Just for perspective - and not intending to point fingers - this isn't the first (nor I suspect will it be the last time) mugs or other breakables break in shipment. I received a broken mug a couple of years ago. It was promptly replaced. I doubt if from a practical standpoint there can be a break-proof shipping container. I also suspect that if we heard of X number of mugs being broken out of Y mugs shipped, there are more out there that were broken. Just an observation. Relative to the present situation, my principal thought is that in today's atmosphere of instant communications, ARRL needs to be certain to communicate equally as rapidly and thoroughly - and appropriately - as those who take their complaints about our operation so rapidly to inappropriate venues. Jim, K8JE _____ From: Kramer, Harold, WJ1B [mailto:wj1b@arrl.org] Sent: Tuesday, April 13, 2010 6:05 AM To: arrl-odv Cc: Kutzko, Sean, KX9X; Dotolo, Kim, KB1TLN; Patton, David NN1N Subject: [arrl-odv:18853] SS Mugs Hi, Just to close the loop, here is a brief explanation the SS mugs situation. As of right now, there are apparently reports of about 10 broken mugs out of over 300 shipped, about 3%. While this is not a terrible breakage rate, we should be able to do better. We have and will continue to replace the broken mugs as soon as we learn about them. No problem. Here's what happened. This year, as always, Sean Kutzko, Contest Branch Manager, ordered the mugs through Barker Specialty. Apparently, because of a slight change in the color of this year's mug, Barker went to a different supplier. That supplier provided the mugs in a different shipping box than the one used in prior years. Indeed, the 2009 version of the shipping box was sturdier and included the words "Fragile" and "Glass" on the outside of the box, the 2010 did not. However, the 2010 version of the shipping box was rated "UPS approved" by the vendor so we assumed that it would be fine shipped via FedEx, our shipping contractor. As they do every year, the mailroom created and applied the shipping labels and mailed them out Sean has addressed this issue with Barker Specialty and made them aware that we were dissatisfied with the packaging. Both our internal folks and Barker will certainly pay more attention to the shipping boxes when we order next year's SS mugs. 73, Harold Harold Kramer, WJ1B Chief Operating Officer ARRL - The national association for Amateur RadioT 225 Main Street Newington, CT 06111 Telephone: 860 594 0220 email: <mailto:hkramer@arrl.org> hkramer@arrl.org web: <http://www.arrl.org/> www.arrl.org/ No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 9.0.791 / Virus Database: 271.1.1/2807 - Release Date: 04/12/10 11:32:00