Friday, March 30, 2007
Disclaimer (don't sue for libel)
Everything written here is opinion, my own, all statements made as fact pertaining to my experience with FedEx are either a first-hand account of contacts I have had with FedEx or attempts at interpreting the reasoning behind actions made on behalf of FedEx by it's employees. Any statement that can be construed as libelous is opinion and therefore not libel.
Almost burnt out
Physics, Linear Algebra, and English composition. Those are the three main focuses of my attention at the moment. I get off work at 10 pm, come home, and stumble my way through a lab report or a homework set. My brain has hit that state where it doesn't seem like I am absorbing information anymore it seems like nothing sinks in. It would be easy to give up and pay for the PSU and case out of pocket and pray that some day in the future they may deem it appropriate to give me the funds, but I don't have that type of money to throw at damaged parts so the computer sits powered down and unplugged in my living room.
I called FedEx a couple days ago to learn that no letter had been received and that my file states my claim was denied. I email the eBayer and he doesn't reply. So I send the email as a reply to one he sent me, thinking that my first one may have been caught in a spam filter, still no reply. Today I contact FedEx again and I tell the rep that I received a letter informing me that I cannot negotiate the claim because I am the receiving party, lo and behold he is completely aware of this fact and tells me about the letter of waiver.
[This implies to me that their script specifically tells them to avoid mentioning this to recipients who receive damaged goods until the recipient mentions it to the representative. Also note that the claims representative, knowing I was the recipient, sent me one letter that told me I had to submit documentation but did not mention that the shipper needs to submit a waiver...]
I ask this representative what to do if I can't contact the original shipper and he says that my claims rep would attempt to do so. I ask him what procedure is in place to remedy the situation if she can't. He tells me that I would need to call back on Monday and he would put me in contact with the claims rep as she would know how to resolve the situation.
So here we are. I'm over 2 months into my new computer purchase and regretting every minute of it. My capture cards are sitting on a table, still in their packaging, inert and unused. I wonder if they will see any use before the cable companies phase out analog signals completely...
I do not feel hopeful that I will receive any assistance from my claims representative on Monday, considering the nature of her letters it implies that FedEx just does not want to pay what they owe me for the damaged components of the computer. In the one online purchase I have made since this fiasco started I willingly suffered a delay of one day so that my package could be shipped via UPS instead of FedEx (the UPS pickup had already been made for the day). I am not certain that UPS has a better policy than that of FedEx but I do not want FedEx receiving any more money on my behalf if at all possible. I also recommend that everyone out there thinks long and hard when choosing a shipping company. I have had excellent experiences with DHL and UPS in the past.
I also learned an interesting fact from a friend. He apparently worked at the warehouse which handles all the packages shipped through FedEx for the local area. Packages travel down a conveyor belt and are pulled off at different spots depending on their final destination. For the city I live in the packages are pulled off at the very end of the belt. Frequently these packages fall off onto the cold cement beneath. I now wonder why they don't just place a matress at the end of the belt to save the falling packages. Most of the guys working in the warehouse, when he worked there, were between 18 and 24 getting paid decent money and did not care in the least about the safety of the packages they were handling because there was no incentive. Firings were frequent and there were very few long term employees that worked the night shifts in the warehouse. Makes me think that I am not alone.
I called FedEx a couple days ago to learn that no letter had been received and that my file states my claim was denied. I email the eBayer and he doesn't reply. So I send the email as a reply to one he sent me, thinking that my first one may have been caught in a spam filter, still no reply. Today I contact FedEx again and I tell the rep that I received a letter informing me that I cannot negotiate the claim because I am the receiving party, lo and behold he is completely aware of this fact and tells me about the letter of waiver.
[This implies to me that their script specifically tells them to avoid mentioning this to recipients who receive damaged goods until the recipient mentions it to the representative. Also note that the claims representative, knowing I was the recipient, sent me one letter that told me I had to submit documentation but did not mention that the shipper needs to submit a waiver...]
