FedEX unsurance issues

[Norman Jaffe]

And UPS isn't any better. 
I had a package delivered with a big hole in it, and they claimed that it was given to them that way. 
However, the hole was right through their shipping documents... they refunded the shipping, but not the insurance on the item that they had destroyed with their forklifts. 
Right now they are holding a package that was shipped to me and won't tell me why they can't deliver it. 

From: "cctalk" <cctalk at classiccmp.org> 
To: "cctalk" <cctalk at classiccmp.org> 
Cc: jnc at mercury.lcs.mit.edu 
Sent: Tuesday, April 28, 2020 7:08:25 AM 
Subject: FedEX unsurance issues 

Hi, a heads-up on sending expensive items via FedEx. They appear to have a new 
policy, limiting honouring insurance coverage; so, in my opinion, they are 
now unsuitable for shipping valuable items. 

Data point 1: a couple of months back, I bought a PDP-11/40 on eBait. It was 
shipped via FedEx in two separate packages: one with boards, and one holding 
the chassis/front-panel. They somehow managed to lose the second box - and 
then refused to fully pay out the insurance coverage on that box. We provided 
them with data on an open eBay auction for an identical item, to prove that 
our valuation was not inflated, but it didn't help - they only paid out a 
reduced amout, not what the thing was worth, and _what we had insured it for_ 
(even though _they_ lost it). 

Data point 2: I collect Japanese woodblock prints; a large dealer I do 
business with used to do all their shipping via FedEx - dozens of shipments 
per week - but as of yesterday I as informed that they are now switching. Why? 
FedEx lost a valuable, insured, package - and would only pay out US1K on it, 
not the full insured value, leaving the dealer to absorb most of the loss 
(several US$K). 

There's a clear pattern here; FedEx is refusing to honour the full insurance 
coverage when an item is lost. So I wouldn't ship anythihg valuable via FedEx 
unless you can find an outside insurer to cover it - since Fedex's own 
insurance coverage now often cannot be relied upon. 

Noel