Insurance claim for shipping damage for Fedex

I have had good success with insurance claims with Fedex. Twice they have paid for damage, twice for situations where there was even no visible box damage but the item had clearly been dropped. But be aware that their criteria for packing is that the item is dropable from a given distance (e.g. 3 feet) without damage. You have a really good case if you can show abuse on their part. If the packing was bad to start, your chances are alot less. Just be sure to be courteous in your dealings, and hopefully things will work out for you.

I just successfully received a claim from Fedex this week. The keys in my opinion are:

1)ABOVE ALL, carefully inspect the package before you open it. Take photos of it before, ,and during unpacking. Take photos of the damage. If the driver is still there and you notice damage to the package - tell him to note it in his log. And you should make a note next to your signature.

2)Keep all of the packaging intact as much as possible. You'll need to show it to them.

3)Normally they only deal with the shipper. If you're the receiver you may want to manage the claim and will need the shipper to send you a letter of authorization to handle and receive the claim payment.

4) Fill out their forms clearly and completely. You'll need a bill of sale, and repair quotes documented. Follow up by phone to make sure they received them and they have everything they need (I had to re-fax some info twice). Be a pest, though polite

5) Evidence that the damage was caused by their improper handling needs to be compelling. Spell it out for them. That is, you need to be able to show it was packaged properly, and that there is evidence of mishandling.

6) A claims processor will call you and tell you to re-package the item in it's original package and they will have someone pick it up for inspection. Insist they send an inspector to your home so you can show them the damage. Explain it's fragile and expensive electronics. If you give it to them, you may not see it or your money again. UPS did this one time for an amp that had a bent corner on the face plate. The denied the claim and returned the amp to me with a matching bent corner on the other side.

Keep following up to find out what the status it.

Hear Hear Bdgregory. Good advise about documentation, documentation, documentation. Get them involved each step of the way. Be respectful (it's probably refreshing for them!)

Wtam try this link
http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?ddgtl&1133631472&read&keyw&zzfedex+claims

Never had any problems with FedEx, but UPS was very difficult to work with. The unit they damaged was not paid for until six whole weeks after it arrived. FedEx has not damaged one of my packages yet, knock on wood!

BEWARE OF FedEx SHIPPING INSURANCE
BEWARE OF FedEx SHIPPING INSURANCE COVERAGE, They will "Fight you tooth & nail" to reduce any claim presented to the lowest possible amount or at best a dealers cost equivalent. Amazingly, special items such as custom order's & specially manufactured one of a kind type item's are reduced to a pitiful minimum $100. amount with their liability. Not insurable for the additional value as would be appropriate. People pay every minute of every hour of every day to insure these things & find themselves in a rude awakening the day the talk with FedEx claims dept.
I have been an Audio enthusiast all my life and transaction with Audiogon 10 years & Audiomart the old used hi-end audio classifieds mail catalog long before that. I have a current dispute on a clam with FedEx with a New $3700. Martin Guitar, which was badly damaged & FedEx refuses to pay the value on the Claim.
I now realize I face the same problem with any expensive audio equipment I ship through them.
The following letter describes the current state of affairs regarding the claim.

To whom it may concern:
Regarding my contact with Mrs. Liz Mahoney for FedEx Claims, who is a supervisor for FedEx Claims, above the initial claims represenitive a Mrs. Veranda Tucker who lied to me saying she approved the claim at full value, & arranged to pick the guitar up with a call tag for salvage, afterwhich I found my claim was denied in a letter 10 days later. I thought was going to be the check. All this just started me from scratch all over again on the claim.

Anyway due to Mrs. Mahoney's final ultimatum which she presented me with November 9th at 3: PM PST, which was " if I did not provide my personal invoice & original documents by the close of business Wed. Nov. 15 they would return the damaged guitar back refusing my claim with FedEx ground ".

