Ammo shipment missing - how to proceed?

[Parallax]

I ordered a crate of ammo from Cope's on Jan 14. Today I checked the tracking info and Fedex said it was delivered on the 18th, but I never received it. I called Fedex and they said they will look into it and call me back, but who knows if I'll ever hear back from them.

When I ordered it I assumed that the delivery guy wouldn't just leave it on my doorstep without someone signing for it since it's ammunition, and other places I've ordered ammo from before shipped it signature required, but this is the first time I've ordered from Cope's.

I live in a regular suburban neighborhood but my house is kind of isolated, nobody ever walks by the front of the house (where the tracking info says it was left), and it was a 64 lb crate so I doubt someone walked off with it. Plus people were home and in and out of the house all day, and I have dogs who go nuts if anyone comes near the house, so it would have to had been stolen in a pretty narrow window of time.

I'm getting the feeling the driver didn't feel like carrying the heavy crate, and dumped it somewhere else and just labeled it "delivered". Not really sure what to do though. Also not too happy about a crate with 1,200 rounds of "assault rifle" ammo out there somewhere with my name and address on it.

Anyone had this type of situation? How was it resolved?

 

[Krogen]

I went through the same thing. Two 50 cal cans of 5.56. I got the email that said delivered. Not to my house, though. Called the shipper and they suggested I check around the house to see if it was in back etc. Suggested I check with the neighbors in case they received it for me. Went next door and sure enough, it was on the neighbors' porch. They hadn't "received" it, the driver had messed up. They weren't home and they don't know I'm a shooter. I simply hauled it home.

 

[Well Now]

I don't understand the practice of leaving stuff at the front door or on porches by UPS/FedEx.

A couple months ago I was in the hospital for a couple days and when I got home an AR upper was propped up against the wall next to the door, and last year at Christmas UPS left a $700 camera on the porch that was supposed to have signature required at delivery.

I hope things work out well for you and down the line they find or replace your lost ammo.

 

[Ridgerunner665]

Has happened to me also...check your neighbors to see if it was left there.


If you don't find it...call the place you bought it from.

I found mine at a neighbors house, but not until after I had called Cabelas and told them the ammo was not here...called them back and told them I found it at the neighbors, they thanked me for calling them back...and sent the other 4 boxes of ammo anyway. (free of charge) I guess the lady just didn't wanna fool with undoing the order...

 

[JRH6856]

FedEx and UPS both classify delivery areas by risk level. If you are in a low risk neighborhood, shipper required signatures are optional. This was explained to me when I complained about a $4000 Dell notebook being left at the front door in plain sight of the street in a clearly marked box. I just happened to see the FedEx truck driving away.

 

[OARNGESI]

Doesnt ammo need to be signed for by law?

 

[Bovice]

If I had to guess, it was probably delivered to your neighbor's house since you weren't home. No harm in asking them, it's a simple situation that anyone (even a non-shooter) might experience today since everybody and their mother orders stuff online.

 

[leadcounsel]

Should be easy for UPS or FEDEX to track based upon signature and last name, which they always ask for when there is a signature...

BTW I don't like the signature requirement - It should be an option. I've lived in very safe neighborhoods and have been willing to take the risk rather than missing work to get a delivery - which is often more costly than assuming a very low level of risk for a stolen shipment if you've got a good neighborhood and a secluded hiding spot on your porch.

I can't tell you how many darn shipments I've missed, trips to and fro work and ultimately only to have stuff returned to sender after a 3rd failed attempt, or requiring me to drive an hour out of my way to go pick up the darn box at the warehouse... kinda defeats the convenience of online ordering if I have to chase the stupid thing down and spend hours on the phone or internet trying to locate it and such...

 

[Shadow 7D]

shipper required signatures are optional.

FAIL
some people can order and receive guns in the mail and common carrier, and um, those, well... you have to be above 21 to accept, and technically (per law and their rules) you could argue that ONLY the person can accept

Doesn't stop them from leaving a gun on the porch.

