OT: Fedex Nightmare!
Maurynna Kyrissaean
found to be a nightmare.
I purchased a clear lucite computer case approximately 3 weeks ago, and it
was shipped out via Fedex from California to Connecticut. I know that the
sender specified it was being delivered to a business address, but Fedex
managed to botch that and assign it "Home Delivery" status. First mistake.
Home Delivery allows them to deliver the package anywhere between 10am and
8pm, and they were waiting till around 8pm every day to deliver this thing -
2 days in a row. They had ALL DAY to deliver it, but still didn't show up
till after business hours???
I wound up calling them again and again - approximately 15 or so times
before I finally got through to someone who agreed to hold on to my package
just so I could drive up an hour out of my way to pick it up myself on the
third day.
I finally managed to pick up the package - and thank GOD it was insured! The
thing had fragile written on it, but they didn't pay attention to that - oh
no, of course not. I got it home, and the case was completely shattered!
RUINED! And now they're saying that one of their representatives will be
here sometime in the next 3 days to pick it up and do a damage assessment.
I would never ship fedex again. At least the insurance will kick in (I hope)
I am advising everyone else I know never to ship via Fedex again either.
Now I am finding out that it takes 4-6 WEEKS for them to process claims for
damages! AAAHHH!!!! I have to wait another month and a half for my new
PC!!!!
And NOW - I'm finding out that they didn't even give me the correct package
pickup number, and that they neglected to even bother to tell me that I ALSO
have to file a CLAIM form - and that they need all this "PROOF" that the
package is actually 'WORTH' what it was insured for!!!!
This just gets better and better! Have you ever heard of such a load of
complete and utter garbage in your entire life??? They want original
receipts, from both the transaction, and the receipts from the vendor's
supplier!!! And the original packing receipt! MY GOD! They're out to screw
me over!!!! This is an absolute nightmare!
It's going on the third week now and they still haven't bothered to send
anyone out to pick this damn package up!
Morwen
(in message <3e15b...@news.ultrafeed.com>):
> I would never ship fedex again. At least the insurance will kick in (I hope)
>
> I am advising everyone else I know never to ship via Fedex again either.
>
My husband's computer business uses UPS, Fedex, and others, shipping several
truckloads per day. The truth is that this is far from being an exclusively
Fedex problem. They all break things, deliver things late, take a long time
to process insurance claims, etc.
Morwen
ChristyMae
they neglected to even bother to tell me that I ALSO
>have to file a CLAIM form - and that they need all this "PROOF" that the
>package is actually 'WORTH' what it was insured for!!!!
>
>This just gets better and better! Have you ever heard of such a load of
>complete and utter garbage in your entire life??? They want original
>receipts, from both the transaction, and the receipts from the vendor's
>supplier!!! And the original packing receipt! MY GOD! They're out to screw
>me over!!!! This is an absolute nightmare!
Yup. USPS is the same way. They trumpet how cheap and easy insurance on a
package is...mere pennies to insure something. But try to make a claim, and
you find out that it's nearly impossible.
My grandmother shipped me some antique cups and saucers, that HER grandmother
had given her, and even with the "FRAGILE" stickers all over it, and major
padding inside the box, they managed to bust most of them. She had insured i
for some small amount, so I took the mangled box and china shards to the PO,
and they basically told me, "prove it." I was told "you have to show a
receipt, or a catalog entry of that product showing the price, or a
professional appraisal." How am I supposed to prove the worth of antique cups
and saucers? Get the shards appraised? Um, yeah.
I wonder how much money they make with this scam?
ChristyMae
Beth Cole
> Shipping anything via Fedex, especially around the holiday season, I've
> found to be a nightmare.
>
<snip shipping horror story>
Yep. And for me, it's UPS. Given a choice, I will never have anything
shipped UPS again. I've never found a company more difficult to deal
with. Plus, they can't be bothered to follow their own policies
regarding signatures for packages. (Hint: Getting the srawl of the
neighbor's 4-year-old doesn't count as a signature in my mind,
particularly when it is a $500 monitor that they then dump in our
backyard, on a rainy day.)
Beth
--
"Be bold, be bold, and everywhere be bold." -- Edmund Spenser
our home page: http://www.IsleOfSky.net
Rabbit
> >This just gets better and better! Have you ever heard of such a load of
> >complete and utter garbage in your entire life??? They want original
> >receipts, from both the transaction, and the receipts from the vendor's
> >supplier!!! And the original packing receipt! MY GOD! They're out to
screw
> >me over!!!! This is an absolute nightmare!
