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Posted by: ATG 15/02/2007 13:14




At the moment I am in dispute with Fedex about a watch I shipped with them which dissapeared while in transit through their Paris Hub at Charles De Gaulle Airport.




This is the watch, Heuer Carrera cal.11 signed Abercrombie & Fitch



Essentially the watch was stolen by a member of their own staff. The watch was packaged in a ballistic shipping box that I had designed just for my watches. It was then placed inside a nylon envelope for shipping.

While in Paris transferring to Holland the bag was slit open and the watch box removed, the empty envelope was then scanned so it showed on their website tracking as being 'in-bound' to Holland, but actually all that arrived was the packaging.

Now this was admitted to me by several Fedex representatives, what also was admitted to me was that their internal security people were reviewing tapes and questioning staff so it is safe to say they were taking it seriously as an in house theft.

It took 6 weeks to acknowledge the loss at which point I was advised to make a claim and details were sent to me requesting various items of information to support the claim.

When claiming against Fedex they have a clause which says that if the claim is not made to Fedex's satisfaction within 6 months of the item going missing then they absolve themselves from all liability. So to begin with their investigation took 6 weeks. I filled out my forms with all supporting evidence including payment transfers and valuations.



Last week they got back to me with a firm 'no'.

Essentially claiming their stock 'terms & Conditions' answer claiming their maximum liability to be £52.20 which they have paid me.

Now I spoke to several Fedex people regarding my shipping of a watch with Fedex and I was assured that I could insure for the full amount. I asked where on the Waybill I should state the insured value and I was told that the 'declared value' on the Waybill would automatically become the insured value.

However this incorrect and Fedex will only insure watches up to $500 and then maybe they won't accept liability after the fact as it appears they are doing in my case.

My only recourse is to try and contact them and state my case to a human being, the stated value of the watch was £1,150 which is a considerable sum and seeing as how they admitted the theft took place on their premises and it seems was perpetrated by a Fedex staff member I am inclined to not accept their case.





At Christmas my site was receiving 12,000 monthly visits a great majority being from watch collectors who regularly ship expensive watches world wide. I will be pointing out to Fedex that this blog will be seen by many potential customers and with an average spend of £40 only 30 people need not to use Fedex one time because of what they read here and that would be the loss I am enduring right now.

I would like to end this blog which will be updated if Fedex get back to me with a nice note about how good they were and understanding my position and then all the people who read this will be encouraged by the thought that a very big company is prepared to help out a little guy by admitting their error and compensate me but it remains to be seen.

I will be pointing the Fedex Claims Specialist in the direction of this blog so if you could support me by making a comment I would appreciate it....

Cheers

Alistair Gibbons
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Comments (27)   Add Comment
Re: Fedex - But will they really?    By geoff sutton on 15/02/2007 14:35
I sympathise. I've had disputes with FEDEX and now won't ship with them. I also request that vendors shipping to me don't use FEDEX.

Good luck in your quest.

regards,

geoff
Not surprising.    By chris on 15/02/2007 14:45
And this is exactly why I will never, ever use fedex again.

Chris
All Very Complex / In Praise of BIG UGLY Boxes    By Jeff Stein on 15/02/2007 15:00
Alistair:

I hope that you can get this resolved, and will help in any reasonable way.

It is very complex, with FedEx or UPS. Both these companies seem to have different policies / limitations with respect to: (a) domestic versus international, and (b) jewelry or antiques versus anything else. I just received an international package from UPS, valued at $2,500 and dealyed for three days inshipment; the receiving clerk at my office, who knew the details, told me that I was "lucky" as there was a $500 limit on international values, regardless of the amount of insurance purchased.

I notice that the professionals / dealers often use their own coverage -- through parcel pro or another firm. Homeowners coverage may be useful, in certain scenarios -- for example, your watches, send in for repair.

This is a hazardous category; if we ship enough watches, some will go missing or stolen.

My best advice -- Big Ugly Boxes, wrapped with Ugly Brown Paper. Will not look like anything valuable; impossible to slip under one's coat; very difficult to open. Of course, shipping costs go up with the size of the box, but it still seems like "cheap insurance".

