Posted by Christine on 3/18/09 6:24pm
Msg #281231

Ordering FedEx supplies

Does anybody else order FedEx legal envelopes, airbills, pouches from FedEx? I have ordered them in packs of 50 for years and now they will not do it without me having an account. I do not want to open an account as they need a credit card number on file but they refuse to send me any supplies without one, even though I told them my situation of using others account numbers. Sorry if this has been brought up before but I searched and did not find much info. I live in a rural area that only has drop boxes with letter size supplies and not legal, if even that.
Thanks!

Reply by Shoshana Roller on 3/18/09 6:31pm
Msg #281239

I have had an account for years with nary a problem! n/m

Reply by trnsa_IL on 3/18/09 6:39pm
Msg #281244

I have an account, no problems here. n/m

Reply by Lee/AR on 3/18/09 7:55pm
Msg #281270

Ditto above--but don't order airbills because

they can tie the airbill numbers to YOU. Pick 'em up at drop boxes, etc.

Reply by Teddog/CO on 3/19/09 6:37am
Msg #281324

Re: Ditto above--but don't order airbills because

I agree with you Lee/AR. Everytime you drop off a pkg. just pick up the supplies at the FedEx store. I use several diffrent stores so not a problem getting the supplies I need. Do it this way and you will never receive a shipping bill that's ment for the company you worked for. What a pain that is to get the charge removed from your account.

Have a great week all

Reply by PAW on 3/19/09 11:49am
Msg #281360

Another perspective

I've been using FedEx (and UPS) online airbill creation for over 15 years without any difficulties. I've only been charged once when a 3rd party billing number was invalid (due to MY error). I have never had a package refused and subsequently billed to me.

As for supplies, we don't have a FedEx store in this area. The drop boxes and "authorized shipping center" doesn't have legal size supplies and the shipping center only provides supplies to their customers who ship through them, using their account.

I have been erroneously charged by FedEx for a pickup service (FedEx Ground), but had the charge reversed after calling their customer service and filing a dispute.

Reply by sue_pa on 3/19/09 12:40pm
Msg #281371

Re: Another perspective

I've seen you post this previously Paul and actually it is sheer luck on your part. What if you had worked for Express or Archer in that time frame just before they closed up? Knowing a correct account number didn't do any good - they didn't pay and the charges were reversed to the senders .... nothing to do with correct account numbers, care in preparing the labels or anything else.

Reply by PAW on 3/19/09 12:49pm
Msg #281372

Re: Another perspective

I don't consider it "sheer luck" at all. I did work for Express and Archer, but when they started having trouble, I didn't take work from them.

If charges do get reversed, be sure to make a claim against the company. If they go into bankruptcy, be sure that the claim is included. Also, small claims may assist in getting the funds if they haven't filed for BK. If you have a FedEx account, ask to have an account representative assigned to that account. Then, if the problem comes up, call your rep and work with them. Also, consult an attorney. Fortunately, I haven't had this happen, so in that respect, I have been lucky. But I'm also prudent and very picky who I accept orders from in the first place. At least my account rep (FedEx) has been very helpful in getting things handled when necessary.

Reply by sue_pa on 3/19/09 1:43pm
Msg #281381

Re: Another perspective

I still consider it luck on your part.

Seriously, who is going to consult an attorney, file small claims or want to wait for their pittance out of a bankruptcy just for a $20 overnight charge? Anyone who has been erroneously billed (and back when we received overnight packages it happened A LOT - bill recipient - us) knows what a pain it is to have the charges reversed and then again after it happens go back to remove the $10 rebill fee. MUCH easier to eliminate any possibility up front of receiving a bill.

Reply by CaliNotary on 3/19/09 8:06pm
Msg #281434

I'm with you Sue

If there were some significant time savings to be gained by printing the bills online vs doing them by hand I might understand people taking the risk. But it takes me less than a minute to fill out an airbill by hand, and there's no way that logging into the website, inputting the information, and printing it out is going to save any time over that. In fact, I'd imagine it takes a little bit longer.

We've seen enough posts on this board to know that the risk of this happening isn't just theoretical. It's happened to several people and it'll continue to happen. It just seems asinine to risk getting hit with one, or several shipping charges over something that doesn't even offer any benefit in return.

Reply by Elizabeth Soliday on 3/18/09 6:45pm
Msg #281250

I didn't like it either, but I forgot about it after a couple years.

Reply by jba/fl on 3/18/09 6:46pm
Msg #281251

Get an account, get your supplies in excess, then cancel the acct.

Reply by Todd/OH on 3/18/09 6:52pm
Msg #281254

How about maybe catching the driver at the pickup time? He might have supplies on board.

