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UPS delivers anger to Winnipeg family after painting is thrown out

UPS delivers anger to Winnipeg family after painting is thrown out

It was an heirloom painting that hung in her family home and was on its way as a wedding gift to her nephew, but now Judith Putter says UPS has thrown it in the garbage.

The Winnipeg woman said she is furious after finding out the acrylic collage was discarded by the carrier because it had been damaged en route to Boston.

"I was livid. I mean, how you can discard somebody's stuff? I don't know," Putter said.

The painting by the late Alicia Popoff, a well-known abstract painter from Saskatchewan, was purchased by Putter's parents about 28 years ago.

When Putter's nephew, Jeremy, got engaged about five years ago it was promised as his wedding present.

Putter's mother has since died but when Jeremy moved into a house in Boston he wanted the painting shipped. He planned to hang it on his wall to remember his grandmother.

Putter said she had shipped through the Winnipeg UPS outlet store before so she went in to see if they could handle the heirloom painting.

"Everything seemed right, they seemed to know exactly how to package things," she said.

They purchased the maximum insurance, which is $2,500, and Putter said if there had been damage to the frame or glass that would cover it. It was shipped out on July 20 and arrived in Quebec two days later, according to Putter's online tracking.

The painting was supposed to arrive in Boston on July 25 but on July 26 Putter received a call from her nephew saying it had not shown up.

Putter went online to see what had happened.

"That's when I saw this 'discarded,' that's the word they used," she said.

"I was stunned, I was just totally stunned. I immediately phoned the store here and they said, 'Oh no. That can't be. There's something wrong there'."

The Tuxedo Park Shopping Centre store where Putter shipped the painting from confirmed to CBC the glass on the painting had been broken and the painting was thrown out.

"The reason [UPS] said it was discarded was because there was glass and that's considered hazardous material," said Victor Avalos, who works at the store. "So they just discarded it, without even contacting either the receiver or the sender or us."

"They never said how it got broken," Avalos added.

Putter's insurance claim has been approved but she said she has been "stonewalled" from getting any answers from UPS.

"What we want to know is how they could have discarded it and not even call anybody," she said.

The family would also like to see the full price of the painting, valued at $9,000, reimbursed.

Although the one-of-a-kind painting could never be replaced they would use the money to purchase another Popoff painting, Putter said.

She added the artist was also a family friend so it's "not quite the same but it will be as close as you can do."

The family would also like an apology from UPS but Putter isn't holding out hope.

In an emailed statement, a UPS spokesperson said they "are investigating what occurred with this shipment and will continue to work with the customer directly."