BALTIMORE — A Maryland small business owner estimates it’ll cost her $15,000 to replace a package that disappeared last September.
Tracking information shows the package made it to the Halethorpe FedEx Ground facility, then the trail goes cold.
“They were all picked up by the same driver the same day,” said Laura Lynch.
She shipped five packages that day, but one never made it.
“I did call and talk to FedEx, I’ve notified them I don’t know how many times,” said Lynch.
She saw the WMAR-2 News reports on missing packages at Maryland FedEx facilities and contacted WMAR-2 News Mallory Sofastaii.
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“The thing that got me calling you was I read your story about all the other stuff going missing from the Baltimore facilities and that’s exactly where it went and that was in early September,” Lynch said.
In the last three months, WMAR-2 News has received reports of more than a dozen missing game consoles, Apple products, even a handgun.
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When an item can’t be found, customers are told to file a claim with FedEx.
Lynch did that. She documented the items in the package and the cost to replace them at $15,000.
“It’s radiation detection equipment,” said Lynch. “It’s the U.S. Army’s property and I’m responsible for it.”
FedEx, instead, reimbursed her $100.
This is according to their policy that limits liability to $100 unless a higher value is declared and greater charge paid.
Lynch didn’t pay for added protections.
“It is a lot of money to insure it,” said Lynch. “The principle of the thing is it went to their facility and never left, according to their own information. So, in that case, I say they should be responsible because where is it then?” asked Lynch.
A FedEx Ground spokesperson emailed WMAR-2 News the statement below:
“The safe and secure transport of our customers’ shipments is a top priority, and we apologize to Ms. Lynch for the inconvenience this has caused. Regretfully, despite attempts to recover this package, our efforts have been unsuccessful. We worked directly with the customer to file a claim and reach a final resolution on this matter. For details on declaring value for a shipment, please consult the FedEx Service Guide.”
“It just seems to me there needs to be some kind of change in the way these things are handled. I mean, it’s not going to put me out of business to do this, to replace the equipment. For me, I’m kind of hung up on the whole principle at this point. I just feel like they don’t take it seriously, but it’s serious to me and it’s serious to my customer. At FedEx, it’s just another day of missing packages that’s how I feel their response has been,” said Lynch.
After Sofastaii contacted FedEx Ground, Lynch’s payout was upped to $500, but she’s still unhappy with the resolution. Because of the experience, Lynch is switching shippers for her business.