Whiteflash will not provide FEDEX tracking # to customer?

[Diamond 4 Ever]

Well! I''ve finally made the big move. Whiteflash is shipping the diamond out to me today! Like other buyers, I can''t wait to see it. I also made an appointment with the appraiser tomorrow to have the diamond checked once it arrives. So, I needed to know the tracking information of the shipment to plan my time. Unfortunately, Whiteflash said they cannot provide me with the FEDEX tracking # because I paid with a credit card. Can anyone tell me if this is standard practice for on-line diamond purchases, and if yes, the reason behind it? I would expect that it should be to the vendor''s interest to give me the tracking # since I will be watching the FEDEX scans like a hawk. Without the tracking #, I wouldn''t even know if it had been delivered to or picked up by some one else. I found this very shocking since all on-line purchases I have made always provide a tracking #. Of course, this purchase is slightly different in the sense that it is the most expensive on line purchase for me. Any insight or experience about a vendor not providing tracking # to the customer here? Be it from Whiteflash or other vendors? Thanks.

 

[Shappy]

I ordered from McGivern diamonds and the tracking number was available to me immediately. For me this was important since I took a day off from work to have it delivered at home, they told me to the hour it would be delivered, very reliable.

 

[Mara]

That's odd....they just shipped out my diamond to me today for my fiance's wedding ring and they told me when it was shipped and that it would arrive tomorrow. I didn't ask for a tracking, they didn't supply one. Not sure why. But I have the # for my local FedEx station so I was just planning to call them before I go and get it, to be sure it had arrived. I guess I am less paranoid on deliveries from the vendor because I know it is insured through them. On deliveries from me to them, such as when I shipped my Regent to GOG for re-setting, I was freaking out thinking about my pendant lost in the mail even though I insured it.




Don't know why they didn't give one...but the phone works too.

Give FedEx a ring tomorrow....or see if Lesley can get you that tracking #.

 

[Diamond 4 Ever]

DH is taking the morning off tomorrow so we can collect this together. That's why I needed to be sure when it will arrive. As for FEDEX, I called them a while back about another delivery which I know is coming to me, but they said they can't release the information even if I give them my name and addresss unless I can provide a tracking #. Not only with this purchase, but tend to feel better if I can track the shipment for any on-line purchase I make be it big or small.

 

[pqcollectibles]

I think I know what the problem may be. When I ordered from WF, I gave WF a CC # as security/good faith for the order. Lesley explained to me that, by law, WF cannot charge a CC until a sale actually takes place. I placed my order 8 days before the ring shipped. The "sale" of your diamond took place when WF transferred the diamond to Shipping to package prior to shipment to you. Once the Third Party person verifies the diamond/jewelry piece is as stated on the order, then Shipping can complete the packaging. That's when the "sale" takes place, the CC is charged, and the package is scanned into the FedEx system. Maybe you called for a Tracking Number before WF had transferred the diamond to Shipping to complete the "sale"??

There shouldn't be a problem with getting the diamond in the morning. WF uses whatever FedEx service that delivers to the Station before 10:00 am. In fact, when I picked up my ring, the gal at FedEx said mine was her last "Hold for Pick-Up" package and I was there at 9:30am.

Hopefully I am right, or at least close to being right, and all is well with your package!

 

[niceice]

It might also be because the little cyber punks who make a habit out of buying expensive items with stolen credit cards like to re-route packages while they are in transit so that the packages can be sent to a destination where it might be easier to intercept the packages without a valid signature... Thus by blocking the shipment information, WF may be trying to protect consumers as a whole by reducing the possibility of credit card fraud. Call WF in the morning and ask them to track the package for you before driving down to the Fed Ex station...

 

[Mara]

R/T...I was wondering about that today...similar anyway. I ordered some stuff from PotteryBarn and accidentally switched my billing/shipping, so it sent it to the old house instead of the new.




UPS is delivering it...do they get address changes? I don't think so...they just *deliver* to the address on the package right? So can I call the UPS center where I know they store the packages and just have them hold it for me OR can I redirect to new address. If you don't know...that's okay

Just figured since you mentioned changing addresses in transit...I may be able to get a Q answered!

 

[LesleyH]

R & T:

It's good to have you back on the forum - we have all beeen thinking of you. You hit the nail on the head. In the early days of WF, we did provide the tracking #'s and unfortunately in 2 cases it got into the wrong hands. The credit card purchases were fraudulent. We won one case and we lost the other, at great expense to us. Since then, we have tightened our criteria for using a credit card and we have not provided the FEDEX tracking number to customers who have made their purchases with a credit card. We send every package to a FEDEX Station Hold for Pick Up, and the customer has to go to the FEDEX Station and show picture ID to sign for the package. This reduces the chance of fraud by eliminating the possibility of a reroute or an interception, as well as ensuring that only the person whose name is on the package can sign for it. Most of our customers are very comfortable with this policy.

Diamond 4 Ever, it is nothing personal, it is just company policy. As we told you over the phone, just call into the office in the morning and we will track your package. I have just tracked it and it is on its way

LesleyH
www.whiteflash.com

P.S. We do provide the tracking number to customers who have paid by bank wire as there is no risk of fraud with cash payment.

 

[pqcollectibles]

Gosh, I would never thought of fraud, let alone rerouting a package!! I'd have to get lots smarter if I wanted to live a life of crime!

NOT!!

Thanks R/T and Lesley for explaining the process!!

Great to see you back Robin and Todd!!

You have been our thoughts and prayers!!

