Packages gone wrong?

[big D]

Nope, no horror story. Just a few questions. Past discussions seem to lead to good luck collecting on something damaged. So is insurance more about something which has gone missing? Just bought a knife and @ashy2classy told me that I would have to sign for it because he has had bad experience's with missing packages. No problem. However pretty rare that I have to sign, but far far rarer is that the driver sticks around for me to sign.. Such was the case again this morning. Heck, didn't even get a doorbell, knock on the door, or even to this moment, a has been delivered text. So after dealing with postal if nothing comes of that, what has been the outcome between seller and buyer. Seems like a very awkward situation.

 

[Simply]

USPS/UPS/Fedex really changed their outlook on signatures once Covid hit, it’s been hit or miss which is a shame because it’s not the service you requested.

 

[Corradobrit1]

Some will just leave the package and take a photo showing it was delivered.

 

[esoo]

Basically, insurance is for the package in case the carrier loses it or damages the contents. Insurance pays back the shipper, who then has the obligation to reimburse you. Good & Services is meant as a layer of buyer protection if the good is not as described, the sellers doesn't ship etc.

I agree signatures are best, but the carriers have become very lax since COVID. A picture helps, but it's not the same as handing it to the resident since porch pirates can still get it.

 

[Jovidah]

If the carrier doesn't ask for / fakes a signature, isn't that their problem? Aren't they supposed to be on the hook for anything you can throw at them at that point?
If I didn't personally sign it they have 0 way of proving they actually delivered it in the way that was requested. If they fake the signature or the delivery person signs himself they're committing fraud.

 

[esoo]

This is what Canada Post says about anything sent signature required:
https://www.canadapost-postescanada...company-updates/frequently-asked-questions#q4
Basically, nope. I wouldn't be surprised if you read the terms of the other carriers it is pretty much the same. They're not going to leave themselves open to legal action.

 

[Nemo]

Dunno what the insurance claims situation is like overseas. In the only insurance claim I have had to make, our local carrier gave a very good impression of wanting to make the whole process seem impossible.

Lots of excuses. Almost seemed as if they were trained to start raising them as soon as a claim was mentioned.

Make sure to take lots of photos of the well packaged item.

 

[ethompson]

Use a 3rd party shipping broker that uses carrier independent insurance - I like Pirate Ship, but there are others I believe - usually cheaper and the 3rd party insurance is massively easier to deal with when something goes wrong. As a baseline I ship with full insurance. Signature required is good for valuable items.

For very expensive boxes ($3-5k+) where insurance is exceptionally expensive I will often opt for overnight service. Usually the price is then a wash or even slightly cheaper vs $40-80 of insurance cost and you see far, far fewer issues with hyper-premium shipping services like FedEx, DHL, or UPS overnight.

I always take before pictures of contents and packaging these days too.

 

[blokey]

I hope everything goes right, he’s right requiring signatures because last time somebody took his package to me and ran, we have to split the loss…

 

[dragjp]

I always take after pictures of contents and packaging these days too.

And this is always required if you expect to file a claim. Though carrier (like Fedex) insurance was sucky last time when I had a stone delivered to me 'conveniently' as finger stones + powder, luckily the proxy's 3rd party insurance covered their butt.

 

[ashy2classy]

Use a 3rd party shipping broker that uses carrier independent insurance - I like Pirate Ship, but there are others I believe - usually cheaper and the 3rd party insurance is massively easier to deal with when something goes wrong. As a baseline I ship with full insurance. Signature required is good for valuable items.

For very expensive boxes ($3-5k+) where insurance is exceptionally expensive I will often opt for overnight service. Usually the price is then a wash or even slightly cheaper vs $40-80 of insurance cost and you see far, far fewer issues with hyper-premium shipping services like FedEx, DHL, or UPS overnight.

I always take before pictures of contents and packaging these days too.

The problem is that if they deliver the package, but to the wrong house and lost package investigations turn up nothing the insurer does nothing. I use Shippo and their 3rd party insurer easily got out of it because it was marked as delivered and we couldn't prove it was lost. It happened to me when I sent a knife to @blokey .

 

[tostadas]

Yea "theft" is not always covered by all insurance providers. Signature confirmation is annoying, and extra cost for the seller, but it helps to sorta fix that problem. I've also seen however that signature enforcement by the carrier is not consistent. Sometimes they have also just left packages at my door that require signature.

 

[ethompson]

The problem is that if they deliver the package, but to the wrong house and lost package investigations turn up nothing the insurer does nothing. I use Shippo and their 3rd party insurer easily got out of it because it was marked as delivered and we couldn't prove it was lost. It happened to me when I sent a knife to @blokey .

Yeah, that’s rough. You can do everything right and stuff still go wrong. Sympathies to you both

 

[superworrier]

Fedex (Express) "Direct Signature" is pretty strict. I think using something like Adult Signature Required tends to be more strict as well (because that's used for delivering alcohol). Anything else is pretty much worthless.

 

[big D]

USPS/UPS/Fedex really changed their outlook on signatures once Covid hit, it’s been hit or miss which is a shame because it’s not the service you requested.

Sounds about right from my experience's.

Some will just leave the package and take a photo showing it was delivered.

Seen this often enough, apparently the new norm.

I hope everything goes right, he’s right requiring signatures because last time somebody took his package to me and ran, we have to split the loss…

Split the cost----- Aside from a curiosity of others thoughts, that I don't see that a signature request really does much, this is what I was driving at. After the dust settles and one finds out that the carrier is not honoring a payment, what transpires between the seller and buyer. With you and ashy, the cost was split, and I was wondering if that would be typical, or if something else takes place.

 

[tgfencer]

Sounds about right from my experience's.

Seen this often enough, apparently the new norm.

Split the cost----- Aside from a curiosity of others thoughts, that I don't see that a signature request really does much, this is what I was driving at. After the dust settles and one finds out that the carrier is not honoring a payment, what transpires between the seller and buyer. With you and ashy, the cost was split, and I was wondering if that would be typical, or if something else takes place.

I don't think there is a standard typical response to this, as its very much down to the two people involved. If you're concerned, I'd suggest agreeing to something ahead of time, just in case. I'd think in most cases with members here you wouldn't have a problem coming to a solution that works for both parties.

I've experienced both sides of the coin. One of my packages was lost, the postal service was refusing the claim, so I eventually had to write it off as disappeared and I reimbursed the buyer. Luckily, the package showed up like three months later and he was honorable enough to tell me and pay me again. Flip side, I had a knife I bought get lost, with a delivery made, but obviously at the wrong house. The seller tried hard to locate it and figure out where it had gone and I visited nearby houses to ask if they'd seen it. In the end neither of us had any luck locating it or and he didn't get a claim. In this instance, he didn't offer to refund me or even talk to me about how to settle the outstanding money issue. As the knife wasn't crazy expensive, I didn't make a fuss, but I would have preferred to agree to it via a conversation.

 

[big D]

@tgfencer Nicely written, and makes sense. Thank you. Just a very mild discomfort on my part is all. Kind of figured I know that a package has been shipped to me that I asked for, so both of us are equally involved. Missing package is neither our fault and should be equally shared to my thinking. Just wondering of others felt likewise, and yes individuals are exactly that. Different thought process's.