FedEx is worthless..

Ordered a baby Brazilian Rainbow Boa from LLLReptile. It was supposed to be delivered today. Fedex decides to deliver the snake to the wrong address. Now the Snake is somewhere basking in a box, in 100+ degree heat. :rage: Double checked everything to make sure the address was correct, and it was. Intentionally took the day off, forced myself to do yard work, change the oil, etc, so I would be out front when the truck arrived. Nothing came through my court circle, except neighbors coming home.

And of course Fedex customer service sucks when trying to trace it. You should be able to punch in the tracking #, find out who delivered it, call the driver, get an explanation, and then get back to me within 10 minutes. Nope, I will hear back before the end of the business day. Meaning, I am on the back burner until everyone else's packages are delivered.

/rant over

Have you called LLLReptile yet? As a large shipper, they should have the experience and possibly their own customer service contact to quickly navigate FedEx's red tape to see what's going on and how quickly something can be done.

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Originally Posted by Jabberwocky Dragons

Have you called LLLReptile yet? As a large shipper, they should have the experience and possibly their own customer service contact to quickly navigate FedEx's red tape to see what's going on and how quickly something can be done.

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x2 Worth a try because it won't survive long in the heat.

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Originally Posted by Jabberwocky Dragons

Have you called LLLReptile yet? As a large shipper, they should have the experience and possibly their own customer service contact to quickly navigate FedEx's red tape to see what's going on and how quickly something can be done.

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Yep, called them immediately after I got done trying to decipher what this Indian fellow was saying with his thick accent. She (LLL Reptile perosn) was very helpful and is trying to find out what's going on now. She's already called me back once, while I've gone an hour with no call back from FedEx.

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Originally Posted by mackynz

x2 Worth a try because it won't survive long in the heat.

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I know...I'm so pissed off right now.

I stressed that the package had a LIVE animal inside it, and it's over 100 degrees outside.

"I'm sorry for the inconvenience, sir"

So, when is FedEx going to contact the driver to find out where my package is??

"It could take up to two hours. Again, I do apologize."

*click*

keep calling if you wait you will probably keep waiting longer.

I am assuming that you have, but make sure to stress that there is a live animal in there and it will die if they do not correct the error they made immediately.

I am keepin my fingers crossed for you. Hope you snake arrives safe and soon.

You all know FedEx's policy on shipping live animals?

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Originally Posted by Skiploder

You all know FedEx's policy on shipping live animals?

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If I remember correctly they don't really care.

Unless you use their specific service

Wow I feel for you. I just went through almost the exact same thing the week before last. I'm just lucky there was a construction company there working on the address they tried to bring the package to. The the snakes stayed on the truck with no AC for several hours and FedEx wanted them to stay on all day. Only with the seller's help and the grace of God did the driver finally get told to meet me and when I got them they were very out of it and I'm sure would have died if on the truck any longer.
Good luck, I know you're freaking out right now. I really will be hoping for a happy outcome.

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Originally Posted by mackynz

If I remember correctly they don't really care.

Unless you use their specific service

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You aren't supposed to ship door to door unless it's business to business. Yes, almost everyone breaks this rule, but if you break that rule, then you are SOL.

I have followed this rule religiously, and ship only to the nearest hub. Never have to worry about an animal sitting in a hot truck, cold truck or being delivered to the wrong address. In fact, I recommend all my customers pick up their animals by 0900.

This has happened to me before which is why you must be pro-active and track shipping.

Once you are aware the shipment is lost Fedex MUST be contacted right away (1.800.463.3339) and you must make sure they understand the gravity of the situation as it is a LIVE shipment and that the snake in question could perish and that the content could be let loose by someone who does not know what is inside.

They will contact YOUR local office who should contact you back with the info you need.

If the local office does not call you, you call Fedex again every 20 min until resolved.

Breeder must also be contacted since for them the animal has been delivered, often breeders who do volume can get better results, if it was ship via SYR I would also contact them.

My issue was rectified within 20 min.

The hub knows on what truck what package is and all they need is to do is reached the driver so he can trace his steps back, retrieve the package and deliver it to you IMMEDIATELY.

Good news everyone,

After calling back a 4th time, finally getting an American on the phone (nothing against foreigners, btw), and reverting to my military voice, I finally got the lady to get the driver to go back to where he delivered the snake. He retrieved the snake from the WRONG door step, brought it to me as I was waiting outside on my front porch, watched him take it out of his truck, and hand it to me. I made him stand there while I made sure that my baby girl was alive and well and sent him on his way.

Here is a picture of 'Rose' alive and well. She's a real sweetheart, came to me with no nipping or aggression. I put her in her water bowl to cool her off, and she came back on my hand. I didn't want to handle her too much, so I put her in one of her hides. She's exploring as I type.