 

[rhinoh]

UPS claimed they left a package on my porch, that I didn't get.
I have security cameras recording all events. Video showed the UPS truck stopping at my home but no one ever got out.
Interestingly when I told the UPS claims rep about the video the package showed up the next day.
What amazed me is no one at UPS was interested in seeing the video, I would have thought their internal security people would have been very interested in seeing it.
Oddly the driver now stops up the street from my house and comes through a patch of woods on foot to deliver. What he apparently doesn't realize is besides the driveway camera there are others...

One frustrating part to this is UPS will NOT deal with the intended receiver of a package until the shipper starts the claim..

 

[Kaeto]

I guess I must be lucky with the quality of the drivers who run the area that includes my house and my neighbors. Fed Ex dropped off the computer I'm posting this from. I had gone to get some breakfast and when I came back the truck was just pulling away. the driver stopped and told me where she had hidden the package so it wouldn't disappear.

The UPS driver will beep his horn as he pulls up so I have time to meet him at the door. If I don't meet him he knocks and after 5 min will put a tag on the door telling me which neighbor he's left the package with. And my neighbors will keep an eye out for when I get home and don't hardly give me time to read the drivers note before they are bringing my package to me.

 

[The Sarge]

There is no "law" for a signature. Shipper policies maybe. But not a "law".
UPS/FedEx routinely leave ammo/guns on my doorstep. No signature at all. Nobody home.

 

[newbuckeye]

That's EXACTLY why i have a box at the UPS store. They receive all my packages, even when the shipper tapes 2 cases of 12 ga ammo together. The nice lady (almost 70 years old) gave me an ear full for ordering "bullets for a tank" but I have never had a shipment go missing like FED EX did when CZ returned my shotgun and LEFT IT ON THE PORCH!

 

[redneck2]

Uhhh...for all you prima donnas....Drivers have a large route and have to deliver every thing in their truck. If they don't get it delivered, they have that to do it the next day along with all the other stuff, so it snowballs.

If you're not home, how exactly are they supposed to deliver?? Sit on your porch until midnight when you decide to get home?? When you do get home he might be fifteen miles away on another part of his route. They have a truck load of stuff to deliver. You're not the only guy on their route.

I know my UPS driver quite well. He has a large ring of keys, and has a key to my garage. FedEx seems to change drivers, but the UPS guy seems to stick for years.

If you don't like that, find a local store to take delivery and pay them a few bucks for their help. Or person/neighbor in the area that is typically home and will accept it. I was getting a pair of binos from Leupold worth $450. Had them sent to a retail store that took delivery.

Our local hardware is a UPS shipping center. They'll accept delivery.

Quit whining and find a solution. Like this

That's EXACTLY why i have a box at the UPS store

 

[c1ogden]

Generally, the shipper has to go after the carrier. None of the common carriers is very reliable these days. I'm sure we've all seen the YouTube videos of the UPS, Fedex, and USPS drivers throwing packages over fences.

I worked PT for a gun shop that a friend owned. We always sent ammo with an "adult signature required", which cost several dollars more. In one case, Fedex rerouted a shipment of .380 ammo from Washington to Alaska. When we got a call from the intended recipient (a state level law enforcement agency) we checked with the carrier who said that it had been delivered. We initiated a trace on the package and several days later we were told that it was in Alaska. They also told us that they couldn't say why thier tracking system showed it to be delivered and signed for. They also told us that it was sent to Alaska because the zip code was illegible and that they couldn't send it to the correct recipient because an Alaska law prohibited shipping ammo out of the state. Ammo was a hot commodity at the time and my nearly 30 years as a cop tells me that what really happened was that one of their people wanted some ammo so he simply forged his log and stole it.

Last year I sent 4 revolvers to a gunsmith for action work. Upon return, the UPS driver left the package on my front doorstep, despite the "adult signature required". When I called the gunsmith he said that he gets this complaint a lot. I live on a main road, one house away from one of the busiest intersections in town. I have a small front yard and this package was within 30 feet of, and clearly visible to, the considerable pedestrian traffic on the sidewalk. I was home that day. He hadn't even rung the doorbell!

