FedEx Insurance is Total Rubbish!
Broadstruck
Posts: 30,497 ✭✭✭✭✭
So I sold a mint condition turn of the century highly decorative cast iron cash register and paid insurance for the sale value of $1,200.00. I triple boxed it with plenty of packaging materials in between and although there's no major visible box damage the register arrived cracked from major shock via impact. Well after filling a claim and showing photos of the unit and all the packaging they finally send me an email stating that I would receive a finalized claim status ruling in the mail within 5-7 days. Now I was never contacted nor did anyone go to look at anything in person. So I call today and find out that the declined my claim stating it was insufficiently packaged. Under normal (non idiot) handling conditions I had that boxed so that the truck could have exploded and the register would still survive intact. What got me was the claim agent told me that FedEx is not a insurance company but a shipping service and I paid for a declared value not insurance. Oh well sucks to be me for opting to ship through them and now that I know their insurance is worthless will never use them again. Register is now worth just a couple hundred as parts and I'm out about $850 as that what I paid for it around 2002. I only sold it as someone desperately wanted it and I was tried of dusting it.
Comments
Sorry for your experience. I get ups almost daily and chat with the drivers on occasion. One conversation the said the same thing about UPS it's never there fault it's not packaged correctly. Unless it's lost they are on the hook
Martin
Dont e er pay for insurance on coins thru Fed Ex......its never valid.
Ike Specialist
Finest Toned Ike I've Ever Seen, been looking since 1986
Sorry about your situation. Any Fed Ex workers here who can give Broad some information on how to counter there attempt to escape their contract clause in the insurance? Maybe a Lawyer give some good legal advise. Really sorry I know I would be pissed.
Thanks I was sick about this for a few hours, but will appeal and dispute as I have rights as a consumer. There's quite a few state and government agencies I can file a consumer compliant at. I will be persistent as reading up on the my states board of insurance they actually need to have signage on the wall that explains what paying for declared value means. Also they delivered it to a neighbor when I specified direct signature requirement and my buyer was home anticipating it's arrival to sign.
Sorry for your claim. I have never had a problem with Fedex, however, I have been on the receiving end. It definitely is frustrating I agree. I have watched how they throw parcels around and not giving any concern of what the parcel is. I hope somehow you can get some financial consideration out of this.
I've had issues with all but DHL and miss them delivering domestically. Their delivery drivers all looked like they just stepped out of a Twisted Sister music video, but were extremely friendly and careful with parcels.
That's ridiculous and I hope you will stick to your claim like a Gila Monster to a jackrabbit's hind leg. Is Fedex saying they would only pay out if it was stolen or lost in transit? Shoot, I've bought coins from you and they are packed like they are at ground zero at Alamagordo.
(southwest metaphors stuck in my head this evening, for some reason)
Thanks Kaz!
I was actually exhausted after I packaged this, as I used a variety of soft and high destiny packing materials.
Shit, if you have the time I'd spend the $35 and go ahead and sue them in small claims court instea. Sounds like you did everything you were supposed to and paid for coverage and they are denying it without being able to prove you improperly packaged the item.
That does S*ck.......I'm sorry.
But with FEDEX drivers shown below, imagine what happens behind the scene.
Successful transactions with : MICHAELDIXON, Manorcourtman, Bochiman, bolivarshagnasty, AUandAG, onlyroosies, chumley, Weiss, jdimmick, BAJJERFAN, gene1978, TJM965, Smittys, GRANDAM, JTHawaii, mainejoe, softparade, derryb, Ricko
Bad transactions with : nobody to date
And it is not just delivery..............check out loading the trusk !!!!
https://youtu.be/Aq_jkUVgrc0
Successful transactions with : MICHAELDIXON, Manorcourtman, Bochiman, bolivarshagnasty, AUandAG, onlyroosies, chumley, Weiss, jdimmick, BAJJERFAN, gene1978, TJM965, Smittys, GRANDAM, JTHawaii, mainejoe, softparade, derryb, Ricko
Bad transactions with : nobody to date
Now I would be ticked off if I saw my pizza delivery man throwing pizza’s in the truck like that!
I hope you get your situation resolved!!
Now that's funny!
I've alway's envisioned UPS/FedEx handling my packages just like this.....
Ha... That's most likely exactly how it was handled
I had the same red Fragile stickers on the box along with This Side Up which I'm sure get completely ignored!
I sure am sorry for your loss. But thanks for putting the truth out on the Fed Ex insurance scam. What rotten deal that is and to watch these LAZY delivery JERKS makes me sick. Man that really sucks in a bad way!!
Unfortunately, those red stickers are like telling a small child not to run in the house.
Appeal first, just to show you are trying to work with FedEx. Then... go to small claims. Small Claims judge is likely to use a little common sense with the law... and chances are Fed Ex won't even spent the money to appear and contest. However... though you would likely win in small claims, not sure what mechanism you can use to collect.
