1. If a shipment is delivered late, you will receive the late shipment fee automatically.
NO.
That is not quite it works. UPS and FedEx advertise and market their
on-time delivery guarantee. What they don’t tell you is this: they don’t
wire you the money they owe you when they goof up.
The truth is,
FedEx and UPS do not want to encourage people getting returns. So, the
process to get your refund is made needlessly tiresome, long winded and
tough.
2. It’s automated.
NO. Wait, let me have that
laugh. He he he! Nope, it is not. It is not as though you get credit for
the late shipment immediately. While the freight company is aware of
how late a shipment is and how much it owes each customer, they do NOT
initiate a refund on their own. So, the customer needs to know when a
shipment is delivered to understand whether he can apply for a refund.
And after that, there is a huge procedure then on, to get the refund
he/she is owed.
3. If you file for a shipping refund, you will get it.
NO.
Like with every guarantee, several conditions apply here as well. FedEx
and UPS have several clauses that protect them against impediments like
inclement weather, natural disasters etc. Apart from this, the customer
has to file for late shipment refund claims within a stipulated time
frame. If these clauses are not fulfilled, the refund claim is rejected
then and there. And you need to spend time on this which sadly, not many
have.
4. It’s straight forward.
NO. The process is
anything but straight forward. The procedure to initiate the refund is
governed by several clauses. And after the refund claim is filed, the
procedure requires checking for action on an everyday basis. So, if you
ship regularly, you cannot keep track of every shipment all by yourself.
And remember, there is no assured return! The carrier can reject your
refund claim stating several reasons.
5. It’s easy to do it yourself.
NO. Unless you can build software all by yourself, maintain it all by yourself and
manage
it by yourself, it is not easy to do it yourself. Even if your shipping
volumes are as low as 5 packages a fortnight, it is difficult to do it
yourself. To do it manually is out of question. And building software
for this is like recreating the wheel. There are several products
available online to help you with the process. All you need to do is
fill a form and ensure you don’t miss any refunds you are entitled to.
Now, that’s the easier way out, isn’t it?
