Refusing on-line orders

[dsachs09]

I work for a major shipping company that is often used by on-line sellers of livestock. Recently a shipment was refused by a recipient because the box was wet . . . the shipment obviously leaked. I was called upon to examine the box, since my peers knew I had a saltwater reef aquarium and might have an opinion as to what the final disposition of the shipment should be. There was no apparent damage to the outer packaging when I looked at it. In opening the box to determine the cause of the leakage, there were about 10 individual bags inside. The livestock ranged from hermit crabs, to starfish, decorator crabs, and corals. All of the livestock looked good, except that one bag containing a type of acan did not have any water in it. I figured that the cause of the leakage was due to the piercing of the bag by the metal clamps used by the shipper to close the bag. The shipper requested that the entire order be returned. My question is this . . . Would anything survive the return after 2 days transit? When I looked at the organisms, it was apparent they needed to be acclimated quickly. If there is a message to what I saw here, the shipment should probably been accepted and a claim filed with the shipper for the lost animal, rather than contributing to the loss of the entire shipment. Am I off base?

[Scutterborn]

Absolutely not! That recipient has condemned those animals to a sure, slow death! Horrible!

[dsachs09]

The other question involves the vendor/shipper . . . I Understand they want the shipment back to address the claim. They have to know little will survive. What I wanted to do was take them to the nearest LFS for rehab/rescue!

[jroescher]

I've never worked anywhere even remotely related to the shipping industry, so I really don't know what I'm talking about. But, isn't there some policies and procedures about how you personally can (or more importantly can NOT) get involved in these type of situations? Tough pill to swallow maybe, but it might come down to what you value more, your job or those animals.

[dsachs09]

Yeah, you are correct and all I could do was watch and do nothing. What I wanted to do and what I could do were two different issues. Even if the shipper instructions were to destroy shipment, that is likely what would have happened. In my position, inspection of the package was to ascertain whether my company had anything to do with the failure of the product to be delivered intact. This post was result of my internal struggle on many levels regarding the trade.

[jroescher]

Too bad there's not someone with the authority to step in and do what's right in these kinds of situations. No one is allowed to use common sense or think for themselves anymore. "For it is written, it shall be."

[Gseclipse02]

this happens all time with normal shipping ..... for some reason this happens a lot with clams from what i notice no clue why tho