Diogenes, I used to run the shipping department for a Industrial Motion Control company.
When shipped things go wrong it is often much more wrong than simply a busted, or lost product.
Heavy objects seem to get set aside and forgotten because nobody wants to deal with the heavy object.
Heavy objects get damaged because most will shove them around with the forks of the forklift rather than move them with any care.
Once damaged things often spiral, for instance, the forklift driver drags the heavy box out of the truck with the forks after not being able to easily pick it up with the forks. In doing so the forks tear off the shipping label and now they no longer can easliy ID the package.
There are methods for identification of said package, but that takes extra effort and time, of which most hub loaders do not have...and don't think for a second the hub manager will do her job to figure this out either.
Sometimes the heavy package gets set aside directly because it is heavy and does require special handling....except they never get to that special handling and there it sits, for days until they are pressed to deal with the special package.
When it comes to a delayed item I try to keep the frustration in check and think through the problem.
I always track down the facts and run through them in order to find the real problem....and this often involves you leading the shipper through the steps.
Here is what I am talking about...."Nothing but the facts maam"
1) Did you order the proper item?
2) Did they receive your order and process said order?
3) Did you provide the shipper with the proper delivery address?
4) Did they ship your order?
5) Who did they ship with and when was it picked up?
These questions will have a direct answer...no arbitration, guesswork, there are no undefined answers to these questions.
Each question may break out into subset questions and answers, for instance;
Q: "Who did you ship with and when was it picked up"?
A: "We show this as picked up on July 20th at 3:48 pm, by UPS, tracking number XXXXXXXX"
With the above questions you should be able to track down where the package went wrong.
For instance if it shipped via UPS;
Each transaction uses a transfer tracking protocol.
The driver who picked up the differential at Curry used his computer the signal the pickup.
The original pick up driver used his computer to signal the package was delivered to the UPS hub.
The UPS hub uses the computer to signal the package went from door 17 to door 26B where it was loaded onto the next delivery truck.
The computer signals every transaction along the package route, up to and including the final drop off transaction.
Use these facts to force the shipper to find and locate the last known "owner" of the package.
They will not help you much with this so be patient and persistent...but don't give them a reason to hang up on you for being a bad customer.
Sometimes it is VERY helpful to gather all of your known receipts and proof (tracking numbers, shipping dates, pickup locations, delivery address etc.) and go to a local shipping station.
At this local shipping station you directly engage with an employee and have them find out where this package is at this time.
I have had great success with this tactic and it often takes one trip to find a long lost package when you are standing right there asking them to help you find said package.
From past experience I have found most shippers begin the "find a package" process with the shun style of service. Here is what I mean.
First you call to track a package and after an easy tracking number search has been conducted, but not produced a useful result, they will try to send you away in some manner.
Today it usually consist of them telling you to search online....you are no longer their problem.
Sometimes they try to tell you you must have a mistake in your tracking number, get that figured out and come back later.
Sometimes they will tell you they don't have access to blah, blah, blah, so you should come back later.
Sometimes they will say the manager is not here now, come back later.
The point is they want you to go away and come back later...which many people either will not, or can not, come back later...For them, problem solved.
Stick with them, say you can not come back later and ask them directly why they can not locate the package at this time. Be polite but direct, and always act like they are helping you for best results.
Eventually you will find out where the package was last handled and you can go from there.
The wors is when they "prove" they delivers the package to XYZ address and you are left with nothing.
Trust me on this, the delivery companies lie their asses off in some instances and use the "it must have been stolen" excuse to get you to go away......DON'T GO AWAY.
If they prove it was delivered and you know, for certain, without question, it is not where they said they delivered it, begin the claim process on the spot.
Remember, they will begin with the simple approach and quickly move to shunning you away.
During all this process you should contact the other involved parties to fill out your receipt profile.
Curry made the thing and they sent it somehow...get that information and trace it along its path.
Somebody placed orders and receipts were generated, as well as fees charged and paid. Use this information to further your search and proof process.
The whole things is nothing but a big pain in the buttinski...but the basic premise is very simple and easy to follow if you weed out all the chaffe.
You ordered a thing from a company.
Said company shipped the thing somehow.
The shipper transfered the thing from the production facility to the hub, to your shipping address.
Yes there are lots of steps inbetween, but the basic process is simple.
Make them prove what they did with the package and often you find they will "find" the package in the process of providing the proof.
I can not count the number of times I had to help them find a heavy package that was literally sitting right over there on their shipping dock for the last two weeks because NOBODY working the shipping dock gave one crap about looking into that big, heavy, box that is in the way.
A giant case of "its not my job" causing a big problem for the person waiting for the shipment.
