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Oops! FedEx Delivered to the Wrong Address? Here’s What You Must Do

Let’s assume you have ordered a product from an e-commerce website, to get an update you open up the tracking page of your delivery agent ( here, FedEx) and it displays that your order has already been delivered, but your package is nowhere to be found.

This is an exceptional case that can occur by FedEx sometimes, and is termed as “delivered to a wrong address”. However, this problem itself can have multiple perspectives, firstly, your package could be delivered to the wrong address, or juxtaposed to that, you could have received someone else’s delivery.

It needs to be addressed immediately to ensure the safe delivery of the package to your doorstep without any worries and thereby it may require an intervention on the part of the company itself. But, in any case, it feels frustrating and leads to multiple chains of events. Here, in this article, we thereby address this problem and answer all your queries.

1. Common Causes Of FedEx Delivering to the wrong address

FedEx ranks as one of the topmost delivery agents in the market, both domestically and abroad, however, it is also prone to certain exceptions itself. However, if you address the issue immediately, they may get your package back to you in no time. Now, let us dive into the issues that may have caused this delivery at the wrong address:

Incorrect address: It can happen on the part of the receiver that they have filled up a wrong address either via the auto fill up option or they would have ordered their parcel from another device, which is affiliated to some different address other than the one where they want to receive their package. It can be prevented by double-checking your address before placing the order.
Similar Address: Often, it can happen that your neighbors share the same house number or block number as yours, as a result, confusion is created as to where should the orders be shipped. This can be prevented by providing an evident landmark in order to prevent any uncertainty.
Package Hander’s mistake: The agent who has been given the responsibility to ship the package to your doorstep can also make a mistake sometimes. They may not have discovered someone at home for receiving the package and acknowledging it via a signature and hence they maybe would have delivered it to your neighbors.
Human Error and technological glitches: It can also lead to wrong package delivery and cover a wide range of issues such as being misguided to a house while asking directions, delivering to the wrong house number or to a person of the same name, a wrong scan at the facility or due to wrong labeling on a package. These factors are mainly variable and can be prevented only by being cautious.

2. Signs that FedEx has delivered to the wrong address

One must remember that the situation of delivering a package to the wrong address is an exception but if you are experiencing this situation you could experience that the delivery tab displays the location as “delivered” but your package is nowhere to be found. On the contrary, it can also happen that you can receive an email, text, or notification that clearly mentions that the package has been delivered to your address but it is nowhere to be found.

Before proceeding further and talking formally to the company about your concerned package, you must check your either at your neighbors, since they must have acknowledged the package and received it themself. It can often happen that the driver would have attempted to deliver the parcel at your address but found no one and placed it nearby. Apart from that, the driver in order to prevent porch theft often places the delivery either in a plastic bag or at your back door. So, before contacting the company, you must check your porch or any other possible locations. But, while tracking, if the delivery gets delayed or there is any other disruption to the procedure, you need to notify the appropriate authorities as soon as possible.

3. Immediate actions are to be taken if FedEx delivers to the wrong address

A wrong delivery of your package may lead to many problems that can only be resolved if you take up the issue well in time. You may not get back your package or even any compensation if you delay the report to the FedEx authorities. Try to contact the company as soon as you come to know that your package has been delivered to the wrong address.

The first and foremost step that must be taken is that you must contact FedEx customer care. then request the necessary representation. FedEx will soon be able to track the shipment. They will ask the driver if he or she can recall anything about that particular shipment.

The shipper should then be contacted directly. Any delivery-related issues can be quickly resolved by filing a claim with FedEx. If the product is too important and time-sensitive, they may also proceed and send you a replacement, but it can only happen after you have contacted the sender\merchant. They can work with FedEx to remedy the problem. In the meantime, if you get any information about the recipient of your package then try getting in touch with them and make an arrangement to self-pick up the package.

4. Steps to follow when you are trying to retrieve your package

As mentioned before, you should first contact FedEx customer care, either directly via a call or email. Make sure to keep the delivery address and the tracking number ready to hand them in so that they can make the required inquiry. Most likely, FedEx would be assigning a representative to you who would then get in contact with the driver and the agent who shipped the package to your doorstep. Apart from that, you can also file a claim at the FedEx website, a detailed guide has been given below:

You must use their official website if you wish to submit a claim.

