FedEx lost my turntable

puroagave

puroagave

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Joined
Oct 12, 2013
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"Clueless" in California
I can't tell you how livid I feel right now, FedEx lost my 'table enroute from the seller in Canada and they cant trace it.

The back story: I purchased a used table originally made in the US, it was going from Ottawa to California in three separate boxes. I had some anxiety about the fact it was a fragile item travelling some distance so I paid for International 2-day service. The three boxes were picked up last Friday and flown to FedEx's hub in Memphis. I received a message they had incomplete customs documentation and immediately provided what they requested.

This past Tuesday two of the three boxes arrived on time in California, the third and most important box with the actual 'table was missing. They assured me it was just delayed a day and I would receive it the following day (Weds), It never showed up. They've begun their investigation yesterday and its last scan was Memphis and not been seen since. Part of their investigation includes a thorough description of the contents including the brand, model color etc.

What I don't understand is how they could have 'lost' a 50 lb box almost 2 foot square with a half dozen tracking labels on it. the other two boxes had several labels attached every step of the way. I also paid for expedited shipping which one would assume include special handling services.

This is the first time I've really had an issue with FedEx, I opened an account with them recently because their rates have been lowest. I have the table insured but I see a struggle coming if I do have to file a claim, their agreements have so much fudge language in them it appears they have several ways to wiggle out of paying it.

If you've gone through this please let me know how it worked out and any advice or wisdom you can impart that could help me resolve this is appreciated! The table is extremely rare, only 81 in existence. You literally have to wait for an owner to die before you see one come up for sale.
 
Rob,

I am praying for it to show up in one piece. Good luck. Claims that I've heard about worked out well.
 
Rob - this is horrible news. You've been waiting patiently too I'm sure. I've had my share of FedEx/UPS horror stories. I remember shipping a McIntosh 207 to someone in California and it arrived in pieces. Literally, pieces. It looked like it had been kicked off the back of the plane, the back of a truck and run over. The fins were bent, the glass was demolished, there were dents in the top. Pieces were broken off everywhere.

I filed a claim. They came and collected what was left of the box to take to their off-site observation and inspection area. They ruled "there is no visible damage. Claim denied."

I of course argued - to no avail. I then had them ship it back to the originating UPS store near me. When it arrived, you could clearly see the amp was destroyed. I let the UPS Store manager go to bat for me and several weeks later, we finally prevailed.

I know there are many other stories I could tell you - but unfortunately, you may have a battle on your hands. The fact that the package is "lost" is actually better than fighting a damage claim FWIW. Usually they don't fight too hard for "lost" packages because if you didn't receive it, then they have no grounds to fight you - but they will.

All the shipping companies suck. You pay for insurance and then they fight you tooth and nail.

Lastly, did you happen to use Paypal or your Credit Card? If you did - then you want to start that claim immediately too.

How is the seller handling things on his end?
 
Rob,

I am sorry you are having troubles. I hope they locate the missing package.

What ways do you see for them to "wiggle out of it"? It would seem obvious that they lost it and it was insured. Was each package insured separately? That would hurt because the value is in the complete turntable. I realize the painful part to you is the rarity of the item. That is a value to you not expressed in dollars.

Good luck with them finding the lost box.
 
Mike said:
Lastly, did you happen to use Paypal or your Credit Card? If you did - then you want to start that claim immediately too.

How is the seller handling things on his end?
Click to expand...

The seller is off the hook for the moment because I used my account to ship the boxes, all three were in FedEx's possession when they left his house. If the box ends up being lost in fedexs possession, I probably wont have too much push back filing a claim. If it shows up in pieces like your scenario they'll blame the shipper that packed it (seller in this case) then I would have to pursue a claim against the seller filed through payal...or so I assume. Up to now the seller has gone above and beyond to satisfy me and I don't want to stick it to him, I really rather have the 'table!
 
In my experience, FedEx will link separate boxes together by grouping the tracking number for each box together in their tracking system (UPS does not do this as I recall, which is why I always use FedEx for multi-box shipments). If this was done for you (and it should have been), then making a claim should be much easier than it would have been otherwise. As Mike noted above, losing a package is much better than receiving a damaged package. Think of it this way, there is no way they can claim to not have received your package into their system if there is a record of receipt. On the other hand, some unscrupulous people will ship damaged goods and then claim FedEx did the damage. With lost packages there is less guesswork on their part. They took it and lost it. Good luck with the claim. I will be surprised if you don't prevail.
 
One thing that I started doing two years ago is have FED-EX pack my stuff. You stand right there in front of them as they pack your stuff. You never have any issues with packing if you file a claim. Now your package getting lost is another story.

UPS, I will never ship anything via UPS. I stood in my doorway as my neighbor across the street who works for IBM had a package come to him via UPS. The carrier got 8 feet from the doorway and did the old slide the package along the concrete routine which took a few foreword pike rolls as the package collided with the door. The UPS man did one of those fist pumps like he had just won an event.
 
Rob-FedEx will have to pay you for the amount of insurance you purchased during shipping. Was there separate insurance for each box of the three that were shipped to you or one insurance amount that covered all three boxes? I'm sure they will delay your payment while they say they are searching their system for your package. As Mike said, you are actually better off if they lost your table vice if it arrived looking like a truck ran over the box. As someone else said, if you pay FedEx to pack your gear, they absolutely have no recourse but to pay up immediately for the amount insured because they have no one to blame but FedEx employees. If you pack it and it's damaged in shipment, it's always your fault. UPS is the same way.

