Bad experience with FEDEX

[tomhorn1903]

I recently acquired a nice old Model 25-5 that had enough holster wear to make me want to have it re-blued. I took to my local FFL to be shipped to Boses Guns in Emerson, NE as they have an outstanding reputation. My FFL got a call from the manager of the FEDEX terminal in NE to inform her that the bottom of the box had been cut and the package was not the 6 lbs. it weighed at time of shipment. Asked FFL for permission to open the box and found the bubble wrap, my instructions to Boses re service requested but NO 25-5. It is obvious that a FEDEX employee between Texarkana, AR and Omaha, NE recognized what was in the box, cut the bottom and stole my 25-5. A**hole!!
Fortunately I had insured the package for $ 1,000 and should have my money by the end of next week.
Have any on the forum had a similar experience?

 

[Kadonny]

Wow, sorry to hear about that. I've always dreaded that, but luckily I've never had it happen. The one thing I do always do is put the gun in a hard case when shipping, that way you can't just cut the bottom of the cardboard and take the gun.

Hope the insurance comes through for you.

 

[murphydog]

Sorry to hear about this. Several Forum members have posted about similar incidents. FedEx supposedly requires handguns to be shipped Priority Overnight so this won't happen, but some people are just plain rotten. Glad it was insured.

Don't know if this was your situation, but when I send anything firearm-related (even payments) by mail or UPS/FedEx, I put a person's or initials of the business name for the address if it has "gun" in its name. Less obvious to prying eyes, I think.

 

[big&slow]

Fed Ex

This is another reason I don't want to send my no dash 686 to Smith for the re-call work.

 

[tomhorn1903]

Indeed. Daughter has the 686 CS-1 3" I gave her 20 years ago while she was in college. I told her not to let it out of her sight.

The hard case proposal is good as is the one re the address.

Thanks for your sympathies. I'll find another.

 

[ken158]

Be sure to file a police report so it can be entered into the system as a stolen firearm - you might not get it back but one day.... someone will have to do some explaining...

 

[JJEH]

Sorry to hear this. I hope they catch the guy/gal. At least you get your money back.

 

[Memphis]

tomhorn...urgent pm sent...please read.

 

[TAROMAN]

Local UPS driver who's a shooter himself advised that when shipping a gun, put 2 or 3 duplicate labels in different places on the box.
In the processing centers, thieves will have pre-made labels to stick over the legit one, thus diverting the item to a different address.
He said those centers are filled with gang bangers and other undesirables.

 

[DWalt]

"thieves will have pre-made labels to stick over the legit one, thus diverting the item to a different address."

I've heard that about UPS also, and wouldn't be surprised if it didn't happen with USPS. I sent some items out (not guns) via USPS parcel post yesterday, and found out they are now providing tracking numbers on ordinary PP.

By the way, 5 or 6 years ago, I did lose some quantity of ammunition I shipped back to Federal via FedEx. I traced it to Minneapolis, then it vanished without ever being delivered to Federal in Anoka. Federal tried to locate it from their end, but no luck either.

 

[Memphis]

Tom..I know you don't know or trust me per pm reply, but I am a 29 year FedEx trace agent. I beg of you to please either contact FedEx, me, or my manager. There are instances where sometimes contents get separated from packages and we have areas that such items go to. As I said per pm msg I may have located your revolver. I need you to get me serial number so I can match it up with what I think may be your gun. It may not be yours, but we won't know until we try. If you have already set up a trace for this one you can let me know your case number and I can work from that. It would be a shame if this is yours and we can't get enough info to match it up.

Roger

 

[W.E.G.]

That really sucks.

Nobody ever pokes holes in my Mitsubishi steering arm boxes.

 

[riverrat38]

I recently sold my Rolex Submariner watch via FedEx.
This was an approximately $3000 item. The company sent me a prepaid overnight label for an offer.
The packing instructions were interesting. They said that the watch should be double boxed. Seems some thieves use a long needle to probe the contents to "feel" what is inside.
It was recommended to add some weight like rocks to confuse thieves who know how much weight a boxed watch has.
And, like said above, the address should be very generic. Not "Larry's Fine Rolex Dealer"! The label had what looked like a home address to a private person.
Switching labels is a new one to me. Doing that with a firearm to a non FFL dealer would be a double crime as I see it.

Best,
Rick

 

[ArkieVol]

Not an uncommon occurrence in any freight handling agency. Handlers get pretty good at guessing the contents of packages and look for guns and jewelry...or DVD's.

Sent $200 worth of DVD's via USPS to a family member in Memphis (surprise, surprise!) and the top of the box was delivered minus the rest of the box and contents.

 

[silvershot]

That sucks to say the least.

Next time keep your gunsmithing work local, driving distance. I hated when I had to send a few of my guns back to the manufactures for free warranty work let alone sending one out for a service I could have had done locally.

 

[moosedog]

I gave up on Fed Ex years ago. I wouldn't trust them with a pair of shoes.
All the dope cases we worked used Fed Ex for delivery.

 

[03clyde]

Sounds like "Memphis" has info - and forum creds as well.

