Urgent Shipping Emergency....Need Help

[ms_terese]

Without getting into the details of how this happened, I opened my email this morning to find a tracking number for a snake that I've been expecting that was shipped on Friday. The email said the animal would arrive no later than noon today.

Tracking shows that the animal will be delivered on Monday, because of course it wasn't designated for Saturday delivery. My husband called FedEx inquiring as to how we might be able to get the package today at the sort facility (90 miles away), and they said it wasn't possible, as there is no one at the facility, the packages were just dropped at 6ish this morning and will not be sorted at all until Monday morning.

Everyone we've spoken to at FedEx has been very sympathetic, but no one has offered any hope of getting to that package.

Do any of you have any knowledge of some way to contact someone that might be able to assist considering there's a live animal involved? It's going to be in the 80's all weekend, and if that snake is sitting in a truck somewhere.... :hot:

[Lucille]

Ms. Terese: That exact scenario happened to me; and it turned out that Fedex did not know where the package was. I made a LOT of noise and it was finally found and retrieved.

I would bug the hell out of the customer service people (ask for a supervisor) until they give you the number of the facility. Call, and if anyone answers, go out there.

Fedex is actually a good service but I think the employees are told not to vary the rules. If one is loud enough, for long enough, they will help you, I have found them to be nice people.

I asked for the name of the supervisor's supervisor, for the name of the airport facility supervisor, and I called so many times and told my story to so many people that they went and looked and found that the sorting facility had indeed delivered the package to the local facility (it was not logged in) and I could come get my package (they were baby catfish for my aquarium).

[Wilomn]

You may want to take a ride out there and see if there may not be a sympathetic maintainence worker or an overzealous management type on the premisis.

Other than that I'm out of ideas.

Good luck.

[WebSlave]

Great. That's all we need is to have people shipping live animals in violation of FedEx's policy on such things. Anyone who has gotten a contract through FedEx knows that shipping of live animals is only permitted Monday thru Thursday. If we get enough people violating this rule (and common sense as well), we will probably see FedEx drop us all completely in the near future.

PLEASE! Educate the people you buy from if they are oblivious to this situation!

[ms_terese]

The original plan was that the animal would be shipped Wednesday or Thursday. I sent an email Thursday night asking if it had gone out, and when I had not received any reply by the time I left the house at 9 yesterday morning, I went on with my day. I didn't get in until about 2 a.m. this morning.

So, when I opened my email about 2 hours ago, I had an apologetic seller explaining that he wasn't able to get the package out on Thursday as promised, but had paid the extra money to have it delivered by noon today. *sigh*

Anyway, there is good news. As I was typing this (while on hold with yet ANOTHER FedEx supervisor), I was told that the manager of the facility is going to head out there to find the box. I understand that it's a daunting task, as there are bins and bins of packages, but they're trying to narrow down which ones it could have landed in.

I'll be sitting by the phone today.

[Wilomn]

If you're optomistic that he'll find it, head on over before he calls. It'll make you look better as a caring person, not that you need to but they don't know that, and a live person always evokes better relations than a phone-only relationship.

Besides, you're soooooo nice, and I'm only SLIGHTLY exagerating here, he'll be all the happier to have helped once he can put a face to the name.

It sounds like things will be ok and I surely hope they wind up being so.

[Cat_72]

Oh wow, how awful!! Wishing you and your "package" the best of luck....I'll be waiting to hear how everything turns out.... :crap:

[reptilebreeder]

So, when I opened my email about 2 hours ago, I had an apologetic seller explaining that he wasn't able to get the package out on Thursday as promised, but had paid the extra money to have it delivered by noon today. *sigh* .I'm with Rich on this one. When you get the package if it is not labeled at least with "live reptiles" you need to inform this seller that s/he needs to go through the proper procedures, as far as registering with fed-ex officially. This should not be taken lightly IMHO, we finally (again, like the old days) have a legal way to ship snakes, and this is a good way to get that shot down. Even if they are officially registered through fed-ex, I don't think live animals should be shipped out on Fridays (even with paying the premium). Period. This post is a perfect example of why. I'm also not to keen on someone sending a package without telling the receiver when EXACTLYit is to be shipped, unless it was agreed to in advance (preferebly in at least an e-mail) that you would be available "for the next three days" or something to that effect. What if you were unable to receive the package today, or drive 90 miles to the facility.

[nicolai]

I hope everything turns out allright for you!!

[Lucille]

Ms. Terese please post when you get back, I've been thinking of you and hoping you found the package that was shipped to the Fedex facility and that everyone is OK.

[Jim O]

I hope that things have turned out well. Please let us all know when you can.

[Cat_72]

Still thinkin about ya.....hope things turned out OK.... :)

[Karen Hulvey]

Ms. Terese, did you get the package? Man it was hot today. I can only imagine how hot it was in a warehouse.

[Dennis Hultman]

I will echo everyone else with the hope you secure your package today and the contents are in perfect condition. Then you can let the rest of us know who not to buy from.

[ms_terese]

Wow, what a day...

