FEDEX...news that may ease your mind

TheChairGuy · « **on:** 17 Mar 2006, 02:33 am »

I shipped a $900.00 preamp out today. FEDEX/Kinko's is both cheapest (via Ground service) and among my closest ship locations. Besides, the service in the Sausalito location is very good.

My man Kevin there gave me an excellent 10 minute overview of FEDEX shipping...

Most packages go thru the normal sorting channels. That is, not a care in the world. That's where most of our gear goes - basically, a Greco-Roman wrestling match for hundreds of miles in transit. It's up to the elements, chance and good shipping box to make it there without damage. Vegas slots probably have better odds

However, at $1000.00 claimed value (which costs about $0.50 per $100.00) it is considered high value. If you are shipping from a FEDEX staffed location (a la FEDEX owned station or Kinko's...not our independent down the street), with value of $1000.00, you can tell them to ship it....

CPH - Controlled Package Handling. That's FEDEX-ese for more genteel fondling of your delicate electronic device.

Not every pimply faced kid, or recent immigrant, or new hire that staffs the counter will know about the service...you need to insist upon it and ask for a bright pink label that boldly proclaims 'CPH'

Then, and only then, do you acquire a little better night of sleep that evening after your package ships via FEDEX Ground service

No guarantees, just a bit better odds.

ZooDog · « **Reply #1 on:** 17 Mar 2006, 03:21 am »

Good to know. I use FedEx ground all the time and no one ever mentioned this to me. Thanks.

TheChairGuy · « **Reply #2 on:** 17 Mar 2006, 05:01 am »

It's got to be a FEDEX staffed place...either a FEDEX center of FEDEX/Kinko's store. Highly, highly unlikely an independent would have the stickers in their shop.

If you are at a FEDEX center, insist on CPH until someone there knows what your talking about. Valid only when you insure for $1000+.

jswallac · « **Reply #3 on:** 17 Mar 2006, 05:14 am »

Thanks, this is good info. Other than the cost of insuring for $1000+, does this service cost any extra?

TheChairGuy · « **Reply #4 on:** 17 Mar 2006, 05:27 am »

Quote from: jswallac

Thanks, this is good info. Other than the cost of insuring for $1000+, does this service cost any extra?

Nope, just the cost of the insurance.....and your time to explain to the oft well meaning counter person what you are looking for...a big pink sticker that says CPH.

R_burke · « **Reply #5 on:** 17 Mar 2006, 03:12 pm »

And this big pink sticker tells the gorilla driving the truck on Monday after a weekend of debauchery to do what??

1) Take out your agressions on this one, it's insured for a lot
2) Wonder what the hell CPH means
3) Treat it gently because I love my job and respect everything that
the company tells it customers

I still say pack it like it was going to be mishandled and hope/pray for the best

miklorsmith · « **Reply #6 on:** 17 Mar 2006, 03:21 pm »

FedEx also has cheaper insurance than most. I use them some and also USPS, which costs twice as much for insurance.

That said, I've had very good experiences with both carriers though USPS doesn't use tracking numbers.

MaxCast · « **Reply #7 on:** 17 Mar 2006, 03:23 pm »

Quote from: R_burke

And this big pink sticker tells the gorilla driving the truck on Monday after a weekend of debauchery to do what??

1) Take out your agressions on this one, it's insured for a lot
2) Wonder what the hell CPH means
3) Treat it gently because I love my job and respect everything that
the company tells it customers

I still say pack it like it was going to be mishandled and hope/pray for the best

I'll pick #2

skrivis · « **Reply #8 on:** 17 Mar 2006, 03:36 pm »

Quote from: miklorsmith

FedEx also has cheaper insurance than most. I use them some and also USPS, which costs twice as much for insurance.

That said, I've had very good experiences with both carriers though USPS doesn't use tracking numbers.

USPS does have some kind of tracking. If I remember though, they weren't anywhere near as detailed as with UPS or Fedex. (I think they only told you "in transit" or "delivered.")

With ground shipments, UPS seems to deliver it as soon as it arrives. Fedex usually won't deliver until when they said it would be there. If Fedex tells you it will be 7 days before delivery, they won't deliver it early, even if it actually arrives at their local depot sooner. I've had packages sit for several days in the local depot before they actually deliver. Kind of like "We will deliver no package before its time."

