Fed Ex woes...

[Percher]

Put in an order to IPSF for their $100 mix and match deal and when the package arrived it felt very warm. When I opened the package the contents were extremely warm, borderline hot. Something didn't seem right but I went through the drip acclimation process that I do with all my corals/fish/inverts anyway.

Two of the four sand bed clams were DOA.
Half of the Nerite Snails have perished.
All of my amphipods were DOA (I consider this the biggest loss since they were a bigger part of my reef than the other livestock).

This is in no way a dig on IPSF. Their packaging was top notch. Styrofome, triple bagging, etc. I just wish there was a way to put these kind of orders in and not have Fed Ex cook my packages. I think their base from where they ship to my house is inland and the packages sit in trucks in the sun (or something).

Should I only place orders that are going to go through FedEx in the winter time?

This isn't the first time I've had a heat issue with items shipped by Fed Ex. I had a tablet delivered for my daughter 2nd day delivery from Amazon a while back and the box felt warm and when I actually went to take the tablet out of the packaging it was literally too hot to touch. Needless to say the internal components were fried/melted so it had to be shipped back. I've had a bicycle shipped FedEx as well and it was also extremely hot when it arrived (hard to cook a bicycle tho).

 

[marfuerte]

+1 nothing good to say about Fed ex; contrary to many people on these boards I ship USPS and UPS. I mail stuff/ship stuff to my kids on the East Coast all the time with USPS or UPS with no complaints.

 

[laverda]

Most live good shippers offer guarantee's for these situations. The should have also used cool pack in the shipment this time of year.

 

[reefish123]

Sorry to hear about your situation.


I have recieved damaged bicycles from Fedex, boxes almost seem like they are thrown around therefore afew scraches here and there. Thank God my supplier really takes care of business. On another positive note, Delivery guys are really friendly.

 

[KWoo008]

Depending on origin and destination, a lot of Fed Ex packages are delivered to Memphis, their central hub, before reaching their destination. Depending on what type of serviced is used, packages can sit "exposed to the elements" for a number of hours before being loaded onto another flight. Responsible shippers should always account for the temperature at the hub by using heat or ice packs accordingly. The average heat or ice packs are often exhausted by the time it reaches the destination anyway. Knowing this, I would avoid order any livestock during the summer or winter unless I know for a fact that the seller is an experienced shipper with a known track record.

 

[slief]

The should have also used cool pack in the shipment this time of year.

That is correct! It's not like Fed Ex, let alone UPS drive around with refrigerated trucks. They also have no control over the weather and don't have climate control in the back of their delivery vehicles.

The shipper should have included cold packs in the shipment. Without those, there is absolutely no way to insure that the livestock will stay cool during transit. Especially with shipments going to warmer enviornments like So. Cal.

If I were you, I would have contacted the shipper immediately upon receipt of the shipment to let them know that the livestock arrived with exceedingly warm water and DOA's. If you have not done so yet, I will contact them ASAP and share your concerns and send them some pictures as well.

 

[ViPeR_930]

+1 for ice or heat packs

 

[dodgerblew]

You can also ask for a "hold for pickup at fedex location" instead of home delivery and bypass the delivery truck step entirely. They will call you when package arrives at facility in early morning and you just drive over and pickup without it sitting in hot or cold truck all day. I have a fedex/kinkos a few miles from my house and ship it there

 

[GreshamH]

You can also ask for a "hold for pickup at fedex location" instead of home delivery and bypass the delivery truck step entirely. They will call you when package arrives at facility in early morning and you just drive over and pickup without it sitting in hot or cold truck all day. I have a fedex/kinkos a few miles from my house and ship it there

Quite often it's the Tarmac temp that does it, but having held at the facility truly is the best option.

I was in Vegas a couple weeks ago for a tradeshow. As we pulled into the gate, I saw fish boxes siting on the Tarmac... It was 106 out.

I ship perishable packages around 200 times a week with FedEx and ups. FedEx has far less issues than ups.