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View Full Version : 1st FedEx Insurance Claim


puntific
02/04/2010, 04:03 PM
I've had my first DOA in coral shipping with FedEx. The package, styro box from uline with heat pack was dropped off at a Kinkos several hours before last drop on Tuesday. The package was schedualed for delivery Wednesday. FedEx missed the pickup somehow and didn't deliver till today. DOA. I'm giving my buyer a full refund, but what's my best strategy for getting an insurance payment. The purchace price was $100 plus shipping.

I've just found the drop down for Perishables, with a subcatagory of Animals. Is straight honesty the best way to go? It's my prefered way unless it means zero chance of getting our money back... then I might be just a bit unclear...

Thanks,

puntific

cpllongjk
02/04/2010, 04:40 PM
Ive had to do claims with UPS in the past. While I believe it is worth your effort, UPS has never given me my claims. They almost always say there was insuffecient packing materials. Sometimes I pack things like a tank and somehow they still damage them.

I would do the claim and plan for the worst but hope for the best.

Rosterc
02/04/2010, 04:47 PM
Did you buy insurance before your shipment? I am pretty sure that the carrier bears no responsibility. It should have been stated in you contract with you buyer who takes the Risk-of-Loss. Common ones are a Shipment Contract, where the risk of loss passes to the buyer upon delivery to the carrier. Or Destination Contract where the risk of loss passes to the buyer upon delivery to a specific destination. It would be recommended to include a cost of insurance in your price. If there is no contract the seller is always the bearer of risk. I would say in your case refunding the buyer is the correct thing to do.

For you, I have never dealt a shipping company on this issue. But you must have signed some kind of agreement with them. I would say if they violated some portion like the delivery date.. your should recover losses that put your original condition if the breach had not occurred. They should pay you the purchase price plus shipping. My guess is that Fed-ex is pretty good with their contracts to ship though. Probably out of luck without shipping insurance.

tkeracer619
02/04/2010, 08:09 PM
fed ex will not honor claims for aquarium livestock. never has never will. Use a different carrier. Sorry for your loss.

DOTZ
02/04/2010, 08:19 PM
I know they wont do anything for livestock, but you might be able to get away with fish food. If you paid for nextday then I would think it's their fault for not getting it there nextday and ruining the parishables.

mike_dani
02/04/2010, 08:24 PM
FedEx missed the pickup somehow and didn't deliver till today. DOA. I'm giving my buyer a full refund, but what's my best strategy for getting an insurance payment. The purchace price was $100 plus shipping.


Dude A++++ on the full refund you are a stand up kind of man, but I will say that FedEx and UPS do not cover the loss of live animals. They should however refund your shipping fee's, I know that is not much but better than nothing. I am sorry for the loss of the animals

Breakin newz
02/04/2010, 09:38 PM
You will not get anything other then your shipping fee.......

roblack
02/04/2010, 09:44 PM
Best of luck, but doubt you will recoup anything. I list my boxes value as $0. Ships cheaper and doesn't matter anyway.

david pinder
02/04/2010, 11:10 PM
Have had at least 30 live shipments. Lost several expensive fish, have learned for best results do will call at your nearest fedex office and pick your fish up at 8 am when they open have not lost a single fish doing it that way.

lordofthereef
02/05/2010, 05:27 AM
I've just found the drop down for Perishables, with a subcatagory of Animals. Is straight honesty the best way to go? It's my prefered way unless it means zero chance of getting our money back... then I might be just a bit unclear...


I have no experience with this, but under no circumstances would i deviate from the truth. $100 isn't worth committing insurance fraud IMO. Frankly I wouldn;t expect much, but I hope I am wrong. let us know how it turns out.

lordofthereef
02/05/2010, 05:28 AM
fed ex will not honor claims for aquarium livestock. never has never will. Use a different carrier. Sorry for your loss.

What carrier DOES honor it? To my knowledge FedEx is used so often because they have the best track record.

bassking16
02/05/2010, 06:42 AM
Although I have never shipped any livestock, I have recieved alot in the last year, and IMO Fed EX along with USPS SUCK!!!! FedEx always seems to figure out a way to destroy the packages, and leak half the water from the bags. USPS is just slow, and not much better at handeling the packages. If I had the choice, I would use UPS for livestock. They seem to handle the packages a little more carefully. I just had a small frag pack delivered today by FedEx, and as usual, the box was leaking, and the corals were very cold due to soaking the heater pad.

Okay, now that I am done venting, I have used FedEx to ship other things, and never really had any problems. However, I am pretty sure I remember one of the Kinko's employees telling me that every package is automatically insured for free up to (I think) 300$. Don't quote me on that figure. You still need to claim the value when shipping, and if over the the amount of free insurance, then you have to pay more for the additional insurance.

I'm not sure if this helps you out at all, but it might be worth bring up to a FedEx Cust. Ser. Rep. I wish you the best of luck, and hope it works out for you.

Chiefsurfer
02/05/2010, 09:13 AM
My business ships quite frequently, and we do need to make claims every once in a while. We always get our money, however this is for damage, and not dead livestock. I am fairly certain going the livestock route will NEVER get you a dime back. If I am not mistaken, their shipping rules and regulations specifically states that any aquarium livestock is un-claimable and they assume no responsability.

USPS does insure livestock. That beind said, they are the worst freight company on earth. Never on time, NEVER in good shape, just plain HORRIBLE!!!

ALL shippers will refund your shipping costs if not picked up, or delivered by guaranteed date.

Most-likely ups and fedex do not give a **** about their single-shipping customers. They will likely not pay for insurance. If you were a company with an account, that ships regularly they will write checks at the drop of a hat if the package was insured. A personal shipper, doubt it. I know UPS automatically insures $100 for free, not sure about FEDEX, but I think it would also be $100. Maybe if you tell them it was something perishable, but NOT live, and it was like $50 worth of stuff, you might get the money. Most of the time on under $100, it will cost them more to investigate and spend time figuring out what went wrong, than just writing out the check.

potterjon
02/05/2010, 09:42 AM
Not that it is relevant per say. But I used to ship a lot of breakable (ceramics) and I never got my claims. All shippers just exclude anything that is fragile like that. They just don't tell you until you make your claim. There are a whole bunch of reasons that it falls on the customer. Big companies can justify everything.

DThompson
02/05/2010, 10:01 AM
dropped off at a Kinkos several hours before last drop on Tuesday.

If you do not ship enough for daily pick up, never take it to Kinkos if it really has to get there overnight.

Take it directly to the station or preferably the airport station.

Although the damage is done, you should look to see when the first scan was. If it was that night you dropped it off, you might get your shipping back. Although I doubt it. If it was the second day there is nothing you can do about it as it will be your word against his/her.

As far as damage, neither FedEx or UPS covers live animals or live rock. How some people do it as they list it as Aquarium ornaments.