Has anyone ever have Fed Ex lose semen?
And have you collected the insurance money? If so, who gets the money? I have heard all kinds of stories.
Input would be greatly appreciated.

I don't know about semen specifically, but with most carriers, the person doing the shipping (who paid for the shipping with their account #) receives the refund. Normally with dogs that's the stud owner.

I don't know too many stud dog owners that pay shipping costs up front. That charge is usually picked up by the bitch owner using their own FEDX account. If the bitch owner pays for the shipping and the extra cost of the insurance then they get the money as they are the ones out of the money from the litter. Stud dog owner already got paid

Necessarily not so-

Most stud fees are not paid before semen is sent. The stud owner doesn't have the stud fee already. Do you think the bitch owner would send the stud fee money if they never got the semen? 96% of shipments I do are paid by me on my account because the bitch owners don't have an account, and when I have used their account, I usually get burned because their account is delinquent in some manner. I don't get a dime before I ship, and I don't know anyone that does.

I have had FedEx 'loose' semen for a bit of time, but if you call and tell them what it is they do not treat it as 'just another package'. I was very impressed they understood the time sensitive nature of the 'goods' and worked very hard to have it delivered that afternoon.

Fedex would be the final authority on the answer to the original question.

But working backward, assuming no fault on the part of the stud or bitch owner, the whole transaction should be treated as if the bitch didn't conceive for unknown reasons. Whatever the contract says... Whether it be a repeat breeding or whatever. One of the reasons I like and use the service fee concept - the stud owner provides the service, and the fee is paid. If a litter results, then the additional balance of the stud fee applies. In this case, the bitch owner would recover the shipping costs and whatever the package was insured for. I'd make sure it was insured for the amount of the service fee.

I've heard and experienced such good things about Fedex's reliability. It will be interesting to hear what caused this problem if the answer is every found.

Wow!!! I want to know what stud dog owners y'all are working with....
With the breedings I have done, both the stud fee and shipping (plus tank rental for frozen semen) was all paid for up front by me.
That semen should have been insured for the amount you paid the stud owner.
I'm so sorry you are having to go through all that.

I checked with FedEx when they lost our shipment. I (bitch owner) paid for the shipment and insurance with my credit card. FedEx said that didn't matter, that the shipper files the claim. That really doesn't make sense to me. It was my money that paid for the shipment.

I never get paid before I ship semen, nor do any of my close friends with their boys. I wait until the shipments are both delivered and my account is charged which is about a week after the last box goes out. Then I give the bitch owner a total for everything. Just today I told a bitch owner to wait to pay me until we are finished breeding. So far, it it working out nicely for all.

I agree, FedEx loses all kinds of things. When semen is indeed lost or delayed, the person how is in fact out money should recoup said monies.

The cost of the shipping should be paid to the person out the shipping costs. If the shipper has in fact lost a stud fee, it makes perfect sense for her to be paid for the loss.

Things happen, that is why we always keep a backup plan in place.

Hey Frank

How'd you like our back up plan? Even if I did push a panick button. It worked.

According to shipping companies, the product they are sending belongs to the person who gave it to them, not to the person it was for. Therefore, the refund should go to the person who gave them the product to ship as their contract was with that person.

Your contract was with the stud owner. In the grand scheme of things, you are responsible for getting your money back from the stud owner, because the stud owner didn't get your stuff to you (and it was their contractor who lost it, not your contractor).

Then, the stud owner is responsible for getting their money back from their contractor (FedEx). Really, it protects YOU more than anything, because you can do a chargeback on your credit card for the whole amount of the semen (or contest the check with your bank, or take the stud owner to small claims court, or whatever.) The shipping company, depending on who it is, can simply say to the stud owner "your stuff was two days late--so all we owe you is the difference between next day air and ground. Insurance is for if your stuff gets lost, and look, it's right HERE."

How do you guys like this one?
Fed Ex lost the semen.
The stud collected on the insurance.
And I lost a litter ( bitch obviously didnt concieve)

And the kicker is, I am NOT entitled to a return service, or discount or anything!!!!
So, basically, they were paid. For what, I am still trying to find out, as well as some of my breeder friends.

So, they kept the insurance money, because they had "expenses". which I am not sure what they are.
As I am not one doing progesterone etc.

Anyway, Hows that one for an ethical breeder?

I would love input on this one!!!!!!!!

I think I would go to small clains court on that one. That's NOT proper edicate (sp?)for a reputable stud owner. To me, a good reputation takes priority over collecting money that is not rightfully mine. JMHO

First time I had semen shipped to me FedEx lost it. It arrived 3 days later and was deader than dead. Thankfully, the stud owner went right out and collected her male again for me and shipped it the next day. I received that one. My girl had 8 puppies.

The person who ships is the one who must filed the "lost" claim. The shippers are not very sympathetic especially if they eventually do find it. So what if its dead, they delivered it.

The stud owner filed a claim for the shipping fee for me and sent me a check once FedEx paid them. As to insurance, I've found that FedEx won't pay off unless the "package" is damaged. Dead semen isn't damaged according to them.

I recently had semen shipped here again and I paid the stud fee and shipping fees once the second shipment arrived. The stud owner really didn't know me, but knew of me I guess and trusted me to send the payment. There was never any doubt on my part that I would.

