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FedEx and the Law of Wrack

Owen Bawn

Garden party cupcake scented
In English Common Law there has long been a custom called 'the law of wrack,' by which cargo washed up on shore from a wreck can be kept by the finder. An ancient custom indeed.

Well apparently we have a new FedEx driver in the neighborhood who can't read numbers. Several packages intended for me have ended up next door, and I just found the third or fourth package intended for the neighbor on the other side of us here on my doorstep.

Does the law of wrack apply here? If they leave stuff here is it mine? (I'm really only kidding, but I'm sure it happens). Meanwhile, 2 or 3 packages addressed to us that ended up next door were actually opened (!) by the neighbor before being turned over to us. She claims it's her kid who did it. I say these people understand the law of wrack and if they opened one of my packages and it was any good I'd never see it.

The custom of wrack plays a large role in the plot of the classic Robert Mitchum/Sara Miles film 'Ryan's Daughter,' by the way.
 

Doc4

Stumpy in cold weather
Staff member
I misunderstood. I thought there was a new law about what happens to such careless Fedex drivers ...

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Owen Bawn

Garden party cupcake scented
Except these packages did not "wash up" to their doorstep, did they?
I think its a flotsam and jetsam thing. Flotsam is cargo that is lost due to accident or an act of God; jetsam is stuff tossed overboard. In US law flotsam remains the property of the ship owner or whoever owned it while jetsam is finders-keepers, if you want it.

I think mislaid FedEx packages are more like flotsam.
 
The law is that if you receive a package addressed to someone other than you, keeping it is theft. Your obligation is to call the carrier. Your right is to yell at them and tell them to stop being incompetent doofuses.
 
It is considered wrong to keep a package that doesn't belong to you. In my case, it is usually intended for a neighbor, so I just take the item over to their house and put it on the front porch with a note attached. That is what I would want if the roles were reversed.
 

Rhody

I'm a Lumberjack.
I dislike getting other people's packages but i take them over. Its karma. Last week dhl undelivered my karve razor because the street number was offby one probably my fault? But there is no house number one off. Anyway he walked across the street thru a backyard and left it on their back deck the rear of their house faces my street but their house fronts the adjoining street. Anyway my neighbor brought it over days later after they found it back there. Of course the box was all wet.

On an unrelated funny note also this summer we couldn't locate 2 packages delivered by usps. Several days later i discovered all the mail from that day placed carefully in the backseat of our unlocked car that was parked near the mail box. It was raining that day and i can only assume thats why he did that.
 
It’s my understanding that FedEx exclusively outsources their routes to contractors, who in turn hire independent contractors as delivery drivers. They do this to avoid paying their “employees” any overtime or benefits. Third party drivers are likely underpaid a flat rate, no matter how many stops they have to make and have less skin in the game. It’s a sleazy business model and consequently, the negative results are often passed on to the customer. I’ve heard of many similar complaints about FedEx that I haven’t heard about other delivery companies. To compound the problem, they’re probably grappling with excess online shopping and gearing up for the holidays, hiring anyone who applies.
 
It’s my understanding that FedEx exclusively outsources their routes to contractors, who in turn hire independent contractors as delivery drivers. They do this to avoid paying their “employees” any overtime or benefits. Third party drivers are likely underpaid a flat rate, no matter how many stops they have to make and have less skin in the game. It’s a sleazy business model and consequently, the negative results are often passed on to the customer. I’ve heard of many similar complaints about FedEx that I haven’t heard about other delivery companies. To compound the problem, they’re probably grappling with excess online shopping and gearing up for the holidays, hiring anyone who applies.
[QUOTE="Parkergreen, post: 10903666, member: 131198"
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I am curious where you get this info. I personally know several company drivers at FedEx. You may consider these practices sleazy, but they have been common for a very long time. Many companies have been built on the backs of O/O and independent’s. I am now a company driver. As having more than 25 years as an O/O and/or independent and being an outside carrier for USPS, Yellow , Roadway, Safeway and dozens of other’s , I’m curious of what you mean by “less skin in the game” ?
 
