MSY-MSP

First the cliff notes version and then the full version.

Carpet bought in India was shipped via UPS to our house in WA. UPS left it at the door yesterday without signature drop. It wasn’t there when we got home today. I bought this using my PLT card. Should I go via purchase protection or try dealing with UPS/India shipper process?

Long story

I was in India back in March and bought a carpet from one of the government stores in Hyderabad. The salesman told me that it would be shipped to me later that week and that I should have it in a couple of weeks. Three weeks went by and I still didn’t have the carpet or a tracking number from them, so I called the store in Hyderabad, after a run around, I was told that they shipped it out three days after I bought the carpet, but didn’t have a tracking number or anything else to give me. Suddenly, about three days later I get an email from the company with a UPS tracking number. I put in the tracking number and it shows the package starting in Chennai, not in Hyderabad. I was a little concerned (three weeks to go from Hyderabad to Chennai), but it is India and figured maybe they send the packages to the major city by some local means instead of by UPS or other trackable means. I was ticked that it took them three weeks to move a carpet 200 miles and was about to challenge/dispute the charge then and there, but decided to wait and see if the actual carpet showed up (yes I was thinking bait and switch).

Then came the volcano. Somehow this volcano messed up UPS shipments from India to the US. Why they didn’t go the other way around the world is beyond me. The package spent from the 15th of April to the 23rd of April in Chennai when the UPS status switched to natural disaster exception. Two days later the package went to Mumbai and then on its way to the US. Well it got to the US on Tuesday and was delivered to our house yesterday the 28th. We do not have a signature release on file with them nor did the shipper require signature. When we went to check the front door for the package it wasn’t there. We searched around the house and checked with our neighbors and none of them grabbed the package.

So this leaves us with the question what to do. UPS says that we should contact the shipper and let them make the claim. Honestly I am not sure I trust the shipper. So I am left with the option of trying going through purchase protection, but I am not sure that will work either.

Has anyone here gone through purchase protection where the package was delivered but not their when you got home? What process will I likely go through to make this claim this way? The only time I ever used purchase protection it was for something that my wife left on the plane and it was only a couple hundred bucks. This carpet is a couple thousand, but well under the 10K PLT limit.

I appreciate your comments and thoughts on this.

chewy3

Technically the Amex terms and conditions do not cover an item if it was under the control of a third party (in this case UPS) so, while it won't hurt to try, it is likely your claim will be denied.

If the shipper isn't willing to file the claim with UPS, then you should dispute the charge with amex to make them do so in my opinion.

mia

You might also file a police report as the carpet was stolen, and you may be able to file a claim with your homeowner's insurance.

dd1612

1. " The salesman told me that it would be shipped to me later that week and that I should have it in a couple of weeks. Three weeks went by and I still didn’t have the carpet or a tracking number from them, so I called the store in Hyderabad, after a run around, I was told that they shipped it out three days after I bought the carpet, but didn’t have a tracking number or anything else to give me".

In India - if someone says 2 weeks - I always add ion another 2 weeks, and this is not just for India, but for any country outside the US - because of uncertainity about customs clearance etc. There are times I have even received a call from the US customs wanting to clarify the item, the price, and whether I have actually purchased the piece.

2. "Suddenly, about three days later I get an email from the company with a UPS tracking number. I put in the tracking number and it shows the package starting in Chennai, not in Hyderabad. I was a little concerned (three weeks to go from Hyderabad to Chennai), but it is India and figured maybe they send the packages to the major city by some local means instead of by UPS or other trackable means. I was ticked that it took them three weeks to move a carpet 200 miles and was about to challenge/dispute the charge then and there, but decided to wait and see if the actual carpet showed up (yes I was thinking bait and switch). "

Comments: In India the smaller cities have smaller city-couriers who have contracts with global couriers like UPS, FEDEX, TNT etc ... these global couriers act as CONSOLIDATORS and ship once they have consolidated everything. This is how shipping/ courier rates in India to ship stuff from India to the US are very low when compared to what we pay to ship from the US to India.
In your case, after you called the store, the store manager must have got concerned - as he does not want to lose his merchandise as the store probably does not carry insurance. So- it was good customer service + his own-self-interest!


