MrFedEx
Engorged Member
First, our "money-back guarantee". Good luck on collecting for a late pkg. If the plane was late due to weather (frequent) FedEx will invoke the "Act of God" clause and deny your refund. If the courier invents a bogus exception code, you will also be denied. Unfortunately, few customers will push hard enough to find out the reason their pkg was late. For example, if the courier coded an exception due to road construction, you won't find-out unless you ask. If there wasn't any road construction, this is where couriers get into hot water, although it probably won't help you get your money back. Let's say you work at a large industry with security guards and a gate or inspection process. If your 10:30 pkg shows-up at 2:00, it will be coded a "security delay", even if the driver didn't encounter such a delay. Maybe the guard just waved them through, but you'll never know.
Second, I was once a FedEx "packaging specialist". This meant I took a short online course that instructed me in all the different ways in which I could deny your damage claim. No matter what, I was supposed to deny the claim, based on the fact that you could not have possibly packaged your item well enough to substantiate getting a refund.
"Insurance" goes hand-in-hand with the packaging scam, because they aren't going to issue a refund unless we actually lose the pkg. Again, your packaging won't meet our "standards" and your claim will be categorically denied.
Third, your FedEx pkg is going to be handled the same way a UPS pkg is handled. That means it will be thrown, smashed under heavier pkgs on a slide or in a container, and otherwise handled with complete contempt for any labeling you might have placed on the pkg. Orientation arrows, "FRAGILE" stickers? Don't bother. Most ramps are so understaffed that all they care about is getting the pkg into a container and in a truck on it's way to the station. Once a slide gets full, our handlers just throw pkgs on top of other pkgs because they don't dare slow down the belt speed or the all-important pkgs per minute count. No matter that your Grandma's gravy dish was ultra carefully packaged and could withstand almost anything. That 100 lb crate that a handler just launched onto the pile will take care of that. This is why cameras aren't ever allowed at FedEx sort facilities, nor will they ever be.
Fourth, our billing system leaves something to be desired. ALWAYS check your statement against what you actually shipped. I'm an employee, and have frequently been overcharged for services. Recently I sent a less than 1 lb pkg to a relative, yet was billed for a pkg over 50 lbs. I ship on my own account number and was not only denied my employee discount, but have to fight our Billing Dept to show that my pkg was only 1 lb. Even with my copy of the airbill and the scan showing a 1 lb PO pkg, Billing is still denying my claim. Nice.
Be aware.
Second, I was once a FedEx "packaging specialist". This meant I took a short online course that instructed me in all the different ways in which I could deny your damage claim. No matter what, I was supposed to deny the claim, based on the fact that you could not have possibly packaged your item well enough to substantiate getting a refund.
"Insurance" goes hand-in-hand with the packaging scam, because they aren't going to issue a refund unless we actually lose the pkg. Again, your packaging won't meet our "standards" and your claim will be categorically denied.
Third, your FedEx pkg is going to be handled the same way a UPS pkg is handled. That means it will be thrown, smashed under heavier pkgs on a slide or in a container, and otherwise handled with complete contempt for any labeling you might have placed on the pkg. Orientation arrows, "FRAGILE" stickers? Don't bother. Most ramps are so understaffed that all they care about is getting the pkg into a container and in a truck on it's way to the station. Once a slide gets full, our handlers just throw pkgs on top of other pkgs because they don't dare slow down the belt speed or the all-important pkgs per minute count. No matter that your Grandma's gravy dish was ultra carefully packaged and could withstand almost anything. That 100 lb crate that a handler just launched onto the pile will take care of that. This is why cameras aren't ever allowed at FedEx sort facilities, nor will they ever be.
Fourth, our billing system leaves something to be desired. ALWAYS check your statement against what you actually shipped. I'm an employee, and have frequently been overcharged for services. Recently I sent a less than 1 lb pkg to a relative, yet was billed for a pkg over 50 lbs. I ship on my own account number and was not only denied my employee discount, but have to fight our Billing Dept to show that my pkg was only 1 lb. Even with my copy of the airbill and the scan showing a 1 lb PO pkg, Billing is still denying my claim. Nice.
Be aware.
