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I've just got to let off a little bit of steam.
Before I start, I want to say the the people at Fed-Ex for the most part have been informative and awesome- both before and after this incident. My ire is solely reserved for the ignorant driver who was being disagreeable.
I have a Smith & Wesson that was having some issues, and after consulting with the Support Line at Smith & Wesson, they very nicely suggested I ship it back to them for service, and they'd send me a mailing label and take care of all the details. All I had to was follow the instructions on the label and slap it on an appropriate box according to their aforementioned instructions- which included making sure to inform the driver that there was a firearm in the container. Calling Fed-Ex when the package was ready to ship and again double checking that all my t's were crossed and my i's were dotted, I was informed twice that I needed to inform the driver picking up the package that there was a firearm in the container. All of this registered and I made sure to remember it all.
When the driver finally came by this afternoon and I greeted him, handed him the package, and informed him that the package contained a firearm. I then was surprised to say the least when the driver started playing by a different set of rules than mine, S&W, and Fed-Ex's.
He first asked me for my license. When I blinked and said 'what license are you asking for?' he then claimed that I could not ship a firearm without a license, not specifying still whether he meant my Driver's License, an FFL, or Double-O License To Kill. He then tried to give the package back to me until I firmly told him that there was no such law or Fed-Ex policy that demanded that such a thing be presented, particularly in the matter of a return shipment to manufacturer. He tried to argue with me a few more times, before halfheartedly telling me "not to be surprised if it was sent back from the airport because this is illegal!"
I admit that it's probably not worth raising my temperature about, but he got under my skin and I had to call Fed-Ex and make a complaint about a driver arguing about this in ignorance of the company's own shipping policy regarding firearms. The lady was very nice and promised that this would be entered into the computer and the driver talked to, but something in me was still annoyed that people are so STUPID as to have to have this kind of talking-to in the first place.
WHY DO PEOPLE THINK A LICENSE HAS TO EXIST FOR EVERYTHING?
Are we as a society now that anal-retentive and insecure in our ability as human beings to cope that we begin to perceive that anything and everything must have a 'license' and government-approved process to accomplish? I am grumbling and feel like a crotchety old curmudgeon even though I am only thirty-something!
Sigh- rant off...
Before I start, I want to say the the people at Fed-Ex for the most part have been informative and awesome- both before and after this incident. My ire is solely reserved for the ignorant driver who was being disagreeable.
I have a Smith & Wesson that was having some issues, and after consulting with the Support Line at Smith & Wesson, they very nicely suggested I ship it back to them for service, and they'd send me a mailing label and take care of all the details. All I had to was follow the instructions on the label and slap it on an appropriate box according to their aforementioned instructions- which included making sure to inform the driver that there was a firearm in the container. Calling Fed-Ex when the package was ready to ship and again double checking that all my t's were crossed and my i's were dotted, I was informed twice that I needed to inform the driver picking up the package that there was a firearm in the container. All of this registered and I made sure to remember it all.
When the driver finally came by this afternoon and I greeted him, handed him the package, and informed him that the package contained a firearm. I then was surprised to say the least when the driver started playing by a different set of rules than mine, S&W, and Fed-Ex's.
He first asked me for my license. When I blinked and said 'what license are you asking for?' he then claimed that I could not ship a firearm without a license, not specifying still whether he meant my Driver's License, an FFL, or Double-O License To Kill. He then tried to give the package back to me until I firmly told him that there was no such law or Fed-Ex policy that demanded that such a thing be presented, particularly in the matter of a return shipment to manufacturer. He tried to argue with me a few more times, before halfheartedly telling me "not to be surprised if it was sent back from the airport because this is illegal!"
I admit that it's probably not worth raising my temperature about, but he got under my skin and I had to call Fed-Ex and make a complaint about a driver arguing about this in ignorance of the company's own shipping policy regarding firearms. The lady was very nice and promised that this would be entered into the computer and the driver talked to, but something in me was still annoyed that people are so STUPID as to have to have this kind of talking-to in the first place.
WHY DO PEOPLE THINK A LICENSE HAS TO EXIST FOR EVERYTHING?
Are we as a society now that anal-retentive and insecure in our ability as human beings to cope that we begin to perceive that anything and everything must have a 'license' and government-approved process to accomplish? I am grumbling and feel like a crotchety old curmudgeon even though I am only thirty-something!
Sigh- rant off...
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