Soooo... the movers dropped my lathe

KEEP THE LATHE IN YOUR POSSESSION! Do not let a representative of the moving company try to take it away for evaluation(s).
I seem to remember someone who was in a similar situation as you; the movers came and took the lathe. Paid (I know I keep repeating this) pennies on the dollar and would not give the machine back. I seem to think this was a milling machine.
 
As an aside, a friend of mine purchased a brand new Enco Lathe that was dropped by the movers. Bought it from a surplus company; he paid about 1/4 of a new machine. Since the machine was new, I think Enco had to eat the damage and replace it with another new lathe. I think the movers would want to settle with you then sell it to a surplus dealer.
 
Hi everyone,

Thanks for all the advice! I'm proceeding with what action I can take with the movers, but the insurance is pennies per pound. Learn a lesson from me and when the movers say, "oh, yeah, I have insurance!" investigate further to see what that means.

So what I'm hearing is that the lathe may have some hidden damage that needs disassembly and inspection. What a pain. At this stage, I need something to learn on rather than a refurb project. I haven't touched a lathe in 25 years, and finally got the itch back.

Maybe I'll see what I can part out (anyone need a collet closer for a V10? It was in a box and didn't take a tumble ;)) and keep pawing through Craigslist. What a shame, I was pretty happy to find a Maximat.

David
 
Chances are that you can repair the damaged knobs/handles and the lathe will work just fine. Get as much as you can from the mover's, keep the lathe and get it back running. It most likely won't be the project that you think it could be. Maybe the old owner would assist you? The new, but dropped Enco (Enco not Emco) lathe that my buddy has just needed some new handles. The damage looked much worse than it actually was.

Good luck, have some fun with it.

Mike
 
Hello neighbor, sorry to hear. Do you have the lathe? If it was me I would insist on a total refund. If they want the lathe back, no problem. But money first. If you try and fix that lathe it will probably breed gremlins. It’s kinda like the Carfax information. When buying a used car the question is, was it ever in an accident? Some people will walk away from a car that was in an accident. That sort of thing has re-occurring problems with the said cars. I wonder if there is a machinefax? You will find another, this area is rich with machinist toys. And if you only get a partial payment, then keep the lathe and part it out for the rest of the loss (you might make a profit!)…Dave.
 
Reeltor said:
As an aside, a friend of mine purchased a brand new Enco Lathe that was dropped by the movers. Bought it from a surplus company; he paid about 1/4 of a new machine. Since the machine was new, I think Enco had to eat the damage and replace it with another new lathe. I think the movers would want to settle with you then sell it to a surplus dealer.
Click to expand...
Wait!
Insurance is for when they loose it or a fire or other accident beyond their REASONABLE control.

It is CRYSTAL CLEAR that they were NOT TRAINED OR CERTIFIED to do the work.

It gets worse for them...as we understand the events you paid a moving company to move your lathe who then subcontracted to the folks who dropped it.

I do not think any insurance applied here as this is not really a lost item claim.

Keep your focus on the fact they subcontracted the work.

Google is your friend here so see if the primary company is actually licensed to do the type of work then check same for subcontractor.

The fact they chose to use folks not qualified to do work means they are at fault for cause and the pennies on the pound is BS.

read all of the fine print and maybe call your state consumer affairs department as well.

Again..The insurance covers ACCIDENTAL LOSS and this was NOT an accident.

When discussing with state ask about safety training and equipment requirements as someone could have easily been killed...

Do your homework and have a clear plan of attack and make it clear to the moving company that yiu expect the lathe to be replaced to your paid delivery location with a replacement of your choice of suitable like kinds.

The plan b would allow yours to be repaired by a QUALIFIED AND CERTIFIED servicer who could fully repair and certify the machine to FACTORY SPEC.

They will insist that the insurance is limited to pennies on the pound but yiu need to insist that their actions were not what the insurance covers and you expect to be made whole.

If no luck then call state and insist they take action as the person could have been killed and if it happened on your property it would have been a real mess...
d_limiter said:
Hi everyone,

Thanks for all the advice! I'm proceeding with what action I can take with the movers, but the insurance is pennies per pound. Learn a lesson from me and when the movers say, "oh, yeah, I have insurance!" investigate further to see what that means.

So what I'm hearing is that the lathe may have some hidden damage that needs disassembly and inspection. What a pain. At this stage, I need something to learn on rather than a refurb project. I haven't touched a lathe in 25 years, and finally got the itch back.

Maybe I'll see what I can part out (anyone need a collet closer for a V10? It was in a box and didn't take a tumble ;)) and keep pawing through Craigslist. What a shame, I was pretty happy to find a Maximat.

David
Click to expand...


Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337Z using Tapatalk
 
@woodchucker - I'm in the SF bay area.

Thanks again for all the advice! I'll take it to heart and see what can be done.

David
 
The problem is they had two strong guys with weak minds.
They didn't know how to move a top heavy lathe.
I moved everything myself, and the hardest part was the planning.

Contact your insurance carrier. See if you have any coverage for this, since it happened on your property.
If your carrier pays, they will go after the mover.
The original mover is still responsible. Even though they subbed it out.
If your own coverage wont pay, sue the mover in small claims court. Tell them to notify their insurance carrier.
Threaten to contact the Better Business Bureau and whatever state agency deals with movers.
You will need the old owner as a witness since you weren't a witness if you go to court.
If their insurance carrier balks at paying, report them to your state's insurance department.
 
To the OP

What did you pay for the lathe?
What was the cost to move it?

I agree with Nels's post and the previous post that the damage to your property was not an accident but negligence on the part of the mover.
IMO negligence is the only leg that you can stand on to get adequate compensation.
 
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