Effective [launch date] · v1.0

Which problem do you have?

Three different problems get lumped together as “damage.” They have different deadlines and different owners. Find your row first.

Not sure which row is yours? Contact us within 48 hours of delivery and we will tell you which process applies.

If your delivery was made without an appointment and nobody was present to sign, read Delivery appointments in our Shipping & Delivery Policy first. It explains what an unattended delivery means for a claim.

Damage you can see at delivery

Write every dent, tear, crush mark, and scuff on the delivery receipt before you sign it. Damage that is not written on the receipt cannot become a claim.

The delivery receipt is the legal record of the condition your safe arrived in. Once it is signed with no exceptions noted, the freight carrier is released, and there is no longer any way to prove the damage happened in transit.

At the truck, in order:

1. Inspect the packaging on every side before signing anything. You are inspecting the crate and cartons; carriers do not permit unboxing at the curb unless the packaging itself shows damage.
2. Write what you see on the delivery receipt, specifically: which unit, where on it, what kind of damage. Receiving Your Safe gives you the exact wording and the phrases to avoid.
3. Photograph the damage, the packaging, and your notated receipt.
4. If the damage is severe, refuse the delivery. You always have the right to refuse a shipment for damage, at no cost to you, provided the damage is written on the receipt before the driver leaves. A refusal without a damage notation is treated as a return, not a claim (see our Return, Refund & Cancellation Policy).
5. Multi-piece delivery, one piece damaged? You may refuse the damaged piece alone and accept the rest. Write on the receipt which pieces you refused and why.
6. Report it to us the same day: photos and your order number to info@alpinesafes.com.

Damage you find after delivery: the 48-hour window

Safes ship crated and wrapped. Some transit damage cannot be seen until the packaging comes off. This is called concealed damage, and for a crated safe it is the normal case, not the exception.

Report concealed damage to us within 48 hours of delivery. After that, we cannot accept the claim.

If your 48 hours would end on a weekend or a public holiday, you have until the end of the next business day. A Friday delivery gives you until Monday.

The deadline is short because it has to be. Freight carriers deny concealed-damage claims that are not reported almost immediately, and our ability to make you whole depends on our ability to recover from the carrier. Unpack and inspect your safe the day it arrives, even if you don’t plan to use it yet.

To report: send everything listed under Evidence to info@alpinesafes.com within the window. You can call us at (877) 587-7333 as well, but the claim starts when your evidence reaches us in writing.

If you signed a clean delivery receipt

Two situations, two answers.

Damage that was visible from the outside at delivery, but not noted on the signed receipt: we cannot accept a claim for it. There are no exceptions. A clean signature is the carrier’s proof of a good delivery. It removes every means we have of establishing that the damage happened before the safe reached you.

Damage that could not have been seen from the outside (intact packaging, damaged safe inside) is concealed damage, and the 48-hour window above applies in full, evidence requirements included. Your photos of the intact packaging are what establish that the damage could not have been seen at the curb.

This distinction is the whole reason the delivery-day inspection matters. Read Receiving Your Safe before the truck arrives, and hand it to whoever will sign if that isn’t you.

Evidence we require for every claim

We can only act on complete evidence, because complete evidence is what the freight carrier demands from us. A claim that is missing the items below cannot be processed.

1. Photos of all sides of the packaging, taken before you opened it: pallet, crate, and cartons, including the sides that look fine. For concealed damage this is the decisive item.
2. Photos of the safe itself from all sides once unpacked, plus close-ups of the damage and one wider shot showing where the damage sits on the unit. All sides, not just the damaged one: it documents the safe’s overall condition and protects both of us.
3. A photo or copy of the signed delivery receipt. For damage that was visible at delivery, the receipt must show your damage notation; that notation is what makes a claim possible.
4. Your order number.
5. The carrier’s tracking or PRO number, from the paperwork left with the shipment, if you have it.
6. The date and time of delivery, and who moved the safe after the driver left.
7. The original packaging itself, kept and available for inspection (see below).

What we do next, and what we may offer

1. Send your report and evidence to info@alpinesafes.com. Questions along the way: (877) 587-7333.
2. We confirm receipt within 2 business days.
3. We review the evidence and, where the carrier requires it, arrange an inspection of the safe and packaging.
4. We give you our decision within 15 business days of receiving complete evidence.
5. While your claim is open, we update you at least every 5 business days, even when there is nothing new to report.

Freight claims involve the carrier and, on many orders, the manufacturer or supplier who booked the shipment. That is why the window is what it is. You will not be left wondering where things stand.

If we approve your claim, we choose the remedy. Depending on what actually happened, that may be replacement parts, a repair, a locksmith we arrange, a partial credit while you keep the safe, a replacement, or a refund. We pick the option that makes you whole fastest. Most freight damage is a single part or a finish blemish, and a full round trip of a several-hundred-pound safe serves nobody.

Approved damage claims never carry a restocking fee, and shipping required by a remedy we choose is paid by us.

Cosmetic imperfections: function is the test

Safes are welded steel products, built and finished in many hand-work steps. If your safe opens, locks, and performs to its specifications, minor cosmetic variation is not a defect. That includes slight differences in paint texture or gloss, small marks near welds and seams, and minor handling scuffs.

Two distinctions worth knowing:

• Freight-caused cosmetic damage, documented under the rules above, can absolutely be claimed. A partial credit while you keep the safe is a common outcome.
• Manufacturing cosmetic variation is not damage and not a defect. It is not claimable under this policy, and as a rule not under manufacturer warranties either.

Write everything on the delivery receipt anyway, however small. It costs nothing and preserves every option you have.

Manufacturer defects

A defect is a product problem that is not transit damage: the safe does not function to its specification. Defects are covered by the manufacturer’s written warranty, and warranty claims go directly to the manufacturer, under the manufacturer’s own terms.

Every brand we carry, its published warranty terms, and where to file: Manufacturer Warranties.

Alpine Safes sells the products; the manufacturers warrant them. We offer no warranty of our own, and nothing on this site adopts, extends, or modifies any manufacturer’s warranty. If you cannot tell whether you are looking at a defect or at transit damage, contact us within the 48-hour window and we will tell you which process applies.

What this policy does not cover

• Damage that occurs after delivery, however caused
• Damage during moving, rigging, or installation performed by you or anyone you hired. Our own installation service in NYC and parts of NJ has its own terms
• Misuse, modification, or normal wear
• Loss of, theft of, or damage to the contents of any safe (see our Terms & Conditions)
• Deliveries refused for reasons other than documented damage: see our Return, Refund & Cancellation Policy

Related policies: Receiving Your Safe · Shipping & Delivery · Returns, Refunds & Cancellations · Manufacturer Warranties

Westside Security Inc, DBA Alpine Safes 1979 Marcus Ave #210, Lake Success, NY 11042 (877) 587-7333 · info@alpinesafes.com