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One-of-a-kind painting gets tossed in trash by UPS

September 5th, 2016  |  News

When sending valuables, it always pays to be careful with your coverage, a Winnipeg woman found out the hard way when the $9,000 Alicia Popoff painting she was sending to her nephew on behalf of her deceased mother was thrown out by UPS without so much as a warning.

Insurance Business Canada reports that Judith Putter paid to have the painting professionally packaged to ensure no harm would come to the painting if it sustained damage in transit. The painting belonged to her mother, who left it in her will to her grandson as a wedding gift. Aside from the dollar value, it had sentimental value to the family as it was something they grew up looking at.

UPS has a maximum of $2,500 in damage insurance, which Putter expects she’ll receive without issue, but she’s still unhappy that the company trashed the painting without permission. According to UPS, after it was damaged, glass in package was deemed hazardous and discarded.

While nothing can replace the one-of-a-kind item, Putter’s situation serves as a reminder why it’s important to declare the correct value of an item you’re shipping and make sure the replacement value is covered before leaving it in a shipper’s care.