FedEx Property Damage

[ctpres]

Driver damaged our intercomm and guest gate control post (beyond reair) while backing out after delivery. Driver gave HIS phone number and said he would pay if I fix or he would fix. This is custom/home made and no off shelf product will do. I built it and really don't want to go thru that again. Anyone with Fedex property damage experiance? Should I let driver handle or Fedex? I looked around on internet and could find no fedex accident reporting info.

 

[Skyco]

I'd let the driver handle it if he will, if he won't then go to Fedex. It may mean his job if you go to his employer, so he may be very motivated to do you right.
Of course if he gives you any delay or static I'd go right to the employer.

 

[Lasgambler]

Maybe he is new in his job and does not have a lot of time behind the wheel, meaning has had this type of accident before.
As hard as it is to find jobs these days I think I would work with him to let him resolve the problem. Keep documentation and have a good understanding of what you expect. You never know He might turn out to be a freind for life.
Terry

 

[RickB]

Depending on the type of delivery, some FedEx drivers in this area are contract haulers, owning/leasing the truck.

 

[Ductape]

Depending on the type of delivery, some FedEx drivers in this area are contract haulers, owning/leasing the truck.

This is my guess. He gave you his number because he is an independent contractor who is delivering for FedEx. I don't think FedEx will have anything to do with it.

 

[pennwalk]

I believe that the delivery services are not very understanding about accidents. I don't know if you even get one or two strikes before you are gone. It sure would be a bad time to be looking for a job. Around here the delivery drivers seem to avoid taking their trucks where they will have to back up. Mostly they just leave them in the middle of the street in front of where they are delivering.

Chris

 

[capi75rs]

I think I'd give the fellow a chance. Agree that your expectations should be stated upfront. Never know a friendship could start. Hope things work out for you and the driver.

 

[radioman]

If the equipment is custom made- i would not let him touch it. I would buy the materails needed to repair it and have the driver come and WATCH you fix it. Then give him the bill for materails and time to fix it yourself. If he touches it , He could make it worse beyond rebuilding or worse yet have a non working unit. Making the guy sit and watch and squirm is enough punishment for any driver to endure and he certainly will become a better driver since he wouldnt want to go though the whole thing again. If the world did this more often, We wouldn't have all these liablities, issues and people would have been more respectful of others. I am sure people will have a certain level of understanding of each other, sort of a small town feeling where people know each other. Anyway, just my 2 cents.

 

[joe48]

Did you happen to notice the colors of the LOGO on the truck?
The Purple and Red are Fedex corporate and the Purple and Green are Fedex ground franchise operators that own /lease their trucks and contract for Fedex, their rules are different than corporate drivers. That should help with some insite to his motives.

I like the idea of writing down the terms and haveing the driver assist you with the repairs. That will do two things ,give you a real measure of his character and if he works with you ,you may develope a real relationship.

 

[EddieWalker]

It would be nice to give the guy the oportunity to make it right, but what are the odds that he's capable of doing it? While allot of delivery drivers have other skills and tallents, I'd want some sort of refrenece to his qualifications before letting him do anything.

That is assuming he's sincere and truly plans to do the repairs. He might have fiends or family who can do this and make it better then before. It happens. If he does show up and the repair is less ten satisfactory, what will you do then?

For all accidents, there is a time limit. The longer you wait, the less likely it is that the insurance company will take responsibility for the accident.

First thing you need to do it document everything. Hopefully you wrote the truck number down and/or it's license plate. If not, the drivers name and personal phone number is a start. Keep the airbill from your package. That shows the day of the delivery, the time he was there and who the driver was. Simple proof that the delivery was made. For grins, you might want to go to the FedEx website and print out a copy of the delivery receipt. The tracking number will show the delivery time as further proof of when the driver was there.

FedEx uses private contractors all the time, especially during the holiday season. Those private contractors should have their own insurance for accidents, as should the vehicle they are driving. Since FedEx is the company that hired them to deliver that package, they are liable for sending that person to your home, and the damage that he caused. If it's a private carrier, you might get some runaround with them.

The first person I would call should be your homeowners insurance agent. He/She will probably tell you to contact FedEx and start the process of filing a claim. This is what I would do.

Good luck,
Eddie

 

[Sigarms]

I'd let let the driver try to handle it first.

Had a fed ex dig up my lawn (slope) with tire ruts on a wet day. What really peeved me was that no one from fed ex said anything or left a note apologizing. I called, talked to a supervisor and he had the driver call me shortly thereafter.

Driver was VERY apologetic and offered to do the work himself, or pay me to do the work myself. He sounded sincere in his apology, and I forgot what his excuse was at the time (must of been possible if I let him off the hook), but I told him don't worry about.

My understanding, and I could be wrong, but talking with the supervisor, in the rural areas such as mine, the drivers are "subcontractors" for fed ex and are held responsible themselves for any damages that may be caused.