I ask this representative what to do if I can't contact the original shipper and he says that my claims rep would attempt to do so. I ask him what procedure is in place to remedy the situation if she can't. He tells me that I would need to call back on Monday and he would put me in contact with the claims rep as she would know how to resolve the situation.
So here we are. I'm over 2 months into my new computer purchase and regretting every minute of it. My capture cards are sitting on a table, still in their packaging, inert and unused. I wonder if they will see any use before the cable companies phase out analog signals completely...
I do not feel hopeful that I will receive any assistance from my claims representative on Monday, considering the nature of her letters it implies that FedEx just does not want to pay what they owe me for the damaged components of the computer. In the one online purchase I have made since this fiasco started I willingly suffered a delay of one day so that my package could be shipped via UPS instead of FedEx (the UPS pickup had already been made for the day). I am not certain that UPS has a better policy than that of FedEx but I do not want FedEx receiving any more money on my behalf if at all possible. I also recommend that everyone out there thinks long and hard when choosing a shipping company. I have had excellent experiences with DHL and UPS in the past.
I also learned an interesting fact from a friend. He apparently worked at the warehouse which handles all the packages shipped through FedEx for the local area. Packages travel down a conveyor belt and are pulled off at different spots depending on their final destination. For the city I live in the packages are pulled off at the very end of the belt. Frequently these packages fall off onto the cold cement beneath. I now wonder why they don't just place a matress at the end of the belt to save the falling packages. Most of the guys working in the warehouse, when he worked there, were between 18 and 24 getting paid decent money and did not care in the least about the safety of the packages they were handling because there was no incentive. Firings were frequent and there were very few long term employees that worked the night shifts in the warehouse. Makes me think that I am not alone.
A brief interlude, if you will
Point #1
I just want to take a moment to discuss this asinine policy that FedEx has. This guy had better luck than I did in getting his claim resolved but hit the same brick wall. Considering the fact that he was lied to blatantly by a representative of FedEx, there seems to be a pattern forming in the ethics department.
Lets look at this policy from a logical perspective. When a commercial customer of FedEx is involved it is completely rational. The receiving party would contact the people they bought the product from, inform them it was damaged in shipping, and they would receive a replacement and return the damaged goods. The commercial customer would then negotiate a claim with FedEx and get reimbursed for their damaged merchandise. All fine and dandy. But what about people that ship items they sold on eBay that don't carry inventories but use eBay as a garage sale?
When I paid for the computer I paid $250 plus actual shipping and handling charges. When the eBayer cashed my money order the computer no longer belonged to him and he was contractually obligated to ship it to me. A contract which he fulfilled. He is in no way obligated any further. But if he was a contracted agent of mine, paid and acting on my behalf, shipping goods that already belonged to me wouldn't that make me the original shipper since the ebayer was acting in proxy on my behalf?
I am no law expert but it strikes me that this policy does not make sense in the case of eBay sellers and similar consumer users of FedEx. The more I think about this infuriating policy the more it seems to be an unethical barrier to prevent legitamite claims from being processed.
Point #2
Now lets take a look at the package itself, it was dropped from such a great height that it literally tore the box open, got through several layers of packaging material, and continued on it's way to damage the front plastic facia. In the process creating such a jarring impact that the PSU was functionally destroyed.
Had there been no exterior damage or had the box not been retaped by a second party it could be said that a FedEx employee wasn't aware that there had been a potentially damaging fall. However a FedEx employee was obviously aware so it becomes a question of why they do not have a system in place to mark packages that have been knowingly damaged in transit? It would both expedite and validate legitimate claims not to mention make it seem as if FedEx actually cared about the quality of the service they provide. However this entire situation makes me feel as if FedEx intentionally avoids paying claims in this fashion in order to boost profit margins at the expense of their customers. It is common but it should not be acceptable. I think it is the type of behavior that can lead to punitive damages in civil litigation.
I just want to take a moment to discuss this asinine policy that FedEx has. This guy had better luck than I did in getting his claim resolved but hit the same brick wall. Considering the fact that he was lied to blatantly by a representative of FedEx, there seems to be a pattern forming in the ethics department.
