INFO: UPS-will they honor their agreement?

I recieved a DOA shipment of a male leopard gecko. We all know this can sometimes happen to the best of carriers, so this is not a UPS bashing session. However, we all need to watch what UPS does in this situation. The sender has been insuring all his live shipments through UPS for years. When UPS called me, they were pleasant, but the lady said "Well, I need to check the rules on live shipments." Keep in mind that UPS has been accepting the shipper's money to purchase insurance on all his live shipments for years...

This shipment was packed appropriately (see pictures) with appropriately sized air holes in the sides of the box. As you can see, there was plenty of newspaper in there to secure the shipment. The box appeared undamaged when I opened it, but I discovered the animal's deli cup on its side about a half inch from the side of the box. He was already dead, but I worked on him for a half hour in the hopes of reviving him but to no avail. I have never before recieved a shipment where there was so much shifting. The material you see on the sides of the cup is vomit. This also has never happened in any shipment I've recieved. In separate shipments, I have recieved Amazon Tree boas (2), another Leopard gecko (1), and three separate shipments of Panther chameleons (3). This package was prepared by the shipper for safe shipping every bit as carefully (there is no difference) as any of the other packages I've recieved.

We all know that DOA's can happen, they happen with ALL carriers. How UPS chooses to treat this viable claim should be of interest to all. I will add their decision on paying or not paying the shipper his insurance claim when I know the outcome.

ups will not guarantee live arrival on animals-any shipper that asks will be told this-the insurance will be honored if the box is lost completely, but not if the animal perishes--it would be up to the shipper to guarantee live arrival-Ben

...the title of this thread was ill chosen. UPS has absoluely no agreement with anyone to insure live delivery. That is spelled out plainly in their TOS. They will allow live animal shipments of certain types on an exception basis only. The exception basis wording completely releases them from all liability.

None of the big three will ever guarantee live delivery. I am a registered shipper with Fedex and the language in my waiver is quite specific. I absolve them of all liability with the exception of their on time guarantee.

This one is 100% on the seller if he has a live arrival guarantee.

This thread should also be moved to the shipping forum. It definitely does not meet the criteria for a BOI thread. UPS has done nothing wrong

What a shame... I'm so very sorry to see this happen. Were there any heat-packs inside the container? According to weather.com, today's temperatures were: High 28°F Low 11°F Precip 0 for Pittsburgh, PA. I don't know where the shipment originated, but UPS's sorting hub is Louisville, KY and the overnight low temperatures there were 17°F last night. That poor gecko should NEVER have been shipped under those circumstances. Period.

UPS (or any other carrier for that matter) do not guarantee live delivery of ANY animal. Here is the link to UPS Terms of Service for Shipping Live Animals. Here is what it says:

Shipping Live Animals

UPS provides service on a limited basis for packages containing some types of live animals. The term "animal" as used herein refers to anything living, except plants. While the list of "Accepted Live Animals" provided herein is an exhaustive list of animals that can be offered for transportation in accordance with the conditions listed, the list of "Prohibited Live Animals" is only a partial list of animals provided to clarify specific species that are not accepted for transportation and may not be shipped via UPS. Any animal not specifically listed on the "Accepted Live Animals" list is prohibited by UPS and will not be accepted for transportation.

Packages containing live animals must be prepared in accordance with the requirements as specifically stated herein. Packages containing live animals must provide for the basic humane care and safety of the animal during transportation. Any package containing a live animal shall be considered a perishable commodity and will be accepted for transportation solely at the shipper’s risk for any damage or loss arising from the perishable nature of the item. UPS shall not be liable for any special, incidental, or consequential damages.

In the event a package containing a prohibited item is found en route or in the UPS system, that package will be stopped at the location or UPS facility of the discovery. UPS reserves the right to dispose of the package."

Originally Posted by Golden Gate Geckos

What a shame... I'm so very sorry to see this happen. Were there any heat-packs inside the container? According to weather.com, today's temperatures were: High 28°F Low 11°F Precip 0 for Pittsburgh, PA. I don't know where the shipment originated, but UPS's sorting hub is Louisville, KY and the overnight low temperatures there were 17°F last night. That poor gecko should NEVER have been shipped under those circumstances. Period.

