best value in shipping

Originally Posted by Randy F

actually how untrue that is. If you check I used them for the first time. I asked around to find out who others were shipping with. I found that Brant Rustich recommended them to me. Dan at rat trap recommended another. I was trying to find someone that might be a little cheaper than fedex direct and ship your reptiles. I found that and wanted to share with other people. If you go check the boi you will find that I have given a pat on the back to companies I like using a lot like Layne Labs. I have learned when you ask question you may learn something, and when you share others may share with you as well. For all I know someone may post on here somewhere better, but I will never know if I just do a pat on the back boi.

This is correct. Randy called me and asked who I shipped with. I use ReptilesExpress and I have only great things to say about them. Glad you took the advice!

Originally Posted by Shadera

A genuine smile and a "thank you" goes a long way. I've never had anyone tell me I can't ship something (I also don't wave around the box and tell them what's in it though it is clearly marked). If you ask, they WILL tell you no, because it's company policy.

on a side note......I had a shipment that they said they were holding until the next day. When I called the local hub to find out if I could go there and get it because it was a live reptile, I was told they don't ship reptiles. I have also handed a box to a fedex assistant manager for drop off which despite all the red writing on a white box proceeded to shake it up and down in front of me. When I asked "please don't do that" she proceeded to shake side to side telling me "we have to because it goes on our conveyor." When I said "it is a live reptile" she put it on the counter and said "we don't ship live animals." Furious, I picked up the box and walked out not saying a word. I went back the next day with fedex's documentation and all my paperwork to show the manager and make a complaint. Of course the manager wanted to show me they that location does not accept live animals and that they have to check each box because they may put a 60 pound box on top of it! Needless to say I have 19 years in customer service rolls including management dealing with the public face to face. I can smile while you tell me to go f*** myself if I am correct, and smile when I tell my upset boss that it was the right thing to do regardless of profits. Not everyone is meant for customer service.

Originally Posted by Randy F

on a side note......I had a shipment that they said they were holding until the next day. When I called the local hub to find out if I could go there and get it because it was a live reptile, I was told they don't ship reptiles. I have also handed a box to a fedex assistant manager for drop off which despite all the red writing on a white box proceeded to shake it up and down in front of me. When I asked "please don't do that" she proceeded to shake side to side telling me "we have to because it goes on our conveyor." When I said "it is a live reptile" she put it on the counter and said "we don't ship live animals." Furious, I picked up the box and walked out not saying a word. I went back the next day with fedex's documentation and all my paperwork to show the manager and make a complaint. Of course the manager wanted to show me they that location does not accept live animals and that they have to check each box because they may put a 60 pound box on top of it! Needless to say I have 19 years in customer service rolls including management dealing with the public face to face. I can smile while you tell me to go f*** myself if I am correct, and smile when I tell my upset boss that it was the right thing to do regardless of profits. Not everyone is meant for customer service.

It seems messed up to me, regardless of the package contents, to say to a customer "Oh, we might end up putting a 60 lb box on top of yours..."
Most snake shipping boxes are 12 x 9 x 6 or smaller...

I guess I am just lucky. I use Reptilesexpress and drop off my animals at a "Shipping Depot."
It's a local store that handles Fedex and UPS. No problems as of yet.

(And before anyone jumps down my throat, as seems to be the norm around here lately, I am not knocking anyone's Fedex experiences or saying that is what everyone should do, I am just saying what I do...and that it works for me)

It really seems like the experience with Fedex varies quite a bit from location to location. We use SYR, but we still drop off at Fedex. It took us a bit to figure out which location near us would accept live animals. Turns out that for us the World Service Center in Lakeland is the place to go. I belive that the Fedex policy is that individual locations have the option to either allow live animals or refuse them (pretty sure that's the explaination I was given, but I cannot find the email). I'm not sure if the World Service Centers have that option or not, just saying the service seems to vary alot depending on where you are and who you deal with.

Good read and very informative I appreciate all then honesty. Thanks you all have helped me go in the right direction.