I'm sure this is a very small percentage of the employees who make the rest look bad. My former UPS driver was a young lady who, signature required or not, would do her best to get the package to me. If nobody answered the doorbell at my house she would drive by police HQ to see if my car was there and leave the package with the desk officer if it was.

I'd like to think that most of the employees are like her and not like those that throw delicate packages over fences.

 

[DavidMS]

I have been though this problem.

My solution is to have UPS/FEDEX hold at depot/store. Then I go to pick it up. It seems to work better.

 

[gfpd707]

Doesnt ammo need to be signed for by law?

Nope. I have had them drop several deliveries off at the door.

 

[amd6547]

I ordered a case of 5.45 ammo.
It was shipped "over 21 signature required"
My daughter was going to be home, so I told her to expect it.
As it turned out, my job was cancelled that day. I was sitting in the living room when I saw FedEx pull up...the driver hauled the crate up to my porch and left...never knocked or anything. A large crate clearly marked as ammo with a large sticker saying "adult signature required".

 

[tony433]

I can tell you a way to make sure ups gets a signature every time ... I had ordered a drill press and another power tool and one showed up and the other did not so i filed a claim with them . The claim went smooth and received the lost tool but ten years later i have to sign for everything I order that gets shipped ups.

 

[Double Vision]

Of all the many, many packages we have had delivered over the years, only 2 were mis-delivered to neighbors - one by UPS, one by FEDEX. And those were promptly corrected.

Their track records are remarkably good.

 

[xfyrfiter]

Their track record will be an epic failure, if a firearm gets used in a homicide, or armed robbery, etc. The way the judicial system works the driver will be held accountable and because his or her pockets aren't very deep, the crime will be laid on the delivery company's doorstep (pun intended) however it would be the end of doorstep delivery, and probably make the reciever find a daytime delivery address other than their home.

 

[Onward Allusion]

newbuckeye
That's EXACTLY why i have a box at the UPS store. They receive all my packages, even when the shipper tapes 2 cases of 12 ga ammo together. The nice lady (almost 70 years old) gave me an ear full for ordering "bullets for a tank" but I have never had a shipment go missing like FED EX did when CZ returned my shotgun and LEFT IT ON THE PORCH!

Amen! The good 'ole UPS Store really works! I too had C&R's left unattended on the front porch. Twice! Once while I was working from my home office and another where my wife rushed home to get it.

I wonder what UPS/FedEx's liability would be if some kid lifted it and it had a Signature Required on the package. They sure as heck can't lie about it because the delivery guy would be on video!

 

[Steel Horse Rider]

As a side note to having things delivered to the UPS store, I have a shop where my business is located so I have the ammo I buy online delivered there. It is usually cheaper to have things shipped to a commercial address than a residential address because it is on a fixed route and not a special delivery so you might even save a few bucks.

 

[dogtown tom]

MicroTecniqs:... If you are in a low risk neighborhood, shipper required signatures are optional...

Uh, no.
The shipper PAYS the carrier for signature on delivery. Its optional to purchase this service from UPS/FedEx or USPS but the delivery guy MUST acquire that signature or he is liable for the package.

redneck2 Uhhh...for all you prima donnas....If you're not home, how exactly are they supposed to deliver??

It's not about anyone being a prima dona, its about the driver doing his job. If he has a thousand packages to deliver today...UPS will assign additional trucks to deliver his load. (it does not snowball)

If the package is shipped with 'signature required" the driver CANNOT per UPS/FedEx/USPS policies leave the package at your door or at a neighbors door. If he does hes not going to be working for long.

 

[JRH6856]

The shipper PAYS the carrier for signature on delivery. Its optional to purchase this service from UPS/FedEx or USPS but the delivery guy MUST acquire that signature or he is liable for the package.

dogtown tom, yes. the shipper accepts liability for the package if the signature is not obtained, but obtaining the sig is still apparently optional in low-risk delivery areas. I can't say if it is a company option or a driver option, but I still get signature required deliveries left at the front door. Mostly from FedEx ground. FedEx Express always asks for a sig.