How can they not send you another sample?
What are they charging you FOR if the semen never arrived? And in the meantime, the clock is ticking on your bitch's window.
I don't blame you for being "fit to be tied".

Yep, this happened to me. FedEx lost the shipment but the stud owner immediately re-collected and sent the semen out that day that we knew it was lost and would arrive D.O.A. by the time it got to me.

Stud owner had filed an insurance claim on that lost shipment and were paid on that claim by FedEx after a bit of a hassle. I ended up with a litter of six puppies from the replacement shipment and because FedEx had paid the claim, I paid for shipping costs only.

It all worked out in the end, but at the time...whew...can you say STRESSED!

Well, I have to say, I would THINK that your reputation would matter to some.

The best part is that I was told "verbally" that they would resend me semen at another time.

In order for them to collect on the claim, they also needed me to write a letter to Fed Ex.
I did, and they gave me their word they would make good on the stud service.

The got the insurance money, and not have kept up to their part. Never a return service or anything.

Well, we have thought about small claims, etc.
But I figure news like this spreads like wildfire.

And you know, they have lost our respect. And other breeders I know who will no longer use their studs.
So, in the end, they lost a lot more.

Such a shame that there are those that are untrustworthy. Thats just the way life is.
I have to think everything happens for a reason.
And it was meant to be.

Fed Ex has indeed paid me when they lost my shipments (by one day).
They have paid me TWICE and each time it was 700.00 which is what I insured the package for which is also the stud fee (which I lost).
NOW, you can't be paid a claim more than $500.00 so I insure the boxes for $499.00.
I DO NOT get paid my stud fee before I ship - EVER.

It all worked out in the end, but at the time...whew...can you say STRESSED!

I think I aged 20 years when mine was lost.

As a stud dog owner, I will not ship unless I have the service fee paid in advance and either a visa card or FedEx number in advance.

I have lost too much money and shipping boxes the other way. I still have a breeder in Canada that bred to my boy in 2005 and has not paid.

Also, a breeder in Florida, that has not paid the shipping fees and still has two of my Camelot boxes. That happened in July of 06!!!

I can go on if you like.

As for FedEX, the most I have gotten out of them is $100 even though the shipment was insured for $500. But they are very good about not charging if there is a problem.

Jan

After reading all these posts, I noticed a pattern: FedEx, FedEx, FedEx. It seems that FedEx is the one losing the shipments. Has anyone tried the other couriers such as UPS? And what's been the experience, good or bad? The few times I've done such breedings I haven't run into problems (used FedEX), but I know if I did I'd have a lot more gray hairs!

I haven't used UPS for semen shipping but they ruined an airline crate of mine and refused to do anything about it.

my son and daughter-in-law work for UPS. They told me NEVER to switch to UPS from FED EX. UPS has a much worse track record. Coming from two long time employees I'm not arguing and I won't switch.

Plus UPS does not ship on Saturdays, FedEx does. I've needed a couple of Saturday shipments too, so thank goodness.
FedEx did lose the one shipment, but for the most part they've been pretty reliable.

Has anyone else been told by FedEx to write "Chilled Animal Semen" on the outer box? We don't have a.m. delivery available in our rural area... even priority overnight isn't supposed to be delivered in our area until after 3 p.m., but the FedEx rep told me they still try to give animal semen priority. And it doesn't hurt to be friendly with the FedEx driver! I always had the shipments delivered to where I work and the driver knows the "importance" of the package when he sees "chilled animal semen" and will walk in the door Noon, on the dot, with my delivery! I always tell him how wonderful he is and how much I appreciate it!

I have done only one shipped semen and it was when I bred my Rottweiler-- ok no egg throwing--

The semen was paid for up front ( to the tune of $2000 + shipping costs, etc) and that had to be received by the stud owner and bank cleared before it went out. I am hearing alot about these service contracts for the boys and I am seriously thinking of going that root.

This same thing happened to us. FedEx did not deliver the shipment (on Saturday) which is what was directed by the shipper.

When we did not recieve the shipment, we called the stud owner, and told them we would go to plan b (ie, use another studa).

At that point, the STUD DOG OWNER was out of luck and lost a Stud Fee. The stud owner DID in fact file a claim and in fact collected on their claim.

We were thrilled to help them recoup a loss. After all, we had the plan b in place and made the best of it.

FedEx is ultimately responsible and they made good on the claim. We would never think of asking for anything from the stud owner as we did not lose any money.

AND... we would never think of bad-mouthing the stud dog, his owner or anyone else.

How about using the wording "LIVE Chilled Animal Semen" The word 'live' might make them realize if it's detained it could be DOA?

It looks like there's a pattern of Fedex Fedex Fedex losing semen, simply because it's the most commonly used carrier. Another example - did you know that Labrador Retrievers are responsible for the vast majority of dog bites in the US? It's not because a lot of Labs bite, it's because there are a lot of Labs.

I think it's an amazing feat for a package to start out in one part of the US and end up 3000 miles away in less than 24 hours. If someone walked up to me at 4PM (I'm near Albany, NY) and said - get to Los Angeles by 10AM, and while you are at it, send your son to Orlando,Fl, and your two daughters to Austin, TX by 10AM too, I don't think I could do it! it would be a big challenge. And then just thing about the number of packages they move every single day... It's a logistical miracle.