Does FedEx do this?

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duelist1954

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Central Pennsylvania
Recently I went through the second worst shipping SNAFU that I've been involved in.

This is a long tale of woe...

A gun company, to remain nameless, was shipping me three handguns to test for an article via my FFL holder.

Despite having a current copy of his FFL on file, the gun company shipped (Via FEd Ex) to an eight year old address.

The current residents understandably flipped out at being delivered a load of guns. I don't know if this happened upon delivery or if Fed Ex had to go back to get them.

Many phone calls ensued between FedEx, the gun company and me until we all figured out what happened.

FedEx refused to deliver them to the correct address, and shipped them back across the country (I'm in PA...guns came from CA)

Upon arrival at the gun company, they immediately re-shipped to the correct address...never opened the box to verify contents.

Guns arrived at my FFL holder. In the box was a sealed envelope with one gun in it and two plastic gun boxes, each containing a gun.

To avoid explaining things to the FBI (Homeland security regs on multiple purchases of the same model gun), I picked up one gun each week...lost two weeks in shipping for a total of five weeks to get all three guns into my hands...deadline for article looming!

The gun in the sealed envelope had no trigger lock. Each of the guns in the gun boxes had trigger locks installed. Only one trigger lock key present...only fit one lock. So couldn't shoot third gun for article, but took some pictures.

Shipped everything back to gun company.

Got call today from gun company asking for missing key.

Returned call saying I was kind of expecting them to have it. They swore there were no locks on the guns when they left their plant.

I'm assuming that FedEx put the locks on after the delivery to the wrong address, but didn't open the sealed envelope, just the unlocked gun boxes. And that's why the gun in the envelope didn't have a lock.

Has anyone ever had FedEx put a lock on a gun they received?
 
duelist1954
To avoid explaining things to the FBI (Homeland security regs on multiple purchases of the same model gun), I picked up one gun each week...lost two weeks in shipping for a total of five weeks to get all three guns into my hands...deadline for article looming!
Click to expand...

Not exactly.
If you acquire more than one handgun in a five day period from a licensed dealer, he has to complete a Multiple Sale form and fax it to ATF (not Homeland Security). It doesn't matter if the handguns are the same model or not...more than one in five days has to be reported.

BTW, as far as arrousing suspicion and having to explain things: ATF DOES notice when customers purposely sidestep the reporting requirement......all three guns arrived the same day...dealer logs them into his books....yet the same customer receives each gun one week apart. Which looks more suspicious?:scrutiny:
 
If the gun company did not bother to open the package to make sure all their gear was there I'd say it is mainly their fault. As soon as I saw a key was missing I would have called them to ask for it or to at least alert them to the situation.
 
As mentioned by the other gentleman

Maybe the hapless and scared people who originally received the FedEx packege (wrong address) put the gun locks on the two boxed guns thinking that locking them up is the right thing to do. If they were scared and freaked out, they would do that. FedEx doesn't give a dang. Nor the gun manufacturer, who is remaining nameless (despite the fact that they screwed up the address, didn't inspect the returned package, called and asked for the key, and basically acted like dimwits to-be-unamed).

By the way, we cut gun lock cables with an ordinary bolt cutter, $12 at the hardware store.

And finally, the fact that you decided to pick up the guns a week apart was your own choice. I believe the FFL reports multiple sales to ATF, not FBI.
 
I don't think the family who got the guns in error had a couple of trigger locks hanging around the house, but who knows.

The multiple gun issue isn't the ATF multiiple guns in a week form. Homeland Security put out a notice to call the FBI if someone bought multiples of the same weapon...guess they think we're arming terrorists or militia.
 
Try working for FedEx and having to explain that the $2000 pistol you just delivered is busted because it wasn't packed well enough. The recipient and the shipper don't want to hear that and will tell the claims department that it was packed perfectly and that we busted it. I always show a manager and take pictures of packages that I deliver if they're messed up. I also take pictures of packages I pick up after I explain to the customer that I can't take it packed like it is and they insist I take it. Twenty three years of FedEx have taught me to cover my "assets". I don't mean to sound like I don't care and I am sorry yall have had bad experiences with us, but I can promise if I deliver a gun for you, I will treat it like it's my own until delivered.

Ps- FedEx does give a dang. A package destroyed is money (and maybe a customer) lost. Who wants that in this economy? Business is WAY down since the economy tanked. Everybody needs all they can get.
 
The gun manufacturer probably has several different departments. They probably have a production line, a shipping line that ships only large wholesale orders, a specific small order shipping department, possibly a public relations department, and a receiving department.

You probably did not get the standard guns that were packed and shipped by the general shipping line that ships out to wholesalers, so I'll bet your special order was handled.....well, specially, and that small department put the trigger locks on the boxed guns, possibly thinking the same key would fit both, and the receiving department was not informed.
 
Hossfly68 said:
...Ps- FedEx does give a dang. A package destroyed is money (and maybe a customer) lost. Who wants that in this economy? Business is WAY down since the economy tanked. Everybody needs all they can get.
Click to expand...

Hoss, If business is down for FedEx, maybe you should ask your marketing folks if it still is a good idea to charge a $25 hazmat fee, and require pistols to be shipped overnight. Reversing these policies would certainly raise the volume of packages shipped.
 
A lot of my suppliers use both UPS and FedEx. Personally, I'd rather they all use UPS. With them, we get the same driver, and he delivers to the proper area. FedEx driver is rarely the same, and will drop it off arbitrarily to the first open door to our facility (which covers two city blocks).

Shipping out, I have no problem with FedEx. I'd rather use UPS, but I don't have a choice.

In the OP's case, I suspect it was the gun manufacturer. Lack of communication between departments is not unheard of.
 
The reason why FedEx and UPS both have expedited shipping policies for guns is because their employees have STICKY FINGERS. They'll never admit to it, but that is the truth!
 
armarsh
Hoss, If business is down for FedEx, maybe you should ask your marketing folks if it still is a good idea to charge a $25 hazmat fee, and require pistols to be shipped overnight. Reversing these policies would certainly raise the volume of packages shipped.
Click to expand...
Uhhhhhhhhh...........FedEx doesn't charge a HazMat fee when shipping handguns......because handguns are not HazMat.:scrutiny:

WinThePennant The reason why FedEx and UPS both have expedited shipping policies for guns is because their employees have STICKY FINGERS. They'll never admit to it, but that is the truth!
Click to expand...

Only handguns must go Next Day/Overnight.......long guns can go Ground.
 
Oh good Lord! So much for taking the High Road. I'll leave this discussion for the simple minded to decide that all employees steal and have no desire to do a good job. Use the Pony Express for all I care. I appreciate you trying to set him right Tom.
 
does the gun maker still retain ownership of these guns when your doing the review? I may have misread it but I thought the multi-gun purchase reporting to ATF was ordered for several sw states due the traffic across the border with mexico?
 
There as been in place the requirement for ALL FFL dealers to report the purchase of multiple handguns from the same dealer within 5 business days. The new rule that just began is targeting the border states and multiple rifles above .22 caliber...
 
OK...but the real point of the email is that two of the guns ended up wearing trigger locks, and everybody swears it wasn't them that put them on...it's enough to make you believe in little green men.

And, in defense of FedEX, it was the gun company that beefed the address, even though they had the correct address in their system.

And, on a final note, UPS (who I use a lot!) messes up too. Friday they left a case of 25 cans of black powder just sitting on my doorstep...didn't ring the bell, didn't get a signature...box had "High explosives" stenciled on each side...
 
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