nice people to deal with. Hopefully you can get this taken care of..

Justasquid might be onto something.. unless you have certain cuts that won’t reverse.

 

[Old_Paint]

‘’I don’t suppose there is a way you can flip the boards over to the other side is there?

Unfortunately, no. This is basically what I used, perhaps a little darker.

 

[Nicfin36]

And the screw holes wouldn't match up anyway.

 

[B737]

Sent an e-mail with photos to BXPanded too. Ripped 'em, because that kind of crap just pisses me off.

dude, take it up with fedex. They are the ones who mishandled the package. I dont understand why someone would go out of their way to "rip" a small, local, family business that has gone above and beyond for this community. They are not a big corporation. They are making these things and shipping them out one at a time. There is no need to "rip" anyone, shit happens.

if you have proof fedex damaged your property (hopefully video), submit it to them and get reimbursed, it happens all the time. It's not personal.

 

[Old_Paint]

Perhaps you missed the part where I started with FedEx. Complaint filed on the driver's behavior and negligence for my property. I sent a strong message to BXPanded regarding their insufficient packaging, which would probably have solved most of the problem to start with. That was the 'rip'. Proper packaging doesn't add enough weight or shipping cost to break the bank, not at the rates they're charging to build those bars.

I'm a huge fan of small business. Don't ever think otherwise. But simple mistakes can take one out very quickly in a liability case. Is BXPanded liable for the damage to my front porch? I certainly feel they are to some extent for putting that bar in a box that could not possibly hold up to the weight and sharp edges during normal shipping. They're obviously cutting corners on packaging if the teeth on that bar are protruding through the side of it when it gets to the customer. Putting a foam wrap on the bar, and then a stretch wrap over that would blunt the edge enough to keep it from going through the box, but the box has to have enough strength to hold something that heavy. If it isn't a pain in the butt to get out of the box, it probably wasn't boxed right. There's usually a weight rating on a shipping box. Maybe it's a combination of a tougher box and edge protection that's needed. They're not gonna be in business long if a FedEx driver cuts a finger off handling their freight in insufficient containers. My bar rubbed against some other freight, and I really don't want to see what it looks like. What if BXPanded were back-charged for all the claims by FedEx? I also feel FedEx is responsible for not making sure their drivers handle every parcel like it's fine china that belongs to their grandmother. I watched a FedEx driver roll eleven $15000 relays off the truck at our back door one day because he thought no one was watching. He didn't to come to the door first to verify consignee. I videoed him doing it, and the next day, we had a new route driver. The order specifically required signature. He tossed the boxes out and left. That's $165,000 worth of sensitive electronics handled like firewood. The drivers are paid hourly but also rated by deliveries when it comes to their performance reviews, which is some part of the problem. They're under a lot of pressure to keep that seat in that truck, especially the parcel drivers. Don't even get me started on FedEx Freight drivers.

In either case, BXPanded or FedEx, neither issue is OK, nor should either be overlooked just because of the size of the company. If neither covers it, then it's going to cost me a lot of money to repair my porch. I'm certainly not going to leave it that way right in the front door. I can't say that I would be incurring that cost for any other reason than having bought that bar from BXPanded. Suddenly, that's a very expensive bar.

 

[jimh406]

If BXPanded can’t figure out how to package their toothbar, I’m sure many of us can offer suggestions. Being small or family run is no excuse for not paying attention to packaging. We are also not talking about a big expense for them.

I’ll offer a suggestion. I’m pretty confident that doubled cardboard taped in a few places on the bar would prevent the toothbar from cutting through, so that this never happens to another customer.

 

[B737]

If BXPanded can’t figure out how to package their toothbar, I’m sure many of us can offer suggestions. Being small or family run is no excuse for not paying attention to packaging. We are also not talking about a big expense for them.

I’ll offer a suggestion. I’m pretty confident that doubled cardboard taped in a few places on the bar would prevent the toothbar from cutting through, so that this never happens to another customer.

Didn’t read paints response too long.
But I’m sure you can have all the packaging you’re willing to pay for. Have you seen the way shipping companies handle these things? The fact his property is damaged is hardly the fault of bxpanded and to “rip ‘em over email” is nothing short of ridiculous. crap happens.

 

[PaulR]

Good to know.
Looks like I need to order mine now for Spring time use.

 

[old and tired]

Didn’t read paints response too long.

I thought I was the only one that did that!!!!

 

[OrangeKrush]

Good to know.
Looks like I need to order mine now for Spring time use.

Mine should be here just in time.

 

[NHSleddog]

Don't sweat the little things in life is what I have learned so far to this point.

The surfaces that my dirty shoes walk on are one of them.

Last week one of the poker buddies (millionaire stuffed shirt, super impressed with himself). wanted to host cards due to some new mantown purchase he recently made.

We all said sure, see you there. We have 4 players that regularly bring their dogs, for the owner as well as the dogs benefit.

Two days before cards we get a text message - "new floors put in the house, no dogs allowed".

So we did an end around and met at the usual place with the usual cast of characters.

He called all pissed and wanted to know where we were.

I told him we would rather play at a place where man and his best friend is treated better than the floors he walks on. Then jokingly I said, you always brag about all your dough, but you sweat the floors, you are a real hoot. Someday, when you hit the big times, you can let the little things go.

Personally, the scratch on the outdoor deck I built to walk on would be a Wabi-Sabi moment for a second and nothing more.