After I reluctantly produced my documents in order to maintain the claim, I was dumbfounded when after 6 calls to reach Mrs. Mahoney 11-17 She tells me" In a delighted tone" that She just contacted Martin Guitar on my behalf, in "My Name", requesting them to sell me another DC28E Guitar at dealer cost, in order to resolve her problem with the FedEx claim. Which was actually on a brand new back ordered specially hand selectied guitar they damaged over 3 months ago.

I say badly damaged because the guitar, brand new, was packaged inside New Martin Factory Box secured with heavy 2" staples & inside that box it was in a brand new heavy Martin hard shell case. Understanding that, this guitar must have been Badly Slammed somehow in order to completely crack the top spruce face of the guitar inside the box, inside the case.

So, She asked Martin to do this supposedly to help replace the One that FedEx damaged three months ago. I had to endure hearing she's called Martin involving them in repairing a problem which was no one else's fault but FedEx. But all she was after really was finding a way to Discount the claim my guitar.

Like I've explained the original Guitar was from a different point in time, shipped with a totally different value. Now the fact is Martin has had time to catch up on the back orders since it began production when there was no way to fill the large numbers of pre-order's on that model. Also, Martin does not sell direct as she would have you believe, any replacement guitar would have to be purchased thru a retailer such as McCabe's guitar or another guitar shop. It would be way more expensive & you also pay tax. But as shown in my records, the original guitar they damaged was specially hand selected by experts at the factory. They will not be able to get that from a retailer. This idea to set the value of my guitar in this rude, improper, underhanded, & possibly illegal way, "based on the fact that she was using my name & making deals without my permission", is ludicrous!

The audacity of this woman to pressure a Special Company like Martin to help resolve a claim problem that which was no fault theirs, is outrageous!

The Martin Co., of course, is going to accommodate people in every way because they are a service oriented, accommodating company, one of the last old fashioned companies left with real representatives that actually answer the telephone. This company still has a real sincerity & consideration for people & their customers.

To me it's like Mrs. Mahoney is a criminal who doesn't want to pay this claim, but has no problem asking the Martin Co.so as to reduce their obligation they'll have pay pay out on the claim. All this based her request using my name & relationship with Martin. This she had no right to do, whatsoever!

She is not me, She is an "office worker" at FedEx Ground..

Then, as if that wasn't enough she slammed all she's had done to discount my claim in my face & rubbing it in as hard as she could, as if to say that's what she had planned for me to get & not one penny more! She has maintained a certain rudness that this issue made it up the latter to her desk, all along!

In addition I have noticed this whole time with this claim, that I have consistently been treated me with a this nasty attitude that all this is problem is my fault & my bad problem, when the whole ordeal I'm going thru here is a 100% FedEx's fault for their outragious handling & damaging of the package.

In addition, this in total disregard for what I've explained to FedEx over & over again, about that the value the guitar having already been sold & paid for "In Full", but then damaged at the point of delivery. This having nothing to do with the original accommodation purchase price.

This was a one time special accommodation purchase with Martin Guitar at a point when the guitar just started production. It was heavily back ordered, & not available to new buyers for many months?

FedEx has consistently ignored all the special circumstances & procurement this guitar at that time.

Then this whole time I'm lied to, tricked, cheated, badgered, insulted over & over, time after time, & all that going on for 3 months now.

When Liz is saying they were about to send the guitar back & refuse my claim.

Last but not least, this is the only claim I've had with my FedEx account in over 10 years, but all the shipping problems & inadequacies I've dealt with night and day using them haven't stopped. They've been as steady PG&E. I've have had to nurse shipment's along when they'd get things wrong risking transactions based on the shipment timing

The bottom line is it was insured for $3700. Because, that was the value of the guitar when it was transported up to San Francisco.

Bearotti, I haven't had any experience with FedEx but I agree that UPS stinks when it comes to insurance claims. They completely destroyed a tywriter I sold on Ebay for $40. It took forever to get the claim and when I did get it, it didn't include the $75 shipping fee. I was steamed.