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Potential Shipping Crisis

S

Sexy Scales

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Well, I shipped out a $100 leo yesterday (8/12) for arrival on wed morning (8/13) via UPS. I've never had a problem getting everything over nighted and usually on time the next morning. Well, today I check tracking and it looked like UPS had messed up since it said "ROUTED INCORRECTLY AT UPS FACILITY;PKG HAS BEEN REROUTED TO DESTINATION" on the tracking page. Well, this seemed odd to me and began to worry me. I did check early however and was hopeful that the little lady would arrive safely by the end of the day. Well, I just checked again and she's back in SC!! Hasn't made it back home, but is back in SC. I have a sneaky suspicion that I was given the wrong zip code from my customer. When I went to check the weather just now, I put in the zip rather than the city, state and it didn't have the weather listed for the correct city. So, I then put in the road address, city and state in the USPS state to find the zip and it's completely different. So, if I was given the wrong zip, what should happen? If it was the correct one and the girl didn't make it due to UPS error, I'd refund everything and cut my losses. If she was just a day late, I'd refund shipping costs. But if this isn't UPS's fault, what happens? I hadn't ever considered this happening before and honestly don't know the best and closest to fair thing to do that won't destroy my almost non-existent reputation.

To make matters worse, I had already delayed shipping on the leo due to my moving last week and not having a computer much longer than I had expected. I then delayed another day by losing the customer's address. I then offered to ship Tues for Wed or refund him everything. When he still wanted her, I refunded $20 via paypal and shipped. Basically, I feel horrible with how I've handled this gentleman from the beginning just because I feel that I haven't been professional (late just isn't ever a good thing). While I did always keep him as informed as I could, the delays were still preventable with the right foresight.

If I am completely wrong about having the wrong zip code, I still think this is a very good idea to address just in case it does ever happen.

Lots of opinions please!!

Thanks guys!
Erin
 
I had an incident recently where the shipper put the wrong zip code on the package (I had sent him the correct one at least twice) The snakes were delayed by a day but showed up and are doing fine now. Since the deal was for 5/$200.00 shipped I really wasn't due a refund on shipping charges, and since the error was on his part I am sure he could not get anything back from the carrier. I also had an incident similar where the lizards ended up in ND instead of WI. That was a while back and the animals arrived fine after a 4 day delay I honestly do not recall whose fault that one was but i can say that it was one of the few time the PO did something nice. On a Sunday an employee in ND noticed the package marked live animals and called the shipper. On his instructions she opend the package, moisted the paper towel, and sealed it back up. pretty decent of her I would say

Hopefully the geckos arrive somewhere safe and sound. I doubt if the shipper will reimburse you for delays for an error like that no matter whose fault it is. If they arrive OK no problems, If they arrive dead and the zip code was in fact given wrong then the buyer is SOL in my opinion. If they end up back to you and you know the buyer gave a false zip code I would send them their money back minus anything you are out for the attempted shipping and not send them the geckos. I can't figure out why anyone would intentionally give a wrong address unless it was to stir something up. If thats the case they do not deserve the animals.

On the other hand, don't be quite so quick to dismiss the fact that you MAY have made an error. If you have a copy of the shipping bill you can make sure of that quite easily. just be sure it is a carbon copy and not just a duplicate section you had to fill out. you could have written it once correctly and once incorrectly.

Hope everything works out for the best.

Steve Schindller
 
Quick Update - Just checked the tracking again and UPS figure out there was a wrong zip and is getting it delivered to the guy. I checked my shipping slip and I wrote down exactly what he sent me as his address. Fingers crossed that she'll be ok, but I do feel that giving me the wrong zip code (and it was quite wrong from what I can determine, not just one number) is the same as not being there to accept the package. That sound reasonable?
 
Erin,

If you did all your packing and shipping and labelling professionally and with the information you got from your buyer, then you are not responsible for anything that happens to the gecko. How could you be? Do you read minds and know whether or not your customers are either too dumb to know where they live or just not paying enough attention to detail to give you proper shipping information.

I would definately say this one is NOT on you, provided you shipped with the information you were provided buy the buyer.

Wes Pollock
 
Erin,

Wes said a lot, and probably reflects the sympathies of many on this issue when he said:
If you did all your packing and shipping and labeling professionally and with the information you got from your buyer, then you are not responsible for anything that happens to the gecko. How could you be? Do you read minds and know whether or not your customers are either too dumb to know where they live or just not paying enough attention to detail to give you proper shipping information.
Click to expand...
I have had things shipped to me and I have shipped out things, including animals, and have learned some from my experiences and from people on these forums; and at one time I would have agreed with Wes wholeheartedly, but not any more. I especially would not agree in your specific case, please let me explain:

You said:
To make matters worse, I had already delayed shipping on the Leo due to my moving last week and not having a computer much longer than I had expected. I then delayed another day by losing the customer's address.
Click to expand...
To me this sounds as if you had been in the middle of something that should have precluded you from conducting any herp business simply because it is obvious that you were too wound up with your move as to allow sufficient time/consideration/attention to your herp business. Moves (of residence) are pretty unnerving, and in fact are considered to be a major psychological stressor. If you were in the middle of a move, it was [probably not a good time to take and ship orders. Things got fouled up on your end at least twice as per your own admission.

Now you suspect that the buyer gave you the wrong address. I am taking it for granted that you did not mess up on the zip code, but that it was the buyer who did, for the next thing I will write. Even if the buyer sent you the wrong zip code, you may have some part of the blame in using it - albeit a very little part, if you did not verify the address before shipping. Since you say you refunded this person an amount via PayPal, I am also presuming that you were paid in the same manner - via PayPal. If that is correct then the person quite possibly should have a confirmed address on PayPal. Did you check to see that the shipping address he gave you was the same as his PayPal confirmed address? There is also another way to check an address, and I do this frequently with anyone buying from me, I send them an email in which I say something like: 'I am going to ship this item to you at 1313 Mockingbird Lane Psychosville, Transylvania 1313X - please let me know right away if I don't have the correct address.' To me this is the responsible thing to do. (I'll admit sometimes I forget to do it, but then shame on me.) After doing that, and then still receiving the incorrect address from a buyer I would agree wholeheartedly with Wes!

