I had something similar happen to me once. The package was marked as
delivered, but I had been there the entire time and never seen a
truck. I called and fumed over the telephone, only to be given the
run around. The next morning, after a very sleepless night, I found
the package under my screen door, where the driver and left it AFTER
delivery hours and AFTER signing it as being delivered. It pays to
be careful!
----------------------
Suzanne
Suzanne Williams Photography
http://web.tampabay.rr.com/swilli41/www
Florida, USA
--- In "oryoki2000" <>
wrote:
>
> A post to the rec.arts.movie.production.sound forum (aka RAMPS)
tells
> a cautionary tale about shipping with FedEx. Here is my slightly
> edited version:
>
> "I had a Sound Devices 744T for sale about two months ago. I posted
> it online, someone made an offer, and i sold him the unit.
>
> The guy was not in the USA at the time, and asked me to ship the
unit
> to his girlfriend in Florida. So after payment went thru Paypal and
> the funds had cleared, i packaged the unit and shipped it using
Fedex.
>
> At the Fedex counter, i asked for full insurance and proof of
> signature. Fedex charged me a ridiculous amount, over 125$, for the
> insurance but since this was an expensive package i went for it. I
> emailed the tracking number to the buyer.
>
> A couple of days later, I got a phone call informing me that the
> package is showing delivered on the fedex site but that it is
nowhere
> to be found.
>
> To make a long story short, the driver left the package at the door
> because nobody was there ( second attempt ) and simply signed
himself,
> imitating the buyer's girlfriend's signature.
>
> After nearly two months of ridiculous phone calls with Fedex,
getting
> treated like a thief and constantly being told that there was
> something fraudulent about my refund request, i finally received the
> insurance check. I refunded the purchase price to a very
> understanding and extremely calm buyer.
>
> All is good now. But i have learned a lesson, everything depends on
> getting full insurance and proof of signature. And make sure that
the
> FedEx counter clerk completes the insurance form correctly. FedEx
> tried to negate my claim because the clerk had made a mistake in
> filling the paperwork. "
>
> The original message and several comments are found here:
> http://tinyurl.com/2hztns
>
> My comment:
>
> I can confirm that the delivery people for FedEx, UPS and US Postal
> Service often drop packages requiring delivery confirmation onto the
> doorstep and take off without waiting to see if anyone is home to
sign
> for the package. This happens year-round, but most frequently
during
> the holidays, when the volume of packages shipped is the greatest.
>
> If you receive a package that should have required your signature,
> please report it to the delivery company. The delivery person needs
> to be held accountable.
>
> When you send an item using the US Postal Service, don't settle for
> "delivery confirmation." Pay extra for "signature confirmation."
The
> postal carrier is the one who provides the delivery confirmation, so
> they can claim a package was delivered properly even though it was
> not. This has happened to me a couple of times. At least with
> signature confirmation you can find out who signed, and if the
> signature was forged.
>
> Occasionally I sell electronic gear using Craigs List. Every time I
> do, I receive several emails stating that the buyer is not in USA,
and
> will pay me extra if I send the item to a third party. I recommend
> that this sort of request be treated as a scam.
>
> I advise against Paypal as the means of receiving payment for items
> you sell online. If the buyer reports a problem, Paypal takes their
> word and immediately withdraws the funds from the seller's
account.
> Then the seller has to fight with Paypal to get the money back.
>
> Instead, have the buyer send you a personal check, and wait until
the
> bank clears the check before sending the item.
>
> --oryoki
>
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