Fill out the required fields with your tracking number and serial number. Select the claim type from the drop-down option.
Next, choose from the drop-down menu what kind of claim you want to file. Choose “Continue” from the available options. The most recent details regarding your bundle are displayed on a new page.
Simply navigate to the claims information section at the bottom of this page. Enter the details of your shipments here. If you have proof of the shipment’s value in the form of pictures or documents, or if you have additional shipping information that can help you identify your belongings, scroll down.
After verifying the information twice, select “Next.”Your contact details should be entered in the fields that are required, such as enter your contact information, including your name, address, phone number, and preferred means of communication, in the boxes that are necessary
Then click the “Next” button. Verify that all of the information you’ve provided is accurate before clicking the “Submit” button on the final verification screen.

Apart from that other methods can also be used such as the Chat feature, which is exclusively offered by FedEx. Professionals are available from morning till evening, 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM to be specific and you can contact them as well. However, one must always ensure that no sensitive information is exchanged since these recordings are taped, for suture uses and quality purposes. Just in case, if you are not satisfied with the response of the FedEx authorities and you are experiencing a delay in retrieving your package that has been wrongly delivered, you can even contact the police authorities to speed up the process to some extent.

5. Preventive Measures To Avoid FedEx Delivers to Wrong Address

The above-mentioned procedure is obviously a long one and requires a lot of time and effort from both parties. One may not like to get into the hassle of tracking down their package again and again and going through numerous procedures such as filing a claim, writing an email, and so on and so forth. Hence, here are some of the ways that you can prevent any future delivery errors:

Double-check your address: Before ordering, make sure to double-check your address. You can also prevent using auto-fill in order to prevent any typing errors and ensure a complete and correct address. Also, if you’ve shifted your place then remember to fill in the new address with comprehensive care. This one step can prevent any mistakes.
Add delivery instructions: Another lifesaver that can come to your rescue can be adding valuable delivery instructions such as the time of preferred delivery or the place where the agent can deliver the package if they don’t find you at home, or a landmark nearby to recognize your house. These can be really helpful and can prevent any uncertainty on the part of FedEx agents.
Use Virtual Address: This service accomplishes two things. In the first place, it prevents a FedEx driver from being misled by an address in a less approachable area. The second reason is to prevent package theft when the delivery person leaves it at your residence. You can have your mail delivered to a physical address where FedEx will pick up your box, scan it, and then ship it to you if you want to use their FedEx Virtual Address services.

Opt for a required signature at delivery: What you can also do is ask the company to only deliver the package after they have got the acknowledgment from the receiver, in the form of their signature. You could opt for this technique, and then the package would only be delivered by the agent when they get a particular individual’s signature.

FedEx Delivery Manager: It is an excellent way to keep control over your packages being delivered. It gives you a clear package delivery option and allows you to customize your delivery timings, days, and so on. Moreover, it allows you to schedule the package timings at your convenience, thereby preventing any sort of theft or wrong deliveries.

Request a hold at location: As per FedEx you can even ask them to hold the package at its location, and they even do it for free for up to two weeks. This can be helpful in case you need to leave your place in an emergency, and so on and so forth.

6. Legal Implications and Rights Of The Recipient

The Fair Credit Billing Act (FCBA): The Fair Credit Billing Act is a federal law passed in 1974 to protect customers from deceptive credit billing practices. Individuals can use it to dispute unauthorized charges on their accounts as well as costs for undelivered products or services. It is through this hereby, that you could demand compensation from the merchant\seller of the undelivered\wrongly delivered parcel that you have paid for.

The Mail, Internet, or Telephone Order Merchandise Rule: The Rule mandates that if the seller has a good basis for declaring or implying that they can ship within a specified time frame while advertising merchandise. If they do not issue a shipment statement, then the recipient must have a reasonable cause to believe that the seller will be able to ship within 30 days. Henceforth, under the above-mentioned situation if the wrongly delivered package is not delivered again to the recipient within 30 days then they have the right to bring in the government authority to take charge of the case.
Consumer Protection laws: There are multiple laws that are primarily made to protect the consumers in the market and to ensure the safe selling and buying of goods. Every consumer has certain rights, which are protected by consumer courts. For instance, In the United States of America, the Federal Trade Commission protects consumers. Similarly, there are various Consumer protection laws that are put into place by the state and federal courts.

