" Fly-Away Pole Protection, LLC has been the shining light in this dwindling market. Chris Boyles’ background as a decathlete, who personally experienced the headaches of trying to get his poles to a meet, has come up with a quick, secure, dependable, affordable way to get your pole from point "A" to point "B" and back. "
SHIPPING QUESTIONS
How long does it take to ship poles to a competition?
What happens if my poles don’t arrive at a competition on time?
Do you provide shipping and insurance coverage for trips outside of the continental United States?
Why am I required to notify FPP prior to every trip? What happens if I don’t and poles are broken/damaged?
Can I have my poles shipped directly to the competition site?
How do my poles need to be packaged for shipment?
Do you ship javelins?
CLAIMS
If a pole breaks during shipping, do I have to get the exact same replacement pole, or can I get a different size?
Once I process a claim, how long will it take for me to get a replacement pole(s)?
Am I required to send in my broken/damaged pole(s)?
What if I don’t have a damage report form with me when I find that a pole has been broken/damaged/lost?
REGISTRATION
Do I have to register online with Fly-Away Pole Protection?
INSURANCE
Am I required to have insurance?
Why do I need insurance for my pole-vault poles?
Is there a deductible or any other financial obligation if a pole(s) is/are broken?
What happens if a pole breaks during competition? Am I covered?
OTHER
What do I do if I arrive at the hotel / competition site and can’t find my poles?
What do I do if I arrive at the hotel / competition site and find that my pole(s) have been damaged/broken in transit?
If I ship frequently, is my information stored so future shipments can be handled more efficiently?
How is the value of a pole determined?
Why doesn't the bill of lading show the actual value of my poles?
PRICING/FEES
Is there an annual fee to be registered with FPP?
How long does it take to ship poles to a competition?
Transit times will vary depending on the origin and destination. It's ALWAYS a great idea to plan ahead and allow and extra day of transit time.
Contact FPP for a rate quote and transit times today, or log in to your FPP account.
What happens if my poles don’t arrive at a competition on time?
Due to the size of pole vault bags, it becomes very difficult to 100% guarantee a delivery. We ship literally thousands of tubes/bags of poles every year and are very comfortable with routing, etc. That being said, there may be a time when there is an unforseen delay. We do everything possible to correct these "delays" on the fly so you aren't even aware and delivery still takes place on the date we provided. In our history, we've only had 2 shipments in which the poles were delayed to a point where we were unable to deliver in time for competition. The most important thing is to please plan ahead. During the indoor season, iif weather looks like it's coming, ship your poles early!
Do you provide shipping and insurance coverage for trips outside of the continental United States?
International shipments (exports, imports and shipments originating and delivering to locations outside the US) are insured through the carrier. Should damage occur on an international shipment, we still handle the claims process for all of our clients, however this process may take longer than a domestic claim in which we provide the coverage throgh our own policy.
Contact FPP to inquire about International shipments.
Why am I required to notify FPP of the exact poles I'm shipping? What happens if I don’t and poles are broken/damaged?
It is imperative that FPP knows the exact poles you are traveling with. This way, we know the total value at risk at any given period of time. This is done to protect us against potentially fraudulent claims. Unfortunately, if you do not notify us of exact poles being shipped,, we will not be liable and not be able to cover those poles. For those setup with an online account, your pole inventory can be store electronically.
Can I have my poles shipped directly to the competition site?
We do our best to work with the meet organizers to have a procedure in place for receiving poles at the competition site. If a receiving location has not been arranged at the competition site, we recommend shipping them to the hotel at which you will be staying. Note if you're a college coach and are willing to receive poles for the competitions you host, others will do the same in return. If we all begin to work together, we can make this a very efficient process for all.
How do my poles need to be packaged for shipping?
Please take some time and package your poles well. It's IMPERATIVE that the poles are fully enclosed in a hard case. This includes hard end caps! Please note if poles are not fully-enclosed or packaged properly, you may be waiving your insurance coverage. Please see the shipping page for more detailed information on packaging your poles for shipment or contact us with further questions. If you have extra space inside of the bag, please take a towel or old shirt and place it inside to prevent the poles from moving around during transit and provide additional padding for the ends.
Do you ship javelins?
Over the past 2.5 years, many of our clients have expressed interest in the shipping of javelins. We now offer the fully-insured shipping of javlins! These shipments are treated the same way as pole vault poles and the same policies regarding packaging, etc apply. Note that javelin specific cases are acceptable to ship your javelins in. Please contact us with further questions. If you have extra space inside of your tube/case, please take a towel or old shirt and place it inside to prevent the javelins from moving around during transit and provide additional padding for the ends.
If a pole breaks during shipping, do I have to get the exact same replacement pole, or can I get a different size?
Broken poles will be replaced with the exact pole that was damaged. Should the broken pole not be manufactured anymore, it will be replaced with a pole of equal specifications, as determined by the Fly-Away Poles.
Am I required to send in my broken/damaged pole(s)?
Yes! When you receive your replacement pole(s), we will require you to place the broken/damaged pole(s) inside of the tubes in which the new poles were sent and ship them to FPP (at the expense of FPP). This is done so we can continue to examine the type of damages that are occuring in shipping along with the prevention of fraudulent charges.
