WARNING about FedEx in Vermont

Sounds like your account or address is known? Have you tried escalating with FedEx beyond the local guy?

Just shipped a 12 shipper via FedEx on Tuesday and it made it out of VT without issue.

 

Could smell this coming. Way too much press & chatter on beers coming & going around here. Such a small market, figured it was only a matter of time before they either started cracking down, or even stealing shipments. Too tempting for some to ignore, I'm thinking. Maybe once the holiday bubble pops, things will resume more normally, but wouldn't be surprised if your shipment(s) turned into someone at FedEx's Christmas bonus.

 

Try shipping through your business/work address.

 

I completely agree and sucks to no end for your losses on the shipments. But in reality.....

It's not legal, in the grand scheme of things you have no leg to stand on.

 

FedEx in VT sucks. A while back I had three boxes returned to sender (undamaged) and one of them was missing a vintage Upland Kiwi and Gilgamesh when it got back to my trading partner. I don't get fedex packages to my house anymore, but know several traders in the area who have had no problems as of late.

I've also, thankfully, had no problems with outgoing boxes.

 

That's why in have a dummy business account with UPS. I have never had a single problem since switching to them. If you do any kind of volume their price is much better.

 

I sent a few poorly packaged bottles to a friend via UPS. One of the bottles broke. UPS repackaged the remaining two and returned them to me with a letter apologizing for the damage and suggestions on how to better package bottles in the future. I still have the letter.

I shipped them from work. We have 80 locations in New England and are a large UPS customer. Maybe that's why they acted they way they did.

 

Have never had anything but heartache dealing with FEdex up here.. This doesn't surprise me in the least.

 

Someone at FEDEX in Williston is really trying to make a name for himself. Not one of packages that they refused to deliver to me had any breakage or was poorly packaged. When the sender gets notification that the package is being returned I run over to the office to pick it up and the answer is always, we need to return it as it is improper.

Give me fucking break, scold me and tell me not to do again and give me my damn box. Instead waste peoples money, waste your own time and effort when your return ship the box to the sender. I hope someone from FEDEX reads this post, because I do spend a couple of thousand dollars ayear shipping and they get nothing because of a pissantshippingnazi.

On the other side of the coin, UPS has been trouble free, never refused to deliver a package(even puts them in my shed without even being asked).

 

Had a box get on a truck to my house and was returned to sender at the very last minute. My friend who sent it is in MI and he used his work Fedex account, and got a letter from legal. Kind of his own fault for 1) not packing it very well and having something break and 2) using his work account, but it means I don't get any Bell's

So maybe they are cracking down all over and not just VT, or maybe they just felt they couldn't ignore beer leaking all over their truck.

 

Personally, I don't get it. Their business is to ship stuff. As long as the box is intact I don't see why they should care at all. They are making their money and doing their job. Not their job to go out of their way to find out what is in a box. If it breaks and leaks, OK, I have no issue with returning to sender or even trashing it, we all know that is the chance we take. But otherwise, ship the damn thing.

I typically go with UPS as they have been a little cheaper but have done a couple by FedEx without issue. After reading this I may just go UPS all the way. Thanks for sharing all the info.

 

Have one coming back to me today as Improper Shipment - got all the way from MI to CA and now coming all the way back - FED EX.

Really curious if there's anything actually wrong with it now - haven't had an issue yet but this box will be re-packaged and will go out UPS fo sho.

 

@chippo33: in what area of VT are you located?

Bummer to hear about all the negative experiences, however, mine have been the complete opposite. (Probably jinxing myself by saying this)

99% positive experiences with FedEx. Almost half a dozen instances where either a driver or someone at the Williston office went out of their way to save/repackage/etc an incoming box for me.

The majority of my UPS experiences have been negative. Multiple lost packages, misdelivered packages, personally witnessing a UPS driver park his truck on the side of the road and toss a box (from inside his truck) 20 feet into my yard and then drive away, etc.

Happy New Year and safe shipping everyone.

 

I have a few issues with FedEx recently as well. I had a box from CA get all the way to me only be flagged as improper shipment and get sent all the way back to CA. I should add the box was sent from a FedEx approved alcohol shipping account with the proper stickers and whatnot on the box. So it's strange that it would have been rejected as I've ordered from Cascade online a bunch of times without any issues and they had the same stickers.

I also have had boxes I was sending out x-rayed at my local distribution center and returned to me calming beer cannot be shipped. I'm pretty sure my FedEx account is flagged and have since then stopped using FedEx in favor of UPS.

 

I always stuck with UPS. I've never trusted Fed-Ex.

 

Damn, FedEx has always been my go to. If shit keeps up I'll be switching to UPS