purpledc

holy crap dude. Did you buy the box from them and have them pack it? For the future man, always keep the boxes you gear comes in with its packing materials if you can. This will ensure you have exactly what you need to ship the thing. Even if you break the box down you can fit it under a bed or behind a dresser. As for carriers I prefer fed ex. They have the best rates of the big three and they will actually inspect your package and tape it up better if they think it needs it at no charge. They also have a lot of convenient drop off locations at stores. Im surprised VHT doesnt have authorized service centers for their stuff. The special 6 ultra is probably the easiest amp in the world to work on.

This is common practice. I dont know of a single company who pays for the shipping charges on a warranty claim. I do have a couple questions. One is who did you ship through? Many times fed ex and the post office are much cheaper than UPS and they treat your stuff better. I just sent a 50lb head through fed ex for $36. The other question is since you knew the tubes were not under warranty and depending on the issue did you check the tubes for failure?