Once I process a claim, how long will it take for me to get a replacement pole?
We will do all we can to expedite the domestic claims process and get replacement poles out to you as quickly as possible. Depending on the manufacturer's inventory, some poles require additional time to ship.
What if I don’t have an damage report form with me when I find that a pole has been broken/damaged/lost?
If you don’t have a form with you and cannot print from the form from the FPP website in a timely manner, please call FPP immediately and we will provide you with all of the information you need to collect. When you are able to access the forms later, please transfer the information and submit it immediately so we can process your claim and get you a replacement! You must contact us as soon as you inspect the poles and notice damage that may have occurred from shipping.
Do I have to register online to ship with Fly-Away Pole Protection?
No. We must collect certain information from all clients prior to any shipments, including contact information,, default pickup locations (to expedite any future shipments) and the list of poles you're shipping. It is imperative we collect certain information for insurance purposes so we're able to handle claims more efficiently. If you (or your school) have not provided us with the exact poles you're transporting prior to shipment, you WILL NOT qualify for insurance! The best method to collect this information and schedule a shipment is through our new client log-in area. If you feel more comfortable, you may also contact us directly, or request a quote online.
Am I required to have insurance?
Fly-Away Pole Protection includes full-insurance coverage in all of our shipments as long as your poles are packed per the FPP standards. This is part of what makes us unique and unlike ANY company out there! Trust us, if something happens to your poles, you'll soon realize how valuable insurance coverage really is.
Why do I need insurance for my pole-vault poles?
All it takes is one bad experience to ruin your day, or season! If you’ve been in the sport for a while and/or shipped or traveled with vaulting poles, you’ve certainly come in contact with people who have had their poles broken or lost in transit! This can be thousands of dollars lost in an instant, as well as giant headaches, while trying to trying to figure out how to replace them. FPP was created to give you a peace of mind about shipping and traveling with your poles, so that you can focus on what’s really important before the competition. We've created the opportunity to ship fully-insured poles for such a minimal cost that you can't afford to go without it!
Is there a deductible or any other financial obligation if a pole(s) is/are broken?
There is no set deductible for broken/lost pole(s) shipped through FPP.
If you have an older pole that is broken, you may be responsible for the difference between the depreciated value of the pole and the replacement cost of a new one. This is based on the age of the pole as stated by the table below:
1-4 years – 100%
5-8 years – 85%
9-12 years – 70%
13-15 years – 60%
16 or more – 50%
What happens if a pole breaks during competition? Am I covered?
At this time, coverage against breakage during competition is not available. We are looking at introducing this service for high school athletes in the near future if there is enough interest and possibly to all athletes in the future. For now, your poles are insured from pickup to delivery. Please contact FPP if this is a service that would interest you.
What do I do if I arrive at the hotel / competition site (or determined shipping location) and can’t find my poles?
Please contact FPP immediately, and we will assist you in finding them.
What do I do if I arrive at the hotel / competition site / (or determined shipping location) and find that my pole(s) have been damaged/broken in transit?
Please contact FPP immediately (24hrs)! You will need to fill out and submit a damage/broken report form so that we can replace your pole(s) as quickly as possible. Please take photographs of the damaged pole(s) and tube with a camera or cell phone for documentation. If we aren't notified immediately (24hrs) and the pole(s) are removed from the bag and used, we will NOT be liable. You must notify us IMMEDIATELY of damage that may have occurred during shipping! We understand that things will happen from time to time and a pole(s) may be damaged. It is ultimately up to the discretion of Fly-Away Pole Protection to validate a claim.
If I ship frequently, is my information stored so future shipments can be handeled more efficiently?
Once you've provided all of the required information prior to your first shipment, setting up future shipments is very easy (especially if you're setup with an online account). You'll refer to the pole inventory form that you initially filled out or completed in your client area. Each pole is associated with a number. For future shipments, you will reference the form/site and send an email (or enter a list in the special instructions when scheduling a shipment online) stating which poles you'll be shipping (ie. Chris, for our shipment to Wake Forest University, we'll be traveling with poles 1,4,5,6,13,14,18). We'll only need to confirm the pickup and delivery addresses and that's it!
How is the value of a pole determined?
The value of a pole is determined by a number of factors. We will look at the retail price for a pole with the exact specifications (make, length, flex) and then assume depreciation based off of the age of the pole. The depreciation is as follows:
1-4 years – 100%
5-8 years – 85%
9-12 years – 70%
13-15 years – 60%
16 or more – 50%
Why doesn't the bill of lading show the actual value of my poles?
Don't worry! Your poles are fully-insured! The carriers we utilize all maintain different maximum insurable value on pole vault poles. We have our own additional coverage above and beyond a particular carriers to protect the full value of your poles! Should your poles be damaged, lost or stolen, we would collect the minimum amount from our carrier for that shipment and use that $ towards our deductible for the additional insurance coverage! All you need to know is that if something happens to your poles in transit, we'll take care of it!
Is there an annual fee to ship with FPP?
NO! We initially set up FPP as a membership service, offering discounted shipping rates to frequent travelers. Based on your feedback, we decided to change our structure and base all of our rates on a shipment by shipment basis. More information can be found on the shipping page of the site.