Lost Fedex package and bearded dragon

[npgeorgeuw]

Shipped a juvenile bearded dragon with Fedex priority O/N. One night became three days became a lost package probably dead dragon. Obviously I made a mistake in shipping with them and based on other reviews I am going to highly recommend NO ONE on this board EVER ship with them.

I feel terrible and employees were NOT helpful in any way during this experience. I just got polite sorries and that it may show up someday at another shipping center.

 

[CooperDragon]

Oh wow that's awful! =(. Was the box marked to indicate there is a live animal inside? Perhaps an employee will see it and let the dragon out.

 

[AHBD]

Oh my, that's terrible ! If you had come on here before shipping I could have helped you. Even after it got lost, I might have been able to help you use your tracking # and the Fedex customer service who should have been hounded , you ask for a manager, bug them, etc. Do you have the tracking # and know the location ? Is it being shipped to a state that is cold ? The baby may still be alive if it's going to a warm state, or even a colder state [ but will definitely have a resp. infection.] You need to keep calling + ask them to track the package. Tell them it's an emergency and that it's a live animal ! If you get someone that says we don't ship live animals, tell them they certainly do. [ See the 2 websites I listed below that have accts. with Fedex to ship reptiles exclusively.] They do ship live animals all the time with no problem, so does UPS. It's REALLY out of the ordinary to lose a live overnight delivery.

If you ever ship again, use the reptile shipping companies, there are 2 of them.....reptilesexpress.com or http://www.shipyourreptiles.com

Either of those companies give you a discount and would have handled this right away. Remember to recoup the shipping cost since they did not deliver.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Oh no, that is absolutely horrible for the dragon. I am so sorry to hear that.
FEDEX does ship & deliver live animals, absolutely. Since you have the tracking, it is somewhere & it should be able to be found in the system & located. That is what the tracking numbers are for. Make them work for their money as much as possible to try & find it.
Keep us posted on any progress...

Tracie

 

[npgeorgeuw]

784681193425 tracking, now shows no date of expected arrival. Shipping container was scanned in WI but actual box was not.

Thank you for the replies, even with the shipping info it now shows no definate shipping arrival time. I have been hounding manager after manager but it does appear it was either miss-sorted in Memphis or lost in Milwaukee, the destination. It was marked live harmless reptiles on all sides and with 30 hour reptile heat packs in a medical supply shipping box. If he is indoors he is probably okay but the problem is there has not been a box scan of his container since Memphis, days ago. After that it was only a scan of the shipping container his box was supposed to be in so who knows where his box is now. It sounds like the memphis facility and Fedex are plagued with this type of problem and packages dissapear, sometimes to be found again, many times to be never scanned or seen again.

I can only hope that if it doesn't show up some wonderful employee stole it and it's not frozen somewhere in a shipping container to Alaska.

I have hounded (along with the recipient, my best friend) them for days. While they have been friendly and have searched the facility (supposedly) they have no clue how it got lost or why it never left Seattle as priority overnight.

I know others have shipped with them and not had issues but this is just pathetic. They obviously have logistic issues that span across their company based on wide ranging reports of lost valuables, much of which often is unique or irreplaceable.

Do yourself a favor and avoid them like the plague.

 

[AHBD]

According to your tracking # it says that it's at the facility in Milwaukee. Sometimes the package may be there in the system but not found right away or sent on time but it still may be right there at the hub. Get the phone number there and get a hold of the employess tomorrow there. [ Or had you called them already direcly there at the facility ? ] See if there is a local number for the hub in the phone book in Milwaukee besides the 800 # listed on the website Then have the package held for your friend. Be very adamant [ not rude of course ] And have your friend also call that facility. He may be able to pick it up tomorrow so it doesn't get sent out on a truck.

This may be the one, I looked quickly but you can double check.
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=4&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwiVq9CHvbfQAhWO3oMKHf1mAsgQFgg5MAM&url=http%3A%2F%2Flocal.fedex.com%2Fwi%2Fmilwaukee%2FMKEA%2F&usg=AFQjCNF79WNL8V-6KaMWYARwpwKFhoXARw&sig2=8kQdd8Le7py6mpN9S2ijiQ&bvm=bv.139250283,d.eWE

If you ever ship a reptile again, go through the companies I mentioned. They have a relationship with Fedex and can handle any problem like this. Fedex makes big money from them and would bend over backwards to locate it.