Reply by Michelle/AL on 3/18/09 7:44pm
Msg #281261

Christine, I just received my shipment of supplies today

I have an account and have been ordering without any problem until recently. First, they no longer allow you to order large quantities. I received a phone call telling me that I ordered 50 legal size envelopes but my monthly usage over the last few months indicate I'm not shipping 50 envelopes. So they cut back my order to 25 of the envelopes. I need to call FedEx accounting because a Mystery Shopping vendor made a mistake and I was inadvertently billed for something. This creeps up every now and then (billing me instead of a 3rd party) but it is usually rectified quickly.

Reply by MW/VA on 3/18/09 7:46pm
Msg #281262

I have an acct. for ordering supplies & using the online shipping manager. I've never had a problem with Fedex. UPS is another matter entirely--they will charge you in a heartbeat if there are any issues with the receivers billing.

Reply by Claudine Osborne on 3/18/09 9:18pm
Msg #281284

Christine, I live in a rulal area too, the drop box is 15 miles east or west, and 1 drop off location that is about 19 miles away. I pick up supplies when I am near them, but they do not carry the legal size. I have an account and have not had a problem with ordering. In fact I ordered envelopes legal, letter and pouches etc. last week. They arrived over the last few days in seperate shipments..It is easier to order than to hunt down supplies..give it a try!

Reply by LynnNC on 3/18/09 9:59pm
Msg #281291

I realize how fortunate I am to live in an urban area with 4 drop boxes within 2 miles of my home, with pickups as late as 7:30PM!

Reply by JanetK_CA on 3/19/09 1:13am
Msg #281313

I just ordered in 100 legal size envelopes late Sunday, so I'll be interested to see what happens. So far, it's never been a problem, but I do have an account with them. It's been convenient a couple of times when I wanted to send something for myself. (Also, if you charge it to an American Express card, you get a 10% discount.)

If you go through any significant quantity of these, I don't see any other reasonable solution. I'm fortunate enough to have several staffed offices not too far from me, but none of them carry the cardboard legal size envelopes I mostly use. I can't imagine constantly being on the hunt for more supplies! So far, I've never had any attempts to charge back to me.

Reply by raiderpup on 3/19/09 7:23am
Msg #281327

FedEx has discontinued the cardboard "sturdy pak". I called and asked why and was told that the demand was not high enough to warrant the production cost. I told them that there would be a lot of upset notaries/lawyers/TC's etc who need to ship legal docs in this style of packaging and was told that the complaint would be forwarded up the chain. That was about 3 months ago. We'll see.

Reply by PAW on 3/19/09 7:41am
Msg #281330

Unfortunately, this is true. However there are options to the Sturdy Pak that FedEx recommends using. Specifically, the legal size reusable envelopes are still available for small document sets. For larger document sets, it is recommended to use either the Small Pak (letter size) or Large Pak (legal size) or even the Padded Pak which will accommodate legal size documents. Of course, you can also use the FedEx boxes if necessary.

Reply by jae on 3/19/09 10:38am
Msg #281353

I love Fed Ex !!! I have an account, use the shipping area all the time if i don't get a shipping label. Always charge to recipient or third party and have NEVER had ANY problems. Print labels, slap on envelope and go. have a station couple miles from me that is open till 8:00pm. AND open on Saturdays till 5:00.

Reply by SharonMN on 3/19/09 11:31am
Msg #281358

Open an account - use it for personal business

I have accounts with both FedEx and UPS. I almost never use them for business purposes but I ship all birthday presents and personal packages by FedEx or UPS ground. Usually cheaper than the post office, plus it's trackable and insured and usually gets there faster, too. So it is nice to be able to fill out a label online, charge it to my account, and drop off the package when I'm at the FedEx/Kinko's or UPS Store to drop loan docs anyway. I think you get a discount when you ship this way vs. a paper form.

Reply by CopperheadVA on 3/19/09 11:47am
Msg #281359

Re: Open an account - use it for personal business

I do this too - love it! Although I prefer FedEx to UPS for shipping my personal packages. They do add a surcharge for residential addresses, though. Still, it's usually cheaper than the post office for packages. I ship stuff to my son at his college dorm and since it's considered a commercial building, the residential surcharge does not apply. I also like it that I can set up e-mail notifications for him and myself, which will notify both of us when the item is shipped and when it's delivered.

Reply by JanetK_CA on 3/19/09 5:09pm
Msg #281414

I've been using the reusable legal size envelopes, so I guess I'll be OK. If a package is too big for that, I just use the Large Pak, which seems to be OK for the larger size packages that don't have so much spare room to roll around.

A long time ago, someone who ran a mail room at one company I worked for used to fold over the edge of one side of the Large Pak before sealing it to take up any spare space. It was a bit more compact and the contents didn't move around as much. I don't know how FedEx feels about that, but I have done that on a few occasions.