Weird shipping invoice error with misspelled name
June 15, 2022 10:50 AM Subscribe
I got a shipping invoice for over a hundred dollars from FedEx. A package WAS picked up from my address on the date indicated, but it was a package that had been prepaid by the recipient, a health care-adjacent lab company. The twist: FedEx misspelled my first and last name on the invoice but got my address correct. This spelling error was probably what caused them to bill me in the first place. Since I am not the imaginary person listed on the invoice... what would happen if I just didn't pay it?
The recipient (of course) denies culpability. So (of course) does FedEx. I called FedEx earlier today and gave them the invoice number and tracking ID, and they told me to call the recipient -- it must be their problem. Then the recipient's customer service rep rather angrily told me that it was not their company's problem. So here I am being asked to pay a large shipping invoice for a package that was prepaid, with my address on the invoice but the wrong name on the same invoice. What do I do here? I could dispute the invoice, but that would require claiming it as mine -- which it is not, both because the package in question was prepaid and because it's not even my name.
The recipient (of course) denies culpability. So (of course) does FedEx. I called FedEx earlier today and gave them the invoice number and tracking ID, and they told me to call the recipient -- it must be their problem. Then the recipient's customer service rep rather angrily told me that it was not their company's problem. So here I am being asked to pay a large shipping invoice for a package that was prepaid, with my address on the invoice but the wrong name on the same invoice. What do I do here? I could dispute the invoice, but that would require claiming it as mine -- which it is not, both because the package in question was prepaid and because it's not even my name.
Assemble and keep your correspondence/receipts/shipping labels etc., which presumably establish that the recipient intended to pay for shipping, and did pay for shipping.
This should show on the shipping label right? Did you keep a copy?
If there is any followup from FedEx, I might reply: This was paid by the recipient, as shown by the attached documents.
posted by JimN2TAW at 11:20 AM on June 15, 2022
This should show on the shipping label right? Did you keep a copy?
If there is any followup from FedEx, I might reply: This was paid by the recipient, as shown by the attached documents.
posted by JimN2TAW at 11:20 AM on June 15, 2022
IMHO, Fedex was unable to debit the account where it was supposedly "prepaid", which is why it decided to bill you.
If you did send this package and was given instructions to do so (email, letter, pre-printed label, etc.), produce these instructions for Fedex and they should go away.
posted by kschang at 11:32 AM on June 15, 2022
If you did send this package and was given instructions to do so (email, letter, pre-printed label, etc.), produce these instructions for Fedex and they should go away.
posted by kschang at 11:32 AM on June 15, 2022
I would not claim the invoice as yours. You don't want to give fedex any correct information that they will use against you in the future.
How do I know? For years, my business has been getting an invoice billed to us that is not ours. We have a pretty common last name as part of our corporate name (think something along the lines of "Smith"), and apparently, a woman in a very different part of Brooklyn who has the last name of Smith shipped some very heavy lamps to herself from the west coast. Fedex decided that they undercharged her on the shipping or something and as they can't seem to find her decided to do a google search for the name "Smith" in Brooklyn, and came up with us (I'm guessing, I have no idea how they made the leap from a non-business individual with a completely different address and zip code to a corporation where the only common denominator is an extremely common name).
Every month we get another invoice from Fedex, and sometimes they even include a copy of the original handwritten shipping invoice that the woman filled out, which contains her full name and address. Pointing out this discrepancy to Fedex multiple times has achieved nothing. We've called fedex several times and explained this situation to them over the years, yet the invoices keep coming. We refused to give our names or any further info about our business in case they were taking notes.
At one point it went to a collections agency and we considered hiring a lawyer because we didn't ant any collection actions against us, but ultimately decided to continue to ignore because the only information they really have is our business address. They don't have the full correct corporate name and they actually managed to misspell the word "Smith" so it's not even the same spelling as the woman who did the shipping. They have no documents to prove their case that we owe this invoice, on the contrary the one piece of paper they could provide as proof of services that are unpaid for don't contain any of our information at all.
They really have no idea what they're doing there.
posted by newpotato at 11:33 AM on June 15, 2022 [4 favorites]
How do I know? For years, my business has been getting an invoice billed to us that is not ours. We have a pretty common last name as part of our corporate name (think something along the lines of "Smith"), and apparently, a woman in a very different part of Brooklyn who has the last name of Smith shipped some very heavy lamps to herself from the west coast. Fedex decided that they undercharged her on the shipping or something and as they can't seem to find her decided to do a google search for the name "Smith" in Brooklyn, and came up with us (I'm guessing, I have no idea how they made the leap from a non-business individual with a completely different address and zip code to a corporation where the only common denominator is an extremely common name).