>
> Yup. USPS is the same way. They trumpet how cheap and easy insurance on a
> package is...mere pennies to insure something. But try to make a claim,
and
> you find out that it's nearly impossible.
>
I worked at Purolator, many years ago. For a while I ended up in the
"tracking department" (what a joke that was) looking for missing parcels.
We were told that when we called a customer to inform him that the parcel
was lost, we were not to mention anything about claiming for the value
unless the customer mentioned it first.
Rabbit
Debbie the Underdogged
Mor...@spamcop.net says...
I bought a cute little orginal oil painting off ebay, which the seller
sent UPS. After 3 weeks, we figured it had been lost, and the seller
offered to replace it with an equivalent painting or refund my money.
The very next day the painting showed up - and it looked, literally,
like it had been run over by a truck. The middle of the box was crushed
almost flat. By some absolute miracle, the painting was unharmed.
--
Debbie the Underdogged das at spamcop dot net
"I'm not crazy, I've just been in a very bad mood for 40 years."
_Steel Magnolias_
Morwen
(in message <MPG.187fae42f...@127.0.0.1>):
> The very next day the painting showed up - and it looked, literally,
> like it had been run over by a truck. The middle of the box was crushed
> almost flat. By some absolute miracle, the painting was unharmed.
More than once I've seen computer boxes that have apparently been run over by
UPS and Fedex trucks. Unfortunately, the iMacs and PowerBooks don't survive.
Morwen
Veronique
UPS? The Company That Refuses To Deliver? The company that *says* they
delivered but actually put the package on a random neighbor's porch,
left no note, then refused to pay up when the package was reported
stolen? Or the other UPS, the company that *this very day* I took my
lunch hour to procur a package from their receiving station, a package
I had been assured by the perky UPS information person would be taken
OFF the truck and left at the center for me to pick up and yet
whomever was at the UPS center decided not to unload any of THOSE
packages, meaning that I wasted my lunch hour and still don't have the
package because unlike the post office they can't just leave it on the
porch or even let me leave a signature authorizing it be left?
That UPS? UPS sucks.
V., with some issues apparently
--
Veronique Chez Sheep
Love will get you like a case of anthrax.
Citizen Ted
>Shipping anything via Fedex, especially around the holiday season, I've
>found to be a nightmare.
As an employee of a large, busy manufacturing facility, I've
learned a thing or two about shipping companies. We deal with FedEx,
UPS, USPS, CF (before they croaked), Global, Maersk, etc.
And I can say without hesitation that of all the residential
delivery companies, FedEx is by far the best. Issuing call tags,
tracking units, making freight damage claims, getting overnites pushed
through last minute and dealing with lost items is far more pleasant
with FedEx than with UPS or USPS, no doubt about it.
I can feel your pain, Maurynna. But after you go through a
daily diet of shipping troubles, things like smashed items and damage
claims become as stressful as wiping a dead beetle off the bottom of
your sneaker.
Now, back to your troubles....
>I purchased a clear lucite computer case approximately 3 weeks ago, and it
>was shipped out via Fedex from California to Connecticut.
If the manufacturer or distributor hired FedEx and acted as
shipper, THEY are responsible for handling the damage claim with
FedEx. Not you. So relax.
>I know that the
>sender specified it was being delivered to a business address, but Fedex
>managed to botch that and assign it "Home Delivery" status. First mistake.
I doubt it was a mistake. FedEx is pretty savvy. Unless the
delivery address is within a known commercial or mixed district, they
will assume it's home delivery. If your shipping address is inside or
adjoining a wholly residential area, you will be treated as a
residential delivery. If you are in a commercial zone, well, then they
fucked up. (It's also likely your shipper declared the shipping
address residential against your wishes - administrative people can
"gaff" when talking to FedEx on the phone or filling out a slip).
>Home Delivery allows them to deliver the package anywhere between 10am and
>8pm, and they were waiting till around 8pm every day to deliver this thing -
>2 days in a row. They had ALL DAY to deliver it, but still didn't show up
>till after business hours???
If it was routed residential (mistakenly or not), they did the
right thing. Think about it.
>I wound up calling them again and again - approximately 15 or so times
>before I finally got through to someone who agreed to hold on to my package
>just so I could drive up an hour out of my way to pick it up myself on the
>third day.
I'll bet dollars to handbaskets you got the runaround because
you failed to deal with them in a business-like manner on the phone.
When I was a regular shlub, FedEx and UPS laughed at me on the phone.