3. "Then came the volcano. Somehow this volcano messed up UPS shipments from India to the US. Why they didn’t go the other way around the world is beyond me. The package spent from the 15th of April to the 23rd of April in Chennai when the UPS status switched to natural disaster exception. Two days later the package went to Mumbai and then on its way to the US. Well it got to the US on Tuesday and was delivered to our house yesterday the 28th.

This was an act of God - so the shipper/ UPS or anyone could not have done a thing!
At least your package did get to it's final destiantion.

4. We do not have a signature release on file with them nor did the shipper require signature. When we went to check the front door for the package it wasn’t there. We searched around the house and checked with our neighbors and none of them grabbed the package.

IMO: you should have asked the Indian store to ensure that the package is delivered certified/ ie with signature release.
Someone is not telling the truth ... someone and it does not have to be a neighbor - has taken the package, maybe even with a good intention of giving it to you, when you return. But they may be away on a business trip or a personal trip.

Your best course of action is :
a. File a lost/ stolen item report with your local law enforcement/ Police.
b. File a lost/ stolen item report with your Homeowners insurance.
c. Dispute the charges with AMEX.
d. Contact the shipper and 'make' them make the claim - less chance of that being successful.
e. I do go to Hyderabad - 3-6 times a year, am going to India for 6 days May 8-14, but not to Hyderabad on this visit.
If you are still unsuccessful & need help please let me know - I can make an attempt to meet with the store manager at Hyderabad when I am there next.
PM me - with updates or post them here.

MSY-MSP

Thank-you all for your comments. It has been useful to me as I prepare to move forward. So far this is what I have done.

1) Called the local sherrif's department. They took a verbal report over the phone, but will not investigate this as they consider it unattended property left outside at your own risk. Basically, their feeling is no big deal, happens all the time, if they investigated this type of theft then they would not be able to do anything else.

2) Called UPS. UPS says call the shipper. They delivered the package and as far as they are concerned they are done. Will try to call the store on Monday.

3) Not even going to bother with the homeowners insurance. my deductable is more than the cost of the carpet, and it would be an excluded item from coverage. The exclusion basically states that property must be protected at all times, if the property is left unattended (i.e. outside by the front door) then there is no coverage.

4) Sent an email to Amex asking them how they would like to handle the situation. The charge is legit (i made the charge and the seller completed there end of the deal). Will see what Amex has to say about this.

Again thanks to all for your comments. if anyone has any other ideas please let me know

mia

You may still benefit from having a police report to support a claim with American Express.

How do you know that UPS delivered the carpet to your address?

Jaimito Cartero

I am a UPS shipper for my business and have run into this situation a few times.

If the driver leaves the package without someone signing for it, they are, in some way, held responsible for it by UPS. If they have too many claims against them, then they may have to pay for it, or be fired.

For many residential deliveries, the UPS drivers are a bit lazy and just leave stuff there. Find out the local address of your UPS depot, and call up and complain to the supervisor. Find out the drivers name or employee ID.

Call up the national UPS number (800-PICKUPS begin_of_the_skype_highlighting..............800-PICKUPS......end_of_the_skype_highlighting). Complain that your driver, XXXXXX, dropped off a package with no signature, and that it was either misdelivered or stolen. Complaints made to the headquarters this way are taken very seriously, and will certainly get the attention of your local supervisor. Plus it counts against the driver who misdelivered, or left it without a signature.

I can't tell you how many times that I've had a customer call me up and find that the package was at a neighbors, or left on the back porch where they never look.

The shipper should have insured it. I know for US shipped packages, UPS automatically includes $100 of insurance. Extra insurance usually costs about 45 cents to 70 cents per $100 of value.

If the shipper didn't insure it, then I still say they're on the hook for it.

Of the 3 lost/stolen packages I've had in 15 years, I suspect one or two of just reporting it stolen after it was delivered and left unattended. The package was insured, so I got my money.

MSY-MSP

You are right that i don't know that UPS actually delivered it to my house and not somewhere else. All i have is the tracking information from them that at least has the package going to the correct city (which is small).

Amex got back to me and indicated that I should use purchase protection. so we will see where that goes