cancelling trade while box is in transit...

Discussion in 'Trade Talk' started by glitchedmind, Jul 20, 2012.

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  1. glitchedmind

    glitchedmind Initiate (0) May 8, 2012 California

    Need some opinions on this....
    I set up a trade last weekend for a growler and a few locals. I took the box down to the local fedex pickup Sunday, where they apparently did not pick up until Wednesday afternoon.
    I was unaware of this problem until the recipient contacted me and was wondering if I was seeing anything more on my end than he was on his. I called the office and was informed that FedEx had not picked the packages up. I was given the "we will correct this issue" answer after some heated words and that was that. The receiving date had not changed, so I assumed it was actually corrected as they told me it would be.

    Fast forward to today. The trader contacted me and said the receiving date was moved to the 24th, and that was "absolutely unacceptable" to him and I needed to contact FedEx to resolve the issue or cancel the shipment. FedEx said theres nothing that can expedite the shipment once its already on the truck heading across country. Right after i got off the phone, they called me back and informed me that the recipient had called and had them return the box to sender.

    Am I wrong in thinking that we have no control over the shipping once its dropped off at the shipping company? And that a trade can not have any arrival time guarantee, unless the recipient is willing to pay for the expedited and guaranteed arrival window.

    I'm fortunate in that I was able to possibly reroute it (but I have to stay on top of it and call to make sure the box doesnt go out for delivery) to another recipient, but more than likely i will still be out the shipping and the cost of the growler. Spending a week or more in the back of a truck can not be good for the quality of a growler, and I have a feeling a replacement will have to be shipped out.

    Am I off base for being completely pissed right now? I think its totally a shitty move to be made on his part.
    Sorry for the long rant....out of the numerous trades Ive made on here, this is my first negative experience.
     
  2. Levitation

    Levitation Initiate (0) Aug 7, 2009 California

    sounds like a bad situation, but there isn't a clear villain here, except fedex. and sometimes that's the risk you take in trading.
     
  3. jaheussner

    jaheussner Initiate (0) Dec 25, 2008 District of Columbia

    The only way I could see this being "completely unacceptable" is if the recipient had specifically stated that the box needed to arrive by a certain date. If (s)he made no such demands on the front end of the trade, then you're well within your rights to be annoyed.

    Edit: I understand that the growler complicates things here, but if the contents of the growler were so fragile that they couldn't withstand a few extra days of, admittedly less than ideal conditions, they shouldn't have been shipped in the first place. Shaun Hill strikes again!
     
  4. Msquared2

    Msquared2 Initiate (0) Jul 28, 2011 North Carolina

    Did he really use the term "absolutely unacceptable"? If so, you should tell him his attitude is "absolutely unacceptable." Isn't there some coloquialism about "getting more bees with honey" or "don't be a dick"? It's a crappy situation but it isn't as if you did it on putpose. There should be some level of understanding on his part.
     
    ericwo likes this.
  5. sukwonee

    sukwonee Initiate (0) Dec 13, 2011 Washington

    I agree with your point of view generally, but I wonder though....

    did the trader explain why it was unacceptable that the package was delayed until Tuesday?

    Maybe he had a tasting set up for the weekend or other reasons and he had to have the beers on time or

    Maybe what's in the growler had to be fresh? (although I would say this one is a bit of a weak excuse)

    Regardless, I don't think you're off based for being pissed off.
     
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  6. glitchedmind

    glitchedmind Initiate (0) May 8, 2012 California

    all that was stated was that he'd "like to have it in hand by Friday". No specifics were given as to the reasoning behind it.
    Generally, coast to coast, if shipped on Monday is a Friday, or Saturday delivery. I've seen both, and I've seen longer.
    I've traded growlers before, and knowing the conditions theyd be going through accepted the risk involved.

    The only real villian is FedEx, but I still think its a complete dick move on his part. The worse part, is he appears to be a fairly reputable trader.
     
    BigGene likes this.
  7. kbuzz

    kbuzz Initiate (0) Jan 22, 2011 North Carolina

    I think everything leading up to him actually canceling the delivery and having it returned was within reason. He didn't even give you the opportunity to try to make it right. Shit happens...but him refusing the box to me is the equivalent of him trying to say this was your fault...which it clearly was not.
     
  8. Levitation

    Levitation Initiate (0) Aug 7, 2009 California

    i think that's key.

    well, think of it from his side. "the guy claimed he dropped it off sunday, but it didn't start moving until wednesday, and now he wants me to eat the cost." for all he knows you didn't even drop it off until wednesday because you didn't care.
     