Now that I know how to talk to them, I get shit done on the first or
second call. Always have your shipper's Ground account number, your
tracking number and invoice/packing slip number ON HAND ready to go.
Always refer to yourself as a business entity, NOT a "customer".
"Hi, this is Maurynna, receiving manager at Widget Wonders
LLC. We got a freight-damaged delivery here, tracking number
904566323805. The Packing Slip ID is PO099885. Looks like the boys had
some fun with it. I need you send Ground back here to pick it up for
inspection and return to Widget Worldwide Distributors of Paducah. I
hope it was insured, cause they ain't gonna be happy."
This approach is far more effective than:
"What the hell did you people do to my package? WHA? I have to
WHAT? Fill out a claim form? Why? Why should I? YOU broke it! Packing
slip? Oh, I dunno. It's probably on the box somewhere. The box YOU
GUYS squished up! Geez! I can't believe this! Who's running that place
over there???"
I'm not saying you talked to them like this. But look at the
two approaches and consider which is most savvy and likely to yield
positive results.
>Now I am finding out that it takes 4-6 WEEKS for them to process claims for
>damages! AAAHHH!!!! I have to wait another month and a half for my new
>PC!!!!
How did you pay for this item? Once FedEx takes it away for
inspection, you should no longer feel obligated to pay the invoice or
billing. Talk to your distributor first and try to sort it out. If
they aren't flexible, then cancel the check, call your CC company or
bank or whatever and kill the billing. The distributor may squawk, but
just inform them that you received a boat anchor instead of the
agreed-upon case. Tell them you will gladly issue a new check or renew
your CC billing if they'll agree to ship a new case forthwith. Be
flexible with them if they insist on receiving the damaged unit first
(yes, people sometimes rip off companies with bogus freight damage
claims).
NOTE: FedEx has a 15-day limit for damage claims! If you have
gone over that limit, the boat anchor is YOURS. Always act quickly in
these matters. You should be glad that:
>And now they're saying that one of their representatives will be
>here sometime in the next 3 days to pick it up and do a damage assessment.
That sounds reasonable to me.
All in all, it seems FedEx has taken steps to assume
responsibility for the damage and that you should be in the clear
pretty soon. If you really hyper-ventilate when it comes to freight
claims, you should do more shopping with local merchants.
You wanna know what a REAL freight problem is? Try this:
Customer's $4,000 machine dies after one month use. The
closest servicer to him is 500 miles away. I issue a FedEx call tag
for a point-to-point freight delivery. The unit weighs 158 pounds and
must be palletized. Customer (a *contractor*) cannot grasp what a
pallet is. FedEx refuses on-site pick-up (day after day after day)
until unit is palletized. After much ugly phone conversation with
customer, a pallet is obtained and unit is strapped down. FedEx
Freight arrives on-time and grabs the unit.
Off it goes to the servicer, who finds idiot user had plugged
the unit with chalk dust by using it in the wrong application. After a
cleaning and a field test, it's ready to go back home.
Because I have a big heart, I cover the costs of non-repair
and return shipping. A second point-to-point call tag is issued. Unit
arrives in Champaign IL and is stuck at the facility due to weather.
Customer calls, crying for his unit. I track it to Champaign and
discover the snow/ice problem. Customer whines like a fuck. I tell him
to get over it.
A week goes by, I assume all is right with the world. Then the
Servicer calls me up, says Customer never got his unit back. I track
it. Still in Champaign! How much snow could they get? I make a phone
call. No news. I hang up and call back, this time as "Shipping
Manager". I get routed through to Champaign direct. Seems that FedEx
Ground came by to get it, but saw it was 158 pounds and palletized -
has to go freight. The call tag says Ground, not Freight. I patiently
ask for call tag to be amended to Freight. They concur. I accept the
quote.
Days go by. Servicer calls back, says Customer still hasn't
got his package and declared it in a most beastly manner. Servicer is
now getting cross with me. Unhappiness has escaped from Pandora's
stinking FedEx box. Masquerading as "Shipping Manager", I get through
to Champaign. Same story - it can't go Ground. Too heavy. I ask them
to call Freight for pick-up on a fresh new call tag. "No can do", they
say. This is a Ground facility only. We don't do pallets, baby.
Hmmmm. What do I do?
I hang up. I plan. I scheme. I call FedEx Freight and issue a
fresh call tag on the company's account. This gets good:
"OK sir, is the pick-up location a business?"
"Yes, it is."
"Was this originally shipped FedEx Freight?"
"Yes, it was."
"OK. The business name please, sir?"
