posted on July 31, 2002 07:43:42 AM new
If you've opened and subsequently used a Fed Ex Ground account, WATCH YOUR BILL!
Fed Ex Ground just tried to "sneak" an $11-PER-WEEK "service charge" onto my billing from them! Yes, I said PER WEEK!!
Reason for the charge? "Pick-up service." But I never requested this service when I opened my account, and I've never used it. I always take my packages to the local Fed Ex office.
I called Fed Ex, got the charges dropped, and got them to "fix" their billing records.
However, this is yet another troubling example of what's been happening at Fed Ex ever since they switched to a 3rd-party billing service.
One more piece of advice: Never never never use a credit/debit card to pay for Fed Ex services at the Fed Ex counter. Always pay by cash or check, or open an account and get billed..but not billed automatically to a credit/debit card/account.
posted on July 31, 2002 09:44:12 AM new
This isn't really a scam. I have an account with FedEx & some of the things I ship are too bulky & heavy to take to the service center so I have them picked up. I am charged $11.00 per week for this, but I usually have 3 to 5 pick ups in that week, and as many as 7 or 8 boxes, so it isn't that bad. I had a problem for awhile with them wanting to charge me for dropping off pkgs. at the center, but it has been fixed.
[ edited by sanmar on Jul 31, 2002 09:46 AM ]
posted on August 3, 2002 12:11:51 PM new
Gina50...
Thanks. Just tryin' to help.
Sanmar...
If your volume can justify $11.00 per week add-on charges for Fed Ex Ground service, good for you. The rest of us are jealous.
But those of us who don't do that kind of volume or/and would rather just take our packages to the Fed Ex Ground office still should be wary.
I never once used a Fed Ex Ground pick-up sevice, yet they tried to sock my account with an $11.00-per-week charge after I'd opened my account. Most troubling.
posted on August 3, 2002 01:56:39 PM new
The weekly charge is done for covenenience considering 99.9% of businesses use pick-up service.
I've been using a credit card at the Fedex counter for over a year and never saw any mysterious charges. What exactly do you think they add to the bill?
posted on August 4, 2002 02:24:12 PM new
Quickdraw29...
The weekly charge is assessed in ADDITION to any per-shipment charges until/unless your weekly shipment totals hit a "magic" number.
However, it is troubling, at best, that Fed Ex Ground would "assume" and thus charge for weekly pick-up service without first asking whether or not the customer wants such service.
I didn't ask for it, I wasn't given an option of asking or declining such service, and yet the charges showed up on my billing. Surprise, surprise. Not good business.
As for the use of credit cards at the Fed Ex Ground counter, I had three after-the-fact charges hit my PayPal account (the card I used), each for $5.00.
I challenged the charges, and Fed Ex then admitted that 1) they had changed to a 3rd party billing service and 2) the charges were spurious. Fed Ex later issued credits for these charges.
Personally, I prefer to ship via Fed Ex Ground. But over the past few months, certain "strangenesses" have arisen. I merely wanted to share these experiences to help alert other online sellers about potential problems.
posted on August 5, 2002 01:11:17 AM new
I opened a ground account for my dad. The first time he used the account, to drop off items at the counter, he was charged the pick-up fee (seems like it was $10 at that time). I called FedEx and it was attributed to a computer software error - no mention of 3rd-party billing. When it appeared on the next bill, I called again and was told that the software error was cycling through. It was credited and didn't show up again.
As I understand it, the pick-up charge is assessed any week when you have pick ups regardless of the quantity. I've suggested my dad use it when he has either very heavy items or a decent quantity of boxes going out in a week's time so that the $10-11 convenience is spread out over several items.
My guess is that the assumption you mention on FedEx's part is simply this software glitch. Pick up service is an automatically included feature, available for use if needed. From what I was told, the glitch caused the charge to appear whether it was used or not.
posted on August 6, 2002 09:55:30 AM new
svtarheel...
The "assumption" by Fed Ex Ground that one would be using the pick-up service is spurious, at best, when Fed Ex Ground doesn't give a new-account customer the option of selecting pick-up vs. drop-off.
As for the 3rd-party billing service, I learned about this only through diligence in trying to resolve other billing problems. It's not public knowledge, and most Fed Ex agents won't say anything about it or don't even know it's occurred.
Over the past several months (since Fed Ex changed to a 3rd-party billing service) I've had to wrangle with Fed Ex over some $60 to $70 in questionable charges.
Yes, the charges were reversed. But the time and energy involved were most disconcerting. Makes me perpetually suspicious. Unfun.
posted on August 6, 2002 04:59:57 PM new
I know this is upsetting to you who drop things off, rather than use pickup, but remember FedEx is geared for the commercial account who almost always have pick up. FedEx Ground is relatively new, They bought out RPS about a year ago or so. They still have bugs to work out.
