Fed-Ex Shipment Requiring Signature-How to Handle

[ben_hutcherson]

It's a constant and recurring pet peeve of mine when sellers ship an item to me with signature required when the price is well below the threshold for where Ebay requires it. As someone who works a regular job, it's virtually impossible for me to physically be present for delivery, and consequently for USPS delivers it means a Saturday morning trip to the PO that often takes an hour(15 minutes each way, 30 minutes usually at the PO).

Not too long ago, I bought something that was $230 including shipping-it's below the "old" signature threshold, which was $250, but the last I checked that had been raised to $750.

In any case, delivery was attempted on Friday, and apparently they're going to re-attempt tomorrow(I'm currently out of town and won't return until tomorrow evening). Past experience with Fed-Ex tells me that they attempt delivery 3 times then return to the sender.

Often, I can get around signature required issues with Fed-Ex by re-directing shipments to a Fed-Ex office store-I use one that's about a half mile from my work, and can either run over there on my lunch break or go after work. Alternatively, if I know ahead of time(again, didn't expect it on this shipment, and it wasn't stated as such in the shipping information) I will just send items directly to work(I have to be careful with this since UPS and Fed-Ex come to the room next to my office and I'm often the one who signs for them, but USPS goes through the campus mail room and they get funny about personal packages).

Sometimes, though-and this is the case with this particular shipper-the shipment is specified such that only the sender can make the request to deliver to a Fed-Ex office location. When I realized that the tracking info showed "direct signature required" last Tuesday(well ahead of the scheduled delivery on Friday) I contacted the seller and asked if they would request hold for pick-up at the specified Fed-Ex Office store. They never responded to my request.

I know that I can sign the slip and request delivery to my neighbors, but the only neighbors I actually know work about the same schedule I do so there's no guarantee that they would be able to sign for it either.

So, in a round-a-bout way I'm asking if anyone has any suggestions as to how I can actually get this package delivered. Also, I do WANT the item, but in the even that it gets returned to the sender, how is that treated? I know you forfeit buyer protection if you refuse delivery, but how does that work if the package simply is "undeliverable?"

Thanks in advance for any advice or suggestions.

[1sisterwoman]

Some sellers or whatever vendors simply elect signature required on all deliveries regardless of threshold.  It is just how they roll in particular for some sort of stronger proof of delivery other than simply "delivery confirmation".

Delivery confirmation can mean anything from a package being left on a front porch, placed in garage or whatever up to and including actually delivered to the addressee or their agent.

In these days of rampant package theft and or people claiming they didn't get a package (when they did), you want something more than just UPS, FedEx, USPS or whoever simply saying a package was delivered and placed at this or that location.

Ask shipper to have packages with signature required shipped to your place of work. If that doesn't or cannot work then you'll have to make other arrangements up to and including going to wherever and fetching package personally if not home to accept delivery. This or rescheduling for a time when someone will be at home to sign.

Yes, it can be frustrating and inconvenient but requiring a signature is one of the few protections shippers have nowadays.  Sometimes not even that evidence isn't enough to prevent a refund due to "merchandise not received".

[cr-8076]

Do not fret: eBay considers Undeliverable to be "Delivered" so your seller is protected from a false claim of Item Not Received because your buyer is no longer eligible for the eBay Money Back Guarantee.

eBay considers every form of delivery failure to be the buyer's fault, in fact.

[ben_hutcherson]

Wonderful...so if the seller sends an item in such a way that I physically can't receive it and won't work with me on a way to attempt re-delivery or refund I guess that, as a buyer, I'm out $230 and an item that I wanted...

Since I'm guessing it will end up going back, hopefully the seller will at least be willing to reship it(yes I'll pay for it, even though if they'd redirected the shipment as I asked after I saw in the tracking that it was signature required, or had posted up front so that I would have sent it to work, or just not used signature on an item where Ebay doesn't require it) hopefully I can at least get them to ship it to my work address.

[myangelandmyprincess]

If it won’t let anyone but the sender redirect shipment how would you have it sent to your neighbor instead anyhow.  

Walmart this recently on a black Friday and it was frustrating. They had direct signature required which of course doesn’t allow you to sign the paper and just leave it.  And it literally has it be you to sign.  I had to show my id to pick up my package    I had mine redirected to the local Walgreens which is set up for fed ex pick ups.   Are you sure it won’t let you redirect it to the pick up location ? 