 

[npgeorgeuw]

Yeah, it says it is in Milwaukee, but that is actually for the shipping container it was supposed to be loaded on. The package itself is officially lost per the staff at the Milwaukee hub. Both containers that came from Memphis have been since unloaded and our package was never scanned after unloading.

Regardless of whether we use a shipping service or go direct through Fedex this reflects extremely poorly on their company. It disturbs me the reptile shipping services use them, at least after what i experienced during this Sh*tfest. Either way, whatever. I own a number of businesses that have fairly heavy volume with Fedex due to other online distribution I do in the veterinary field so they have lost my companies' business forever.

 

[AHBD]

If it really is gone I would wonder if an employee took it. There should be a way for them to see at what point it disappeared and who was working. Something like this would be a black eye to Fedex....I am really sorry you're going through this. You can still call their local number first thing when they open to see if it may have been located.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Good grief, I agree how pathetic that a package such as that just disappears like that. It seems somewhat ridiculous they can't find it. Every package gets scanned so what happened?
I would think someone stole it possibly.
Let us know if you find anything out! I hope he is safe, no matter where he is. I know you are worried sick. I am so sorry this happened!

Tracie

 

[AHBD]

Did you hear anything else at all ? I just looked at the tracking # and it now says that there were 2 packages with that number....I wonder if that had anything to do it .

 

[npgeorgeuw]

Thank you for all of the advice and good vibes. As was pointed out, this evening, another packaged popped up and we intercepted it in WI, at an office location (couldn't believe they were able to do this). It contained our baby, fully alive and very alert and just slightly cool. Once home (45 minutes later) the baby was allowed to warm up and rehydrated from drizzled water and a small lid/water dish. Following that and another hour for warm-up the baby ate 15 dubia roaches and now is stress-mark-free and seems to be 100%. There appears to be no breathing abnormalities or behavioral problems. He is even eating from hand already (he was raised and hand-fed from his hatching so does not seem phased by what has happened.

This is am amazing turn as the baby has now been in transit for 6 days and has been in transit through sub-zero conditions through much of the journey. There has still be ZERO explanation from FedEx and I stand by all of my criticisms of them. There were somewhat useful in intercepting the truck but that action comes 5 days too late. While I understand the need to ship with a reptile shipping company, the fact we have to rely on their clout to get delivery is a travesty. They all use FedEx, bottom line.

Hopefully he can make it through this without any form of long-term issues. It probably speaks volumes about how we packaged him at least. (medical-grade shipping container/foam and aeration).

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

WOW, that is great news to hear!
I am so happy it had a good ending & I am sure the baby is, also. He is now warm & cozy & alive.
That is excellent you packed him up so well, he was protected.
What a positive turn of events, after such a disastrous beginning!
Thanks for letting us know.

Tracie

 

[AHBD]

I'm thrilled to hear it !!!! Other than an employee taking it , [ which would be VERY diffcult to do ] I thought it had to be somewhere in the system. Your 30 hr. heat pack helped to keep him warm for the first part of his terrible adventure, and then he was probably out of the elements and just hunkered down in his little box which you did a great job insulating ! I can't imagine how glad you are that the little one not only survived but is in apparently decent shape. Hopefully he won't develop a resp. infection, be sure he's kept warm, with a night temp. of about 75-80 and don't soak him at all for a week or two, just offer water on his snout for hydration. And I know that money is not the concern, but be sure to get a refund, they DO owe you that.

 

[CooperDragon]

That's amazing news! So glad to hear it! They sure are tough little guys =)

 

[npgeorgeuw]

Got a final update from FedEx. It appears the package did not make the evening deadline and was airshipped the next morning from Seattle. From there it went to Memphis and was flow O/N to Waukesha WI. At that point the packaged was pulled out of the shipping container and put with the rest of the "Live Animal" shipments early in the weekend near the office. Apparently, a courier service that delivers for FedEx then took the package with a bunch of chicks/rodents, etc and realized they could not deliver as it as they only act as courier for FedEx ground. The dragon then spent the weekend in some kind of oblivion as FedEx ground is a completely different company and system from FedEx Express. Somehow, the package ended up at the Post Office about two blocks from the destination and was then handed back over to FedEx ground and eventually made its way back to a FedEx office/depot where we intercepted it.

Total mess but he did make it to us. At least for a few days he was in a climate-controlled area so that is probably why he survived. It obviously points out that the entire FedEx system must be highly fragmented.