Lets look at this policy from a logical perspective. When a commercial customer of FedEx is involved it is completely rational. The receiving party would contact the people they bought the product from, inform them it was damaged in shipping, and they would receive a replacement and return the damaged goods. The commercial customer would then negotiate a claim with FedEx and get reimbursed for their damaged merchandise. All fine and dandy. But what about people that ship items they sold on eBay that don't carry inventories but use eBay as a garage sale?
When I paid for the computer I paid $250 plus actual shipping and handling charges. When the eBayer cashed my money order the computer no longer belonged to him and he was contractually obligated to ship it to me. A contract which he fulfilled. He is in no way obligated any further. But if he was a contracted agent of mine, paid and acting on my behalf, shipping goods that already belonged to me wouldn't that make me the original shipper since the ebayer was acting in proxy on my behalf?
I am no law expert but it strikes me that this policy does not make sense in the case of eBay sellers and similar consumer users of FedEx. The more I think about this infuriating policy the more it seems to be an unethical barrier to prevent legitamite claims from being processed.
Point #2
Now lets take a look at the package itself, it was dropped from such a great height that it literally tore the box open, got through several layers of packaging material, and continued on it's way to damage the front plastic facia. In the process creating such a jarring impact that the PSU was functionally destroyed.
Had there been no exterior damage or had the box not been retaped by a second party it could be said that a FedEx employee wasn't aware that there had been a potentially damaging fall. However a FedEx employee was obviously aware so it becomes a question of why they do not have a system in place to mark packages that have been knowingly damaged in transit? It would both expedite and validate legitimate claims not to mention make it seem as if FedEx actually cared about the quality of the service they provide. However this entire situation makes me feel as if FedEx intentionally avoids paying claims in this fashion in order to boost profit margins at the expense of their customers. It is common but it should not be acceptable. I think it is the type of behavior that can lead to punitive damages in civil litigation.
The second letter
I receive the second letter on 3/15/07, 15 days after sending mine via certified mail. This new letter, in spite of my instructions, was again addressed to the old apartment. Thankfully the post office will forward mail for 6 months so I still have quite a bit of time left for them to send mail to the wrong address.
Everything sort of unravels here. Rarely do I feel like destroying something but after reading their reply I wished there was a punching bag available. It took me, all in all, 5 hours to calm completely. I was, in my naivete, anticipating vindication. What I received was pointless aggravation.
I understand FedEx making the claims process difficult otherwise there would be people out there making a business of abusing it. However when they create a policy that arbitrarily makes the recipients of their packages suffer I no longer understand it to be an effective deterrent.
What was it that so upset me? Why I'm sure you've notice the bold Lie #n:By omission interjected here and there. They, by policy, refuse to negotiate a claim with a recipient until the original shipper sends them a letter of waiver which also authorizes me, the recipient, to pursue the claim. So nearly 2 months after purchasing the computer I contact the original seller again and ask him to send off a letter to that effect to the claims rep that has been assigned to me.
He responds quickly that he shall do so the following day. I am still irritated but cooling down a bit. I still suffer under the delusion that this matter will be resolved neatly in as timely a fashion as is now possible. Of course I forget that people rarely do anything when money isn't involved, and it seems my 100% positive rated eBayer did not feel highly motivated to send the letter...
Everything sort of unravels here. Rarely do I feel like destroying something but after reading their reply I wished there was a punching bag available. It took me, all in all, 5 hours to calm completely. I was, in my naivete, anticipating vindication. What I received was pointless aggravation.
I understand FedEx making the claims process difficult otherwise there would be people out there making a business of abusing it. However when they create a policy that arbitrarily makes the recipients of their packages suffer I no longer understand it to be an effective deterrent.
What was it that so upset me? Why I'm sure you've notice the bold Lie #n:By omission interjected here and there. They, by policy, refuse to negotiate a claim with a recipient until the original shipper sends them a letter of waiver which also authorizes me, the recipient, to pursue the claim. So nearly 2 months after purchasing the computer I contact the original seller again and ask him to send off a letter to that effect to the claims rep that has been assigned to me.
