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Why would anyone want a non-functioning AED? But then there are people who will "lift" anything in the hope that it has value. Sad times
Robert

eBay.

Not so much sad times, as sad people. Those who have everything, but are too thick to realise it. And as likely to tell an AED from ... well, you know what.

By and large, British folk used to be decent people. But no longer. A result of a couple of generations of indoctrination, I'm afraid (plus other factors that, although being blatantly obvious to anyone with eyes and ears, I am "not allowed" to mention here). You know, the "sense of entitlement", "everyone gets a prize" ... and all that [censored] (aka, failed experiments in Social Engineering).

It's the New Reality ... and one that we all have to contend with. Yes, even those (of us) who have been ignored all along.

Anyway, as I say:- either use your own van, or a trusted individual to act as your courier.

I take it, it had non-functioning AED in big letters on the box and the thieves were intelligent. We had some syringe drivers nicked around about Christmas, reckon they thought it was Christmas presents.

I'll never forget the day I stopped using FedEx, the courier literally dropped a monitor from a height of 12 inches right in front of me without even thinking. When I told him the MSRP of the monitor, his jaw dropped, and he gave a half-hearted, "uh . . . sorry, mate."

Regardless of the company you use, there will be someone in the chain that disregards the tape marked, "fragile," or the sign that reads, "the next person this medical equipment is used on could be you." Take every precaution when packaging, and if you are worried about it, double box and pad the item.

Folk seem to be skating around the issue here:- "Regardless of the company you use" these "couriers" tend to be a certain type of person, do they not? I won't go into details, but let's just settle for:- "low quality"!

I can remember cussing a guy once for his stroppy "attitude" in hurrying me along to sign his sheet, and in response he started giving me all the jive about "you couldn't do this job, man; all the pressure" blah, blah, blah (boo hoo). I advised him to seek other employment (well, that's the polite version).

I also recall a case where a van driver gave us a cussing for calling him back twice in the same day (to send out some kit). Odd that - we had imagined that we were the customer! Needless to say, we never used that "company" again.

As I say, if I were in charge (and for my own stuff), I would use our (my) own van, and/or a trusted independent guy.

As an aside, it can be "interesting" ("fun", whatever) to track your parcel via the internet. I remember one of mine leaving the local depot (yes, it had made it that far) early in the morning, only to be recorded mid-afternoon as "returned, unable to deliver" five times! In the end, I phoned them then took a bus and picked up the darned thing myself. The address on the package was correct, the post code was spot-on, and other "couriers" found me OK. So what was the problem? Don't ask.

I think I can top that one:- I once witnessed a diagnostic ultrasound unit (yes, a Big One) glide elegantly off a hydraulic loading platform at the back of a truck. About four feet off the concrete deck. And it didn't bounce very well.

Rather than unloading them one at time, in his haste (why are they always in such a [censored] hurry?) the guy was "just trying to squeeze one more on".

That wasn't FedEx though; but rather a company that claimed to specialise in the "safe and efficient transport" of medical equipment (ultrasound, mobile x-ray, c-arms, film processors and such) and similar "high-end" technical gear (stage props, for instance) of relatively large proportions. Yeah, right.

And the remarkable thing was that the guy didn't seem particularly fazed.

I remember seeing a "professional" driver for a well know gas delivery company drop a full "G" size cylinder from the back of his tail lift 5 feet from the ground - which was concrete - lucky that nothing happened - this time

Some years back our internal transport department delivered a Slit Lamp to us; they had carefully strapped the table to the side of the truck but failed to secure the slit lamp. On the first bend there was a bang and bits of Slit Lamp fell out of the truck when they opened the back.

Lee

That one reminds me of some of the things that have happened "on the way home" following a successful day at the Hilditch Auctions.

In one case I knew of, an operating table smashed through the rolling shutter of a Luton van, and was only stopped from ending up on the M1 motorway by the (folded) tail lift.

In days gone by (thankfully) I have spent many a happy hour helping (or at least, advising) blokes loading up their vans (cars, horse boxes, whatever) at Malmesbury; but as we all know, some folk just won't listen!

And (reminded as I am about Charity Groups) - perhaps I should add:- I have often wondered what state some of that donated kit was in when they opened up the Container out in ... wherever. Especially when remembering how much time and effort had gone into getting most of it into a state worth shipping in the first place.

Not that we can blame FedEx et al for any of that, of course.

We had a haemofilter that had had a major mechanical failure and the inners were full of blood, there was nothing to do but to bin it. As it was a PFI the company had an open contract to remove all waste and then they had to get an approved contractor to remove it. So we contacted the estates department and told them of the situation, they duly arrived with a van to take it back to their offices waiting for the waste company. The next day they came back and demanded we went to see their van - blood everywhere, they had not strapped it down, it had fallen over and smashed - And it was our fault the van needed cleaning and we should do it!!!!!!!

In a previous life the internal transport people were moving a Narkomed2B anaesthetic machine from one hospital to another. These machines were built like tanks - American overkill engineering. When we went to check it at the other end we noticed the top of the machine had a definite slope to it. They claimed it was strapped down etc etc. but quite a while later a driver admitted it was not and that as he went round a round-about it had rolled across the van nearly tipping it over.

It is not just couriers who are the "white van men" internal hospital "man and van" are just as bad.

Robert