 

[Diamond 4 Ever]

Lesley,
Thanks for the clarification. I hope this is not coming out as something negative for Whiteflash. As mentioned in my original post, I just want to find out if this is normal proceedure for this kind of transaction. Now that I know the reason (never dreamed that the package can be diverted that easily), I am comfortable with your position on this. I was just puzzled when I was told that Whiteflash cannot provide a tracking # but when I asked for the reason, that person on the phone was not able to give me any. Thanks for clarifying things.

 

[Jaded Gem]

Mara, you can call UPS and have them reroute the package as long as it is you who is the intended recipient. All you have to do is call them and let them know the new address. I did the same mistake. I ordered some tech item online and I had it shipped to my parents' house which is a two hour drive away. My parents are never home since they work all the time so UPS had stuck a sticker on my parents' door with my package confirmation number on it. My parents called me to let me know that they had indeed missed the package, but they gave me the UPS confirmation number. Then I called UPS with the confirmation number and so that they could do a reroute, and they updated the address asap. I received the package the next day after the address update. UPS was wonderful, and they saved me a trip to my parents' house. I hope it works out for you as well with your Pottery Barn items.

 

[Mara]

Thanks JG...actually I logged onto PB last nite to track them and found that they had indeed been delivered to the old address and luckily the neighbor grabbed them, so we are picking them up today. Whew.




On the WhiteFlash pick-up...I got a call this morning from FedEx telling me that my package had arrived and was ready for pick-up today, along with instructions on what to bring to pick it up, where to go etc. So apparently FE had things well under control in terms of notifying me when it was ready for pick-up.

I'm going to get it in a few hours on my way home! CAN'T WAIT TO SEE IT!!

 

[mike04456]

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On 2/11/2004 12:29:50 AM LesleyH wrote:





Most of our customers are very comfortable with this policy.

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I would be very comfortable with this myself, in fact, I would insist on it were it otherwise. I have had two FedEx packages go awry in recent weeks, in both cases because they disappeared after purportedly being signed for by some peon in the mailroom or someone other than the named recipient.

FedEx is great but they have no control over a package once it's out of their hands.

 

[Rhino]

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On 2/11/2004 5:17:13 PM LawGem wrote:






FedEx is great but they have no control over a package once it's out of their hands.



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Same with UPS. Both make their blunders which are IMO not acceptable. The fact that they'll leave such an expensive package with just about anyone or at a front door fumagates me.

We also do not provide tracking #'s for the very same reason. We can provide them the day of delivery but not the date we shipped it out.

Great to see you Robin and Todd. You guys have plans on being in Vegas this year?

Peace,

 

[pqcollectibles]

I personally like that White Flash ships to a FedEx holding station. No problems with the wrong person signing for the package that way. You don't have to worry about not being home and missing the package or the delivery guy leaving it on the doorstep. The package isn't released from FedEx responsibility until the buyer signs for it. Works great!

 

[Rhino]

Sounds good PQ but we've already seen instances where we've sent packages to a FedEx holding station only to have the clerk let someone OTHER than the person it was addressed to sign for it. FedEx is not above making mistakes and they sure do make them from time to time as well.




Peace,

 

[pqcollectibles]

Whew! Glad I haven't been on the wrong end of a FedEx mistake!

They are humans just like the rest of us. It's bound to happen from time to time.

 

[Rhino]

Yep and is why I pray over those packages as they leave.

hehe

 

[niceice]

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On 2/11/2004 12:27:21 AM Mara wrote:


R/T...I was wondering about that today...similar anyway. I ordered some stuff from PotteryBarn and accidentally switched my billing/shipping, so it sent it to the old house instead of the new.


UPS is delivering it...do they get address changes? I don't think so...they just *deliver* to the address on the package right? So can I call the UPS center where I know they store the packages and just have them hold it for me OR can I redirect to new address. If you don't know...that's okay

Just figured since you mentioned changing addresses in transit...I may be able to get a Q answered!
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Our "Credit Card Authorization Form" which requires that the client sign the form in the presence of a Notary Public and provide us with a clear copy of a valid driver's license seems to significantly reduce the amount of potential credit card fraud transactions that we are subjected to. In fact, the only credit card fraud resulted from the one time we decided to ignore our own internal policy regarding the use of this form. The customer re-routed the package without our authorization and thus we did not have a valid cardholder signature on file to combat Visa with. We were however able to successfully fight the bank which issued the credit card on the premise that they failed to perform due diligence by issuing the card AFTER the victim of identity theft had advised the various credit bureaus that he had been the victim of identity theft... New credit cards had been issued to the thief two states over from where the actual person lived, a house had been rented, utilitites had been activated, etc. all using false identification. The package was re-routed while in transit and was dropped on a known drug house by Fed Ex. Because we had verified the cardholder's identity with the bank, we had done our due diligence, however because no signature was obtained at the actual cardholders address, we were out of compliance with Visa. So we dumped the transaction in the hands of the bank which issued the card and Fed Ex for allowing the package to be rerouted without our written authorization.

We now require the credit card authorization form and that the customer pick-up CC packages from a Staffed Fed Ex location and our packages are insured directly through the Fed Ex DVX Program which provides it's own level of increased security. Dealers who would like a copy of our CC Authorization Form can email us for a copy. Occasionally a client will complain about having to fill out the form, but the reality is that most clients realize that such measures serve to protect them as well as ourselves from credit card fraud. CC Fraud effects all of us in the form of higher prices because when merchants lose money in the form of product loss and legal fees, they need to increase their prices in order to recoup the loss.

Thanks to all for the welcome back, we're going to pop off to Mexico for two weeks for a much needed vacation, we'll be back around the First of March... We do intend to be at JCK Vegas this year and look forward to seeing you all there