He responds quickly that he shall do so the following day. I am still irritated but cooling down a bit. I still suffer under the delusion that this matter will be resolved neatly in as timely a fashion as is now possible. Of course I forget that people rarely do anything when money isn't involved, and it seems my 100% positive rated eBayer did not feel highly motivated to send the letter...
The first letter
So 2/21/07 arrives and I become rather excited when I see a letter in the mail from FedEx. My ire rises slightly when I see that they ignored what I told the CS rep about moving and mailed it to my old apartment, but mistakes happen. As I read the letter I become disappointed and finally irritated.
Lie #3: By Omission
It's a form denial letter stating they have not receive written documentation of my claim. Towards the end it says "Once we receive the documentation, we will be able to complete our investigation and determine if FedEx is liable for your claim, and if so, for what amount." Basically in the time I was twiddling my thumbs and this letter was being forwarded I could have been arranging the documentation of my claim. I contact FedEx again and get another CS rep who walks me through the process of finding the claim form on their site (since I'm still blocked from creating one and the link is not obvious). It almost seems like they intentionally hide it, but who knows.
[I want to point out that I was polite and at times downright friendly with these reps. I know what it's like to have a job you don't like (one of the reasons I'm in school still) and they didn't drop my package. Even after I realized that I had been knowingly misled I still did not take it out on the reps.]
Aggravation after next, I knew claims would not be a walk in the park but who knew they would make you walk up hill for something that was obviously their fault. I toe the line and document the value of the case and the PSU, using multiple products from Amazon and NewEgg. I print them out, average the values, add them up along with tax and a shipping estimate to get $206.29. Dual fan PSU's still aren't cheap, especially 500 watt ones. I also include more pictures than those already provided as well as a detailed account.
In my detailed account, in big bold letters at the top, I write my new address and tell them to address all correspondences to that address. At the top of this huge stack of documentation I place the form that I got from their website and mail it all off via certified mail on 2/28/07 (I also began formally documenting everything).
Now the waiting begins, they say it can take 7-14 business days from date of receipt for a reply to be sent... In my case it only took 15 total days before I heard from them again and suddenly it became clear that not only was this a system of hoops but also an unethical practice aimed at deterring recipients from receiving compensation for their damaged items.
Lie #3: By Omission
It's a form denial letter stating they have not receive written documentation of my claim. Towards the end it says "Once we receive the documentation, we will be able to complete our investigation and determine if FedEx is liable for your claim, and if so, for what amount." Basically in the time I was twiddling my thumbs and this letter was being forwarded I could have been arranging the documentation of my claim. I contact FedEx again and get another CS rep who walks me through the process of finding the claim form on their site (since I'm still blocked from creating one and the link is not obvious). It almost seems like they intentionally hide it, but who knows.
[I want to point out that I was polite and at times downright friendly with these reps. I know what it's like to have a job you don't like (one of the reasons I'm in school still) and they didn't drop my package. Even after I realized that I had been knowingly misled I still did not take it out on the reps.]
Aggravation after next, I knew claims would not be a walk in the park but who knew they would make you walk up hill for something that was obviously their fault. I toe the line and document the value of the case and the PSU, using multiple products from Amazon and NewEgg. I print them out, average the values, add them up along with tax and a shipping estimate to get $206.29. Dual fan PSU's still aren't cheap, especially 500 watt ones. I also include more pictures than those already provided as well as a detailed account.
In my detailed account, in big bold letters at the top, I write my new address and tell them to address all correspondences to that address. At the top of this huge stack of documentation I place the form that I got from their website and mail it all off via certified mail on 2/28/07 (I also began formally documenting everything).
Now the waiting begins, they say it can take 7-14 business days from date of receipt for a reply to be sent... In my case it only took 15 total days before I heard from them again and suddenly it became clear that not only was this a system of hoops but also an unethical practice aimed at deterring recipients from receiving compensation for their damaged items.