I suspect they're protecting their more expensive tiers of shipping plans.

In one case, I ordered a lot from a company that had a warehouse about 200 miles away. When they shipped UPS Ground, I got packages the next day. Fedex Ground always took 2-3 days.

What really got interesting was trying to ship a package with an insured value of about $70K. Neither Fedex or UPS will do it apparently, so you have to go with a 3rd-party insurance company. They only support Fedex Priority Overnight, and they make you jump through a lot of hoops. It was a real PITA.

Just the insurance on it was about $700.

gstraley · « **Reply #9 on:** 17 Mar 2006, 03:37 pm »

In Chicago area be aware of a local Fed Ex policy when insuring audio equipment. The area Fed Ex managers decided to not insure any electronical equipment for over $300.00 if shipping by ground. They must have had a high number of insurance claims in the area. Not sure about next day or 2nd day. When you call corporate they are unaware of this policy. But if you bring it into a Fed Ex location they will not insure it for more than $300.00. Their ground service is the best and cheapest way to ship audio equipment that I have found. We did find a way around the policy. You drop it off at one of the Kinkos/ Fed Ex locations. They will insure your package for over $300.00

Gordy · « **Reply #10 on:** 17 Mar 2006, 03:58 pm »

Quote from: gstraley

In Chicago area be aware of a local Fed Ex policy when insuring audio equipment. The area Fed Ex managers decided to not insure any electronical equipment for over $300.00 if shipping by ground. They must have had a high number of insurance claims in the area. Not sure about next day or 2nd day. When you call corporate they are unaware of this policy. But if you bring it into a Fed Ex location they will not insure it for more than $300.00. Their ground service is the best and cheapest way to ship audio equi ...

That sounds like what I was told by Phila. area FedEx, don't ship any electronics, glass or like fragiles with ground, use the 3 or 4 day express service as they're actually a different carrier.

CPH... Crush Post Haste???

I've heard of a few instances where subcontractors like Kinko refuse to honor insurance as the damage was FedEx's fault... and Fedex blames the subcontracters packaging... ditto UPS and the so called UPS or Mailbox stores which are actually subcontractors.

skrivis · « **Reply #11 on:** 17 Mar 2006, 04:06 pm »

Quote from: Gordy

That sounds like what I was told by Phila. area FedEx, don't ship any electronics, glass or like fragiles with ground, use the 3 or 4 day express service as they're actually a different carrier.

CPH... Crush Post Haste???

I've heard of a few instances where subcontractors like Kinko refuse to honor insurance as the damage was FedEx's fault... and Fedex blames the subcontracters packaging... ditto UPS and the so called UPS or Mailbox stores which are actually subcontractors.

That would really stink, but it sounds like typical finger-pointing.

Fedex Ground was originally RPS before they bought it from Roadway. RPS was definitely much lower quality than UPS. I wonder how much of that Fedex has fixed?

I need to send out some audio equipment in the next couple of days. I was going to ship it at the local UPS Store, but maybe I'll run it up to the UPS terminal instead...

TheChairGuy · « **Reply #12 on:** 17 Mar 2006, 04:12 pm »

The insurance matter, and that of FEDEX's liability, is a whole 'nother matter that I got a pretty good lesson in yesterday. Basically, it's you versus a team of lawyers and statisticians working for FEDEX for the past 3 decades. Guess who'll win that argument most often

You're still taking some chances - but insuring it for $1000.00+ and getting the all-important 'CPH' designation will at least have it go thru atypical sorting channels at FEDEX.

It won't eliminate risk, it will merely minimize the possiblity of harm...and it'll only cost few dollars for extra insurance (if it's worth less than $1000.00 to begin with) and your informed noggin to benefit from it

bulgin · « **Reply #13 on:** 17 Mar 2006, 08:12 pm »

Hi all

You're up against a brick wall with these types.

I recently arranged from here (Cape Town) with written, faxed instructions - to another international courier - to collect an audio item from the US and return it to me here in Cape Town for service. In my instructions to the courier was mentioned the pick-up address, the desired date of pick-up and the fact that it was a used, due for service audio item which was to be returned to the US customer after a free of charge service.

A week later, I got a call from the courier in Cape Town, advising me the item had arrived and that I had to pay several thousand rands in VAT.