Jeff
a suggestion that has worked for me with other vendors, namely electronics    By larryccf on 15/02/2007 15:06
unfortunately, your situation sounds all too familiar
if fedex there is like UPS here, they are using contract labor to minimize their loss claims and the manner you describe is a familiar one -
i have no doubt their customer svc reps indicated you could insure, yada yada but getting them to admit that is the issue and doubtful it will happen
- i have a digital recorder on my phone lines for that very purpose and what is nice about it is that i can search for phone conversatins by name, date, phone number, outgoing or incoming calls

but that's for future protection- the digital recorder is nice for court purposes as it records directly to a non rewriteable CD so that it can't be edited so i'm told it will survive court scrutiny

but for this instance, a suggestion
what i've done in the past, especially computer or electronics vendors, just recently gateway
get a customer service rep on the phone, go thru the ritual of explaining the problem and let that rep tell you "no", sorry yada yada
then ask for his/her supervisor - when they tell you it won't do any good, at that point indicate your brother is the consumer editor for the london times, and if you can't get fair treatment or satisfaction on this issue then you will be relaying this to him for a story in the paper - and ask that svc rep does he/she want to hand you up to someone with the authority /judgement to made an allowance to accomodate you fairly or does he/she want to be explaining to his supervisor why he/she didn't when that supervisor is at their desk with a copy of the Times in their han?
invariably i get handed up
at gateway two weeks ago, i ended up talking with VP, and my descript, btw to them was, my brother in law is an editor at a consumer electronics magazine and if i can't get the treatment they(gateway) would expect in this scenario, there would be a picture of me standing over the computer with a sledgehammer in my hand, computer smashed to pieces, and the picture captioned with "works as well AFTER as it did BEFORE"
anyway, end result, gateway sent me a new computer with instructions to put old one in the box the new came in and to call them to have it picked up.

adjust the suggestion anyway you deem, but the main thrust is advise them of accountability in forums they might not win in, ie the paper or other public arena

hope it helps
Don't cash the check!    By Marc Cosat on 15/02/2007 15:31
Alistair,
If you have already cashed the check that you received in Dec, the insurer will most likely claim that the cashing of this check represents an acceptable settlement agreed to by you. Most insurers, somewhere in the small print, incude a release statement that by endorsing and cashing the check, full settlement has been made. Your best recourse may well be to contact law enforcement and file a theft report supported by all material and correspondence between yourself and FedEx. Additionally, if a newspaper and/or television have a consumer affairs reporter, you may want to contact them about this situation. Make certain that you explain your plan of action to FedEx. This might get them to move off of their beurocratic asses. Best of luck, I'm afraid that you will need it.
Persistance...    By TylerEOT on 15/02/2007 15:36
As nice as it is that you have the leverage of this blog, and hits on your site to try to convince FedEx that it would be in THEIR best interests to make good on your claim, I'm affraid only persistance will help you now.
I'm sure you've already got the names and numbers of a lot of Customer Service people at FedEx. Make their lives miserable with phone calls and emails. That's the only thing that's ever worked for me. Even better when a lawyer does it, of course.
But then, I just moderate a huge Dive Watch Forum with hundreds of hits every day. I'm sure my opinion doesn't count in FedEx's book for much. ;-)
I'll add my best wishes and good luck, Alistair.
Re: Fedex - But will they really?    By Vic K on 15/02/2007 15:51
Obviously Fedex's policy is that, "The customer is always wrong."
FedEx - We Love Our Slogans, but Not Our Customers?    By Mike DeVincent (Mike D) on 15/02/2007 16:48
I get soooo sick of companies that love having slogans pointing out their wonderful "we go the extra mile" and "we do whatever it takes to meet your needs" attitudes, but then are so quick to claim "not our responsibility" when there are problems or their employees steal! They should pay you the money their person obvioulsly stole from you - that is the RIGHT thing to do!!!
slight revision to my above suggestion    By larryccf on 15/02/2007 17:30
i forgot, when i inform the CSR that doesn't want to hand me up to their supervisor, i then inform them how it will appear in the article that i couldn't get satisfaction, even after speaking with operator/csr ronnie 149 (or whatever identity they've given over the phone)
and ill then ask them in the calmest manner, do they want to hand me over to their supervisor now or would they rather speak to their supervisor when they're standing there at their desk with a copy of the magazine in their hand ASKING THEM WHY DIDN'T THEY?

again, it's accountability, both on the CSR level, and the threat of it in a pubic forum like the London Times or whatever newspaper, that will generally get results

it shouldn't be this way but....
I did not even know FedEx Insured watches. I've never used them.    By Rafael T on 15/02/2007 17:31
Also, Charles De Gaulle Airport is rife with stolen property problems. Sorry you got screwed, twice.
Re: Fedex - But will they really?    By s.a. smith on 15/02/2007 17:41
What ever happened to "good" customer service?

