Minor whine

[dlindeblad]

Read a post where the OP was quite angry over a lowest cost policy with the site. I thought I would post a minor item, with more sensibility as to not offend.

"Please Read, This is not a rant"

I ordered an ENDURAcover very recently. The claim is, as copied and pasted from the website, you get a "FREE O/B motor hood on all outboard models." Maybe I understand wrong, but my Bombard C4 inflatable is outboard only and I did not receive a cover. I did not call and say WTF, because the boat cover actually covers the outboard too with ease. No big deal, but what peeved me was, due to the fact that I am at an FPO AE address, the shipper wanted to charge me $96 to ship the cover. According to the man I talked to on the phone (1-800-589-0599), FPO AE addresses are considered international orders (even though it is a USPS delivery service) and the company they go through for international orders dictates the charge rate.

Long story short, had the boat cover send UPS to my dad for free and he in turn sent it USPS priority for $15. I love the cover because it beats the old green tarp any day.

Any thoughs or am I just hosed up!

 

[dolluper]

Re: Minor whine

Shipping costs from anywhere can be outrageous....that's why being creative can save a bundle....try get something shipped from the states to Canada...sometimes it's cheaper to a postal outlet across the broader and drive and pick it up hint hint...glad your cover is great

 

[levittownnick]

Re: Minor whine

Not sure that I completely understand. Is this a U.S. Military address you listed and they want to penelize you for that? Shame on them (to put it as mildly as possible). Congress should have long ago have had laws that would smack them on the head for even thinking about that.

 

[dlindeblad]

Re: Minor whine

Not sure that I completely understand. Is this a U.S. Military address you listed and they want to penelize you for that? Shame on them (to put it as mildly as possible). Congress should have long ago have had laws that would smack them on the head for even thinking about that.

Yeah, it is a military address, FPO AE = Fleet Postal Office Area Europe. My mail arrives through the US postal service to a fleet postal routing center, then it is transferred to me via military air means. Technicalities I guess?

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: Minor whine

I understand. FPO APO is not understood by many and I agree it should be a standard USPS charge.

You have a PM

 

[jeeperman]

Re: Minor whine

Yeah, it is a military address, FPO AE = Fleet Postal Office Area Europe. My mail arrives through the US postal service to a fleet postal routing center, then it is transferred to me via military air means. Technicalities I guess?

Technicalities?
Yes, a technicality not properly resolved by the retailers IT/shipping department.

Shame on any retailer that charges extra as it does not cost them anything more than an address state side.

 

[MTboatguy]

Re: Minor whine

Unfortunately, I went through it when I was serving and I still go through it now, after I retired, I live in an area that USPS DOES NOT DELIVER, I have NO mail box, but yet, I am always hit with a sir charge because I have a PO Box, what is so maddening, is when paypal sent my new debit card, the insisted it go to a physical street address! With everything that goes on now a days, they actually insisted, that they deliver the card to an address(Non-Secure) and Not my PO Box(Very Secure)

I don't understand, why it is more expensive to send a package to a PO Box, especially if they use USPS, Now when they are stupid and insist on a UPS deliver address, I have it delivered to a friend that lives in the area that UPS delivers, because them guys don't deliver to my house either, FEDEX don't deliver, none of the major carriers deliver to where I live.

I agree, there is no valid reason to charge more to any of the addresses, it is not like they have to use Pony Express, the Military address is exactly the same amount of effort as any other valid address!

 

[JB]

Re: Minor whine

What a bunch of "sea lawyers".

Shipping product to an APO, FPO or P.O. Box involves greatly increased liability risk. Just one little piece is inability to verify delivery to the addressee.

Many vendors steadfastly refuse to attempt delivery to them, and with good (legal) reason.

 

[MTboatguy]

Re: Minor whine

What a bunch of "sea lawyers".

Shipping product to an APO, FPO or P.O. Box involves greatly increased liability risk. Just one little piece is inability to verify delivery to the addressee.

Many vendors steadfastly refuse to attempt delivery to them, and with good (legal) reason.

I beg to differ on the being able to verify delivery to the addressee, I have to sign and show ID on many of the items I purchase, I had to sign to pick up my wife's new tennis shoes the other day that I bought her from Kohls.. as I did to pick up a new lens hood I bought for my camera off ebay..

I use a credit card for all of my transactions, and the verified address's on all of my credit and debit cards are my PO Box.

You might be surprised, there is actually quite a number of areas in the country that you don't have or can't have a regular mail box with a street address, like where I live, we are all very rural, and I know of historic areas in the US, that there is no mail delivery.

I also wonder, why is it better to deliver a product package and have it left on a front porch than to deliver to a PO Box, unless the sender requests a signature for delivery it is no more verifiable when left at home than at the Post Office box. I do know that both Fedex and UPS have started working with the USPS to deliver packages to PO Boxes, I have received stuff that I ordered, that started out with UPS and was transferred to USPS.

If a vendor needs delivery verification, then simply request that service, which is only a buck or two, but when I get hit with a $50 surcharge, then that is way out of line..now a days, most address labels are computer generated and it is simply a click of a box to request this service, no real effort required.

As to your "Sea Lawyers" comment, I will leave that to others to define..

 

[JB]

Re: Minor whine

I guess some things have changed a lot recently. I wonder if maybe the reasons for surcharges and shipping refusals have been greatly reduced but the charges haven't.

That would fit in with the fees that were greatly increased to deal with the greatly increased cost of fuel but not cut back when the price of fuel went back down. My trash pickup went from $14/mo to $17/mo, then to $20/mo as gas prices went to near $4. Now that gas is back near $2 the fee is still $20/mo.

"Sea lawyers" are people who are fond of stating what they believe is fair and honest as though it were law. It stems from the absolute authority of the Captain of vessels in the 18th and 19th century. Their opinions were law, written or not.

 

[dlindeblad]

Re: Minor whine

I can understand if shipping costs increase due to rising fuel costs and distance of shipping, but in my case the package goes to the east coast and the Military takes it from there.

There are possible liability reasons due to unknown persons handling the package during international shipping, but this is called insurance charged by international handlers.

Long story short, some reputible posters of this site have offered to assist in the future with any possible issues related to FPO shipping and that works for me.