7. How FedEx addresses delivery errors

FedEx money-back guarantee: FedEx offers a money-back guarantee if they fail to get back the wrongly delivered package back to you. However, the corporation is impotent to intervene if the shipment was successfully delivered but then lost, stolen, or destroyed.

One must also remember that this is only applicable if the claim to the wrongly delivered package is made within 15 calendar days of its delivery date. Also, this money-back guarantee will not be applicable if a shipment is delayed due to inaccurate addresses or the unavailability or refusal of a person to accept delivery, regardless of whether the package is returned to the shipper or signed for.

FedEx Package Protection Programme: Unless you have additional insurance for the product, FedEx will grant a set amount against the value of the package. FedEx coverage includes shipment damage or loss, as well as delivery to the incorrect address. Just as the money-back guarantee, this must also be availed as soon as possible, i.e as soon as the recipient realizes their package has been wrongly delivered.

Hence, we can say that FedEx offers a wide range of protection for its customers and does have the option of providing compensation for goods and services.

8. Best Practices For FedEx Delivery Services

Nobody would like to go over the hassle of tracking down their wrongly delivered package and hence you can follow some of these techniques to prevent any mishappening again:

Tracking: Keep a regular track of your package and make sure to turn on push notifications so that the company may remind you of the progress in the package delivery. Hence, tracking is an essential part of the receiver’s end.
Be available to receive your package: After keeping a close eye on the package, you may get the estimated delivery time and make sure that you are at your place to receive the package yourself. Apart from that you can also use FedEx Delivery Manager as mentioned before to customize your delivery timings.
Communicate with your package handler: Make sure to keep a check with your package handler so that they deliver the parcel to the correct address.

9. Conclusion

It is in this article that we went into depth about what to do if your package has been wrongly delivered to some other address. What you immediately need to do is to consult FedEx customer care so that they can take care of the package themselves and get you a representative to track down the wrongly delivered package and securely deliver it back to your place. On the contrary, if you have been delivered with someone else’s package then you may also contact customer care.

Some of the remedies and ways forward have also been discussed such as preceding any typing errors while filling in your details for ordering a package or cross-checking your address before ordering, regularly tracking your package, and trying to be at home at the estimated delivery time. Other measures such as using a virtual delivery address or FedEx delivery manager are some of the ways through which you can prevent such situations. Apart from that, if you are not fulfilled by the efforts of the company, there are certain legal implications for the same and you could consult law enforcement agencies.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What do I do if my package is lost or stolen?

It is crucial that you inform FedEx, via customer care as soon as it appears that your shipment has been lost or stolen. You should also maintain duplicates of any messages or evidence related to the package in question.

2. How long does it take for FedEx to respond to a claim?

Unless more time for research is required, most claims will be addressed within 1 to 2 weeks after FedEx receives your claim form and associated claim documentation. Depending on the complexity of the subject, the research may take longer.

3. What information do I need to provide while filing the claim?

All documentation related to the proof of value (e.g. copy of the original invoice from vendor/supplier, copy of the retail invoice, receipt, final confirmation screen if online order with proof of payment, itemized repair invoice or statement of non-repair, appraisals, expense statement, or any other applicable documentation).

4. What happens if the recipient denies having received my package?

If the signature of the recipients is available, the ones which they did while receiving the package then they can be held accountable for the same. Unfortunately, if the signatures are not available then FedEx would be responsible for providing the required compensation for the package under purview.

5. Can I cancel my order if my package is lost or stolen?

It depends if the package is stolen before or after the successful delivery of the package. If the package is lost before delivery then you can file a claim but if it is lost\stolen after being delivered then FedEx will not be responsible in any case and thereby the order cannot be canceled.

6. How do I track my package with FedEx?

You can track your package from the official FedEx website by clicking on the tracking option, which will be visible in the middle of the page. You can track your order by entering the tracking ID that would have been provided to you and hit the “track” button.