1. Trying to obtain a specific beer? Looking for a proxy or trustee? Tired of trading on other platforms? We've got you covered. Join our Beer Trading community to unlock this forum and new features! — Todd, Founder of BeerAdvocate

Package miss delivered - what next?

Discussion in 'Trade Talk' started by Mista, Jan 11, 2013.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. Mista

    Mista Initiate (0) Nov 10, 2011 Minnesota
    Trader

    I've been chatting with another BA about his first 5 trades on BA and unfortunately this situation has come up. He was sent a box in trade and the FedEx tracking number states that it has been delivered but he has not been able to locate the box. It either

    a) grew two feet and walked off
    b) it was miss delivered to another house
    c) .............let's not go there

    anyways who is responsible in this situation if the carrier cannot locate said box. Is he SOL? Is the shipper responsible? How have others of you resolved this situation. I personally use to put indirect signature on every package, the added $2.xx for peace of mind was worth it to me when i send out boxes ranging from $60-$200 in beer but have since stopped doing so after 100+ trades without any problems - knock on wood. I receive all my packages at a business address and personally wished others could too. It's cheaper to ship to and signature is free.

    Back to the topic on hand. How have others of you resolved this issue of one party not receiving their end in a trade?
     
  2. rowingbrewer

    rowingbrewer Maven (1,396) May 28, 2010 Massachusetts
    Trader

    Have him check with neighbors. one of my first 2 or 3 trades i did was listed as delivered and the recipient had me worried because he told me it was not there. he went up and down the street and asked a few neigbors and found it on a neighbors porch.
     
    claaark13 likes this.
  3. xnicknj

    xnicknj Initiate (0) May 25, 2009 Pennsylvania

    same thing happened to me. i walked up and down my street looking for it - turned out the driver had dropped it like 4 doors down.

    also had another situation where a package was brought to the wrong distribution center (i think that's what it's called). the sender had to contact FedEx NUMEROUS times to get them to locate the package, pick it back up and actually bring it to the right location. that was a huge pain in the ass for everyone, but i eventually got the box about a week+ later.
     
  4. cbeer88

    cbeer88 Initiate (0) Sep 5, 2007 Massachusetts

    Absolutely go around knocking on neighbors doors, though it's probably not a great sign if they haven't already brought it back to him. When was it supposedly delivered?

    Also check similarly named streets, and nearby streets with the same street number. (i.e. if you're at 1252 Main St, also check 1252 West St two blocks over...)
     
    claaark13 and AleWatcher like this.
  5. JohnGalt1

    JohnGalt1 Grand Pooh-Bah (3,796) Aug 10, 2005 Idaho
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    If it was today or yesterday, call the local hub and have the driver run a trace.
     
  6. Mista

    Mista Initiate (0) Nov 10, 2011 Minnesota
    Trader

    It's not my package, i have already linked the BA user to this thread. He is new to trading and i was curious what the protocol is when something like this happens.
     
  7. Cooper925

    Cooper925 Initiate (0) Feb 18, 2012 Indiana

    The FedEx website had a status of "delivered" and left at front door. When I got home there was no package and immediately called FedEx and they opened up the case. The next day they called me back, got details about the appearance and location of the house, and said they were going to contact the driver. I checked the neighbors porches and saw nothing. A few days later fedex said they contacted the driver and he said he left it at the right house. At that point they pretty much said I was out of luck. The shipper later contacted FedEx and they told him they had already put a trace on. It's been over a week and still nothing. I live in a very family friendly area so I find theft hard to believe but I guess anything is possible. Maybe it did grow feet! Needless to say I'm pretty bummed...
     
  8. cbeer88

    cbeer88 Initiate (0) Sep 5, 2007 Massachusetts

    Have you checked nearby similar addresses yet? There is a very good chance it was just sent to the wrong street.
     
  9. match1112

    match1112 Initiate (0) Mar 2, 2011 Illinois

    I've had this happen before, and like cbeer88 has suggested, the box was left at East Oakland instead of West Oakland. Hope you have the same luck that I did!
     
  10. Alieniloquium

    Alieniloquium Grand Pooh-Bah (3,800) Dec 16, 2008 Florida
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    No one has really answered your question so far. They just have great faith that the box will magically reappear. As much as it would be nice that the box appear, it has been over a week now. I would be out checking my neighbor's recycling bins for empty bottles of my missing beer.

    Regardless, my view is that the original sender of the absent box in question will make good on the trade.
     
  11. cbeer88

    cbeer88 Initiate (0) Sep 5, 2007 Massachusetts

    Box ever turn up?

