HOUSTON – Whether it's a gift, clothes or diapers, when you order something online, you want your items delivered on time. When they're late, it seems like there's nothing you can do about it.
But there is. One Houston company is getting FedEx and UPS to cough up millions of dollars in refunds for late deliveries.
If you're the one who shipped the package and it does not arrive on the day the shipper claimed it would, you are due a refund of the entire amount you paid to the shipper.
Every box that goes out of Pinto Ranch western wear means money is coming in to the retailer, unless that package is late getting to a customer.
"The customer's upset. They want a refund," Neera Arya of Pinto Ranch said.
Arya said Pinto Ranch will refund the shipping charges, but getting the company's money back from UPS or FedEx, which caused the delay, is an arduous process.
"First you're on hold for a long time. You have to file a report," Arya said. "You have to file a claim."
"UPS and FedEx don't make it easy to get the refund," Brian Gibbs, owner of Refund Retriever, said.
Gibbs would know. He used to be an eBay Seller. He manually tracked every package he shipped and filed claims to get his money back for those delivered late. Now he has automated the process. Using a computer program, he audits the shipping accounts of businesses all over the country and secures refunds for them when they're due. The service costs nothing if you don't get any refunds. If you do get money back, the company keeps about half.
Refund Retriever got a $1,000 refunded from UPS for Pinto Ranch in the month of December.
"They're in the boot business. They're in the western wear business. They're not in the shipping business," Gibbs said.
Even though Refund Retriever only works for businesses with a UPS or FedEx account, it is true that if you have an individual account or you go to a neighborhood shipping center to send a package and it arrives late, you are entitled to a full refund. You have to call or go back into the store with the tracking number within 15 days.