[QUOTE="Parkergreen, post: 10903666, member: 131198"
I am curious where you get this info. I personally know several company drivers at FedEx. You may consider these practices sleazy, but they have been common for a very long time. Many companies have been built on the backs of O/O and independent’s. I am now a company driver. As having more than 25 years as an O/O and/or independent and being an outside carrier for USPS, Yellow , Roadway, Safeway and dozens of other’s , I’m curious of what you mean by “less skin in the game” ?
[/QUOTE]
Maybe I’m wrong but I thought jobs at UPS and USPS for example, hire their own drivers, pay them more, offer them benefits and more job security. If that’s true, those drivers would have more to lose than a third party individual, who does the same job for less, without benefits and who may also have other routes aside from FedEx to fall back on. That’s what I meant. Also, to be clear, I called the company’s business practices sleazy, not the drivers.
 

Toothpick

Needs milk and a bidet!
Staff member
Seems like more often than not my UPS and FedEx packages are transferred to the USPS for delivery. Maybe it has something to do with living outside of the city limits? I don‘t know. Never had a package show up on my neighbors door that I know of. My neighbors would drop the package off though. As would I if I got their package.

I’ll just add that my regular USPS delivery guy is awesome. He’s covered postage for us, he’s careful with where he places our mail that won’t fit in the mailbox, he’s always courteous, you can just tell he knows the people on his route and cares about his job. He even has a right wheel drive Jeep! He’s so awesome that I know when the substitute is on the route by how jacked up and late the mail delivery is. When I get a “sorry we missed you” note in the mailbox when I know without a doubt, for an absolute fact, that we have been home all day....it’s the substitute postman. And that’s happened several times.
 
I'm under the impressiom all FedEx Express, and FedEx Freight are company employed. But FedEx Ground is subcontracted to third party parcel carriers where possible. Your basically bid on the delivery route and buy the scanners/uniforms, trucks don't have to be marked with the fedex logo. I used to work as a receiving supervisor and talked with lots of drivers. All UPS are company employees.
 

FarmerTan

"Self appointed king of Arkoland"
Seems like more often than not my UPS and FedEx packages are transferred to the USPS for delivery. Maybe it has something to do with living outside of the city limits? I don‘t know. Never had a package show up on my neighbors door that I know of. My neighbors would drop the package off though. As would I if I got their package.

I’ll just add that my regular USPS delivery guy is awesome. He’s covered postage for us, he’s careful with where he places our mail that won’t fit in the mailbox, he’s always courteous, you can just tell he knows the people on his route and cares about his job. He even has a right wheel drive Jeep! He’s so awesome that I know when the substitute is on the route by how jacked up and late the mail delivery is. When I get a “sorry we missed you” note in the mailbox when I know without a doubt, for an absolute fact, that we have been home all day....it’s the substitute postman. And that’s happened several times.
I too can't say enough nice things about my regular "mail woman." Mail person. Whatever the term is this year.

I also have noted many of my packages start out UPS or DHL and end up being brought to my door by USPS. I live out n the country as well Mr. Pick.
 

Doc4

Stumpy in cold weather
Staff member
They say that "dog bites man" isn't news, but "man bites dog" is. Well, "neither dog nor man bite the other" certainly isn't news.

... I suspect that most delivery drivers do a good job, and it's the unfortunate exceptions to the rule which result in all the publicity and threads like this.
 

Owen Bawn

Garden party cupcake scented
They say that "dog bites man" isn't news, but "man bites dog" is. Well, "neither dog nor man bite the other" certainly isn't news.

... I suspect that most delivery drivers do a good job, and it's the unfortunate exceptions to the rule which result in all the publicity and threads like this.
I was just looking for a way to 'package' a little story & perhaps get a cheap laugh out of the law of wrack analogy. I intended no calumny.
 
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