"We do what ever it takes to meet your needs.*"

*(unless it costs us money)

Shameful.

Alistair...I hope you get your money and/or watch back.
Re: Fedex - But will they really?    By John S aka, JDS (Ohio) on 15/02/2007 17:59
I usually ship Fedex for work related stuff, often custom made gages and tooling which are not cheap, because of their track record with us of not losing the goods for days at a time. However, it is not reassuring to find out that if the unthinkable actually does happen that they will only reimburse a tiny fraction of the price.

Also, up until now I've not much shipped overseas except for Mexico, so I haven't tested the waters outside the US. However, we are expanding operations into Asia and Europe; so if Fedex's OUS operations are insecure, and they don't follow through on their shipping insurance responsibilities, perhaps a rethink is in order.

Fortunately I have more carriers than just Fedex to choose from. It's just that up until now, they've been my carrier of choice due to dependability and security. Again, maybe I should rethink that.

Good luck in resolving your problem with them, a lot of us will be watching.

John
Re: Fedex - But will they really?    By John K on 15/02/2007 18:08
Alistair,

Very sorry about your luck.

The cold hard facts are as follows:

1. All big companies act like insurance companies....quick to collect, slow to pay.
2. If they dispute/deny EVERY claim as a matter of course...how many people will just give up and go away? 10%? 20% 50%?
3. A company the size of Fedex has, obviously, an in-house legal dept. So, they have a fixed cost of challenging claims, so why not do it anyway.
4. A penny saved is a penny earned and customer service be damned.
5. You are just one man and they can bury you in red tape and paperwork...and that is no accident.

God help us all in the face of large corporations. Hope you get your money back.

PS - If this was the US, the purchaser would probably sue you for non-completion. :)
Re: Fedex - But will they really?    By jhb on 15/02/2007 18:40
actually fedex is notorious for not following their own procedures. i have had delivery men leave packages on my door step even though the tag clearly says it has to be signed for. instead they will sign a false made up name, so they won't have to bring the package again when someone is home to actually sign for it. can't tell you how many times that has happened.

fedex purposely has the 500dollar cap on jewelry and watches as they know their organization is filled with theives and shady individuals. they had to do that to limit their exposure. it does irk me that rather than be clear about that policy...they hide it from you in tons of legal ramblings, that no one has the time or effort to read over.

i feel for your problems with them and this is also the reason i rarely ever use them and never use them if the item is even slightly valuable. even if a watcn is under 500bucks and something like what happened to you happens. try to actually get the 500bucks. they will fight it tooth and nail, until it gets to the point where you are exhausted and will give up.

ups is no different, imho. both are equally worthless in customer satisfaction.

these big companies, have lost the idea of customer sevice and the idea of business ethics of doing the right thing. they forget that laws only cover the minimalist ethics standards. it's up to the company to set in place, proper procedures to make sure they are in fact conducting their business operations properly and doing the right things. all they care about is money and that is why i choose to not spend my hard earned dollars with a company who doesn't fix problems they cause.

good luck on the battle. hope you are able to get them to realize they do in fact owe you..maybe not by laws, but cetainly by business ethics standards.

j.h.
Re: Fedex - But will they really?    By Jimmy on 15/02/2007 19:27
I agree, when I had to ship my new Doxa back for service in Suisse, the local Fedex person would only insure it for up to $500. Lucky for me, Doxa has a corporate account and has a rider for a higher amount if 'lost' while in FedEX transit. If you ship that many watches you may want to inquire about a corporate account and a rider for higher claims.

Who else are you going to use? DHL, they are worse than FedEx. UPS is no good either.

Good luck with your claim, I hate big corporations.
Re: Fedex - But will they really?    By Yao on 15/02/2007 20:39
These stories (i.e. many many over the years) are exactly why my FedEx rep never gets a call back about my using FedEx to ship to my customers.
Re: Fedex - But will they really?    By Ron on 15/02/2007 22:17
Sorry to hear of your problems Alistair and wish you luck getting them resolved.

I used to use FedEx all the time sending 20thC. objects to the US and Europe but I got so fed up with their attitude and lack of interest towards customers complaints I decided to look elsewhere .

I've been using www.interparcel.com and can highly recommend them , once you've entered your parcel size. weight and destination on the website you're presented with a good choice of shipping options all trackable door to door, insurance is available at 2% of the items value .
I recently sent a silver tea/coffe service with tray to a client in NY and the tray handles got damaged in transit , interparcel asked for all the details you might expect, photos, proof of value , restorers estimate invoice etc , which I promptly supplied . I received a cheque for the full restoration costs ($350) within 14 days .

