So my dad went to SF for vacation and stopped by Russian River for me and grabbed some beer. He bought two shippers while he was out there and I gave him some labels to put on the boxes. So only one of the two arrived and the other didnt update once it got to Fedex in South San Francisco which was two weeks ago. I called Fedex and they want to know what was in the boxes because the label most likely came off. So to make it even more interesting, the one that I did receive said right on the box this box contains alcohol. I have no idea why a wine store in SF would sell a box that Fedex and UPS are both going to confiscate but it is what it is at this point. Anyone have any suggestions on what I should tell Fedex is in it or if I should describe the box accurately? I am thinking this box is probably gone but I wanted some suggestions before I call and really start putting pressure on them. I know I can say collectible bottles but if they have to open the box they are going to see the beer. Thank you!
How are they going to find the box if you don't tell them what is in it? "Olive oil and BBQ sauce." "Sorry sir, we have a box with a lot of great beer, but no oil or BBQ sauce." I don't think they'll care what's in the box, they need the info to find it. It doesn't sound like the box was confiscated, especially since you got 1 of 2, so just describe the box as best you can and hope for the best.
Agreed with @ASak10. I don't know why you'd think not telling them what is actually in the box will help them locate it? You'd be doing yourself a severe disservice.
I am just reaching here... Really dont want to lose a case of beer and was wondering if anyone had been in a similar situation and had something clever. I realized the answer was probably no and I just need to come clean but I figured it was worth a shot. Thank you for your responses!
It really depends on what outcome you are looking for here. A) You say it is beer and they do locate it, the box will most likely be returned to sender. Now in this case I know you are the sender and receiver. Did you use your address for both on the label? If so, the box has a pretty good chance of getting sent to you. If not the box is likely going back to whatever address you used. B) You say it is beer. They can't find it and it really is lost forever. Now because you said it was beer you can't submit a claim on it. So you get nothing <- Not optimal outcome IMO. C) You say it is something else. Whatever the hell you want to say it is. They can't find it, lost forever. You can file a claim for up to $100. You at least get some $ back. A & C sound good to me. B, not so much.
It was my understanding that for claims $100 or less no documentation is necessary (receipts, etc). But for claims above that you need to provide documentation. Is that not accurate? I made a claim on a box that got lost en route to TX. I said it was VT products (not beer) and got reimbursed for $94, which was my cost, but of course I had no documentation to prove it.
When I shipped from SF, the lady at fedex saw the alcohol label on the box and asked if it I was shipping alcohol. I said no. And she covered up the label for me. Good luck.
I think a fedex employee just got a nice gift of beer from you. I had something similar happen recently except my well packed box was broken in route when it was returned only about half the items were still in the box. I could understand one or two bottles breaking, but I was missing cans as well. Then of course I get a nasty gram from fedex for attempting to ship alcohol.
Just to help out anyone who is searching... Here is what ended up happening. I told the trace department that it was beer in the box and they tried to locate it and couldn't. And I heard some strange things from them about the legality of shipping beer. One of them actually said it was ok to ship wine but not beer. They told me to fill out a claim form. I put on the claim glassware or something along those lines and never sent in any supporting documentation. I just got a check for $100 + freight charges from Fedex. It was about $150 of beer but at least it isn't a total loss.
I shipped 2 cases recently from SD from myself to myself the day before I left for home. Upon arriving home I received a phone call from FedEx in SD telling me they discovered I was sending beer. They then stated they could not forward it and I had 20 days to retrieve it or they would destroy it. Basically stated they saw the boxes had organic flavored vinegars on them and stated they were suspicious so they opened the 2 boxes. When I asked why I couldn't ship beer to myself they stated it was illegal to send beer through FedEx unless you were a contracted shipper. Luckily I have friends who retrieved it. Still trying to figure out how now to get it to me, as well as trying to get my FedEx charges refunded.
Flavored vinegars just sounds suspicious. Just like in had my box opened by ups for putting down lava lamps. I think hot sauce and salsa or olive oil seem to be safer bets but regardless they shouldn't be opening boxes willy nilly. The guy at me fed ex wanted to open my box because he kept telling me I probably didn't pack it good enough and he wanted to re pack and make sure it was done properly. I assured him I had packed it extremely well and he never opened it but I was convinced when I left the store he was going to open it and re pack it anyway. Also funny story, last time I was in fed ex I was shipping a big box and the same guy was helping a lady next to me as I was getting my box weighed. He was talking to a lady about her fragile stickers and told her the drivers and workers don't pay any attention to them and if anything it makes them toss them around more, he proceeded to tell her the best way to avoid a broken mess is to pack like this guy and he points at me, picks up my box (as it's getting weighed) shakes it around up and down, drops it on the ground, kicks it around and puts it back. Obviously everything arrived to my recipient safely and I always pack extra tight but I saw first hand why everyone should so the same. Thankfully he didn't notice the sloshing when he had his way with my package. Long story short, or still long. I still get nervous shipping beer, even if its done hundreds of times a day and nobody has gotten in serious trouble over it.
