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Gerard
Luke Skywalker
Offline
This is only a little off topic, but will be an education for you.
Back on October 18th, I ordered approximately $3000 worth of Morris Minor parts from the UK. Because of some shipping policy changes on the part of the supplier I have bought from for years, I found the alternate shipper I was forced to use very unsatisfactory. I was offered the option of using an alternate export service, which I found demonstrated excellent communication and customer service. Unknown to me at the time, was that they used FedEx as their carrier. I haven't always found FedEx to be the most conscientious, but recently started experiencing more and more little problems with them. Only a week or two before, the driver delivered a package to the wrong address only a block away, but was never recovered (the person denied ever receiving it). One thing I learned in the process, it that delivery drivers are not FedEx employees. A local company contracts with FedEx and hires their own employees to drive the trucks. In my experience, they don't have the quality employees that UPS has, and obviously aren't paid or treated as well.
As I said, I didn't know this exporter was using them until the tracking number arrived.
I was informed the shipment would arrive in 3 days, about half to 1/3rd the time I normally experience. That was great news (so I thought) Well, on the 3rd day, the shipment arrived. The only problem was, only 3 of the 4 parcels arrived, and 2 of those 3 parcels had serious damage to the cartons. One of the cartons contained a set of 4 brand new steel wheels. All were finish painted, which now had some chips, but one of them was badly dented at the rim. No small task to dent that heavy steel.
It took several days to locate the missing carton (which contained $2000 worth of small parts). The missing box turned up in their "lost and found" department in Memphis, and was confirmed to be the missing package item via photographs taken of the open carton and enclosed invoice. Apparently, they opened it to confirm the contents and then (I was told) a manager personally walked it over to their "repackaging department" to be resealed and sent next day air express to me. In a word, it never arrived because they lost it yet a second time. To this day, it has never been delivered, nor has any scan/tracking information ever been updated since it's arrival in Memphis.
Needless to say, I filled out the necessary claim forms, and a claim was filed by the sender in the UK. I was told it would take a week to 10 days to complete the claim process. Initially, the damage claim was dismissed by FedEx, blaming the box for the damage. Even though this is the manufacturer's original carton for the wheels (not repackaged), and not withstanding that the box would have had to have been dropped from a significant height of at least 3 to 5 feet to dent the heavy gauge steel. Furthermore, they invalidate my claim because the wheels were photographed in the boot of an SUV and state that the wheels were "transported from their original location where the driver delivered them, and they must not be moved before bing inspected". FedEx has never requested or made an attempt to inform this fact nor did they make any attempt to personally inspect the packaging. They were placed there only to be better photographed. Seems they will look for any excuse to avoid payment.
As to the missing package, there can be little dispute that it has been lost (twice), and they have even been provided an invoice by the original seller as to the missing contents. Yet, week after week has gone by without any resolution. Each week, a different excuse has been made as to why the claim has not been paid. Now another week has gone by without an answer. My inquiry today reveals that the person handling the claim is out of the office all week and will not return until the 16th of December. And so I must wait yet another week.
I thought you all should know how much FedEx cares about their customers, and the priority they give to such matters. I guess they feel I have nothing to do but sit around and wait until they are good and ready to to make good on the insurance I paid (or to come up with an excuse why they will not). Never mind all the aggravation and lost time and opportunity to get some work done. For those of you who think it's just the "little guy" they neglect, keep in mind that the shipper filing the claim is an export company, a business, not an individual.
Hopefully, I'll be compensated eventually, not that I'll ever be made whole for the upwards of 40 hours i've invested in filing out forms, and answering countless requests for more information and photographs, not to mention the time I've lost to get any work done. But neither the shipper or I will use FedEx in the future. I hope for some of you, something will be gained from my experience and avoid doing business with them as well. It may give you pause next time you consider buying that extra insurance too. They obviously don't give a **** about their customers.
Back on October 18th, I ordered approximately $3000 worth of Morris Minor parts from the UK. Because of some shipping policy changes on the part of the supplier I have bought from for years, I found the alternate shipper I was forced to use very unsatisfactory. I was offered the option of using an alternate export service, which I found demonstrated excellent communication and customer service. Unknown to me at the time, was that they used FedEx as their carrier. I haven't always found FedEx to be the most conscientious, but recently started experiencing more and more little problems with them. Only a week or two before, the driver delivered a package to the wrong address only a block away, but was never recovered (the person denied ever receiving it). One thing I learned in the process, it that delivery drivers are not FedEx employees. A local company contracts with FedEx and hires their own employees to drive the trucks. In my experience, they don't have the quality employees that UPS has, and obviously aren't paid or treated as well.
As I said, I didn't know this exporter was using them until the tracking number arrived.
I was informed the shipment would arrive in 3 days, about half to 1/3rd the time I normally experience. That was great news (so I thought) Well, on the 3rd day, the shipment arrived. The only problem was, only 3 of the 4 parcels arrived, and 2 of those 3 parcels had serious damage to the cartons. One of the cartons contained a set of 4 brand new steel wheels. All were finish painted, which now had some chips, but one of them was badly dented at the rim. No small task to dent that heavy steel.
It took several days to locate the missing carton (which contained $2000 worth of small parts). The missing box turned up in their "lost and found" department in Memphis, and was confirmed to be the missing package item via photographs taken of the open carton and enclosed invoice. Apparently, they opened it to confirm the contents and then (I was told) a manager personally walked it over to their "repackaging department" to be resealed and sent next day air express to me. In a word, it never arrived because they lost it yet a second time. To this day, it has never been delivered, nor has any scan/tracking information ever been updated since it's arrival in Memphis.
Needless to say, I filled out the necessary claim forms, and a claim was filed by the sender in the UK. I was told it would take a week to 10 days to complete the claim process. Initially, the damage claim was dismissed by FedEx, blaming the box for the damage. Even though this is the manufacturer's original carton for the wheels (not repackaged), and not withstanding that the box would have had to have been dropped from a significant height of at least 3 to 5 feet to dent the heavy gauge steel. Furthermore, they invalidate my claim because the wheels were photographed in the boot of an SUV and state that the wheels were "transported from their original location where the driver delivered them, and they must not be moved before bing inspected". FedEx has never requested or made an attempt to inform this fact nor did they make any attempt to personally inspect the packaging. They were placed there only to be better photographed. Seems they will look for any excuse to avoid payment.
As to the missing package, there can be little dispute that it has been lost (twice), and they have even been provided an invoice by the original seller as to the missing contents. Yet, week after week has gone by without any resolution. Each week, a different excuse has been made as to why the claim has not been paid. Now another week has gone by without an answer. My inquiry today reveals that the person handling the claim is out of the office all week and will not return until the 16th of December. And so I must wait yet another week.
I thought you all should know how much FedEx cares about their customers, and the priority they give to such matters. I guess they feel I have nothing to do but sit around and wait until they are good and ready to to make good on the insurance I paid (or to come up with an excuse why they will not). Never mind all the aggravation and lost time and opportunity to get some work done. For those of you who think it's just the "little guy" they neglect, keep in mind that the shipper filing the claim is an export company, a business, not an individual.
Hopefully, I'll be compensated eventually, not that I'll ever be made whole for the upwards of 40 hours i've invested in filing out forms, and answering countless requests for more information and photographs, not to mention the time I've lost to get any work done. But neither the shipper or I will use FedEx in the future. I hope for some of you, something will be gained from my experience and avoid doing business with them as well. It may give you pause next time you consider buying that extra insurance too. They obviously don't give a **** about their customers.
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