One question I have... if you pay for a declared value... what purpose is that even for, if not insurance. ?? Of what use is it... and why pay for it??
Yeah last year FedEx wrongly delivered a package before a holiday weekend and I was SOL. I had to do my own investigation with the signed name via Goggle, Facebook, etc. I hoped in the car the next morning to take a ride and got my package. FedEx never called me back to inquire anything follow up wise.
I have never used Fed Ex , and now I never will.
I get wine shipments all of the time via UPS and they always arrive intact. I know the wineries ship Fed ex as well. No one wants the mess involved with broken wine bottles in their truck or facility. I am wondering if you put the wine stickers on the box if they would be handled more carefully?
Best, SH
That's what gets me as the clerk at the FedEx drop off center didn't ask me if I wanted to declare a value, she asked if I wanted to add insurance. Like it or not them hiding behind this so called "declaring value" BS added dollars to the final shipping cost just like paying for insurance with any other shipper.
Sorry to hear that; I would work your way up the food chain, go over their heads. I had a similar delivery failure/damage problem and contacted state consumer affairs through the state AG and they contacted the company. Get it on record. I don't know how a small claims action or lawyer letter would work. UPS also denies claims. There need to be consequence.
Thanks I've already read that filing a consumer complaint with state AG will initiate an investigation and most likely be my best recourse toward reimbursement.
Thanks and it's a total horse and pony show just to file a claim as the online form is very limited on how many characters you can type to even describe what occurred. Then just to talk to a claims agent you need to make a few phone calls and go through quite a few customer service reps first.
Once I agreed to sell I actually had plans for the funds... Now I feel I would have been better off just having donated it to Goodwill and taken a tax deduction.
I don't like Fedex, I think is the worst compare with USPS and UPS.
That's nothing compared to what actually happens in the warehouse. I've worked many a warehouse where the employee's just want their eight hours. Personally seen Forklift damage, expired product, wrong item numbers loaded, etc., etc.
I recommend ship and insure
For a number of reasons
I hope you'll have it resolved to capture your lost @Broadstruck I am sorry you have to go thru this unnecessary grief
That just ain’t right. People have no respect for people’s propertyHope it works out for you.
I recently had a problem with a medical supply company with billing me for supplies that were paid for a year ago. Could not make them understand. I talked to 4 different people,,,, 2 supervisors,,, they just kept billing me,,,,, e-mailed them a copy of my paid invoices, they said I still owed them more money. They threaten to turn me over to a collection agency. After I did some investigation I learned of the complaint process with my state's attorney generals office.
They faxed me a form. I decided to call the supply company one more time. After talking to the same nasty supervisor I stated OK, I have a complaint form here from the State AG office so we will let them settle this dispute..
Suddenly everything was OK. I said send me a paper stating that my account is paid in full and I owe you nothing,,,,,,,, I got that letter just yesterday.
That's Tex Cobb in that video. He was a consummate PKA fighter. He tried to turn boxer until Larry Holmes pummeled him. Played a great bad guy in 'Raising Arizona'......
Sorry to hear about your register. I had a National. Giant bronze thing, mounted on a three drawer cabinet. I could have never shipped it (I guess it could have been crated), weighed about 500 lbs. I just about had to give it away when I was done with it.
If you don't get satisfaction through the normal route (sounds like you haven't), contact your local news' "Consumer Reporter" or equivalent. We've got a couple of them locally and they get action, especially on warranty and insurance issues. The scum-bag companies don't like their name being spread all over the news in a negative way...
mbogoman
https://pcgs.com/setregistry/collectors-showcase/classic-issues-colonials-through-1964/zambezi-collection-trade-dollars/7345Asesabi Lutho
Another little trick that FedEx plays with their "smartpost" is that when the shipment gets transferred to usps for the final leg and arrives damaged, they can point the finger at usps as the cause, and so no coverage. Happened to me, and by the time that FedEx was answering the complaint the tracking number was no longer searchable.
I ship 3 - 5 packages a day through FedEx.
I average 2 claims a year, (less than a 1% loss rate) and EVERY claim was paid promptly, no hassle, full amount.
I also, in the past year, had 2 shipment arrive that I had the FedEx driver stand by the item while I took a picture. One was a plastic and steel radiator core support, vision a picture frame about 36" by 24". It was sent in a plastic bag, no padding, no box, nothing but a plastic bag. It was toast, and the shipper refunded my money and FedEx denied their claim.
The other one was a 3 box shipment, traveling 1500 miles. All boxes arrives damaged. Box 1 had a 4 speed cast iron case transmission, loose, in a thin cardboard box, with a shifter, no padding. The front of the transmission was sticking of out of the box, and the rear of the box has a hole where the transmission had come out the back. The "bottom" of the box was gone, as the transmission had leaked oil everywhere, and the driver was ticked that his truck had oil on the floor. The shifter was shattered.
