I think I have a valid reason to complain about FedEx Ground. Note that I'm complaining about Ground, not Express. They're two seperate entities.
Background information: I took a job as a specialty camp counselor this summer in California. My home is in Massachusetts. It's a specialty position because I'm the only available person in the country who could cancel their summer plans and teach kids how to build 'battlebots' for 8 weeks on short notice. With this job comes a lot of tools and support equipment. So I had two 24x24x12 crates to send out, one with my tools and one with my computer. I packed the computer well. This is how I decribed it to the FedEx guy:
I shipped the box the same day that I flew out, and I arrived and received it myself. When I first saw the boxes after delivery, the bold and plain 'This side up' sticker on the pavement. The other sides were marked as well. I took the crate back to the shop and saw that it was pretty banged up. Two of the screws holding the top on were missing. The rest were stripped. Sounds like it was opened multiple times. I opened the box and noticed an abnormal amount of dust inside. This is outside of the sealed plastic bag, so it's not like it all came out of the PSU or anything. Upon inspecting the computer, this is the damage I found(as reported to FedEx)
So maybe this one package was screwed up. Maybe the guy who delivered it wasn't used to delivering large packages. Maybe corporate will make things right. So I call them up and file a claim. I declared a value of $500 for it. The FedEx guy who came to pick it up apparently just asked the sweet old receptionist up front if she had any 70lb crates, until the third and final attempt, when miraculously someone got in touch with me and told me that the FedEx guy was here, and that I needed to repack the computer and give it to him within the next 5 minutes. I spent an hour and a half carefully packing the computer up at home, and the 5 minute job that the FedEx guy demanded of me is nowhere near how secure it was when I sent it originally.
Six weeks pass.
I call back to find out WTF is up. They tell me that they don't know where it is, last time they saw it it was in Salt Lake City.
I call back again. Same story, only now it's in Tenessee.
I call back again and am told that the claim has been denied and that there is no more information on the whereabouts of my package.
I call back again and they told me that it was actually denied back in June and that it's now in overgoods(aka sitting in a warehouse until their liability expires and they can throw it out)
:mad; They tell me overgoods is where packages go that have no markings/addresses/tracking numbers on them and no way to contact either the shipper or the recipient. My box was clearly marked and I very much doubt that it has the labels torn off, as I put duplicates on in addition to all the stickers FedEx puts on it.
I have the claim reopened and request a re-inspection, because I know the computer is thrashed and I'm not going to let them bend me over.
I call back and they have no record of the second claim.
Since this point I've called back 16 times and been told as many stories and excuses, and to call back tomorrow because the only person(name is different every time) that can help me is out at that particular moment. All I accomplished is getting the package on its way back to me. I was told I'd have it back by Aug 6th. I called on the 10th when it hadn't yet arrived. I was told that it was in the inspection center still. I am flying home on Saturday, so I asked them to reroute it to my university where I will be arriving on the 24th. Luckily this will happen, but will take 2 weeks.
Today I had a stroke of luck when a claims supervisor happened to be looking at the open file that the CSR was looking at and saw that it had 23 calls on it. He took over and was actually fairly helpful. He told me that he'd inspect the case himself, and gave me his email address to email damage pictures to. I send him all the info I have as well as a writeup of the value of my computer including manufacturer links with MSRPs. I was kind of upset that they made me do this, I put a declared value of $500 on it and I don't think that they have a right to say it's not worth that much, especially considering all the labor I put into building it.
So who thinks I'm justified in my anger? Who is going to not even read the message and tell me off about not packing it well enough?
Cliffs:
FedEx ran out of lube before my number was called.
Background information: I took a job as a specialty camp counselor this summer in California. My home is in Massachusetts. It's a specialty position because I'm the only available person in the country who could cancel their summer plans and teach kids how to build 'battlebots' for 8 weeks on short notice. With this job comes a lot of tools and support equipment. So I had two 24x24x12 crates to send out, one with my tools and one with my computer. I packed the computer well. This is how I decribed it to the FedEx guy:
I shipped the box the same day that I flew out, and I arrived and received it myself. When I first saw the boxes after delivery, the bold and plain 'This side up' sticker on the pavement. The other sides were marked as well. I took the crate back to the shop and saw that it was pretty banged up. Two of the screws holding the top on were missing. The rest were stripped. Sounds like it was opened multiple times. I opened the box and noticed an abnormal amount of dust inside. This is outside of the sealed plastic bag, so it's not like it all came out of the PSU or anything. Upon inspecting the computer, this is the damage I found(as reported to FedEx)
So maybe this one package was screwed up. Maybe the guy who delivered it wasn't used to delivering large packages. Maybe corporate will make things right. So I call them up and file a claim. I declared a value of $500 for it. The FedEx guy who came to pick it up apparently just asked the sweet old receptionist up front if she had any 70lb crates, until the third and final attempt, when miraculously someone got in touch with me and told me that the FedEx guy was here, and that I needed to repack the computer and give it to him within the next 5 minutes. I spent an hour and a half carefully packing the computer up at home, and the 5 minute job that the FedEx guy demanded of me is nowhere near how secure it was when I sent it originally.
Six weeks pass.
I call back to find out WTF is up. They tell me that they don't know where it is, last time they saw it it was in Salt Lake City.
I call back again. Same story, only now it's in Tenessee.
I call back again and am told that the claim has been denied and that there is no more information on the whereabouts of my package.
I call back again and they told me that it was actually denied back in June and that it's now in overgoods(aka sitting in a warehouse until their liability expires and they can throw it out)
:mad; They tell me overgoods is where packages go that have no markings/addresses/tracking numbers on them and no way to contact either the shipper or the recipient. My box was clearly marked and I very much doubt that it has the labels torn off, as I put duplicates on in addition to all the stickers FedEx puts on it.
I have the claim reopened and request a re-inspection, because I know the computer is thrashed and I'm not going to let them bend me over.
I call back and they have no record of the second claim.
Since this point I've called back 16 times and been told as many stories and excuses, and to call back tomorrow because the only person(name is different every time) that can help me is out at that particular moment. All I accomplished is getting the package on its way back to me. I was told I'd have it back by Aug 6th. I called on the 10th when it hadn't yet arrived. I was told that it was in the inspection center still. I am flying home on Saturday, so I asked them to reroute it to my university where I will be arriving on the 24th. Luckily this will happen, but will take 2 weeks.
Today I had a stroke of luck when a claims supervisor happened to be looking at the open file that the CSR was looking at and saw that it had 23 calls on it. He took over and was actually fairly helpful. He told me that he'd inspect the case himself, and gave me his email address to email damage pictures to. I send him all the info I have as well as a writeup of the value of my computer including manufacturer links with MSRPs. I was kind of upset that they made me do this, I put a declared value of $500 on it and I don't think that they have a right to say it's not worth that much, especially considering all the labor I put into building it.
So who thinks I'm justified in my anger? Who is going to not even read the message and tell me off about not packing it well enough?
Cliffs:
FedEx ran out of lube before my number was called.
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