Spoke too soon
Lie #1: By Omission
I call FedEx to find out how to initiate a claims process. I tell the representative over the phone exactly what happened and what was broken, she told me to keep all the packaging materials and not throw anything out until the claims process is completed. She also told me to got the website online and initiate the claims process...
As soon as I get off the phone with the rep the computer crashes which is very strange considering it does not even have an OS installed. I find my Linux install CD and try to boot the computer but it wont do a thing. I flip the PSU switch off and pull the plug. I move the computer to look around on the inside and in the process of moving the computer I hear a rattle. I think, "Oh crap, I just arc'ed the board." Nope, that plastic tab I said was floating around inside the computer... No loose metal.
I am a bit concerned at this point with the mystery but I haven't given up. I power the comp back up after plugging it in again and it starts up fine. I even begin the install process when it crashes again. Once again the power button isn't working... So I flip the PSU off then on again and I can start it up. It becomes apparent that the computer shuts itself off faster and faster the warmer it is. Based on the power button not working until the PSU is cycled I figure it must be the PSU overheating. The eBay seller had a 100% feedback rating and I emailed him asking (as well as explaining the situation with fedex) and he replies telling me it was working fine when he shipped it.
Well it seems their system wont let you initiate a claims process once one has already been started. Since the representative started the claims process for me their website wouldn't let me start the process nor would it let me view anything about it because in order for you to do that you have to initiate the claims process on the website. After a bit of effort at trying to find a way to start the process I give up and call back. One thing to be said about their phone maze is that it is fairly short and I always get a representative within 30-60 seconds.
Lie #2:By Omission
The next representative tells me to wait until the claims department contacts me, I tell this rep about the problem with the computer and they add it to my file. So I go along with my life waiting for a contact from the claims rep. This all happened on 2/14/07, the next contact I had was a letter received on 2/21/07.
I call FedEx to find out how to initiate a claims process. I tell the representative over the phone exactly what happened and what was broken, she told me to keep all the packaging materials and not throw anything out until the claims process is completed. She also told me to got the website online and initiate the claims process...
As soon as I get off the phone with the rep the computer crashes which is very strange considering it does not even have an OS installed. I find my Linux install CD and try to boot the computer but it wont do a thing. I flip the PSU switch off and pull the plug. I move the computer to look around on the inside and in the process of moving the computer I hear a rattle. I think, "Oh crap, I just arc'ed the board." Nope, that plastic tab I said was floating around inside the computer... No loose metal.
I am a bit concerned at this point with the mystery but I haven't given up. I power the comp back up after plugging it in again and it starts up fine. I even begin the install process when it crashes again. Once again the power button isn't working... So I flip the PSU off then on again and I can start it up. It becomes apparent that the computer shuts itself off faster and faster the warmer it is. Based on the power button not working until the PSU is cycled I figure it must be the PSU overheating. The eBay seller had a 100% feedback rating and I emailed him asking (as well as explaining the situation with fedex) and he replies telling me it was working fine when he shipped it.
Well it seems their system wont let you initiate a claims process once one has already been started. Since the representative started the claims process for me their website wouldn't let me start the process nor would it let me view anything about it because in order for you to do that you have to initiate the claims process on the website. After a bit of effort at trying to find a way to start the process I give up and call back. One thing to be said about their phone maze is that it is fairly short and I always get a representative within 30-60 seconds.
Lie #2:By Omission
The next representative tells me to wait until the claims department contacts me, I tell this rep about the problem with the computer and they add it to my file. So I go along with my life waiting for a contact from the claims rep. This all happened on 2/14/07, the next contact I had was a letter received on 2/21/07.
I get my package
So I goto the wharehouse and pick up the package. The process is fairly straightforward. When they bring out the box I notice that it looked as if it had been dropped. It was so bad that there was a complete tear on one of the flaps.
The original shipper taped the box with duct tape and the tear had been taped with clear packing tape so it was fairly obvious it happened while FedEx was handling the box.