    Not sure how you come to that conclusion. IMO it's really a case by case basis. Particularly here, with Fedex insistant that the box was delivered correctly, it's entirely possible that the box was just stolen off his porch. It's really up to the recipient to provide a safe address for delivery. If the sender enters the address correctly and uses a reputable trackable carrier (i.e. Fedex or UPS), there's literally nothing more they could have done.

    That said, in a situation like this the nice thing to do would probably be to just go halfsies on the costs of another box, but only shipping to a different address with signature required.
     
  12. Mista

    Mista Initiate (0) Nov 10, 2011 Minnesota
    Trader

    I'll have to message the guy to see if it showed up or not. Yeah this is a tough one. There is a huge grey area on who is at fault. This is just a bad situation in general and sucks that it happened on this users 5th trade.
     
  13. Alieniloquium

    Alieniloquium Grand Pooh-Bah (3,800) Dec 16, 2008 Florida
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    I'm the sender and I'm gathering some replacement beers right now.
     
  14. Mista

    Mista Initiate (0) Nov 10, 2011 Minnesota
    Trader

    I didn't mean to call anyone out. I was just curious as to what the community does when this happens as the sender could have done everything right and some jackass come steals the box off someones porch or the fedex driving miss delivers it and just claims they did correctly (god knows this never happens..........)
     
  15. Alieniloquium

    Alieniloquium Grand Pooh-Bah (3,800) Dec 16, 2008 Florida
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    You didn't call me out. I don't know what the official protocol is either, but I'm not going to let Steve go without getting some beer for the money and effort he put into sending me a great box.
     
  16. Cooper925

    Cooper925 Initiate (0) Feb 18, 2012 Indiana

    I really appreciate Alieniloquim's handling of this situation. I imagine there are a lot of people out there who would have said oh well not my problem. He's been very helpful with calling FedEx and trying to work things out and being generous enough to replace the lost beer. Having said that I by no means expect it and was not trying to get a sympathy vote by posting in here. It sucks but I in no way blame the shipper or think he should be held responsible. He did what all other shippers have done that I have traded with. There is no reason he should have to obtain more beer (hard to come by stuff, at that) to fulfill the trade.

    I can assure you I live in a safe location. With the uncertainty of when things will be delivered I really can't stay home from work and wait on boxes all the time. I had boxes delivered every other day that week from ups and found them on my porch so I never expected this would happen. A buddy I work with that lives about an hour away said the police arrested an out of town guy for following delivery trucks around and swiping packages when people didn't answer the door in his neighborhood. Did this happen in my situation? No clue, dont think ill ever know, but it goes to show it can happen anywhere. People get a little extra desperate during the holidays.

    Anyway, thanks for the responses and again thanks to alieniloquium for the generosity he has shown. All the BA members I have dealt with have really been class acts and as a newer member it's been greatly appreciated!
     
  17. evilc

    evilc Initiate (0) Jan 27, 2012 California

    I don't think there is a gray area at all on who is at fault, at least when it comes to the shipper who is absolutely 100% not at fault.

    How the hell could it possibly be the shippers fault that a box got stolen off your porch?

    Reshipping is the nice thing to do and is probably what I'd do, but I sure hope it wouldn't be "expected". Protocol my ass! Just like mandatory extras!
     
    marine1975 likes this.
  18. Mista

    Mista Initiate (0) Nov 10, 2011 Minnesota
    Trader

    Valid point.

    I know our company typically tries to replacement miss shipped product to keep the customer happy regardless of who is at fault. I know that is a totally different situation and these beers may or may not be replaceable.

    I'm just curious what the general consensus is in the BA community when crap like this happens. So it's up the the recipient to provide a safe address for the shipper to ship to. I can accept that as i always use my work address and wish more people did so i wouldn't have to worry about packages not showing up. That and it's cheaper to ship to commercial addresses and signature is free.
     
  19. Cooper925

    Cooper925 Initiate (0) Feb 18, 2012 Indiana

    I agree but sometimes it's just not possible to provide a "safe address". I work somewhere where it would be 100% unacceptable to have personal things delivered and don't have anyone who is nearby who can be home all day to receive a package that may or may not arrive. I work an hour away during the day monday thru friday. The best I can do is my parents house who work across the street but I still need to monitor a tracking site and let them know its on the porch. We have had packages left on the porch hundreds of times with no problem,not even a misdelivery,so this never even crossed my mind.

    I don't think it should be protocol that the shipper is responsible for this. It's case by case. If the shipper doesn't want to replace, I completely understand. If they do, well ill make sure beer karma comes their way for their kindness.
     
    Mista likes this.
  20. jamvt

    jamvt Savant (1,126) Aug 5, 2005 Massachusetts
    Trader

    Have it shipped to the closest FedEx shipping center and pick it up.
     
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.