So, after finally getting ahold of the FedEx angel named Pat, and explaining for the umpteenth time that this is a live animal, and getting past the "ohmigod, it's a WHAT?!?" when explaining that it was a baby python, things started rolling. Pat got ahold of her manager, who retrieved keys to the airport warehouse facility, and began going through the bins that were full of unsorted packages by hand. I narrowed down the description of the box as best I could, with the weight that was on the tracking information and my estimate of the box size.

I explained to Pat that we were a good 1.5 to 2 hours away from them, and would just start heading that way. As diplomatically as she could, she told me I'd be better off waiting until they had actually found the package, because it could take hours upon hours.

Just after lunch, my cell phone rang, and it was Pat telling me to "saddle up for the trip to Springfield, I've got a box for you sitting on my desk"! Her manager, in the background, yelled out that everyone in the facility was going to wait for us to get there, because now they all wanted to see the little python they'd been focused on all morning.

We sped up there as quickly as we could, with only a brief stop at a gourmet sweet shop for a couple of boxes of "thank you" chocolates. When we arrived, sure enough 5 people gathered around the counter while we tore the box open and pulled out a live, healthy looking little African Rock Python.

While there were definitely some issues around the shipping that I'll have to explain to the seller, I'll give him props on the packing job...the little guy was snug as a bug in a rug.

When we passed a time & temp at the bank on the way back to the highway and it said 89 degrees, I gave another silent little thanks to Pat. FedEx really came through on this one.

For the record, the manager and I had a chat about the shipping of live reptiles, and even HE didn't know all of the details about FedEx's policies on these animals. He was under the impression that all live animals were only to be shipped airport to airport!

Anyway, the snake is fine, and I'm one relieved woman. :) Thanks for all your good wishes!

[DAND]

Glad to hear all is well.

[Lucille]

Ms. Terese, What an adventure!!! Glad the little one is OK; and hopefully more people will mind that they should not ship so late in the week.
It sounds like the Fedex crew really pulled through and who knows, you may have just created some new reptile afficionados at Fedex by showing your excitement about the arrival and your concern for the little python's well-being!

[Jim O]

Glad to hear it. They did really go above and beyond for you and your new baby.

[Cat_72]

:) Glad to hear all is well.....what a beginning for the poor lil guy, lol....but it's nice to know that some people at FedEx DO care!!!

[Rebel Dragons]

I'm glad all turned out well for ya. There are some FedEx employees that do go above and beyond. :)

[The Reptile House]

I am in her shoes today except I am the shipper. They were to be held at her(my customer) local office for her to pick them up this morning and when she got there they were not there and all they told her was they are in TN and would not be there till tomorrow. She called me and I got right on the phone with fedex. Of course I got some rude jerk telling me I am crazy that they do not allow this type of shipment and yelling at me that he is turning me in for doing so to some other department. I told him if he continues any ferther with this he is going to look really dumb in the end. I finally got this really nice lady with the special trace department to try and take care of things, my customer and I agreed to have them sent back to me just in case anything happened to the young dragons during the long delayed transit that I would know what to do for them instead of her having to deal with them if anything were to happen. Fedex tried to get them located at there next drop to be put on a domestic flight back to me but they would not accept the package, they do believe they are on there way to WY and untill there is another scan we are in the dark waiting.
I also called and left a message with James Brown in legal stating I had an emergency and need these to be located emediatly, it was just shorlty after that that I received a call form the lady in trace.
Make a fuss, make your point loud and clear. You may have to hang up and call back a few times and it is frustrating but you will get ahold of the right person. I always bypass customer service and ask to speek directly to a manager and it always works.
I hope they get there ok, still woried on both ends of course till I know they are safe.
They state that they can not put on your file that you are a shipper certified to ship live reptiles so that we do not have to constantly explain to the people that we actually do have the right to do this with their company, the lady at trace stated that this can be done and she was updating my file. I told her I was sick and tired of being told I can not ship and that they would not come and pick up my packages and she strongly agreed that was not right and she changed my info, so just to let everyone know this can be updated to show we have proper contracts so customer service knows who we are with every future call.
I simpathize with everyone this happens to and wish that it did not! I am glad all worked out for you I just wish the same to happen for us! Thanks Shanell.

[Dennis Hultman]

Best of luck. Keeping my fingers crossed for you and the dragons.

[The Reptile House]

Thanks they finally forund them after being lost in TN for over 12 hours. My box is now so red flaged I think they are now traviling first class LOL. I just hope all is well tomorrw morning when they call me that they arrived at the hub office. I am having a supervisor open the box to check on them before I have my customer drive back down to get them, to make sure they are all ok! Thanks Shanell.

[The Reptile House]

Thye arrived there this morning and they were just fine, just super hungry!! Shanell.

[Dennis Hultman]

Thye arrived there this morning and they were just fine, just super hungry!! Shanell.

A wonderful outcome! Good job.

[Rebel Dragons]

Thanks they finally forund them after being lost in TN for over 12 hours. My box is now so red flaged I think they are now traviling first class LOL. I just hope all is well tomorrw morning when they call me that they arrived at the hub office. I am having a supervisor open the box to check on them before I have my customer drive back down to get them, to make sure they are all ok! Thanks Shanell.


Thank goodness it all worked out well in the end.