FedEx / rear spring search = monkey / football

[G B.]

Today I located the FedEx employee in the Lenexa (K.C.), Kansas terminal who filed the initial "Lost or Destroyed" report. This fellow, Jason, had a most interesting story. He said another employee in the Lenexa "QA" group had brought him the EMPTY box to file the report.

At that time (Oct. 26) the EMPTY box had just been unloaded from a truck arriving from Wichita, Kansas. Wichita is about 3 hours away and was the original shipping point for the spring the day before (Oct. 25). There were no unboxed items found on that same truck, strongly suggesting the spring came out of and separated from its box in Wichita prior to the truck loading.

The Wichita FedEx manager says they would "NEVER" load an empty box on a truck. And anyway, they haven't seen MANY lost leaf springs in the Wichita terminal RECENTLY. Just then an employee brought up ANOTHER lost leaf spring (not mine) to their front counter and asked "Is this it?". I envision dozens of lost leaf springs laying around in each Kansas FedEx terminal as I type this.

How in the holy hell can a 35 lb., 4 foot long, steel leaf spring come completely out of its box within 24 hours of arrival at FedEx and then become completely separated from its box without anyone noticing? You'd think someone would have seen or heard it fall out and then quickly said: "Hey, that's not right! Let's put that big spring back in its big box right now!".

Unfrickenbelieveable.

[G B.]

Backstory

https://www.ncrs.org/forum/tech.cgi/noframes/read/258084

[John D.]

Re: FedEx / rear spring search = monkey / football

Hey Jerry, Who u gonna use for shipping now. I mean you had trouble with two big companies. Inquiring minds wanna know. No Fed Ex. No UPS. ???? Have a Happy Thanksgiving, John
P.S. Wish all of the DB members a Happy Thanksgiving.

[George C.]

Re: FedEx / rear spring search = monkey / football

Jerry,

I started to panic a couple days ago reading of your lost spring. I was waiting for my original, bought through eBay spring to arrive from Nebraska. I got lucky the spring arrived today via UPS, a true original no rust mid year leaf spring. Here is hoping yours turns up as a Thanksgiving treat for you!

George
36908

[Russ U.]

Re: FedEx / rear spring search = monkey / football

I worked in some UPS plants in my youth. Some of the facilities were huge - with lots of very long conveyor belts running well above the floor. And the facilities were very loud when all the machinery was turned on and the sorts were occurring.

If a package opened up, a human probably would never see or hear the item coming out of the package.

I suspect the FedEx facilities are pretty much like the UPS facilities. And I bet a janitor probably found your spring, many hours after the spring came out of the box. FedEx probably tried to figure out where the spring came from, couldn't, and then chalked it up as a loss. It doesn't happen very often (as a percentage of packages shipped), but it does happen.

I've been lucky so far - I have never had a problem with either UPS or FedEx.

Russ

[mike cobine]

Maybe you got Jerry's

Or just lucky it didn't have to go through Kansas.

[Marc Wilborn]

Re: Maybe you got Jerry's

Hello

If you need someone to visit Jason, let me know. I live 5 minutes from the facility.

Marc

[Bill W.]

Re: FedEx / rear spring search = monkey / football

When I ship parts I always attach a label to the part before I package it.Then label the box and use way to much clear packing tape...Bill

[John Lokay]

Re: Backstory

Interesting story. In December 2004 I went to a local Fed Exp store on Long Island, NY to have a rear spring shipped back to Eaton Spring in Michigan. After a week or so the shipment had not arrived in Mi so I called Fed Exp to get an update on the status. They gave me such a "run- around" first telling me that they could not find the spring and then telling me that it was on one of their trucks which was stuick in a snow storm. I must of spoke to over half a dozen Fed Exp people over a two month period until they finally declared that the shipment was lost and paid me the maximum loss amount of $100 causing me to incur a $60 loss since the spring cost $160. A very frustrating experience, how do you lose a rear leaf spring? Sounds to me like they are going into the rear leaf spring business!