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How am I going to get the kiln home
(to my school)?
Dogwood's Over the Counter Kiln Sales:
If you are picking your kiln up from Dogwood Ceramic Supply, please consider several items. First, most kilns will be crated and may require a significant amount of space with only the smallest kilns fitting into an automobile. Second, some SUV's and minivans may not be able to accept the crated kiln either because of the crate's width or height (call Dogwood for the height and width of the crated kiln). Third, if you have an open bed truck please remember that kilns are not fish and do not like water, so in the event of rain please bring a tarp to protect your investment.
Paragon TnF 27-3 (shown above) wrapped with plastic shrink wrap to protect from rain with matching furniture kit in crate loaded in a Chevy Colorado Short Bed without a bed liner. If this truck had been equipped with a molded plastic bed liner the crated kiln would most likely have not fit between the wheel wells nor would there have been adequate length to the truck bed to hold the kiln and furniture kit.
Freight Deliveries
If you have purchased a large kiln and had the kiln shipped to your location, the kiln will be shipped either from Dogwood's extensive stock of kilns OR the kiln will be shipped from the Paragon Factory. Either way, the kiln will arrive crated and will be typically transported to your location by YRC (Yellow-Roadway Corp), Dogwood Ceramic Supply's exclusive freight company. Freight charges start as low as $125 for commercial deliveries (including schools) with the exact freight charge depending upon your location and the kiln purchased.
The freight company is only responsible to getting the kiln to the rear of the delivery truck at a commercial location. If you are receiving a large or heavy kiln, it may be beneficial to request a hydraulic lift equipped truck (lift gate) to deliver your kiln to the ground. Requesting a lift gate may delay the delivery of your kiln if the truck equipped with the lift is not routinely assigned to your zip code area, so only request the lift gate if absolutely needed. Please note, freight companies charge for the use of their hydraulic lift gate, as well as additional charges for time consuming deliveries to residential locations and limited access locations such as prisons.
Special Note to Kiln Customers of every brand of Kiln:
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Over the years Dogwood Ceramic Supply has heard a steady stream of consumer
complaints regarding freight damages for EVERY brand of kiln on the market.
Stuff does happen and kilns are easily damaged, especially if a lift truck is
driven over the kiln shipping crate or box. Fortunately very few kilns for any
kiln company are delivered severely damaged. Let me repeat that statement ...
very few kilns are delivered severely damaged for any kiln company. Most damaged kilns are classified
as hidden damage and usually the damage is minor ... a few cracked bricks or a
scratched lid or control panel. Minor damages, if they occur, are usually easily
repaired or ignored. HOWEVER, most consumers are not aware of the legal requirements for freight deliveries: The delivery driver will require an adult signature on a legal document known as a "bill of lading". The signature is required on the bill of lading to show complete and damage free delivery or provide notice of shortages or damages. While the owner of the kiln is not required to sign for the delivery, it is strongly recommended that the person at the delivery location is aware of his/her responsibilities and is capable of inspecting the kiln for damages. If the freight company presents you with a pile of match sticks, twisted metal and brick dust just refuse the delivery. Massive kiln damage does occur and the freight companies may attempt delivery if they believe there may be salvage value in the damaged goods. But, just because they bring a destroyed kiln to your home or studio, does not mean the kiln must be off loaded. When a kiln is destroyed, just refuse the shipment, sign the bill of lading stating the kiln was destroyed, call the manufacturer or seller and wait for the replacement. By the way, the best industry estimate is that maybe 1 in 1000 kilns are a complete wipeout. Tornadoes, truck accidents, forklifts and other bad things can happen to a kiln just as the bad things can happen to anything else. |
| Legal Note: The ownership and responsibility for damage free delivery is transferred from the kiln company to the freight company when the freight company accepts the kiln. That ownership and responsibility for damages is transferred to the kiln owner when the bill of lading is signed accepting the delivery of the kiln. Uncrating and inspecting the kiln for damages is important. Delaying the inspection can, and often will, result in denial of the damage claim by the freight company if the consignee can not prove the damage was caused specifically by the freight company. |
If the kiln is undamaged, sign the
bill of lading and release the driver. If the crating or kiln appears to have
minor damage then make a clear notation on the bill of lading describing the
damage. Use simple language that proper describes the parts of the kiln that
were damaged and the type and degree of the damage. A ding or ping, cracked
brick or rubbed paint job is not catastrophic and if properly noted on the bill
of lading the kiln owner can be properly compensated for the minor damage.
In some instances the driver may (for NTSB work hour legal reasons or other
obligations) be unable to wait for your inspection. If the If the driver
is unable or unwilling to wait for your inspection then simply make note of this
fact on the bill of lading. In the instances when the driver can not wait
for the inspection, the freight company must accept hidden damage claims.
Paragon has prepared a tutorial on how to receive a crated kiln and handling damages. Please review the Paragon website Receiving_a_Kiln_Shipment prior to having a kiln delivered to your home or studio.
When you uncrate the kiln, PLEASE keep the kiln stand. The kiln stand is wrapped and is attached to one of the uprights of the packing crate. Uncrating a Paragon kiln is rather simple, and only requires a claw hammer and about 10 minutes of time. The kiln stand can be easily assembled with a pair of pliers and a nut driver.
A few very large kilns (Dragon and Viking series) as well as kilns for wired for 208v operation, will require a power cord to be wired to the power supply. If you are not capable of performing the electrical installation please hire a qualified electrician.
Receiving a Kiln at a Residence:
| For the typical residential deliveries when the customer has requested the lift gate service, the delivery driver should be willing to move the kiln a reasonable distance from the delivery trailer to the customer's desired location, IF the driver has good access to the driveway and the driver can use his/her pallet jack to move the kiln on paved or concrete surfaces to the desired location. Please be advised, what is reasonable to you may not be reasonable to the freight company. Over the hill, around the backside of the house and lowered into the basement is never reasonable. And always remember that honey works better than vinegar and will do wonders in motivating somebody to do something extra, like moving the kiln to your garage.... we suggest a nice plate of warm, homemade brownies or chocolate chip cookies.... yummy. |
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12590 Dedeaux Road
Gulfport Mississippi, 39503
Telephone (228) 831-4848 Fax (228) 831-3111
Showroom Business Hours:
Monday, Tuesday, Friday and Saturday 10AM to 5PM
Thursday 1PM to 6PM
Closed Wednesday and Sunday
If you have purchased a large kiln and had the kiln shipped to your location, the kiln will be shipped either from Dogwood's extensive stock of kilns OR the kiln will be shipped from the Paragon Factory.