[muttlymob]

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@1sisterwoman wrote:

Yes, it can be frustrating and inconvenient but requiring a signature is one of the few protections shippers have nowadays.  Sometimes not even that evidence isn't enough to prevent a refund due to "merchandise not received".

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Both eBay and PayPal's seller protection policies require signature only for transactions greater than $750.

Any payment under that total only requires tracking showing delivered (actual location of delivery, eg. on front porch, left with individual, in parcel locker, etc. doesn't matter as long as it is scanned Delivered).  Adding signature to a transaction under $750 adds nothing to the seller's protection through either eBay or PayPal.  It only tends to inconvenience the buyer for no reason.

[ben_hutcherson]

I'm afraid I may really be up a creek on this one.

When I punch in the door tag number or the tracking number and attempt to pick-up at a Fed-Ex office location or the hub, I get the below message.

It's showing as "will attempt re-delivery" tomorrow.

The tag indicates ID check and 21 year or older required for delivery...all of this headache for a $230 camera probably in a box that the driver could easily "hide"(I know that's not an option with the shipping restrictions).

This is leaving a bad taste in my mouth about the whole thing...and if the seller had

a. indicated that they were sending signature in the details, I'd have sent to work

b. Responded to my request to deliver to Fed-ex Office I'd have been able to get the package

c. Just not sent it signature when not required

It's even more frustrating that apparently I lose MBG if they can't deliver...

[myangelandmyprincess]

Do you have fed ex informed delivery?  Even with direct signature required it lets it be redirected to a pick up point.  You just have to show your id at the pick up point.  It won’t let you sign the door tag or do online signing to have it left though.  There is also redirecting to another address but that has a fee might be worth it    Maybe it’s because delivery was already attempted that it won’t let you do it now ?  

[ben_hutcherson]

I do have my address on file with Fed-Ex and can log in and see this scheduled delivery from my account, but I still get the above warning even when logged in.

There's quite literally seemingly nothing I can do.

BTW, the door tag I received today did say "final notice" but tracking says that delivery will be re-attempted tomorrow. I'm not sure which it is. The back of the door tag says that after 3 attempts, they will hold it for pickup, but doesn't say where. I'm assuming that it's at the hub in Southern Indiana, which is about an hour round trip(driving time only) and a bridge toll away, but there again this isn't specified.

I guess I can try to call Fed-Ex tomorrow and see what I can find out. There again, this would have been avoided completely if the sender hadn't used signature required, or otherwise had allowed me to have it sent to the Fed-Ex office store(either by allowing me to do it myself, or doing it as per my request made last week well before the first deliver attempt).

This is honestly causing me way too much stress just to get something I paid for delivered...

[ga-8370]

I contacted the seller... They never responded...

What does your seller's feedback look like? Just wondering if that's a camera in the package, or if your seller is only trying to prove delivery.

[ben_hutcherson]

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@ga-8370 wrote:

I contacted the seller... They never responded...

What does your seller's feedback look like? Just wondering if that's a camera in the package, or if your seller is only trying to prove delivery.

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I'm not TOO worried about it being what was claimed.

The seller has 9K worth of feedback at 99.6%, and their user name/contact info matches to a physical camera store on the west coast.

Aside from that, fraud isn't exactly rampant in selling 40 year old common Hasselblads.

[ben_hutcherson]

Well, the seller finally got back to me and said that they'd spoken to Fed-Ex and that it was available for pickup at the hub-there again in Southern Indiana.

Not my choice, but I should be able to run by there before work tomorrow morning and get it finally.

[ga-8370]

Your seller could have lifted the sender's restriction on delivery location, at least. I would leave calm, factual feedback about the well-under-$750 direct signature for the consideration of future buyers.

[ben_hutcherson]

Well, so much for that...it's now on its way back to the seller with a note of "Shipper requested shipment to be returned - Unable to deliver shipment - Returning to shipper"

When it gets back, I don't know whether to ask the seller to resend to me without signature confirmation(or to ship it to work), or to just ask for a refund and forget the whole stupid thing. I got a decent deal on the camera and would still like to have it, but can most likely find a similar condition one for about the same price from a different seller if  watch Ebay and wait a few weeks. 

[anste35]

Just file an item not received case and be done with it