Great Lakes Shipping Policy

Great Lakes Case & Cabinet Co., Inc. makes the best Data Racks and Cabinets around. Great Lakes Case & Cabinet Co., Inc. also has the most customer friendly freight policy in the industry. Please review their freight policy listed below. They employ a separate dedicated traffic department. Let your sales rep know you want the Great Lakes Freight Advantage! If you have any questions please call us at 800-335-0229.

Inside delivery

A single driver taking a carton or skid from the receiving area to the desired room or office. The driver must be provided an adequate loading dock for off loading and an unobstructed path to the room or office to which the carton or skid is destined. The driver will provide any necessary equipment required for easier handling, such as a hand truck or pallet jack. If the final destination is not accessible from the loading dock, a freight elevator must be provided. Note: Drivers are not permitted to unpack or remove cartons.

Lift gate Service

A lift gate is a small platform installed at the rear of some delivery trucks used to lower heavy or bulky freight to ground level when no loading dock is available. Any customer that cannot provide an adequate loading dock should request a lift gate service when ordering. Lift gate service only delivers the carton or skid to ground level and does not provide delivery anywhere but inside the customer’s door.
Lift gate service is not included under the definition of inside delivery. It is a separate service charge that must be prearranged before delivery.

Note: Not all trucks are equipped with a lift gate.

Notification

Most carriers will charge a fee anytime they are required to call and arrange an appointment before delivery.
Note: Great Lakes requires customers to provide a reliable contact name and phone number for someone at the destination site to eliminate any confusion about location, time of delivery, and services required beforehand.

Reconsignment

Any change from the original delivery destination after the product has left the shipper’s loading dock results in a reconsignment fee. Because a reconsignment fee can nearly match the original dock-to-dock freight charges, it is in the customer’s best interest to be absolutely certain of the delivery destination.

Redelivery

Whenever a delivery is refused by a customer (for reasons that are not the fault of the carrier) and must subsequently be redelivered to the same site, the carrier will charge a redelivery fee.

Freight Options

1. Third Party Billing: Carrier specified by Customer, freight billed to a party other than Great Lakes or the Customer. A third party account number or third party billing address is supplied by the Customer.
2. Freight Collect: Carrier specified by Customer, a freight account number is supplied or freight charges are paid by check at the destination site on delivery.
3. Great Lakes Prepay and Add: Carrier specified by Great Lakes, Great Lakes pays freight charges to the carrier and adds freight charge costs to the product invoice. Great Lakes offers this service without an additional handling charge provided the customer agrees to the following conditions:
   1. Carrier is specified by Great Lakes. Note: Great Lakes has contractual agreements with selected carriers to minimize shipping costs.
   2. Customer agrees to pay Great Lakes all freight charges appearing on product invoices without requiring additional freight cost documentation
   3. Customer agrees to pay Great Lakes for freight costs associated with an order shipment but not contained in the initial product invoice. Great Lakes will provide a separate invoice for this cost. An example is an additional cost from the carrier for inside delivery service required by the end user and not specified on the purchase order.
   4. Agreement to these conditions is implied when customer specifies prepaid freight when placing an order with Great Lakes.
   5. Great Lakes Case and Cabinet, Co., Inc. reserves the right to withdraw the prepaid option at any time.

Damages

1. Third Party Billing: Carrier chosen by Customer.
   1. Third party customer is responsible for all freight charges and for filing all freight claims with freight carrier.
   2. All replacement parts must be ordered with a new purchase order.
2. Freight Collect: Carrier chosen by Customer.
   1. Collect customer is responsible for all freight charges.
   2. Collect customer is responsible for all freight charges.
3. Prepay and Add Freight: Carrier chosen by Great Lakes.
   1. Great Lakes is responsible for adding freight charges to product invoice and freight claims.
   2. Great Lakes is responsible for adding freight charges to product invoice and freight claims.
   3. Great Lakes has the option to have damaged product returned to Great Lakes.

Shipping Estimate Policy

If requested, Great Lakes will provide freight estimates. Great Lakes will not be liable for the correctness of these estimates. Great Lakes does not guarantee transit times, either verbal or inferred. These are estimates and should be treated as such. Great Lakes reserves the right to discontinue its freight estimate program at any time.

All weights shown are approximate and obtained from standard packaging procedures. Skid weight is not included.

FAQ

The following are some frequently asked questions. Even though Great Lakes Case & Cabinet Inc. sells its product through distribution these policies affect both our distributors and the eventual end-users.  A review of these policies can make your delivery that much more satisfactory!

Do I have to specify if a delivery requires a lift gate instead of a dock-to-dock service?

-If a lift gate service is not specified upfront it will delay your delivery and you will incur additional cost for a redelivery.
-When specified upfront it will allow Great Lakes traffic department to select the most economical carrier.
-Most semis used by trucking companies do not have a lift gate and are set up only for dock-to-dock deliveries. Lift gate service is available but must be specified ahead of time.

I have a delivery to the second floor but there is no elevator what are my options?

Due to contractual obligations truck drivers are not allowed to take freight up or down stairs. A moving company crew can usually handle this requirement. Please contact Great Lakes traffic department for options!

Can Great Lakes provide freight estimates?

Freight estimates are available per Great Lakes freight policy. Keep in mind that due to the wide fluctuations in the cost of fuel estimates have a short life span.

Can a delivery driver unpack my enclosure and take the packaging material with him?

Yes, this type of service can be arranged but will require prior notice.

My company gets great discounts on freight can I specify a carrier?

-Yes you can always specify your carrier that services our area. Keep in mind that Great Lakes is the largest freight customer in their region and has been able to negotiate the best rates available. Feel free to get a freight estimate by contacting our traffic department.
-Our “pre-pay and add” advantage offers the benefit of having us deal with claims in case of damages!

What delivery address information do you require?

A valid address and an onsite contact with that person’s phone number!

Can you ship enclosures overseas?

Yes we can! We also offer heat-treated skids that are IPPC – HT TP certified! These skids are required for the European Union and Central and South America.