John thought his package was lost when he couldn’t find a record of it with FedEx. He paid $20 more to re-ship the document. Turns out FedEx had changed the tracking number without letting him know.

He writes:

I overnighted a document using a pre-paid overnight label with my FedEx account. When I went to track it online, the package was “not found” for two days, and then the status popped up as “shipment info sent to FedEx.” After a week, no further activity, so I called and they explained this meant that the package never reached their hands. I printed out another overnight and sent it off. I come to find out that the first package was not lost and actually made it to FedEx, except FedEx changed the tracking number on my package and didn’t inform me of this or put it into the list of shipments on my account. All along, I thought my package was lost (and they confirmed this theory with me). I ended up shelling out an extra $20 to send the same document twice overnight. I just discovered this two weeks later when I called to get credited for the first shipment (I found it odd I was charged for something that never shipped). They informed me that it was “tough luck” that I had to pay twice to ship the same thing and could not explain why my original package was reassigned a tracking number and I was never notified. Thankfully, American Express cares about their customers and took the charge off my statement with no issue. Still, it’s frustrating. I use FedEx so I can track shipments in my account profile. It’d be nice if they let me use that feature.

Also, yes, I know, I could have checked with the recipient to see if they got the package, but that’s why I pay FedEx. They’re supposed to tell me these things.

Bonus points to John for admitting his mistake in not checking with the recipient. If you have any tips for him to keep tabs on his package in case something like this happens again, please share.

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.