  9. biglobo8971

    biglobo8971 Initiate (0) May 6, 2010 Minnesota

    to answer a question posted about delivery service.
    Once the package is on its mode of transportation (i.e plane, rail, truck) it is impossible to get the service changed. The reasoning? your package isnt the only one on that plane/rail/truck. So they wont endanger the many for the one. How hard is it to find my package on the truck? Not necessarily hard, but very time consuming. Transpo companies will pack a trailer to maximize profit per run, i.e pack and stack. They might front fill the trailer from your shipping location and stop at another shipping location to back fill the remaining trailer for the end destination. For instance, if you ship Fedex in MN, it will go to KC and get either trans loaded, or the trailer will get maximized and will then head to its destination. It sucks, but it helps keep prices lower.
     
  10. glitchedmind

    glitchedmind Initiate (0) May 8, 2012 California

    I want my beers the next day. So, if stating when I'd like the receive the package is key, it's up the the sender to ensure it gets there when I want?
    If he wanted it by Friday, and I didnt actually drop it off until Wednesday, why would I have even gone through with the trade? It would have been a lot less hassle to be up front with him and tell him that wasn't possible. I'm fairly sure he would have understood.

    It should be noted though, that this isn't the first time this particular location hasn't been picked up for repeated days. It's the second time, and the first time cost me a lot of money.
     
  11. mishuggah

    mishuggah Crusader (482) Jul 14, 2009 Illinois
    Trader

    Sounds like you need to find a new location.
     
    mdvatab, LambicKing, ncaudle and 7 others like this.
  12. peteinSD

    peteinSD Initiate (0) Apr 25, 2010 California

    I think your trade partner confused beer trading wirh closing escrow on his house. Sounds like a douche.
     
  13. silentjay

    silentjay Initiate (0) Nov 25, 2008 Massachusetts

    Well, then, fool me once, shame on you... fool me twice....

    If you entered into a trade and knew he needed it by a certain day (maybe he's going on a business trip or vacation or something and won't be able to receive the packager...whatever its none of my or your business), why would you drop it off at a location that you KNEW doesn't pick up for a few days.

    If both boxes are just being returned, all you are out is shipping, and that's partly your fault from what I'm reading.

    cutting it close to begin with and then dropping it off at a location that you knew was not picked up frequently??? I think he has more right to be complaining about the situation than you.
     
  14. Pahn

    Pahn Initiate (0) Dec 2, 2009 New York

    eh. the "absolutely unacceptable" part might be reasonable, but i'd be a little irritated if he didn't emphasize how important the timeliness was to begin with (or at least gave me a reason why it's unacceptable; e.g. "i'm moving / going on vacation, didn't mention b/c i thought package would be here by now, etc etc").

    if it were me on the receiving end of the trade, and you sent some hot shot growler that really should be drank fresh but fedex fucked it up and got it to me in greater than a week, i'd be a little disappointed but i wouldn't blame you or call off the trade... that said, if i was really so hardcore about the growler and its freshness, i'd probably ask you to overnight and either make sure the trade was lopsided or paypal you some money or something.

    (in truth, i probably wouldn't trade for a growler, but who knows?)
     
    cavedave likes this.
  15. shuajw

    shuajw Pundit (830) Aug 12, 2007 Georgia
    Trader

    This. I take everyone of my trades to the same FedEx/Kinkos location and I know that at the end of the day it will be on it's way to one of a few distribution points and will be anywhere east of the Mississippi in two days.
     
  16. Retail1LO

    Retail1LO Initiate (0) May 4, 2011 Pennsylvania

    If someone says they need it by a certain day, and you agree...you're on the hook. The same way you're on the hook if you bombproof a box and the truck it was on ends up at the bottom of a river. Boxes are your responsibility until they land at your target's porch, intact. Shit deal? Absolutely. However, that's how it goes. Whether you shipped too late, or FedEx shoved it up your ass...it didn't arrive in the time frame upon which the deal was predicated. Sorry for your loss, bud. I feel for you.
     
  17. Retail1LO

    Retail1LO Initiate (0) May 4, 2011 Pennsylvania

    If he said "absolutely unacceptable" how should he have emphasized how important the timeline was? LOL I think the words he used were pretty explicit. Why it's unacceptable is immaterial. He has his reasons, and regardless of what they are, you either agree to deliver or decline.
     
  18. Pahn

    Pahn Initiate (0) Dec 2, 2009 New York

    the point is that he said it after the box was in transit.
     
  19. kbuzz

    kbuzz Initiate (0) Jan 22, 2011 North Carolina

    pre-shipment he said he'd "like to have it by Friday". Last time someone said that to me, I followed up with the hypothetical "what if it doesn't get there til Saturday or Monday?" to which the reply was "no big deal"...in this case, it apparently was...
     
  20. Retail1LO

    Retail1LO Initiate (0) May 4, 2011 Pennsylvania

    Yeah, well...if you don't state that it's important until it's in transit, then oh fuck well. Is that definitively the case? I can't imagine making a stink if you orchestrate a trade, then suddenly declare added importance after shit's been agreed upon and the box has been dropped.
     
    pmarlowe likes this.
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