Dear ABC News Fixer: Help! I'm a Victim of Shipping 'Bait-And-Switch' - East Idaho News
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Dear ABC News Fixer: Help! I’m a Victim of Shipping ‘Bait-And-Switch’

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GETTY 012414 FedExTruck?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1390618407533Justin Sullivan/Getty ImagesBy STEPHANIE ZIMMERMANN, The ABC News Fixer

Dear ABC News Fixer: I am a victim of a shipping bait-and-switch.

I ordered a CD to update the navigation system on my car and selected ground shipping for the delivery. On Dec. 12, I received an email stating my order had shipped and giving me a FedEx tracking number.

When I tracked the package, it had an expected delivery date of Dec. 20. I took a day off work to stay home and wait for the package. It never came.

I checked with FedEx and was told they did not have my package anymore. The package was delivered to the U.S. Postal Service for delivery. I checked with the post office and they couldn’t tell me anything.

I was promised FedEx service but the seller used FedEx SmartPost, which is an arrangement between FedEx and USPS. There is no exact tracking of your package from FedEx. According to FedEx, once they give the package to USPS, they are not responsible. USPS’ response is you have to wait on delivery – which in my case took an additional three days.

— Travis Edwards, Virginia Beach, Va.

Dear Travis: The ABC News Fixer remembers back when FedEx meant only one thing: a white truck with the FedEx logo was going to pull up in front of your house, and a worker would dash out, ring your doorbell and hand you a package.

With the rise of online retailing, FedEx – as well as competitors UPS and DHL – now has alternate shipping methods for getting high-volume, low-weight, less time-sensitive shipments across the country cheaply. But the ABC News Fixer says you don’t have to just sit back and take it.

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Got a consumer problem? The ABC News Fixer may be able to help. Click here to submit your problem online. Letters are edited for length and clarity.

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