 

[oneounceload]

When I have shipped guns to either the factory or to someone's FFL, I leave ANY mention of "gun" or S&W or similar off the address label. Even S&W when they returned a gun to me had a return address of SAW Customer Service as the shipper

When I had to ship a gun to someone they wanted it to go to Joe's Gun Store or similar. I addressed it to the buyer C/O the FFL's actual name (not the store name). The clerk at the office looked up the address and could see what it was, but no one after that could until final delivery

 

[acs52]

brown truck

I ordered 1,000 rounds .45 from LAX AMMO. When Brown truck arrived for signature, driver said I got two packages for you to sign for. One heavy and one light. I look and one box was complete, closed at both ends with 500 .45 rds. Second box, open at one end, empty, just a sleeve with label and invoice. Driver said, not to accept and it would be returned to sender. I signed for the complete box( 500 rds.) Took pics of empty sleeve and called LAX Ammo. At any rate Brown truck lost empty sleeve. But LAX Ammo called and said they would deal with brown truck claims, and shipped a replacement, on their own so I would not have to wait for claims to settle!!...Stand up company...Sticky fingers all over......

 

[Elliott41]

When I have shipped guns to either the factory or to someone's FFL, I leave ANY mention of "gun" or S&W or similar off the address label. Even S&W when they returned a gun to me had a return address of SAW Customer Service as the shipper

When I had to ship a gun to someone they wanted it to go to Joe's Gun Store or similar. I addressed it to the buyer C/O the FFL's actual name (not the store name). The clerk at the office looked up the address and could see what it was, but no one after that could until final delivery

The last time I sent something to S&W they told me to address it to "SAW REP" and the street address. I guess we can't be too careful these days.

 

[05CarbonDRZ]

I recently sold my Rolex Submariner watch via FedEx.
This was an approximately $3000 item. The company sent me a prepaid overnight label for an offer.
The packing instructions were interesting. They said that the watch should be double boxed. Seems some thieves use a long needle to probe the contents to "feel" what is inside.
It was recommended to add some weight like rocks to confuse thieves who know how much weight a boxed watch has.
And, like said above, the address should be very generic. Not "Larry's Fine Rolex Dealer"! The label had what looked like a home address to a private person.
Switching labels is a new one to me. Doing that with a firearm to a non FFL dealer would be a double crime as I see it.

Best,
Rick

Just the pure fact that this many things must be done to "fool" the thieves at Fed-Ex is jaw dropping.They need to get their act together and FIRE these people!

EDIT:To the OP:Was the gun shipped priority overnight like Fed-Ex requires for handgun shipments? I have always assumed that if you insured your package with a handgun in it and did not ship priority overnight that when you filed a claim you would be SOL.

 

[TAROMAN]

Just the pure fact that this many things must be done to "fool" the thieves at Fed-Ex is jaw dropping.They need to get their act together and FIRE these people!

Probably some wizard MBA received a huge bonus for calculating that it was more cost-effective to employ low wage dirtballs and have insurance make up the losses for what they steal.

 

[rwsmith]

OUCH!

My FFL got a call from the manager of the FEDEX terminal in NE to inform her that the bottom of the box had been cut and the package was not the 6 lbs. it weighed at time of shipment. Asked FFL for permission to open the box and found the bubble wrap, my instructions to Boses re service requested but NO 25-5. It is obvious that a FEDEX employee between Texarkana, AR and Omaha, NE recognized what was in the box, cut the bottom and stole my 25-5. A**hole!!

I hope they catch that sucka.

 

[oneounceload]

Remember that most of the Fedex delivery personnel are contract employees (1099rs) and not direct employees, in the same vein that your Allstate agent is, so weeding out the bad ones might be hard to do

 

[RSBH44]

I ordered 1,000 rounds .45 from LAX AMMO. When Brown truck arrived for signature, driver said I got two packages for you to sign for. One heavy and one light. I look and one box was complete, closed at both ends with 500 .45 rds. Second box, open at one end, empty, just a sleeve with label and invoice. Driver said, not to accept and it would be returned to sender. I signed for the complete box( 500 rds.) Took pics of empty sleeve and called LAX Ammo. At any rate Brown truck lost empty sleeve. But LAX Ammo called and said they would deal with brown truck claims, and shipped a replacement, on their own so I would not have to wait for claims to settle!!...Stand up company...Sticky fingers all over......

Yup, brown truck employs thieves too. I'm currently in the middle of a claim for some ammo that got "lost" somewhere between Texas and NY go figure. eh?

 

[RSBH44]

The last time I sent something to S&W they told me to address it to "SAW REP" and the street address. I guess we can't be too careful these days.

Well, The cat's outta the bag now isn't it ?

 

[CAPops]

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Remember that most of the Fedex delivery personnel are contract employees (1099rs) and not direct employees, in the same vein that your Allstate agent is, so weeding out the bad ones might be hard to do
True for FedEx ground not regular FedEx most of their people are directly employed.

 

[gsparesa]

Unauthorized acquisition of customer possessions are the perks of the job? We see the same behavior in the airline industry with bag handlers. What ever happened to Integrity? Was this behavior always ignored and accepted as the way we do business? An insurance payoff is a method of ignoring the problem. Who do we blame for this essential character trait not being taught and accepted as a norm? Now point fingers...

 

[3rdRRU_PhuBai]

The FFLs I've used use USPS Priority Mail Flat Rate Boxes exclusively, never a problem.

 

[05CarbonDRZ]

The FFLs I've used use USPS Priority Mail Flat Rate Boxes exclusively, never a problem.

That is because most USPS workers get paid a fair wage with good benefits so they actually have something to lose.Theft is what happens when companys under pay employees,The employee "makes it up" on the back end with your goods.