UPS (or any other carrier for that matter) do not guarantee live delivery of ANY animal. Here is the link to UPS Terms of Service for Shipping Live Animals. Here is what it says:

Shipping Live Animals


UPS provides service on a limited basis for packages containing some types of live animals. The term "animal" as used herein refers to anything living, except plants. While the list of "Accepted Live Animals" provided herein is an exhaustive list of animals that can be offered for transportation in accordance with the conditions listed, the list of "Prohibited Live Animals" is only a partial list of animals provided to clarify specific species that are not accepted for transportation and may not be shipped via UPS. Any animal not specifically listed on the "Accepted Live Animals" list is prohibited by UPS and will not be accepted for transportation.

Packages containing live animals must be prepared in accordance with the requirements as specifically stated herein. Packages containing live animals must provide for the basic humane care and safety of the animal during transportation. Any package containing a live animal shall be considered a perishable commodity and will be accepted for transportation solely at the shipper’s risk for any damage or loss arising from the perishable nature of the item. UPS shall not be liable for any special, incidental, or consequential damages.

In the event a package containing a prohibited item is found en route or in the UPS system, that package will be stopped at the location or UPS facility of the discovery. UPS reserves the right to dispose of the package."

I'm glad to speak with persons who know so much about UPS and their rules. I am not posting immediately upon reciept of the package; it was sent last Thursday and arrived last Friday. We waited until the nighttime low was above 35 degrees. There were three heat packs in the package.

This package was abused in transit. From the facts I stated above, this should be obvious to all.

Oh, and Marcia...you are absolutely right, it is a shame. THank you for your kind words

Originally Posted by Suncoast Herpetological

...the title of this thread was ill chosen. UPS has absoluely no agreement with anyone to insure live delivery. That is spelled out plainly in their TOS. They will allow live animal shipments of certain types on an exception basis only. The exception basis wording completely releases them from all liability.

None of the big three will ever guarantee live delivery. I am a registered shipper with Fedex and the language in my waiver is quite specific. I absolve them of all liability with the exception of their on time guarantee.

This one is 100% on the seller if he has a live arrival guarantee.

This thread should also be moved to the shipping forum. It definitely does not meet the criteria for a BOI thread. UPS has done nothing wrong

I read the criteria for a BOI thread. Maybe you should refresh yourself on appropriate subject matter for BOI, because I put quite a bit of time into reading BOI etiquitte before posting. I therefore find your remark that this thread should be moved to the shipping forum offensive. This is a subject that could cost persons money, and it is informative in a BOI kind of way to all (read the above comments by posters, including your own).

To recieve a shipment in which the package has so obviously recieved ill treatment is upsetting at the very least.

Yvonne,

Why do you feel the shipment was treated badly? From your pictures I don't see no damage at all to the box.

Regards.

Originally Posted by The BoidSmith

Yvonne,

Why do you feel the shipment was treated badly? From your pictures I don't see no damage at all to the box.

Regards.

I feel it was treated badly for three reasons:

1. The box contained plenty of newspaper and the styrofoam insulation had a lid. The fit inside was too tight to freely allow movement. The inside of the lid had a dent in it from the animal's deli cup. This amount of shifting given the above circumstances is phenomenal.

2. There is a deep dent in one corner of the box.

3. The animal had not been fed for 48 hours in preparation for shipping, yet there was vomit all over the inside of the cup.

Now, I've only recieved 6 other shipments of animals, so I am comparing what I know with what I saw with this shipment. The differences are:

1. All 6 of my previous shipments contained plenty of newspaper to disallow free movement of the contents and had styrofoam insulation. The difference in the appearance of the freshly opened box between my fragile infant Panther chameleons and other reptiles' boxes and this DOA box is the MAJOR shifting. NONE of my previous live arrivals had shifting like this.

2. There were NO DENTS in any of my previous live arrival boxes.

3. I never asked if any of the previous shipped animals had been fed, because all of them arrived alive, and NONE of them threw up.

What do you think?