Here's her picture

http://i48.tinypic.com/20kvcdv.jpg

Thanks LLL for helping me out.

I'm glad everything worked out, and she is ok...

Sent from my Motorola ATRIX using Tapatalk 2.

Glad it worked out for you this time. I agree 100% with Skiploader. I have all of my deliveries sent for me to be held at the closest hub and strongly urge anyone buying a snake to do the same. That is especially important in this type of weather. Again, glad it worked out for you!

whoo-hoo!

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Originally Posted by Don

Glad it worked out for you this time. I agree 100% with Skiploader. I have all of my deliveries sent for me to be held at the closest hub and strongly urge anyone buying a snake to do the same. That is especially important in this type of weather. Again, glad it worked out for you!

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same here. I just picked up 2 from my fedex hub on tuesday. got there at 9 am and had them home at 9:15. The times i've had them shipped to my home have been good experiences though. my fedex driver even gives me a treat for my dog

I'm so glad it worked out for you!!! She's ADORABLE too :)

She's very pretty, glad she's ok. Sometime when FedEx loses packages or what not, you have to be really pushy with the people on the phone to get them to do anything, in a reasonable time frame. They could care less if it takes all day to resolve a problem.

Sent from my ADR6350 using Tapatalk 2

Glad it turned out well for you! Best of luck with the new one and good advice on picking up from the nearest hub!

you can do that .....tell them u want to talk to the manager of the driver....then when they transfer u make sure to ask the manager for the local number to the store.......this happened to me 2 years ago....the driver got fired by the time i was done......of course it was a 600 dollar snake that got sent to the wrong house so i was pissed

Good to hear that this story has a happy ending. That little snake is so tiny and cute. Congrats.

glad to hear it was a good turn out. the insulated box most likely helped from the insides getting too hot for a short period of time. I always pick up at the hub. plus I'm too excited to wait for the driver anyway. I'm there as soon as they unlock the doors! :D

I recently did a pick up at a small hub (fed-ex Kinkos ) and had major difficulty. Turns out according to the manager, that only certain hubs accept live animals. When I came in to pick up my snake and they realized that had received a reptile they were reluctant to give it to me. They tried to give me grief about the snake being sent to them. I was polite enough, and finally they released the package to me. I have never had this problem before at other hubs, so check your hub to make sure they will accept live animals.

Kinkos is not considered a FedEx Hub but has a different status and every individual location is able to set their own live animal policy. It is strongly recommended to search for a FedEx World Ship Center or FedEx Express Ship Center as these are FedEx staffed and abide by corporate policy. On the location search page on FedEx.com, just make sure you have only the red "FedEx staffed" box checked.

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Originally Posted by TerrieL

I recently did a pick up at a small hub (fed-ex Kinkos ) and had major difficulty. Turns out according to the manager, that only certain hubs accept live animals. When I came in to pick up my snake and they realized that had received a reptile they were reluctant to give it to me. They tried to give me grief about the snake being sent to them. I was polite enough, and finally they released the package to me. I have never had this problem before at other hubs, so check your hub to make sure they will accept live animals.

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Kinkos is not considered a hub.

Real Fedex hubs have absolutely no problems with live animals. Also, while they state that packages marked for pickup at the hub are not available until 0900, 99% of the time the package is at the hub prior to 0800. If you show up when they open at 8, you can pick your animal up even earlier.

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Originally Posted by se7en2003

you can do that .....tell them u want to talk to the manager of the driver....then when they transfer u make sure to ask the manager for the local number to the store.......this happened to me 2 years ago....the driver got fired by the time i was done......of course it was a 600 dollar snake that got sent to the wrong house so i was pissed

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You got someone fired over a mistake because you went that overboard about a $600 snake? He probably had a wife and 3 children and lost his house in the recession. Maybe if you picked up at a hub like you're SUPPOSED to, he might have kept his job and house. Good job, I hope you feel better knowing that your snake delivery was corrected.

Had a similar, but not nearly as dangerous thing happen with a JCP i bought off of kingsnake.com. I work at a vet clinic with another clinic ~500ft down the street. Fedex delivered him to the other clinic. He eventually made his way up the street but took them a bit to figure out why they had this snake there. Glad to hear that you found her and she's doing good.

I am glad everything was worked out!

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Originally Posted by TerrieL

I recently did a pick up at a small hub (fed-ex Kinkos ) and had major difficulty. Turns out according to the manager, that only certain hubs accept live animals. When I came in to pick up my snake and they realized that had received a reptile they were reluctant to give it to me. They tried to give me grief about the snake being sent to them. I was polite enough, and finally they released the package to me. I have never had this problem before at other hubs, so check your hub to make sure they will accept live animals.