Not much help atm I know but maybe in future .

Good Luck,
Ron
it is a shame !!!    By juko on 16/02/2007 07:57
I never will send with Fedex. This is really a bad story Alistair, i was the one who bought the Carrera ! I don't know if shipping with UPS is better, but i think Jeff Stein's option for big ugly boxes is the best solution.
Only use National mail systems    By K on 22/02/2007 17:06
I used to be an expert on this.

-National Mail systems ( ie, US Mail, Deustche Post, Netherlands Post, etc use the EMS system which is very safe and has like a $20,000 limit, even for jewelry watches.

Private Shippers: fed-ex, ups, airborne, DHL in USA, all have a $50 or $500 limit on watches. Its in dis-claimers.
Re: Fedex - But will they really?    By El Hombre on 24/02/2007 13:45
"-National Mail systems ( ie, US Mail, Deustche Post, Netherlands Post, etc use the EMS system which is very safe and has like a $20,000 limit, even for jewelry watches."

This is simply not true. U.S. EMS, if you read the fine print does not insure jewelry or watches for overseas transactions, and registered mail outside of Canada ($1000 cap) is capped at approximately $45.

If you really want to be insured, use parcel pro or something like jewel systems.

Re: Fedex - But will they really?    By Mr. Dolaphine on 24/02/2007 13:48
Registered Mail, insured, is almost 100% safe. It travels in a locked box and is signed for every step of the way.
Re: Fedex - But will they really?    By Gary on 24/02/2007 17:11
Alistair

Sorry to hear about your bad experience with Fedex and thanks for forewarning us about the "service" we can expect.

If an item is lost/stolen on company premises or in the hands of an employee surely that company is responsible and accountable? Excuse my naivety but isn't that that just common sense and hopefully law? OK the watch was worth a lot of money but to admit that it was, in all likeliness, stolen on your premises and then refuse to offer suitable compensation, that just stinks. Further more, to be given the impression that the item would be insured for its full market value is just scandalous. How do they get away with it?

There must be another, safe and accountable, courier or delivery system for more expensive items, anybody got any ideas. I for one certainly won't be using Fedex again.

FYI I recently sent a watch to Switzerland via Royal Mail Airsure, you can insure the item for up to £500 and arrange for private insurance for anything over this amount. It's fully trackable and fast (although the latter wasn't true in my case).

Cheers

Gary
Re: Fedex - But will they really?    By BIG CHRONO on 24/02/2007 17:22
If you cannot regain your watch, receive the monetary reimbursement from Fed-Ex, or insurance, & no other viable solutions are available,
then deduct the loss on your income taxes. If businesses & others
can do so, then why not you? You got slammed for a hefty sum, &
you're entitled to compensation. Submit all pertinent documents to
your accountant, CPA, or tax preparer, including Turbo Tax programs,
& simply itemize it, or place it in a certain category or miscellaneous
expense column. I bid you well, & hope your fortunes improve.
There's lots of good advice in these responses, but the fact is that if you want insurance,    By SteveG on 24/02/2007 18:29
then you have to buy it from an agency which is willing to sell it, and Fedex and UPS will not do so for watches. As a commercial enterprise you need proper business insurance for our shipping, and if you will package, label and ship according to their requirements, then if your watch disappears while in the carrier's control, refund or replace to your customer, file a claim with your agent, and let them subrogate (or settle as they wish) against the shipper. This is unless you simply wish to self-insure.
Re: Fedex - But will they really?    By Ernie Romers - Watchuseek.com on 25/02/2007 20:25
I'm sorry to hear about your loss Alistair. I've been pretty happy with FedEx till now, although I have lost two watches during the holidays. One of those packages was lost at Paris as well. Fortunetaly both are covered within their insurance.

I will talk to FedEx about your case when I get in touch with them again and will mention there is a loss of interest using their services and there is a "possible" leak in Paris they should take care about !! Best regards, Ernie
Re: Fedex - But will they really?    By Jonathan Scatchard on 28/02/2007 09:40
Same thing happened to me! never go near them now.
Re: Fedex - But will they really?    By SimonH on 23/06/2007 17:38
I have always used Fedex to ship watches internationally and have never had a problem. However, I am now sufficiently concerned by your experience that I shall be looking elsewhere. I simply cannot accept this kind of corporate arrogance and shockingly poor service. Fedex - shame on you.

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