WHAT IS A FREIGHT CLAIM?
GSR (Guaranteed Service Refund) for UPS and FedEx is indicated by a note in the Shipment Progress section on the Tracking Detail page. Once you’ve identified that a package was delivered late, requesting a Guaranteed Service Refund is relatively easy. The request must be made by the shipper (not the receiver of the package) within 15 days of your scheduled delivery date.
All you need to file your Freight & Shipping Claim is your tracking number. You can submit your GSR request in two ways:
COMMON ISSUES WITH GSR FOR UPS AND FEDEX
Getting to the refund page is the easy part. There are many reasons why your shipment may not be eligible for a refund. We’ve shared the full list here, but some common reasons include:
- The type of service you used was not guaranteed (i.e. 2nd Day Air Residential shipments)
- The shipping contract you signed prevented you from claiming refunds (be careful – read your contract ahead of time to ensure that this is not the case)
- You dropped your package off at a UPS store (you have to claim those refunds through the UPS store directly)
- Packages subject to a Large Package Surcharge or Additional Handling Fee
- Delays outside of UPS’ control (there is a long list to review and confirm)
- Shipments made around the holidays (holiday packages are not actually guaranteed)
Beyond the reasons listed above, you still may find that your refund can not be issued online due to UPS’ refund web service interruptions (a common problem).
The Billing Center is accessible for customers with payment accounts.
Refund requests must be made by the person or company that paid the charges and must be submitted within 15 calendar days of the scheduled delivery date or the date listed in the tracking details or your proof of delivery, whichever is later.
The GSR for UPS and FedEx follows certain principles for most types of FedEx small parcel services (ground and express), and FedEx offers a free money-back guarantee also known as GSR. If FedEx makes a delivery later than their commitment time, FedEx will refund or credit your account with the shipping charges.
FedEx refunds are ONLY provided upon the shipper’s request; they do not voluntarily provide refund credits. There is an established money-back guarantee policy for late deliveries, but they don’t make it easy to obtain these refunds.
UPS also offers a free money-back guarantee (GSR). If UPS makes a delivery later than their commitment time, UPS will refund or credit your account with the shipping charges.
Similar to FedEx, UPS refunds, are ONLY provided upon the shipper’s request, they do not voluntarily provide refund credits.
THE BOTTOM LINE
If you are trying to get refunded for a couple of shipments, or if you ship less than 100 shipments a month, FreightOptics recommends manually reviewing your shipments and submitting your refund requests. If you ship a heavier volume, keeping up with this process will quickly become tedious and refunds will slip through the cracks. This is where we can help. Contact us for more information on GSR refunds.