Box 2 was a lawn mower box with a fiberglass cased auto air conditioner, no padding, and all the cast iron brackets, compressor, etc. tossed in, and the condenser TAPED to the outside of the box. Needless to say, the fiberglass case was smashed to pieces.
Last box, again, no padding, an aluminum bell housing and a steel 28 pound flywheel. The teeth of the flywheel, unprotected, chewed the inside of the bell housing to pieces.
I took a bunch of pictures. Ebay reviewed the pictures, and refunded my money, and the seller was told to pay to pick up the parts. FedEx would not touch the parts on pick up unless they were professionally cleaned of the oil, packaged, and then crated, not boxed.
OK, here's what you do. Sometimes companies will test you just to see if you'll go away.
1) Complain to them publicly on social media...that usually gets you to some higher ups. If that doesn't work then...
2) Send them a demand letter. I'm lucky to have an attorney in my extended family, but you can draft your own as well especially if it's a small claim.
3) Actually pursue them in small claims court.
I for one get sick of shady companies, Ebay sellers, buyers, etc etc not living up to their obligations and have enough time of my hands to ruin their day.
Early American Copper, Bust and Seated.
Might seem hopeless. Sometimes sending a complaint to the CEO might help. Some companies will listen. I've done it in the past. DirectTV had charged me for months about something I shouldn't have been charged for. It was about $120. I was ignored by the reps, but a letter to the CEO and the matter was cleared up and I got my refund.
Companies don't like bad publicity especially if you go to social media about the matter. Sometimes its like David vs Goliath.
https://about.van.fedex.com/our-story/leadership/frederick-w-smith/
Box of 20
Thanks although I have been unsuccessful in my search for an email address of someone higher within the company. They do not want you to contact them as even the email they send you notifying they will be mailing you a verdict of your claim has a do not reply address. Just getting a claim agent on the phone is a mental chore equal to physically jumping over a moat of acid and wielding a machete through a heard of zombies.
All this makes me mad. Just look what happens with your airline luggage. They don't just set your suitcase down, they slam it down. No respect what so ever. This guy in produce at the grocery was stacking bags of potatoes just like they handle your luggage, throwing them rather than laying them down. I told him many of those potatoes will be damaged and he gave me a look like 'who the hell are you buddy' Anymore I'm not afraid to tell these jokers what I think !
This happened to me with USPS once. Now I have private insurance and don't buy insurance from any carrier.
PCGS Registries
Box of 20
SeaEagleCoins: 11/14/54-4/5/12. Miss you Larry!
Definitely appeal the decision.
We ship hundreds of packages a year via FedEx, and they process any of our claims immediately without issue. They may ask to get the package back before they pay the claim due to the value.
Since they deal with many false insurance claims, they typically deny an infrequent shipper’s claim at first, but will process the claim once they receive more information on the claim and can verify it is legit.
And calling and talking to a representative can help speed up the process from experience. Just calmly explain the details of the situation - and provide whatever details you can.
You could try snail mail. You could call them and ask for the mailing address for the CEO. They have to have a corporate headquarters address.
Box of 20
@SmithAuctionCo Thanks as that give me a glimpse of hope. I shipped via ground as it was the same lead time as their other services, however discovered they sorta treat you like a second class citizen for having selected that service type. I've been shipping through them for 20 years, but never to the degree of feeling I should set up an account. This has been my first issue as a shipper and it didn't help that I felt like I instantly hit a wall since the first claim agent I spoke with was abrasive from the get go.
Thanks as that's a good idea as I can send it certified green signed card returned. I'm certainly going to try to come to some mutual understanding at first treating this with honey. I will however not walk away from this kinda sum without a fight if need be.
Wow... that is nasty... I ship firearms by FedEx, and 'thought' I had insurance...I guess I better revisit that issue....Cheers, RickO
I was going to suggest UPS or FedEx freight for that type of an item, but if it's well packed Both have had a hard time delivering an unmolested package.
Just the other day FedEx freight delivered a pallet that didn't belong to us.
I called FedEx and got the run around as to what the problem was and had to leave a message with the local office.
I ended up searching out the recepiant and had them come to the shop and retrieve the pallet (later found out the pallet was valued at $7500)
I've shipped thousands of packages with FedEx (not coins) and have filed a handful of claims for both loss and damage and always been paid. The fact that the box has no apparent damage makes your situation tough. From FedEx's perspective, the package doesn't seem to be mishandled or damaged, so if the contents were damaged then improper packaging is the natural conclusion.
But the claim that FedEx does never pays for damaged shipments is definitely false.
rte592, I've been on the other end of the pallet issue. UPS lost a palletized shipment we were getting delivered. Not misdelivered, or damaged, but literally lost, no idea where it went. The UPS employees were very confused and stated they have never heard of a pallet going missing. Apparently there was a "mistake" on our waybill and the shipment was not insured as we had requested, but thankfully our commercial insurance policy made us whole.