August 5 2020

USA FedEx: BLACK HOLE

chenry 2020 Year 7, July

PART ONE

Our friend living in California had been planning on visiting us in Ecuador. He was going to bring some items for us. However, then the Unwanted Chinese Export arrives and we determined it was just not worth the risk for him to travel. So after 9 months of waiting for our friend to visit us, we agreed to transport the items to us by FedEx. Then the items would be sent to another shipping company in Florida that would ship to us directly in Ecuador.

There were two boxes one arrived and the other vanished into the FedEx Black Hole.

The package that did arrive in Florida had the shipping label barely attached. So we thought somehow the missing box must have lost the shipping label. We could track the package was picked up in Santa Ynez, California, and checked in and left Santa Maria, California but the tracking ends there. NOTE: the shipping destination was also handwritten on the box!

We filed the required online claim document along with copies of our receipts of the items being shipped. We really just want our box instead of claim dollars. I thought we would receive an email notification that our claim was received. That is not their process you have to go back into their online system and begin to fill out another claim and then a message pops up that a claim has already been filed. Whew! so at least I know they received the claim documentation. I even took a screenshot in case I needed it later.

Trying to contact a real live person with FedEx is a challenge but trust me it can be done. I tried the automated artificial intelligence robot but was just led me in circles. It did not like the questions I was asking and kept suggesting other nonrelevant questions for me to ask. So I searched on the internet and found out how to speak to a “real live “FedEx” person.

Here was what you do: Dial 1800 463 3339 (1) first say “give me options” (2) at the first prompt say, “even more options” (3) at the second prompt say “it’s something else” (4) after that you need to stay on the line and the automated phone system will connect you to a live customer service agent from FedEx. Yippee!! I ended up speaking with two different agents and each one tried to be helpful. A third agent called us at home that afternoon and I explained what was in the box, size, weight and that perhaps the shipping label had come off since the package that made it to Florida label was nearly detached from the box. I informed the agent that another label was inside the box.

So this is what the FedEx System has recorded the box arrived and was picked up at the Santa Maria, CA, and left we are guessing to Bloomington, FedEx but that is the end of their tracking. I wonder how many boxes left the Santa Maria FedEx with a loose or missing label? If so how many boxes were just sitting around unclaimed at another location or still on the truck? The last agent that I spoke to said they would look but usually, these boxes were never found. What! How is this possible.? She made it sound like it was not uncommon. She told us they would search and call us back with an update today.

Waiting, Waiting, Waiting.

So did someone purposely remove the label? Was the box now stolen and not just missing? Has FedEx tried to establish a pattern of how this is possible? Did they talk to the driver or the receivers at the last stop the package was checked in and then vanished into the black hole? It really makes me suspicious when the last agent said they rarely find the missing packages. So that implies that it is not uncommon. Come on someone has our package. The agent promised to call us back today on our US telephone to give us an update but that did not happen.

The reason this package is important to us is that it contains diabetic testing materials and supplements for our blind diabetic dog that are not available in Ecuador.

So I just have to chalk it up to not using or trusting FedEx again. So now I will have to place an order with UPS to get my dog’s testing materials quickly. I Hope UPS is more competent.

I will update this blog if the package is ever located.