Business hours may vary from company to company, but FedEx’s responsibility never changes. They need to get the package there while the customer is open, or they owe the shipper a refund.
If you’re annoyed at FedEx for failing to deliver your package on time because your customer’s business was closed, you’re not alone. There’s a long and growing list of people who are deeply dissatisfied with the carrier for this and many other reasons, especially their customer service. One customer even had their claim automatically denied before they’d even sent in the paperwork.
Today’s spotlighted excuse is “business closed.” It’s acceptable on a weekend (for some businesses) or a federal holiday (again, only for some business types). It’s not such a big deal to FedEx, which says it will schedule delivery of your package for the next business day.
It is a big deal however if it’s a regular working day for the customer who needed their package, and for you, the business, who will now have to fight for your refund and possibly your reputation in the eyes of the disappointed recipient.
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Businesses don’t close during the day – it’s bad for business
At 71lbs, we’ve helped customers who’ve been denied late shipping refunds because delivery couldn’t be made to a business at times like 2:36 p.m. or 3:44 p.m. Those are regular business/office hours, and you can bet the recipient was ready to receive their package. Their business might literally depend on it in some cases.
We must also consider the fact that many businesses and offices these days sometimes operate straight out of the owner’s home, meaning the recipient is at home and at work at the same time (double the unlikelihood that they’re going to miss a package).
There are too many instances where a business not only loses out on getting their package until the next business day, they don’t even get a door tag notification from FedEx as proof that an attempt was made. Many find out by email alert or by having to deal with customer service under their own initiative. Cases where a door tag isn’t left are the hardest to believe, because if a courier had gotten close enough to leave a “business closed” tag, they’d have seen the business wasn’t closed at all.
Worse, FedEx may say they attempted delivery very early in the day and then didn’t try again later, like in this customer’s story. Not only did FedEx claim they showed up at an unreasonable and illogical time when most businesses won’t be open, they didn’t even bother coming back. This means the customer didn’t receive 600 pounds of perishable plants.
What to do about this FedEx delivery issue
A shipper has two choices if they’re given the “business closed” excuse and are denied a shipping refund. First, they can contact FedEx customer service and inform them of the recipient’s hours of business. If possible, they should include pictures of the destination’s business hours as proof and any additional evidence the recipient may be able to provide.
The many tales of FedEx customer service being less than helpful means a business could waste a lot of time chasing a refund that may not come. This is when they can choose their second option – 71lbs.
We’ll follow up with FedEx and fight your corner to get the shipping refund you deserve. Being told businesses are closed during normal work hours just isn’t acceptable, and we’ve got a lot of experience in taking the time to let big parcel carriers know they’ve only got one job: Deliver it when you agreed to or pay the shipping refund.
That’s as difficult as it needs to be for shippers. Get in touch with us to make every aspect of the shipping process simple.
At 71lbs, we uncomplicate the shipping process for our customers, making it easier and faster for them to access refunds and reduce their expenses. Our automated platform gathers all your shipping information into one easy-to-use custom analytics dashboard. Drop by the contact page to get in touch.
