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Fed Ex Ground Shipping Woes

I've had two situations over the past 3 months where FedEx has caused shipping damange. I have had zero prior issues with them in the last 4 years. They immediately rejected the claim on the first item (packed in the OEM Box with original packaging materials and cited "insufficient packaging."

I learned quickly and recently had a seller professionally package an amp that was being shipped to me. The professional packer used a double-boxing system with at least 4 inches of rigid foam and Styrofoam peanuts. Shippers typically require a minimum of 3 inches of insulation around the unit.

To make a long story short, FedEx managed to managle the outer shipping container, mangle the inner shipping container, and damage the unit.

I'm at a loss for words......

Has anybody had better luck with one of the other couriers or any tips? I thought that both the seller and I did everything humanly possible to ensure safe delivery.
gechta
jaybo
4,478 posts
 
its been my experience that fed ex air and fedex ground are 2 different levels of service as well. the shipper in any event is the insurer..not the receiver.
jsd52756
430 posts
 
FedX Air scrapped a Krell amp of mine. They did pay up but it was a jacked up ordeal. Krell uses Ocean Air. They treated my new amp box like it was crystal. It costs more initially, but saves in the long run.
Good luck, John
kurt_tank
1,189 posts
 
I agree with Sns.

Stay completely away from Fedex ground especially, unless you're shipping something completely indestructible.

I prefer USPS for my shipping needs. I have never had a problem with them. (The only caveat being that they have a rather low maximum shipping weight.)

UPS is acceptable, barely, for heavier items, but they too hire gorillas to move their boxes, so double box everything.

My two cents worth.
commcat
79 posts
 
Can't agree with the premise for this thread. I've used FedEx exclusively for the past 3-4 years and have shipped over 1000 pieces of equipment, domestic and international, with some weighing 100 Lbs or more, without so much as a scratch. Have to assume that the problem is localized. It may be that the damage is actually caused in your local FedEx Terminal. Common sense dictates that shipments must be extremely well packed to avoid damage in transit regardless of which carrier is used.
photon46
1,081 posts
 
This subject has been brought up over and over. If Commcat hasn't had problems, they are a lucky individual. I've talked to managers at an equipment rack/media rack manufacturer (in the past) who told me their ground carriers were destroying shipments at a very high rate. They had to send me three shipments to get me one that wasn't destroyed (and we're talking solid steel.) Forum threads are constantly bemoaning rough treatment by ground carriers. Personally, FedEx ground, UPS, & DHL have all done their best to destroy equipment I've shipped and it's only been careful packaging that has saved me from some damage. In other cases, they still managed to damage stuff in spite of packing carefully. The problem is so bad I will never buy another piece of equipment I have to ship to the west coast to get repaired. Living in Florida and shipping air freight to the west coast is getting too expensive now.
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