Inquiry SHIPYOURREPTILES.com reference a non-existent 'Reptile Waiver' and/or link?

[neilg]

when i used them to relocate my few reptiles from NYC to here in LA county, each kit included a label with red print that was to be placed next to the shipping label to apparently show FedEx employees who question 'harmless reptiles' being shipped, that SYR is an approved 'PRO' Shipper with a 'reptile waiver' on file supposedly allowing customers to routinely ship animals via SYR's account as a bona fide value-added retail service.


The label states:

Reference FedEx’s Live Animal Desk @
http://animaldesk.web.fedex.com/
Select -Reptile/Amph Waiver

i could not get the printed link (or any corrected variant thereof) to actually work in my browser, so did some research which yields only this:

http://www.fedex.com/us/government/international/terms.html#liveanimals

'Live animals will be accepted when the shipment is coordinated and approved by the FedEx Live Animal Desk. Acceptable shipments include, but are not limited to, zoo animals (to and from zoo locations only) and horses (from gateway to gateway locations only). Household pets, such as domestic cats and dogs, and live fish are not accepted. For more information, contact the FedEx Live Animal Desk at 1.800.405.9052.'

okay.. so why doesn't the link on the SYR sticker even work? i find it odd the don't include the fedex live animal desk's phone number on the sticker; just a broken web link. perhaps some version of it does include the #, but i've never seen it if so. and likewise, googling 'reptile waiver' for FedEx turns up nothing.

(it also bewilders me Fedex would state that live fish are not accepted when everyday they are likely shipping thousands to millions of fish to homes and business galore nationwide.)

i do understand the idea is getting your FedEx account (ie, SYR) approved for shipping reptiles on the basis of waiving liability for animal damages/loss/death and on the demonstration that wildlife laws aren't being violated, but why isn't there actually any *current* up to date info online regarding such SYR terms within FedEx as:

'Pro Shipping'
'Reptile Waiver' and/or 'Amph Waiver'
'http://animaldesk.web.fedex.com'

i mean, any FedEx account holder can technically *claim* to have an animal liability waiver on file, can't they? especially since fedex doesn't insure them in the 1st place (do they?) thus self-liability would be implied; likewise, how would one go about getting proof that shipping purchased at a site like SYR (or reptilesexpress for the matter) has actually been 'coordinated and approved by the FedEx Live Animal Desk'?

by the way, i'm not antagonizing SYR's service, in fact, i really do appreciate how they fill the void in offering animal insurance that the actual carrier they use doesnt offer. i'm just questioning where is the proof of these permit(s)/waiver(s), considering i've been hearing of recent interstate reptile shipments INTO california being opened by FedEx 'Live Animal CONTROL Desk' and even on a couple occasions, opened, refused and returned to the shipper.



http://allproshipping.cachefly.net/FedExReferenceNotex8.pdf

 

[nickolasanastasiou]

FedEx has a list/file of approved entities. It is on their intranet, I think. I had to assist when first using a shipping facilitation service (Reptiles Express, but should be the same with SYR). I do not worry about any internet URL that could become archaic or defunct in a day as long as the list FedEx actually keeps is functional (and it is). Just something to share.

 

[ShadowAceD]

Did it ever occur you to contact SYR.com directly with your concerns?

 

[ShadowAceD]

By the way, I went ahead and let Robyn know about this thread.

 

[neilg]

i cannot emphasize enuf how awkward it is (in my opinion) for an insured reptile service to use solely a website link on their shipping sticker that is to accompany the shipping label.

does 'PRO shipping' even currently exist? what's it stand for, aside from a shipper's account # sometimes referred by Fedex to as the customer PRO#?

i have been told there is a new sticker available with the fedex animal help desk phone number instead on it now, but have yet to bare witness to that.

would be cool if there were *actually* a way to determine if a shipper has a current/active certification from Fedex to ship reptiles; all i find so far online (aside from Fedex not shipping animals other than for zoos, and other unnamed exceptions) is links to the Fedex Package Testing application that can apparently be used to get Fedex to 'test' shipping a box that would contain a reptile at their own shipping expense and if it passes the design test, you are 'approved' for that particular packaging.. except that a reptile was never in it and i don't see how shippers are getting away as 'certified '-for shipping REPTILES - by going the 'test package design' route as the application doesn't even mention animals, just hazardous materials! =D

 

[robyn@Pro Exotics]

The link doesn't work because it isn't for you, sorry.

It is a FedEx intranet link for their internal systems, you won't be able to access it from an outside source. We include the link for any employees (like counter staffers) that are unfamiliar with live animal shipping so they can access our file and account on the FedEx system and verify the live shipping certification.

And yes, as you discovered, you are required to be certified to ship aquatics as well. Fortunately, ShipYourAquatics is also certified under the same third party model so that we can serve aquatics hobbyists in the same way we do for reptile hobbyists.

As for package inspection, any package in the system can be opened/audited/inspected by either FedEx staff or Fish and Wildlife staff. You should expect any live shipment going into California or Florida to be inspected, which is why it is critical to follow the local legal requirements and restrictions, as well as have the package properly labeled to meet Lacey Act requirements (we cover that labeling in the ShipYourReptiles Get Help section).

If you are shipping live animals on a non-certified account, or haven't met labeling requirements, you do risk having the package/animals confiscated by Fish and Wildlife. California and Florida are extra vigilent. New York and Ohio are also of concern.