Somehow, the courier's US office decided they needed a shipping document to accompany the item and some asshole there thumbsucked a value of a few thousand US$'s. Despite my written instructions regarding the item's return here, the courier twisted the job around, making me the IMPORTER of the audio item and wanted to whack me with the VAT on their thumbsuck value stated on a bogus invoice.

I argued for 3 weeks with them by telephone, email and faxed correspondence and got stonewalled during all this time.

At the end, the courier offered to pay 50% of the VAT and I had to pay the rest on a 2nd hand audio item requiring repairs and service and which is not even my property.

How's this for an outrage??

bulgin

fly_fish_nz · « **Reply #14 on:** 17 Mar 2006, 09:26 pm »

I've heard of a few instances where subcontractors like Kinko refuse to honor insurance as the damage was FedEx's fault... and Fedex blames the subcontracters packaging... ditto UPS and the so called UPS or Mailbox stores which are actually subcontractors.[/quote]

I'm pretty certain that Fedex owns Kinkos now.

TheChairGuy · « **Reply #15 on:** 17 Mar 2006, 09:45 pm »

FEDEX publishes a very slick, 20 page handout pamphlet on 'packaging' requirements. I cursively looked thru it yesterday.

I'll sum it up for all of you here - unless you work for FEDEX and have all the multi-layered rules and requirements committed to memory, you will most likely be packing your stuff in violation of their explicit rules.

In other words, their bureaucracy have duly protected them, and not the shipper, primarily.

As stated, the CPH designation will only increase your odds of sucess, not eliminate the possibility of harm, or guarantee that you will be paid up to your insured limit for damage to your stuff.

It only helps; it ain't magic.

And yes, Kinko's was bought by FEDEX maybe 2 years ago.

TheChairGuy · « **Reply #16 on:** 22 Mar 2006, 07:27 pm »

Sadly, the guy that received the preamp shipped via FEDEX with their kinder and gentler 'CPH' service informed me today that that the selector knob was damaged in transit.

It was packed tight, in original box. Looks like 'CPH' really stands for 'Crush Package & Hurl It'

Caveat emptor....

James Romeyn · « **Reply #17 on:** 22 Mar 2006, 07:58 pm »

I had a problem with a fedex package delivered to the wrong suite number at an industrial complex. In trying to track it down, Jim finds out later than each fedex local delivery system is an INDEPENDENT FRANCHISE!!!!

Are you guys as shocked as I was to discover that? If that is true, it makes sense that each local franchise can have different policies. Confirm, confirm, confirm.....

We finally found the actual driver & he remebered, thank God a week & 10k packages later, he delivered to the wrong office in the back, one with a big cardboard hand written window sign that indicated its business had absolutely nothing on earth to do with audio!

Double Ugly · « **Reply #18 on:** 19 Jun 2006, 04:15 pm »

Quote from: TheChairGuy

It's got to be a FEDEX staffed place...either a FEDEX center of FEDEX/Kinko's store. Highly, highly unlikely an independent would have the stickers in their shop.

If you are at a FEDEX center, insist on CPH until someone there knows what your talking about. Valid only when you insure for $1000+.

Hi John -

I just returned from dropping off my speakers at a genu-wine FedEx facility. When I asked for CPH, the person behind the counter had no idea what I was talking about. She's a nice lady with whom I've become well-acquainted through the years, so she called someone up the FedEx chain. They told her there is no such thing.

After arriving home, I did a Google search for "Controlled Package Handling", but it returned no results. I also performed the same search on the FedEx site with no luck. So I called FedEx (800‑463‑3339, and say "agent" at each prompt). The person who answered the phone told me he'd worked there 11 years, and had never heard of "Controlled Package Handling." I said, "So it doesn't exist?", and he said, "No...sorry."

I'm not saying it isn't available anywhere but at your Sausalito facility, but I'll be darned if I can find anyone who's ever heard of it.

FWIW...

TheChairGuy · « **Reply #19 on:** 19 Jun 2006, 04:59 pm »

Yeah, dang weird, Jim....the guy in Sausalito even put the stickered 'CPH' on it and gave me the little 3 minute song and dance on the program. I didn't cost any more, so I listened.

I ALSO looked all over the net afterwards and asked another Kinko's facility about it subsequently...and THEY looked at me as if I had 3 heads

I won't lose sleep over the puzzling situation....but, I'd love to find out sometime what the heck my local guy meant....

John / TCG