FEDEX destroyed my plants - Orchid Board

RJSquirrel · #1 02-17-2012, 02:47 AM

yup FEDEX strikes again. Last 2 plant orders Ive made USPS blew one of them up and now FEDEX has told the vendor I told them to destroy my shipment.

I knew about none of this until the vendor called me asking why I had the plants destroyed? huh ? what plants? I never got any plants. FEDEX never called me as they claimed about this box. You know there are phone records people. But they managed to call the vendor and tell them the package was undeliverable and It was to be destroyed at my request.Do huh what? The people in customer service are totally useless. Told me there was no record of an attempted delivery to my address when I called to ask where my package was now.. Oh kayyy, Now the package that was undeliverable and to be destroyed at my request doesn't exist. Can you believe it?

The plants were feebly attempted to be delivered feb 9. The driver claims since it was a gated community and I didn't answer my phone he couldn't deliver my package. It was marked "Undeliverable" after 1 attempt, Duh here we go again with all the phone call lies about them trying to contact me..What a load of poop.

Well anyway Im getting good at keeping calm during all this bec they are just plants even if rather expensive.

Talked to the vendor, They are going to make a claim for the lost shipment and resend me the whole she bang!!! Woot!! She tells me FEDEX will pay for this fiasco..If they find my undeliverable box she says thats mine too and just a bonus if they are still alive. Doesnt make up for not having what I ordered for valentines day. She said she will include some bonus plants since they get to fly for FREEE

These FEDEX people are making me ill with their lying. You know if you screwed up just say so, no big deal we are all human. But the continual lying to keep from being responsible is such a bad way to do business .I dont care what happened as long as im being told the truth and not one lie after another...I wish I had an alternative from some of the vendors not to use FEDEX.

JaneEyre · #2 02-17-2012, 03:45 AM

Sorry to hear about your troubles. I can't say that FedEx ever lost my packages, but I would have to agree that their customer service has gone downhill. They have been difficult to deal with and I usually try to avoid them. I get discouraged ordering when some vendors use them. It usually means spending my time trying to remove unnecessary signature requirement or driving to nearest (which is not that near) FedEx to pick up packages they are paid to deliver.

Sorry you didn't get your plants for Valentine's. That must have been frustrating.

Wrebbitrocks · #3 02-17-2012, 05:36 AM

i like how fast they are but that shouldnt affect your quality of customer service. when ive ordered from kawamotos before, it was 50/50. sometime the drivers were nice and came up to knock and hand me the packae with a greeting and smile. others id come home and bang package on doorstep exposed to weather and thieves. or blonde lady smacking gum like a cow honks the horn and shoves you the package/knocking loudly and leaving it on the bench before i even open the door....shes gone. w/e. a little off topic, i just ordered a $4000 marimba and it BETTER be in pristene shape >:/

Ray · #4 02-17-2012, 09:37 AM

Don't paint with too broad of a brush, "Rocky".

FedEx Express drivers are employees, but the Ground and Home Delivery drivers are independent contractors who got the route via a bid. They are not created equal.

When I was the global logistics manager for a large specialty chemicals company, I spent $15,000 a week on UPS and FedEx shipments. By a huge margin, FedEx was far more reliable, and over time we got to using them 95% of the time.

First Rays has used FedEx for 12 years now, and I can count the issues I've had on one hand.

One thing I would encourage you to consider is having it shipped to a business address - it is cheaper, and unlikely to "stumble" over gated community issues.

camille1585 · #5 02-17-2012, 10:02 AM

Geez, that's insane! What a crazy crazy story. I hope the next ones make it to you just fine.

And it's not just the US that has those problems, I've had my fair share of such stuff over here. One of the most memorable was when I was going home to France at the end of the college year, and mailed some orchids home because I was short of space in my luggage. I waited and waited for that box, until I finally decided to call TNT. They told me that they had tried to deliver it twice but I was not home (a lie), and the third time I was there but I refused the package (What??!?!?). So my poor plants were on their way back to the Netherlands. Good thing I managed to force TNT to intervene before the box was delivered back to my college address, or else I don't know how I would have gotten them back!
Mail companies have stupid lazy delivery people, that's what.

Discus · #6 02-17-2012, 10:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wrebbitrocks

a little off topic, i just ordered a $4000 marimba and it BETTER be in pristene shape >:/

There's a factory in the town where I live that makes awesome marimbas (and other African musical instruments) - see AMI Products
Quite a trek from where you are though!

One of my suppliers shipped a small order (3 plants) to me just before I went on holiday, which they had forgotten to send with my previous order. Sadly by ordinary mail, so it arrived a few days after I left town. For a month. Amazingly, 2 of the plants (a Tolumnia and an Angraecum) are still more or less alive. The Jumellea, not so much. I gave them a long bath in sugar, superthrive and very dilute ferts before moving them onto the balcony.

Angurek · #7 02-17-2012, 12:05 PM

I'm sorry to hear about your troubles, but at least your order is going to be replaced.

bballr4567 · #8 02-17-2012, 01:23 PM

Fedex delivered a $500 exhaust system to the wrong apartment number for me one time. Im 3515 and driver delivered it to 3719. It sat there for 4 days until I decided to just walk the complex and see if its been placed anywhere else. It was an empty apartment or otherwise I would of got it sooner. Needless to say, that Fedex driver doesnt deliver to the apartment complex anymore and we now have a great female driver who is awesome.

DavidCampen · #9 02-17-2012, 03:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ray

One thing I would encourage you to consider is having it shipped to a business address - it is cheaper, and unlikely to "stumble" over gated community issues.

Actually, that is my complaint about FEDEX - I have all my packages delivered to a commercial mailbox operation on the ground floor of an office/business complex, FEDEX delivers many packages there every day, yet the FEDEX automated system claims this is a residential address and insists that I have to pay more because of this.

Leafmite · #10 02-17-2012, 06:37 PM

I prefer the mail or UPS in our area. They always give you notice they are there and if there are live plants, they make certain you take them in right away. With fed ex, some drivers don't knock or ring the doorbell, they just leave a note and then the fun begins trying to get the package. If you call and say you'll pick it up, it usually isn't there even though this is the time they tell you to come. If the same delivery person 'tries' to deliver it, again, no doorbell or knock....