Push the issue without giving the driver to try and take care of it himself, you may end up getting the driver terminated (and it does seem like he's trying to do the right thing in your case). Worst case, just let the driver know how much it will cost to fix, and see if he'll pay it (may be worth his job to him).

Needless to say, you're damage was far worse than mine, I'd make sure you document everything.

 

[CurlyDave]

I would think about what I want, write it down, and then give him a call and explain what you think is fair.

The most likely thing is that he can pay something toward fixing it. Forget about the idea of "punishment" -- you will do a lot better if he just pays you to fix it.

Work up an estimate of materials and your time to fix it. Don't overcharge for your time, but don't shortchange yourself either. If you come up with too high a figure he will try to give you grief, if your number is OK, he may just pay it.

The second time I build something is always faster and easier than the first, so take that into account.

 

[jinman]

Forget about the idea of "punishment" -- you will do a lot better if he just pays you to fix it.

Absolutely! Punishment is for people who do things intentionally or with total disregard for the property or safety of others. This fellow made a mistake and seems to be willing to pay for the repairs.

A few months ago, a lady backed into our van in a restaurant parking lot and broke a taillight lens. She said she would be glad to pay for the damage. I found and ordered the lens online. When it arrived, I installed the lens and we presented the lady with the invoice for the part only. It was $50. While I could have had it fixed in a shop, the woman was a nurse and I'm sure she does extra things for people every day. There was no reason for me to make her pay more.

That's the way I think about these FedEx and UPS delivery folks. I recently had a SunSetter Awning delivered by UPS. The guy who delivered it helped me unload it and put it into my container. He was very helpful, a credit to UPS as a company. I couldn't convince him to stay around and help me put it up though.

 

[EddieWalker]

Just to add to this, I've driven for UPS and Airborne Express. I've had accidents and damaged peoples yards more then once. It happens all the time. The company deals with it and every time it happened, I notified my supervisor and rarely ever heard about it again. It's what the company has insurance for. A few times the homeowner claimed more damage then was done, and/or wanted an amount that was ridiculous. In those case, I was asked again what happened.

In my situations, the driveways were steep and slippery. The vehicle slid off of their driveways and caused the damage.

Later, when I became a Union Steward, I was involved in quite a few accidents and disputes with drivers. The only times the driver would get into trouble was when he didn't report it, or lied about it. With the power of the union behind me, we worked through it, but in every case, if the driver would have never been brought in for disapline if he had just reported it and let management handle it.

If the drivers job is on the line, it's more then likely due to doing this on a regular basis, not reporting it like he is supposed to, or he's not very good at his job and they are looking for an excuse to get rid of him. Even if you go through the process of having him fix it or pay you to do it yourself, he might lose his job anyway. Holiday drivers are temporary and only hired for the season. Most new hires don't work out and are gone in a few months. If he's an experienced driver with a good driving record and work history, his job wouldn't be in jeopardy for this.

Eddie

 

[charlz]

Around here the delivery drivers seem to avoid taking their trucks where they will have to back up. Mostly they just leave them in the middle of the street in front of where they are delivering.

Our UPS driver just started doing this a few months ago.. it's like they don't want to drive onto private property? If I ever get a chance to talk to the guy I will ask him.

 

[Willl]

it's like they don't want to drive onto private property?

With the lawsuit attitude some people have, can't say I blame them.

 

[ctpres]

Finally found time to take pic's. This was a very busy post. Wireless intercom to four stations, Wireless key pad for gate control, Wireless infrared vehicle detector-beeps in house, Solar powered light. Light beyond repair but I have spares, intercom only device needing replacement. Material cost not that high-just very time consuming.

 

[QRTRHRS]

Pretty much sums up why when I did P&D for Old Dominion we were forbidden to drive on private drives, black top or otherwise. At least the terminal I was out of anyway.

It is only a post, give the driver a chance first then act on it. To err is human.

 

[jinman]

Finally found time to take pic's. This was a very busy post. Wireless intercom to four stations, Wireless key pad for gate control, Wireless infrared vehicle detector-beeps in house, Solar powered light.

Wow! That was a "busy" post. Thank goodness all that stuff was mostly wireless. That alone reduces the complexity by a bunch. I sure hope you work this out and get it fixed to your satisfaction.

As an aside, is there anything you could do to help prevent this in the future? I know you can't move these things away from the driveway because they have to be there to be used. I was thinking of a small sign on the gate or in clear sight that said, "Use caution when backing up," or something similar, just to remind someone that there is something back there. Step-vans and delivery trucks seem to always have limited visibility. I can also tell you that I have backed vehicles into trees and other objects that I knew were there, but just wasn't thinking about them. Anything to jog my memory would have helped.

 

[pennwalk]

ct,

Looking for the good in the bad did you like everything about your set-up? Maybe now is the time to make changes.

Chris