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I had this problem too. For my first snake I noticed that even though I paid for priority shipping that was "guaranteed" delivery by 1030 was actually set to be delivered by the end of the day! I called FedEx to figure out what was up and they told me that my location could not be guaranteed any deliveries before 430! So I had it held at the closest FedEx office. It was indeed a FedEx Office not a Kinkos but the manager actually chewed me out like I knew they are not supposed to accept live animals and that I directed it be held there anyway! :mad:

We have ordered from LLL numerous times with no errors from fed ex luckily... ...the only thing is that i have noticed when LLL ships herps out, is that they have never put any sort of live stickers on the box...only perishable items. im glad all is well after the dust settled

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Originally Posted by cowbully

We have ordered from LLL numerous times with no errors from fed ex luckily... I hope your boa is live and well when it arrives...the only thing is that i have noticed when LLL ships herps out, is that they have never put any sort of live stickers on the box...only perishable items. I hope all is well when the dust settles

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i see you didnt read the thread. the boa is home safe an sound.

I am so glad to hear the boa made it, this is the exact reason we prefer people keep in touch with us and to monitor their tracking information. We do have our own reference number we use to communicate with fedex, and we often can accomplish much more behind the scenes than the customer can on their end. Sounds like you got through fine though, and I am glad the boa made it to you safe.

We also ship with "perishable" and not "live animal" on the box for a reason - the people handling boxes mind perishable far less than they mind live reptiles, or even live animals, and we find that there are fewer issues this way. It shouldn't work this way, but the fact is that some delivery drivers, some handlers, just don't like reptiles, and problems mysteriously happen more when the box explicitly states live reptiles etc in the box. Keep in mind we ship up to a few hundred animals a week, and as a result have a lot of experience and have probably dealt with nearly every issue that could possibly happen. The owner himself packs every box, so there's 17 years of experience behind each animal being shipped out. So some of what we do might seem weird if you haven't dealt with a lot of animal shipping - but believe us, there's a reason for everything!
The proof of that is that even with the temperatures well outside our guarantee, the boa STILL arrived alive and in good shape. :) Like I said, I am so glad that made it to you alright! I added the notes you had mentioned to your order, I would have been so sad if the one we picked out for you didn't make it.

Last question, did you notify the ladies at the warehouse that you did receive the boa in the end? We keep notes on things like that, if you haven't updated them I can notify them for you.

Hurray for everything working out!

-Jen

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Originally Posted by dart

You got someone fired over a mistake because you went that overboard about a $600 snake? He probably had a wife and 3 children and lost his house in the recession. Maybe if you picked up at a hub like you're SUPPOSED to, he might have kept his job and house. Good job, I hope you feel better knowing that your snake delivery was corrected.

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I'm sure they hired someone else to take his place--someone who also had a wife and 3 kids, and had been out of work and looking for months, and so his house was saved, because he got a job...and he knows how to read an address.

(Sorry, no pity for people who have a simple job, and can't seem to do it correctly).

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Originally Posted by LLLReptile

We also ship with "perishable" and not "live animal" on the box for a reason - the people handling boxes mind perishable far less than they mind live reptiles, or even live animals, and we find that there are fewer issues this way. I
-Jen

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The problem with this is that it is ILLEGAL. Illegal for you to send it that way, and illegal for your customer to receive it that way (they should, legally, refuse the package, or they become criminals). This is not a fair thing to do to a customer. The only DOA I ever received came in a box marked 'perishable'.

There were a ton of delays in the FedEx system this week due to the mid week holiday. That type of thing always causes chaos. Best to ship the week before, or the week after, a holiday like that. At Christmas/New Year's, we suggest folks stop shipping live reptiles TWO WEEKS before Christmas, just because it gets so busy, and delays and mis-deliveries are much more likely during that period.

As Skiploader mentioned, residential deliveries (including businesses from the home) are not allowed under the FedEx reptile shipping TOS.

With ShipYourReptiles.com however, we have a specific exemption that allows for shipments to and from residential locations/addresses, including home based business. We also offer On-Time and Live Arrival Insurance (also not offered by FedEx directly) and a high level of customer service and attention for issues like this.

Sorry that you had delay issues and stress from this shipment (not an SYR shipment, but it still stinks), this week was pretty bad across their system, so many packages (general packages, not just reptiles) across the country saw this holiday related delay.

Glad to hear of the safe arrival!

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Originally Posted by LLLReptile

I am so glad to hear the boa made it, this is the exact reason we prefer people keep in touch with us and to monitor their tracking information. We do have our own reference number we use to communicate with fedex, and we often can accomplish much more behind the scenes than the customer can on their end. Sounds like you got through fine though, and I am glad the boa made it to you safe.