By the way, the reason I double check is because I know I make mistakes, and I realize that it is easy for others to make them too. It is very easy to type in a wrong number for a street address or a zip code, so I double check to make sure. I am not doing that for the convenience of the buyer, I am doing that for my own convenience. I don't need someone posting bad stuff about me because I sent something to a wrong address that they supplied to me. I like to have my ducks in a row, so that when someone calls me a jerk because I was too stupid to correctly put down his zip code (or anything of that nature) then I can pull out that email address verification I sent and say: hey smart Alec, what about this - you gave me the wrong zip! (Of course I could only do that if he in fact gave me the wrong zip and it was not my mistake in the first place). This is also a good practice for the animal's sake when shipping. Address verification is an easy thing to accomplish, with minimal time and effort expended. It takes up little room on the hard drive, and the email can be deleted after you get good feedback. It shows your customers that you care, it helps protect the animals, and it gives you that all important ammunition when someone wrongly bad mouths you on the BOI or another forum, and it gives you a certain peace of mind.

As to the current situation, if the buyer actually sent you the wrong address, you probably would be ok in keeping the money if the LEO dies in shipment, and I think the buyer should have to understand. In the future it may be best to double check those shipping addresses, if for nothing else for the sake of the critters. Hopefully it gets back to you ok.
Best regards,
Glenn B
 
Slightly different situation, but I also had a bad shipping experience this week. I don't think it really applies to your situation necessarily, but it may to someone else that reads this thread.

I was sending some snakes to a customer, who gave me the right address and everything was ready to go. I filled out the shipping slip according to the information I was given, and sent the package out from the depot where I dropped it off.

Later I checked on it, and there was no tracking information beyond my having dropped it off. The next morning, the tracking information showed that the package went from my home to Orlando, FL (no stops in between, mind you!), and the package was on the truck for delivery. The problem? The package was addressed to a town in TX!

Well, I contacted the shipper, and told them I was more than a little upset. I told them that the contents were time and temperature sensative, as well as fragile. I was told that the package would be delivered the next day,and it was. The "contents" were fine and dandy (I pack well, thank you very much! :D)

However, MY customer paid for overnight delivery. He did not get what he paid for. Was it my fault? Absolutely not; even the shipper admitted the same when my customer called to find out what was up. However, the shipper was acting as my agent in exactly the same way as it would had I personally hired a sixteen year-old kid to drive the package to my customer. So, even if it wasn't my FAULT, it WAS my responsibility. I refunded the money for shipping in full. To me, that was the only way to handle it.
 
Oh! Two things that do apply to the original situation of this thread:

1. I always get a definite confirmation of the full address fromt he customer just before shipping, just like Glenn suggested.

2. I always check the weather conditions predicted for the zip code I have been provided. If the city on the weather channel's site doesn't match where my zip code was supposed to be, I would get that straightened out ASAP.

Couple of ideas for you in the future, I guess. I do not think it is your fault that the customer gave you the wrong zip, however.
 
Darin,

Your action in making that refund was the correct thing to do; but I sure hope you got a refund from the shipping company. While your customer paid you for overnight delivery, so to did you pay the shipping company for the same.

Best regards,
Glenn B;)
 
Update

Thanks for all the input guys. I wanted to let you know that the leo arrived safe and sound this afternoon. I'm rather particular in the way I pack and the condition that my animals are in for shipping (don't ship babies, gravids, etc), but I must say I was quite worried with all the traveling the little lady did. I'm not planning on refunding any money on shipping since it was the buyer's mistake and I won't be receiving a refund.

One thing I left out but would like to bring up now is that this deal actually started a week to 10 days before I moved. The buyer won the leo on an auction and after a day or two of my e-mailing, he informed me he would be on vacation and could not receive her for a week. When he then wanted me to ship (and I could) he asked me to send her, but forgot to give me the address. When he used Paypal, he did not give an address - I'm assuming to assure I didn't ship immediately - and said he would give it to me when he got back from his vacation. This was one of the sloppiest deals I've ever had and I'll take full blame on that. Rather than trying to ship as soon as I could, I should have let the buyer know that delaying his address put me into "moving week" and he would need to wait.

Glenn, my first reaction was "What, me? Wrong?" and then after half a second of pride I completely appreciate your input. I pride myself on checking the details and making sure my animals will be safe and you've just given me another thing to put on my transaction check list. I'm definitely planning on adding a few sentences to my "terms" page on my website and will be using www.usps.com to assure that the buyer has given me a correct address. I agree that I should have put in the zip rather than the city state on the weather page and that I should have sent a conformation e-mail for his address. Lessons Learned: Don't ship when you're moving, get your phone line in order to be connected at least ten days before you move, confirm addresses multiple times, and Glen will sell lizards to a Mr. Boo Raddly who owns a large knife and has extra long pearly whites :)

Thanks guys!! I'm thankful that the situation turned out well, but it is also very good to know that I have some wonderful guidance for when it doesn't.
 
OK, here's how I think it should work from now on. Anyone participating on this thread should send their animals to Glenn for shipping and the info to Darin for verification. Then we just sit back safe and happy with complete confidence in these guys to do our shipping for us.That way we are all off the hook for any problems that might arise as they seem to have it down pat.

All in favor say aye.

Wes Pollock
 
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