When filing a shipping credit request, it is important to note that each courier company has different time limits. We have listed the requirements for some leading courier companies such as Purolator, UPS, and FedEx, to help ensure that you don’t miss out on your claims.
Understanding Time Limits for Shipping Credit Requests
Understanding Time Limits for Credit Requests When Shipping
As a business owner, you rely on the timely delivery of your products to maintain customer satisfaction and keep your operations running smoothly. However, sometimes shipments can experience delays, damages, and even surcharges. If you find yourself in need of filing a shipping credit request, be informed as to the specific time limits for the courier you selected to deliver your shipment. If you wait too long, your shipping credit request may be denied just for not meeting the deadline.
To help you navigate these shipping credit time limits, we have compiled a list of requirements for leading courier companies:
UPS
- Requests for service failures must be filed within 15 days from the scheduled delivery date for express-only ground not eligible.
- Other charge requests must be submitted within 90 days of the invoice date.
- Claims for lost packages must be made within 9 months of the pick-up date.
- Claims for damaged packages must be made within 60 days of the delivery date.
Purolator
- Requests for service failures must be filed within 15 days from the scheduled delivery date for express-only ground not eligible.
- Other charge requests must be submitted within 90 days of the invoice date.
- Claims for lost packages must be made within 9 months of the pick-up date and claims for damaged packages must be made within 60 days of the delivery date (for damage evident upon delivery).
- Claims for concealed damages must be made within 21 days of delivery.
FedEx
- Money-back guarantees for late shipments are not available for express or ground shipments on FedEx accounts.
- Claims for lost shipments must be made within 9 months of the pick-up date.
- Claims for concealed damages must be made within 21 days of delivery.
DHL
- Credit requests for late shipments can only be made for timed services (i.e. 10:30 am, 12:00 p.m. e.tc.).
- All claims must be submitted within 30 days of the pick-up date.
Canpar
- No credits are available for late Canpar shipments since they are all ground.
- Credit requests for other charges must be submitted within 90 days of the invoice date.
- Claims for lost shipments must be submitted within 180 days of the pick-up date.
- Claims for damaged shipments must be submitted within 60 days of the delivery date.
GLS
- Claims for damaged or lost shipments must be submitted within 60 days of the pick-up date.
- Credit requests must be submitted within 9 months from the date of the shipment.
Nationex
- Requests for delay, loss, or damage must be submitted within 15 days of the delivery date.
- For non-delivery or mistaken delivery, the request must be submitted within 60 days of the pick-up date.
- For concealed damages, the request must be made within 5 days of the delivery.
Although credit requests and claims are two terms that are often used interchangeably in the shipping industry, it is important to know that there is a significant difference between the two. A credit is a request for a refund for shipping charges for something that was delivered late or had extra charges applied i.e., special handling, reweigh, address correction etc. On the other hand, a claim is submitted when your package is lost or damaged. The claim includes the lost/damaged product and sometimes the shipping charges.
Hence, whether it’s a credit request or a claim, if you wait too long, your request may be denied just for not meeting the deadline. Therefore, it is crucial to keep track of the time limits set by your chosen shipping provider and submit your claims in a timely manner to avoid any denied requests.