In the business of selling professionally refurbished computers and laptops, we shipped in excess of $175, 000 worth of freight using Daylight Transportation. We have a contract which automatically insures our shipments for $10/pound. This shipment was 10, 000 total pounds +, so it had an insured value of $100, 000. The total order was just shy of $90, 000.

We shipped 250 PCs and 250 professionally refurbished Dell Optiplex PCs and LCD monitors on two shipments. Our client received the first shipment and said the shipment look like it "was hit with a truck upon receipt" (specifically ~ gaylords full of LCD monitors were torn open and LCD monitors were literally scattered throughout the bed of the truck upon receipt). Our client signed that the shipment arrived complete, but since I immediately notified Daylight Transportation that some sort of claim was imminent, I had to wait for the client to count and test the goods to file the official claim for what I thought was going to be DAMAGED equipment.

The 2nd shipment left our facility which completed the remaining balance of professionally refurbished Dell PCs & LCD monitors. Our client signed for the balance and notified me that the 10 remaining pallets arrived in tact.

This is where it gets great (NOT)!

Despite the fact that our client signed for the appropriate number of boxes, someone from Daylight Transport contacted me to say they found 2 additional pallets of equipment in Dallas, TX (apparently a Daylight hub some 90 miles from the final destination). I notified my Daylight rep that something was amiss - how could there be two "extra" pallets worth of our equipment if the client received everything?

I asked my client to give me a final count of PCs & LCDs. In the meantime, I called Daylight to see what was on these 2 additional pallets (apparently boxes have offspring - who knew?). This time, Daylight couldn't see that there were 2 additional pallets worth of our equipment, so I figured I'd just wait to see how it played out after the customer called with the final counts. A few days later, the two additional pallets showed up at my client's warehouse and a few days after that I received the final counts of what was ultimately received.

After all is said and done, my client said that although the first load of monitors were strewn across the trucks' floor, the monitors actually worked. So there would be no damage claim. HOWEVER, they advised that they were missing some product. They were missing 30 LCD monitors out of the 250 shipped.

If the client signs for the appropriate number of pallets, but they are missing product, how is that even possible, right? They answer is simple: The customer signed for the appropriate number of pallets, but NOT what was supposed to be on each of those pallets. So, lets say we shipped 60 LCDs on a pallet - the customer signed for receipt of that pallet - but they only got 30 LCDs! Those "extra" 2 pallets found in Dallas? Well, that was obviously SOME of the originally scattered LCD monitors, but not all of them.

BOTTOM LINE: We filed a claim for $3800 plus the freight. DAYLIGHT AGREED TO PAY US JUST $1000!

After $175, 000 in freight invoiced paid to Daylight (this being our FIRST claim in 5 years), they lost a customer for life. Mind you, we insured the shipment for $100, 000. They paid us $1000. We are out about $2500 in freight and product still and recommend that you too NEVER use Daylight Transportation for any shipments - of any size.