We also ship with "perishable" and not "live animal" on the box for a reason - the people handling boxes mind perishable far less than they mind live reptiles, or even live animals, and we find that there are fewer issues this way. It shouldn't work this way, but the fact is that some delivery drivers, some handlers, just don't like reptiles, and problems mysteriously happen more when the box explicitly states live reptiles etc in the box. Keep in mind we ship up to a few hundred animals a week, and as a result have a lot of experience and have probably dealt with nearly every issue that could possibly happen. The owner himself packs every box, so there's 17 years of experience behind each animal being shipped out. So some of what we do might seem weird if you haven't dealt with a lot of animal shipping - but believe us, there's a reason for everything!
The proof of that is that even with the temperatures well outside our guarantee, the boa STILL arrived alive and in good shape. :) Like I said, I am so glad that made it to you alright! I added the notes you had mentioned to your order, I would have been so sad if the one we picked out for you didn't make it.

Last question, did you notify the ladies at the warehouse that you did receive the boa in the end? We keep notes on things like that, if you haven't updated them I can notify them for you.

Hurray for everything working out!

-Jen

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Thanks a bunch,

Yes, I contacted you guys after I received the snake, to let you guys know that all is well. 'Rose' is still doing good, no issues. Thanks again.

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Originally Posted by Skiploder

You all know FedEx's policy on shipping live animals?

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Uhh? Priority over night shipments should be delivered before 10:30am. Unless you live in the booney's.

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Nice rainbow boa! I went back and saw the pic of her.

I shipped a snake on the 5th and received some on the 6th. The package I received on the 6tH(yesterday) got to my door step at 10:45am. Late by 15 min. Another 15 min and I was going to start calling.

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Originally Posted by Jason Bowden

Uhh? Priority over night shipments should be delivered before 10:30am. Unless you live in the booney's.

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Nice rainbow boa! I went back and saw the pic of her.

I shipped a snake on the 5th and received some on the 6th. The package I received on the 6tH(yesterday) got to my door step at 10:45am. Late by 15 min. Another 15 min and I was going to start calling.

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Wrong.

No door to door residential deliveries on live animals.

Period.

Copied verbatim from the FedEx site:

"Live Animals and Ornamental Marine Life (Including Live Fish)

If approved by FedEx, we may accept non-venomous reptiles, amphibians, live/tropical fish and beneficial insects on an exception basis under the following conditions:

Shipments must be from a business to a business (from a breeder to a pet store, for example)."


Everyone who ships a reptile to a residential address is breaking FedEx's rules and is not only risking the health of their animals, but also risking the future of shipping live reptile with FedEx. One of the animals gets out on a truck, or one driver decides he/she has a major problem with this and it's over.

Read the actual rules then ship for a hold at the hub. Spare the animals you care about not only extra stress, but eliminate the uncertainty of the door to door delivery process.

Glad the snake arrived safe & sound...but when did it become OK to ship in 100-degree temps? If it's above 85, WAIT FOR SAFE WEATHER. :)

I have had many packages from many sources shipped to my business, overnight priority, guaranteed by 10:30 am. I work for an auto shop, in a commercial district . We are only 3 miles from the FedEx hub which is at the airport where the packages fly into. Not once, EVER, has any package been given any priority over another as far as delivery time. Our FedEx guy delivers through our complex between 12:30 and 2:00 everyday. When confronted about this at one time, his answer was "We aren't going to make a special trip out here for 1 package." I then asked him why they guarantee it then and he said "That's not my department."
We also have several other gripes about their service but honestly its an endless battle that nobody will win. They get paid for a service on one end and the service is not provided on the other end. Nobody has accountability in the middle.

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Originally Posted by WingedWolfPsion

(Sorry, no pity for people who have a simple job, and can't seem to do it correctly).

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Not to derail this thread, but this right here is maddening. Tell me are you also the person who treats fast food employees like vending machines when you walk into a McDonald's?

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Originally Posted by WingedWolfPsion

I'm sure they hired someone else to take his place--someone who also had a wife and 3 kids, and had been out of work and looking for months, and so his house was saved, because he got a job...and he knows how to read an address.

(Sorry, no pity for people who have a simple job, and can't seem to do it correctly).

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The problem with this is that it is ILLEGAL. Illegal for you to send it that way, and illegal for your customer to receive it that way (they should, legally, refuse the package, or they become criminals). This is not a fair thing to do to a customer. The only DOA I ever received came in a box marked 'perishable'.

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So you didn't refuse a box marked perishable and became a criminal?

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