Bottom line is that FedEx lost your package and they know it. They will have to pay up.
 
mep said:
Rob-FedEx will have to pay you for the amount of insurance you purchased during shipping. Was there separate insurance for each box of the three that were shipped to you or one insurance amount that covered all three boxes? I'm sure they will delay your payment while they say they are searching their system for your package. As Mike said, you are actually better off if they lost your table vice if it arrived looking like a truck ran over the box. As someone else said, if you pay FedEx to pack your gear, they absolutely have no recourse but to pay up immediately for the amount insured because they have no one to blame but FedEx employees. If you pack it and it's damaged in shipment, it's always your fault. UPS is the same way.

Bottom line is that FedEx lost your package and they know it. They will have to pay up.
Click to expand...

I've been told the same thing, it's much better for your package to be lost than damaged.
 
I am sorry to hear of your problems with FedEx. I also have a story about them losing my Ray Lumley Tube monoblocks. Apparently the shipping labels "fell off" and they didn't know who to send them to. So they sat in warehouse - for three months. Eventually they were tracked down and delivered, with the amps being damaged. No outside damage (lucky) but they obviously had dropped the crates a few times as the caps were all broken off inside both amps. They were packaged securely in custom made crates but they were still damaged. I guess it was too much to ask to carry 80 lb crates, it is much easier to drop them and slide them along the ground. Even when they finally arrived I caught the delivery driver rolling one of the crates end over end inside the truck (I felt like knocking him out).

I took pictures and made a claim and they wanted to pick them up for inspection and ship them back across the country back to where they were shipped from. I refused as it took them three months to get them to me with damage, what would they look like after two more trips? I fought with them for the next month and finally they agreed to let me take them to another repair shop for an estimate and paid for the repairs. They have been working great ever since but what a pain to fight them for 4 months.

I also had them ship a Jeff Rowland model 5 amp (145 lb with the crate) and when it arrived I decided to take the top off before plugging it in. Again, the caps were loose and the bars that goes across two pairs of them were missing nuts (found inside the case). After putting them back together the amp has been working flawlessly ever since.

It really is a gamble to ship heavy items nowadays. I hope your luck turns around and they find the third package and deliver it safely. Don't give up.
 
mep said:
Bottom line is that FedEx lost your package and they know it. They will have to pay up.
Click to expand...

Counsel, you're hired!:D

My one other close call was a recent Audiogon sale. The buyer was at home waiting for the delivery when a stranger walked up to the door just as the FedEx driver showed up and signed for the two packages w/o showing ID. The buyer received an email notification a few minutes later and went to his front door - and horror of horrors - found one of his boxes was stolen. The driver was contacted by dispatch and he claimed someone named "Audrey" signed for it. No one with that name even lived there.

The buyer tried to file a claim which was denied by FedEx because it explicitly states in their contract that anyone can sign for the package even w/o ID, apparently the thieves know this too and its exactly what happened. After the claim was denied by FedEx he went down the line with paypal, then his credit card company and they all sided with FedEx.

So let that be a lesson to us all, especially if you're waiting for a home delivery requiring a signature make sure its you that intercepts the package!
 
Wow, that sucks. How do you know when they are going to deliver the package? I can't sit at home all week missing work just in case FedEx is going to show up. What a bunch of shysters.
 
The buyer turned on me when he filed the Paypal claim. We spoke at length on the phone, he was an understanding guy (or so I thought) and admitted from the beginning I was not at fault but he was trying to get paypal to "write it off."
 
Sorry to hear about your FedEx troubles, Rob. Know you were looking forward to this table. Sucks.

BTW, my FedEx from Acoustics Sounds was supposed to arrive today, but just called and they lost trace of that package, too. Ugh. Nowhere as bad as a TT, but what a pain.

Hope you hear some good news, soon, Rob!
 
I was told by an employee at a FedEx shipping store that what is purchased is not called "insurance". It is a "declared value" and claims are handled by a third party. I see the name use to be a distinction without a difference. What does change the game is the use of a third party for claims. I think they automatically deny most claims and make the customer fight for reimbursement. This probably works well for them in the case of small claims where customers lose interest in fighting. This is why damage to items is always blamed on the packer unless it was obviously run into by a forklift.

Not to sidetrack this thread but I do have questions about shipping two boxes of anything. e.g. monoblocks or speakers. One is no good without the other. And, for many reasons, it might not be possible to purchase only one as a replacement. How is replacement value declared on such shipments? How is reimbursement determined?
 
When I read the title and opened this thread I knew it was not going to be good news :(
Sorry to hear about this Rob. I have had a few slight dings in shipments over the years but the worst was actually a UPS shipment of a Turntable about a year ago. Totally banged up the box, looked as though it had been dropped, and the platter got dinged. Same issue, UPS had seen the original manufacturer packing and I paid insurance, only to have them totally deny the damage. Said the receiver shouldn't have accepted it (but how would they know about the damage without looking in the box). Then they wanted the receiver to pack it back up and send it to their inspection centre and they would have a look and decide whether to honour a claim. After bad service already, the receiver refused to send it back to be inspected for fear they would damage it even more in shipping there and back. This refusal to follow their protocol nullified the claim and there you have it, they make it too difficult to pursue the claim that the shipper gives up. I ended up splitting the cost with the buyer to have the ding re-machined to remove it. Agree that if they lose the item, you have a better chance at a claim, but it doesn't make the bitter pill any easier to swallow, especially if the item is unusual, limited production, etc. Hope they find it.
ps - i did have an eBay LP purchase go MIA and I was after the seller. He seemed legit and apologetic and I just took it as a loss. Turned up about 6 months later with all kinds of postage stamps from somewhere in the south pacific. It had quite clearly, ended up on the long boat to somewhere else and eventually found it's way to me. Seller and I had a laugh in the end. Hope things work out with the table for you Rob.
 
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