"That would be FedEx Ground of Champaign."
"Um, FedEx Ground?"
"Yes. Postal code 61816. Shipping address 11343 South Dalton
Way, Ste B. It says you can pick up from the loading dock on the west
side of building."
"Um, sir? We can't pick up from a FedEx facility."
"Why not?"
"Well, it's just that....we never have....wouldn't it be just
as...I don't see why...."
"Don't ask why, my good man! Freight is freight, a pick up
point is a pick up point. Don't you want to hear the delivery address
before you give me that confirmation number?"
"Well, I...just...never..."
The Customer got his unit back in two days.
Now THAT'S a FedEx problem. Freight damage? Pah. Child's play!
- TR
- wondering how I go from electronics tech to Shipping Manager
without a bump in pay. Also wondering why I always pick up the phone
at the worst possible moment.
Maurynna Kyrissaean
"Citizen Ted" <enoi...@dumpthisattbi.com> wrote in message
news:3e1d7f1b...@netnews.attbi.com...
> On Fri, 3 Jan 2003 11:37:05 -0500, "Maurynna Kyrissaean"
> <maur...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
> >Shipping anything via Fedex, especially around the holiday season, I've
> >found to be a nightmare.
>
> As an employee of a large, busy manufacturing facility, I've
> learned a thing or two about shipping companies. We deal with FedEx,
> UPS, USPS, CF (before they croaked), Global, Maersk, etc.
>
> And I can say without hesitation that of all the residential
> delivery companies, FedEx is by far the best. Issuing call tags,
> tracking units, making freight damage claims, getting overnites pushed
> through last minute and dealing with lost items is far more pleasant
> with FedEx than with UPS or USPS, no doubt about it.
>
> I can feel your pain, Maurynna. But after you go through a
> daily diet of shipping troubles, things like smashed items and damage
> claims become as stressful as wiping a dead beetle off the bottom of
> your sneaker.
>
> Now, back to your troubles....
>
> >I purchased a clear lucite computer case approximately 3 weeks ago, and
it
> >was shipped out via Fedex from California to Connecticut.
>
> If the manufacturer or distributor hired FedEx and acted as
> shipper, THEY are responsible for handling the damage claim with
> FedEx. Not you. So relax.
>
-- Actually, I've called them many times and they told me that I am
responsible for handling the damage claim, but the sender is the one that
the reimbursement goes to.
My approach was closer to the first one - and it's going on the second week
now and they still haven't bothered to send anyone over to pick the darn
thing up for the damage inspection. Every time I call they assure me
someone will be there the next business day, but so far, nobody bothers to
show up. I make sure to tell them to be there before 5pm, and nothing. The
package is still sitting under my desk.
I bought the case from a friend who happens to build custom clear lucite
cases, and I've been in contact with him many times about this incident.
He's called them and been told that I am the one who should be doing all the
work. But then I've called on another occasion and been told the opposite.
You can't blame me for thinking that they haven't got a single friggin clue
what the hell they're doing over there. I've heard everything from "Oh we
can't control packages once they're in our inventory", to - when I asked
them to hold the package so that I could drive up 45 minutes out of my way
to pick up something they couldn't manage to deliver, that "We can't hold
home delivery packages, because there's no counter." But guess what???
After 15+ calls, they DID hold it!
So much for knowing what's going on.
> I'm not saying you talked to them like this. But look at the
> two approaches and consider which is most savvy and likely to yield
> positive results.
>
> >Now I am finding out that it takes 4-6 WEEKS for them to process claims
for
> >damages! AAAHHH!!!! I have to wait another month and a half for my new
> >PC!!!!
>
> How did you pay for this item? Once FedEx takes it away for
> inspection, you should no longer feel obligated to pay the invoice or
> billing. Talk to your distributor first and try to sort it out. If
> they aren't flexible, then cancel the check, call your CC company or
> bank or whatever and kill the billing. The distributor may squawk, but
> just inform them that you received a boat anchor instead of the
> agreed-upon case. Tell them you will gladly issue a new check or renew
> your CC billing if they'll agree to ship a new case forthwith. Be
> flexible with them if they insist on receiving the damaged unit first
> (yes, people sometimes rip off companies with bogus freight damage
> claims).
>
I paid for it with my american express card - and I've called them - they
don't handle the shipping carrier breaking items. They said I have to deal
with FedEx myself.
Back to the drawing board. *SIGH*
Lee Ann
<maur...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>I paid for it with my american express card - and I've called them - they
>don't handle the shipping carrier breaking items. They said I have to deal
>with FedEx myself.