 

[robyn@Pro Exotics]

The company name is All Pro Shipping. ShipYourReptiles and ShipYourAquatics are the names of the websites.

You can call the FedEx Live Animal Desk and verify the status of our service if you like.

There is no new sticker. We created the note to help smooth communication and speed a package along in case of an issue or question, it is seldom needed. The note is not required by FedEx.

 

[neilg]

so there's no visible proof of a third party reptile/amphibian/aquatic shipping service's certification by Fedex (such as in this case, SYR) to ship such animals (as are some zoos certified to ship 'to and from zoo locations only').. other than on Fedex's intranet?

i suppose it would be in their best interest indeed to actually be certified in case of the occasional insurance claim, yea

 

[imabirdmom]

Love everything about SYR! Best website for ease of use. Best website to show you exactly how to package your reptiles for shipment and hands down the best customer service for answering your questions.

 

[ShadowAceD]

I think you're on to something here.

SYR.com is the biggest most covert shipping operation in the country.

Thousands of snakes shipped daily and FedEx is none the wiser.

How do they do it?

C'mon, man. For real?

 

[neilg]

(not that FedEx would honor any animal insurance claim directly anyway (would they?) but i mean the shipper would be accountable for crossing their t's and dotting their i's and likely covering eligible claims where insurance was included or purchased directly to customers, out-of-pocket (at the front end, at least). that value-added service i highly admire.)

i do find it questionable that Fedex's current animal wording would state from zoo to zoo only, and SYR even reiterate a similiar limitation: "Standard FedEx reptile certifications only allow business-to-business shipping"..

..yet indeed SYR appears ABOVE STANDARD in its claimed certification which sets it apart from the rest ('Standard FedEx reptile certifications'), allowing one to ship with SYR can ship to and from residences.

one thing i like about reptilesexpress is they actually provide a PDF of their Live Animal Waiver on file with Fedex that is a handy document to show many a Fedex counterperson who is ready to turn away any package being dropped off the moment they notice it is marked the necessary 'harmless reptiles' and/or 'wildlife'.

dont understand why shippers certified to ship reptiles with Fedex don't just put that on their sticker/ship label ie 'FEDEX CERTIFIED REPTILE SHIPPER".

 

[JCCS]

I live in a rural area where boa constrictors are not often shipped. Most of the people I typically shipped with knew me and what was going on Due to my schedule one day, I had to use an office I hadn't used before and once they heard what was in the box, they said they had to check. Within five minutes, they found all pro shipping and life was good.

Neil, you're blowing this waaayyyy out of proportion and almost seem like a reptilesexpress.com lackey drumming up attention by trying to sow doubt in All Pro Shipping. I hope that's not the case, but it wouldn't be the first or last time that was tried on here.

Stop the conspiracy theorist language and drop this thread. Robyn came on and very politely set you straight. It is now time to take your ball and go home.

 

[ShadowAceD]

I have never had a package turned away from an actual FedEx location when shipping animals and I use the most obnoxious brightly colored neon stickers stating what is in the box.

I have been using SYR.com since 2011 and not once have I had an instance of an actual FedEx Ship Center denying it.

What makes you think RE's waiver is any different from SYR's?

 

[neilg]

i dont see any reptile waiver from SYR.. is there one?

 

[JCCS]

Like I just said, a couple of very rural fed ex people took a boa constrictor when they really, really didn't want to because they found the waiver and for no other reason. Yes, there is a waiver. Do you need direct, concrete evidence of everything in order to believe it?

 

[ShadowAceD]

In case you did not believe me, these are my boxes that I ship via SYR.com.

 

[neilg]

just a simple request for clarification:

http://www.shipyourreptiles.com/en/get-help/get-help-shipping-tracking

"2) With us, you can ship to and from residences. Standard FedEx reptile certifications only allow business-to-business shipping."

 

[jusmebabee]

just a simple request for clarification:

http://www.shipyourreptiles.com/en/get-help/get-help-shipping-tracking

"2) With us, you can ship to and from residences. Standard FedEx reptile certifications only allow business-to-business shipping."

I wouldn't use your service if it was a free after this thread.

Nothing worse than to steal customers by making up lies.
Let your business speak for itself. If you're all that people will use you (I won't).
At least you let everyone know what kind of you are, congrats.

 

[neilg]

^i feel the same way after reading that on their website.

however, if its actually true, then i'm sold.

 

[gila7150]

Copied and pasted from FedEx terms of service.

FedEx Express does not accept live-animal shipments as part of its regular-scheduled service and does not transport household pets such as dogs, cats, birds and hamsters. FedEx Express may accept certain shipments of live animals such as horses, livestock and zoo animals (to and from zoo locations only) on an exception basis if approved and coordinated by the FedEx Live Animal Desk (call 1.800.405.9052).

If approved by FedEx, we may accept non-venomous reptiles, amphibians, live/tropical fish and beneficial insects on an exception basis under the following conditions:

Shipments must be from a business to a business (from a breeder to a pet store, for example).
The shipper must have its packaging tested and pre-approved by FedEx Packaging Design and Development for the type of animal being shipped. Call 1.800.633.7019 for assistance. It is the responsibility of the shipper to adequately package shipments for all temperature extremes and handling conditions.

Contact your FedEx account executive for details and additional requirements.

FedEx obviously isn't enforcing this because we've all received shipments to our homes. However, it is in their terms of service.