subject: What Is The Claims Process? [print this page] When you have something which becomes damaged when shipping with a Sacramento courier service, it can feel like the end of the world. Your company's hard work and invested money has been lost, and your customer is left dissatisfied. It's a good thing that your packages is probably completely insured, either by the courier company or by the policy which you have in place. In most cases, it's going to be the courier's insurance that covers your policy, so to get compensated for the damage and to get back on track, you need to know how to put in a claim on that damaged package.
Every courier company in the world has a different claims process for damaged cargo. There are some basic guidelines which you can follow though which can help you make sure that you're not going to accidentally lose out on your right to compensation under the insurance policy that you shipped under. In fact, if you're worried about it, you could always ask your courier directly for a claims process information sheet before even shipping with them.
The first thing to do when you find out that a package has been damaged is to contact your courier company as fast as you possibly can. The reason for this is that almost every step in the claims process is on a timeline. If you wait too long to make a claim, that might be all it takes to make your claim invalid. Call them as soon as you can, and also important, make sure that you submit everything by the deadlines that you are given by the courier or their insurance provider.
Another thing which is universal across most courier companies is the importance of keeping the packaging that your shipment was sent in. If the package did arrive at your client's location, make sure to tell them not to throw away the damaged packaging. Most insurance claims need to see proof that the package was initially packaged correctly in order to pay out a successful claim.
This means that part of a successful claim is based on what you do before you ship, as well as what you do after the damage has been sustained. You should find out what your courier companies shipping and packing guidelines are, and always make sure that they are adhered to exactly. That way, you know that in the event that something should happen, you will have a successful claim.
