Joseph

Joseph

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WILKES-BARRE — St. Anthony St. George Maronite Church will at least recoup its shipping losses from UPS after its set of Stations of the Cross was destroyed in shipment, the shipping company told the Times Leader on Thursday.

The church shipped its valuable set of Stations of the Cross to a Maronite Church in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., just before Easter, but the pieces were utterly destroyed in transit. The shipment cost $600, and when the shipment was refused by the Florida church, it was sent back to St. Anthony St. George, costing the local church another $600.

To make matters worse, UPS initially ruled that the church wasn’t entitled to a refund, with Linda Joseph, a member of the church, with UPS telling the Times Leader on Wednesday that the boxes weren’t sufficiently packaged in the company’s view.

But it appeared on Thursday that the shipping company had reversed course.

“We apologize for the inconvenience and will reimburse the customer for shipping charges,” reads a statement sent by UPS to a reporter.

But, the shipping company continues to stress the importance of correct packaging.

“We suggest that, before shipping, consumers check the Packaging Guidelines section of UPS.com for helpful tips to securely pack their deliveries,” the statement goes on. “The UPS Store also offers a pack and ship guarantee that if your shipment gets lost or damaged, you can be reimbursed for the item’s value, your cost of packing materials and services, and the cost of shipping.”

Joseph spoke with a reporter again on Thursday, saying that, while it would have been better if this situation hadn’t happened at all, this is probably the best possible outcome.

“We are very pleased to hear that UPS has agreed to refund us the total shipping processes that were involved with the damaged Stations of the Cross from our parish,” she said. “We’re definitely happy that they realized that it was the right thing to do.”