>
>Back to the drawing board. *SIGH*
That's nice. Tell them you're not paying for that line item, since
you received damaged goods which are being returned to the
manufacturer. There's absolutely no reason to pay for goods that were
damaged by entities outside your control. Let your friend whistle for
his money, and I'll bet he gets more motivated in getting the damaged
goods back (or just sending a replacement - what the hell is he going
to do with a ruined product, anyway?).
If AmEx gives you hassle, might I suggest a nice Visa or Mastercard
for your next credit card? Because you will be closing the account if
they hassle you, right?
Lee Ann
richa...@excite.calm
On Sat, 4 Jan 2003, Maurynna Kyrissaean wrote:
>can't control packages once they're in our inventory", to - when I asked
>them to hold the package so that I could drive up 45 minutes out of my
>way to pick up something they couldn't manage to deliver, that "We can't
>hold home delivery packages, because there's no counter." But guess
>what??? After 15+ calls, they DID hold it!
How timely. I'm sitting on my ass right now, and I'd much rather be over
at our garage (at other end of the apt complex) wrenching on our
motorcycles.
Why? FedEx Home is delivering a package that requires a signature
in-person and they refuse to hold it at their facility.
Any advice?
RM <-- thinks the extra $$$ for UPS might be worth it after all
Patrick M Geahan
> That's nice. Tell them you're not paying for that line item, since
> you received damaged goods which are being returned to the
> manufacturer.
Whoa, whoa, hang on *one* second here.
Why is that AmEx's problem? This is an issue between the poster, the
vendor, and the shipper.
AmEx loans money to the poster and wants repayment. AmEx has done
*precisely* what they are supposed to. If the vendor does not wish to
refund payment, that is not AmEx's fault.
> There's absolutely no reason to pay for goods that were
> damaged by entities outside your control.
And there's no reason for AmEx to suffer for anyone else's mistake,
either.
--
-------Patrick M Geahan---...@chartermi.net---ICQ:3784715------
Quote of the Week: "Absolute definition of 'doomed optimism'? A bowl of
potpourri in the toilet." - Mil Millington
Maurynna Kyrissaean
demand to talk to someone from their "Fedex Ground crew"
I finally got through to someone who was decent this morning... her name was
Nancy Smith and she called a few people and pulled a few strings - we'll see
if what she did works on Tuesday, but she was exceedingly helpful
I wish I could say the same for the other morons I had to deal with - hell -
one of them even hung up on me when I asked her last name so I could keep a
record of who I was talking to.
<richa...@excite.calm> wrote in message
news:Pine.NEB.4.51.03...@panix1.panix.com...
Veronique
Nope, UPS refuses to actually deliver. They are perfectly happy to
wait the ten minutes you are in the bathroom and leave notes telling
you they will redeliver at an unspecified time inconvenient to you,
they are perfectly happy to "hold" the package not at their facility
but on an unnamed truck that never stops, and they are perfectly happy
to shrug their shoulders when you are understandably outraged that
instead of the promised delivery, they merely promise to orbit your
package just out of reach.
For my money, I use the post office.
V.
--
Veronique Chez Sheep
Love will get you like a case of anthrax.
tmclone
main road, there's a number on the mailbox, a number on the house, and a
number on a post between each end of the driveway, but the Fedex moron
ALWAYS goes somewhere else at least 3 times. I check the status online and
when it says "attempted delivery" I know that yes, again, they're going to
the WRONG HOUSE.
Then, when I call, they say "Well, they tried to deliver and you weren't
home and it's COD". I reply, "I work at home, I'm home all day, I can see
the driveway from my office window, and there has been a check on the door
since I placed the order. Your driver didn't come to my house, he went
somewhere else."
Sometimes the people tell the driver he's at the wrong house and refuse
delivery, but he's not capable of getting the box to me until I've called at
least twice. Once I had to run out into the road and flag the twerp down.
I've never received an "overnight" from Fedex, the average is 5 days. UPS
and USPS never have this problem, just Fedex.
Oh, and when they finally call me back to apologize for the screw-up and
schedule the delivery, they always tell me the driver has been "let go".
Then the same idiot shows up with the box. Very weird.
TMClone
Jase
<snip major rant>
>
> I am advising everyone else I know never to ship via Fedex again either.
>
Unfortunately, given a choice between USPS, UPS and FedEx,
I'd probably pick FedEx every time. Assuming of course all
other factors such as costs and value of package is the
same.
Jase
"Privatization is supposed to improve service isn't it?"