I figured I'd take the computer home, make sure it worked, and if it didn't it would be fairly straight forward to get FedEx to replace an item that they damaged. In the meantime my capture cards arrived in excellent condition.
I open the box and the first thing I notice is the amount of packaging. There was foam, bubble wrap, and those packaging bags of air. I thought I was safe in spite of this brutal crease on the inside corner.
So I hastily unwrap my computer and to my dismay I find there's a small problem. The corner that the box was dropped on corresponds to a nice size crack in the front plastic facia. The fall was so bad is broke a few plastic tabs and sent them floating throughout the case.
So I look around inside and make sure everything is where it should be and firmly in place while checking for metal screws that could cause damage. After plugging in the power and the monitor I turn the machine on. It goes through the CMOS initialization... I cross my fingers... and it gets to the screen that tells me the boot record is empty. I jump for joy, the machine still works!
The original shipper taped the box with duct tape and the tear had been taped with clear packing tape so it was fairly obvious it happened while FedEx was handling the box.
I figured I'd take the computer home, make sure it worked, and if it didn't it would be fairly straight forward to get FedEx to replace an item that they damaged. In the meantime my capture cards arrived in excellent condition.
I open the box and the first thing I notice is the amount of packaging. There was foam, bubble wrap, and those packaging bags of air. I thought I was safe in spite of this brutal crease on the inside corner.
So I hastily unwrap my computer and to my dismay I find there's a small problem. The corner that the box was dropped on corresponds to a nice size crack in the front plastic facia. The fall was so bad is broke a few plastic tabs and sent them floating throughout the case.
So I look around inside and make sure everything is where it should be and firmly in place while checking for metal screws that could cause damage. After plugging in the power and the monitor I turn the machine on. It goes through the CMOS initialization... I cross my fingers... and it gets to the screen that tells me the boot record is empty. I jump for joy, the machine still works!
Why I'm Here
Back in late December I started toying with the idea of creating a MythTV setup. For those that don't know, MythTV is similar in capabilities to a Tivo-like device but much more flexible because it is based on a Linux platform. I decided to start searching eBay for a good computer that I could base my setup on. I'm a college student and my budget is tight but I decided that with the little extra money I had I would buy a computer and two capture cards and then add on more components to my "home theatre" as the funds became available.
After searching on and off for around a month I found a used Athlon XP 2400+ based machine with a fair amount of ram, an excellent power supply, and a 250 GB hard drive. Not top of the line now but it was pretty close to it when new. I avoid Semprons and Celerons like the plague. I place a bid for $250 and I win!
This is where my headache starts. I very specifically tell the seller that I am moving and to ship the computer to a relatives house. I included these instructions in both email correspondences and with the money order I sent to him. Like an idiot I left the address on my eBay account at the apartment I was moving out of. I change it when I move but that was after the shipper had already sent the package.
So on the 14th FedEx tries to deliver, realizes the house is empty, and sends me a notice. At the same time I contact FedEx and try to ascertain where my package is and when it will arrive. The representative I contacted took down my address and said the package will be rerouted to my new house... It wasn't.
I call three more times before I find out that I have to pick up the package from our local FedEx wharehouse...
After searching on and off for around a month I found a used Athlon XP 2400+ based machine with a fair amount of ram, an excellent power supply, and a 250 GB hard drive. Not top of the line now but it was pretty close to it when new. I avoid Semprons and Celerons like the plague. I place a bid for $250 and I win!
This is where my headache starts. I very specifically tell the seller that I am moving and to ship the computer to a relatives house. I included these instructions in both email correspondences and with the money order I sent to him. Like an idiot I left the address on my eBay account at the apartment I was moving out of. I change it when I move but that was after the shipper had already sent the package.
So on the 14th FedEx tries to deliver, realizes the house is empty, and sends me a notice. At the same time I contact FedEx and try to ascertain where my package is and when it will arrive. The representative I contacted took down my address and said the package will be rerouted to my new house... It wasn't.
I call three more times before I find out that I have to pick up the package from our local FedEx wharehouse...
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