Shipping Exception - Damaged in Transit

Is FedEx randomly scanning boxes? I've had no problem with them before. After a thead I read over the winter about X-ray scanning boxes going to/coming from Vermont, I decided to switch up and use UPS. If that is the case, I know what I will be using from now on.

 

Fed Ex just bent me over yesterday. Sent a 48 lb well packed box that got "damaged" and was "not salvagable". I tried to pin them down by asking if it could be picked up at the local center by my partner and they said it can't be delivered or picked up by anyone because it contained beer or wine. They wouldn't even send it back to me as they said it can no longer be transported due to "FDA regulations". Lady did tell me I can file claim for the $130 that they stole. Honestly, I hope some asshole is drinking it because it makes me sick to think of all the perfectly good bottles going into dumpster. I think I screwed up by not muffling the sound better. Was hard to do with a case and a half of beer though. Going to break it up this time to make it lighter and quieter as to not draw any attention, and go back to UPS

 

I think I need to get a job at FedEx, then I won't need to trade away beers to get really good stuff, just wait for it to come to me...

 

Just typed this in a email but are you guys taping it up in a nice strait line or are you taping that thing up like you got into a fight with the tape dispenser? I was told by the fedex guy to do the later, not only do you want to box for protecting breakage but I pack to make it such an effort to open that box anyone who wants to search it going to spend some time doing it.

 

^^^^This^^^^

My recipients have offered to send me rolls of tape to make up for difference in costs. I tape the SHITE out of a box.

 

And that's just the outer box! I show the inner box no mercy either, when it comes to packing tape.

 

I just had the same thing happen to me (damaged in transit). Never ever had this happen before after many trades...Package is supposedly being shipped back to me so we will find out Tuesday. I'll let everyone know.

 

I'm not really sure if that works. I tape my boxes up very well, especially the bottom. When mine was discovered and returned to sender, they simply used a knife to open the bottom of the box (to avoid cutting the original label), the retaped it without much care. If your trade partner can open it, they can do it just as easily from the bottom.

 

Did they have to cut through one box or two? Not saying my plan is 100% full proof, but I pretty much wrap the entire box in tape

 

I sent a box out to CA last week that was maybe filled with 75 bucks worth of beer, packed everything in a old wine box, double bagged it, put that in another box, then stuck all of that in a big larger of a box. 28 pounds from WI to CA cost me about 26 bucks but I slept well know it would take a small bomb to get in there to look at anything

 

I only did box inside a box once and decided that it was overkill so like others, this was only 1 box. Apparently they scanned it and saw there were "bourbon" in the box. I was shipping 1L swing top growlers. They cut the tapes and ripped through 2 layers of trash bags to see the "containers" inside cardboard Spirited Shipper. They didn't even take anything out, just taped it back up, and return to sender.

My very first shipment broke. Scared me into packing stuff much, much better subsequently. Been alright every since and I think I figured out the happy medium between not enough and over packing between shipping and receiving. My main concern is leaks and leaks from breakages. As long as I have 2 layers of liquid containment (ziploc and contractor trash bag), I sleep very well at night

 

Same here. Got a call from my buddy in CA saying that the tracking says it's being sent back. We called customer service and they said they will hold it for him until he gets off work. I'm ok with a bottle or two breaking, but I don't want to have to reship it. Shit, if half the bottles broke I'd still be okay. Now I get to wait in agony until he picks it up.

 

Well my trader picked up the box. One bottle of Coffee Noir was absutely crushed. He said the box was brown from the beer, but they let him pick it up. Props to FedEx for not tossing everything.

 

Absolutely. I think it would surprise a lot of people here to see how much breakage occurs at breweries and distributors

 

Update on my own package... it was sent back to me.. completely repackaged by FedEx....one of the bottles was gone (an extra)... and there was definitely some small signs of leakage on the other bottles in the box... but the major bottles involved in the trade were just fine... I guess I will just re-pack and re-send...but I may try it with a different carrier this time

 

I just got a damaged in transit Return. Sent two boxes- one to NY state and other to VT. NY made it fine, same exact beers. VT returned. Was on truck for delivery too! They resent in new outer box with wet, bottom trashed original interior box wrapped in clear "Hazardous Materials" lol bag. Surprised nothing damaged on transit back b/c packaging job didn't seem too great. All original contents returned. 3 bombers from La Cumbre made it fine but 3 of the 4 cans of Hefe look like they imploded. Return slip noted "No adult signature for alcohol". Not sure what happened or if i'll get a nasty gram or charge for return. We'll see. At least i got em back but I'm gonna drink em due to long journey and resend some another time. I won't be sending Hefe's and I'll bag my cans from now on too.

 

Update from above. Got a reimbursement check from fed ex for total claim amount. I didnt really pad it at all other than a few bucks for packing materials since there were not any real big whales or old cellar items. Probably should have put a value on my gas and time in acquiring it all twice and the hour I spent packing each time. Didnt want to get greedy since I wasnt sure they would give me anything outside of freight back. I have since been successful 2 more times with ups. 4/4 vs 0/1 for what its worth. I do think that laying them all down instead of keeping vertical created too much sloshing noise, hence drawing attention to 38 bottles.

 

Holy $hit, 38 bottles in a shipment seems an awful lot. I´d consider 12 to be plenty, although that´s from an international point of view. Still, I wouldn´t expect to get away with more than a case, even in the US.

 

About a year ago I started double boxing everything with a nice layer of peanuts in between, even if it's in a shipper it gets double boxed. If the Fed Ex guy wants to get into my shipment he has to get through two boxes and a bunch of paking peanuts.

 

Wow, just had an exception come over on one of my boxes. In VT too! Made it all the way from WI to VT, and then that. The box was a sixer wine shipper. Gonna wait it out to see if I get it back or not. Thankfully, was only $50-60 worth of NG sours and random IPA's so the money isn't a huge issue. Still sucks though..