Every month we get another invoice from Fedex, and sometimes they even include a copy of the original handwritten shipping invoice that the woman filled out, which contains her full name and address. Pointing out this discrepancy to Fedex multiple times has achieved nothing. We've called fedex several times and explained this situation to them over the years, yet the invoices keep coming. We refused to give our names or any further info about our business in case they were taking notes.
At one point it went to a collections agency and we considered hiring a lawyer because we didn't ant any collection actions against us, but ultimately decided to continue to ignore because the only information they really have is our business address. They don't have the full correct corporate name and they actually managed to misspell the word "Smith" so it's not even the same spelling as the woman who did the shipping. They have no documents to prove their case that we owe this invoice, on the contrary the one piece of paper they could provide as proof of services that are unpaid for don't contain any of our information at all.
They really have no idea what they're doing there.
posted by newpotato at 11:33 AM on June 15, 2022 [4 favorites]
Do nothing, it'll probably be fine. Do keep any documentation in case you do end up needing it later, including that you made a good faith effort to resolve the issue.
If you knew how fucked up FedEx really is, you would not be surprised in the least by this. When everyone is running around like their hair is on fire because of a severe lack of resources nobody cares to actually resolve issues.
Thankfully, the FCRA and FDCPA provide a reasonable path to get bullshit off your credit report if it ends up there because the account got sent to collections. Connection agency sends you a dunning letter, you reply asking for proof of the debt, they fail to produce anything indicating your consent to be charged, and it usually goes away.
posted by wierdo at 12:07 PM on June 15, 2022 [1 favorite]
If you knew how fucked up FedEx really is, you would not be surprised in the least by this. When everyone is running around like their hair is on fire because of a severe lack of resources nobody cares to actually resolve issues.
Thankfully, the FCRA and FDCPA provide a reasonable path to get bullshit off your credit report if it ends up there because the account got sent to collections. Connection agency sends you a dunning letter, you reply asking for proof of the debt, they fail to produce anything indicating your consent to be charged, and it usually goes away.
posted by wierdo at 12:07 PM on June 15, 2022 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Quick note: two people above have suggested that I keep all documentation of the shipment itself, i.e. any labels or receipts or even letters/instructions saying that the package was prepaid. Unfortunately, I do not have any of this documentation. I had previously mailed three similar packages to the same company via the same system with no issue, so I did not keep any documentation.
posted by cubeb at 12:18 PM on June 15, 2022
posted by cubeb at 12:18 PM on June 15, 2022
If you mailed it from a drugstore or post office, you may be able to get your original receipt reprinted by them, or some kind of printout that will serve.
Go at an off hour and be super nice and they might be able to do something to help- I needed a shipping invoice reprinted this way and the employee couldn’t reprint that exact thing but she was able to print a screenshot that did the trick.
posted by nouvelle-personne at 12:23 PM on June 15, 2022 [2 favorites]
Go at an off hour and be super nice and they might be able to do something to help- I needed a shipping invoice reprinted this way and the employee couldn’t reprint that exact thing but she was able to print a screenshot that did the trick.
posted by nouvelle-personne at 12:23 PM on June 15, 2022 [2 favorites]
Sounds like a scam.
I don’t think FedEx the company is involved in any scam, but anyone who knew about your package could be, from neighbors on up. Not the driver though, unless your name was not on the package.
posted by jamjam at 5:21 PM on June 15, 2022
I don’t think FedEx the company is involved in any scam, but anyone who knew about your package could be, from neighbors on up. Not the driver though, unless your name was not on the package.
posted by jamjam at 5:21 PM on June 15, 2022
This thread is closed to new comments.
Throw a reminder on your calendar to pull a credit report in 3 months and just check make sure nothing from FedEx (or anything else unexpected) has shown up on it. And in the (highly unlikely) event it does, dispute it.
For what it's worth fake invoice/fake shipping notices are an extremely common scam. It sounds like this was an error more than a scam but the same general rule applies: if you don't know what it's for and you don't expect it, keep an eye on your credit report but otherwise do not engage.
posted by phunniemee at 11:01 AM on June 15, 2022 [3 favorites]