Snowstorm Shipments
BChase
Posts: 4 ✭
Hello everyone,
I'm wonder if anyone else on here had this month's attempt ruined by the weather? Our last vial from our first-choice donor was supposed to arrive Friday night well before the weather got bad, but a delay on the West Coast caused it to miss all its connections to our rural town for a Friday delivery. I would think that if you paid overnight fees and they didn't get it to you overnight, they would make it right and do a Saturday delivery, but apparently not. Our last vial sat in Tulsa all weekend before making it to Fort Smith, AR on Monday morning, the same morning my spouse got a happy face on the OPK. That road was impassable though. Since we had 48 hours on the clock, we decided to see if it would come Tuesday. But when it didn't leave Fort Smith, I talked to NWC and they had it recalled to arrive on Thursday just in time to get it back in storage before we lost it. Unfortunately, it never made it farther than Tulsa. It's still sitting there tonight. They'll be long dead by the time they get back to NWC.
On the phone they told me eight other clients were also experiencing delays, and so I just thought I'd reach out to see if any of you are on the forum. Nobody in our lives can really understand that this was a huge loss even if was just the loss of potential.
Comments
My shipment was also delayed, was supposed to arrive last Tuesday 02/15, now I am being told Tennessee the hub received more snow and is delayed again. When asking for a refund so I can purchase another vial I am told we are only able to receive a 50% refund. I’m very upset!
That is outrageous! Thank you for the heads up, because I would have lost my temper being surprised with that on the phone today big time. That was THE last vial from our donor, so we had to pick out someone entirely new. Aside from the obvious financial loss, I lost HOURS of work to trying to get this sorted out, being sick over it, and finally going through the whole process of selecting a donor again.
I mean, for crying out loud, I ordered frozen PIZZA from Lou Malnati's in Chicago and they got here just fine on Friday the 12th via FedEx so I really don't see why my sperm didn't get here the day I PAID for it to get here, or why I wasn't given the option to at least go pick it up on Saturday when it was perfectly possible to get to that location. I wasn't given that option until Tuesday when we were buried under a foot of snow with a small mountain range between us.
Also, if yours went out on Monday of this week, you should really throw a fuss because they KNEW they were having serious delays already, especially if your hub was in Memphis which is where mine originally missed its connection, and they shouldn't have risked your vial like that.
My wife and I had a very similar experience. Our tank was supposed to arrive Friday morning and kept getting delayed (even though weather here in Ohio and in Indianapolis where the tank ended up sitting for days was perfectly fine). We spent hours in the phone pleading with FedEx to allow us to drive two hours to Indianapolis to pick it up, but they wouldn’t allow a weekend pickup. They finally sent it to our local FedEx Saturday night, but again wouldn’t allow us to drive the 10 minutes to pick it up from that facility on the weekend either. By this point it was the time we needed to use our vials and we managed to get a hold of the local FedEx manager and he allowed us to pick it up Sunday night at 10pm. We were ecstatic that we got it in time to not waste our two vials. We opened the tank and it had completely thawed. No vapor, no cool air in the tank. Nothing. Needless to say after countless hours trying to pick up a tank that was 10 minutes from our house before the real snowstorm hit Monday and then finding out our tank never held its temp and thawed the sperm before we could even use it was absolutely devastating. Especially given our donor doesn’t have anymore vials available currently. It was honestly the most frustrating experience ever paying that much for shipping and not even being able to drive down the road to pick it up on a weekend.
I'm so sorry to hear that happened to you and your wife, but thank you for sharing your experience. We were told on Tuesday that they couldn't tell us what our next step was until they receive the shipment back and tested it to see if was still frozen. I have no complaint with the employee I've been speaking to; she's been nothing but kind and understanding during this nightmare, but... seriously? I'm supposed to think there's any way the sperm hasn't thawed when it left storage on 2/11??? I just want off the emotional roller coaster. As of this morning, our tank has finally made it back to Spokane so hopefully we will get answers soon, but I am going to throw quite a fit if they try and make me pay ANYTHING for a replacement.
Oh no. That is terrible. I am so sorry you have had to go through all of this as well. It is unbelievably stressful and frustrating. We were “fortunate” I suppose that we were within the seven day guarantee of the tank keeping our vials frozen, so they are refunding us for the vials and shipping due to the tank malfunction. However, I am almost certain it was a FedEx malfunction either placing the tank upside down or on its side in transit, not the actual tank. The lady at northwest we have spoken to has been very nice and helpful, and I understand some of it is out of their control but they need to authorize weekend delivery for the tanks if shipping is such an issue right now. They don’t currently authorize weekend deliveries is what we were told because NW is closed on the weekends, but waiting days upon days and not being able to at least pick up the tank on the weekend when they are supposed to arrive overnight and don’t is just unacceptable in my opinion. I hope you are able to get a refund or at least some answers soon.
I ordered mine to arrive early and didn't need it until today. I didn't suspect anything wrong until after the missed delivery Monday. I started with FedEx and found the shipment had never left the original fedex after the shipment day on Thursday. Their claim was that while nothing weather wise was wrong in California or the destination, a plane in Memphis that would've carried it never left because of the weather. I was disappointed but it isn't the first set back. I am skeptical that its return is going to be within their 10 day window but just have to have faith. Really was a hard pill to swallow, there's a lot going on in my life. This journey is my glimmer of hope it'll get better. Glad this thread was started, I've wanted to talk but avoid these kinds of conversations because people say I'm whining. It hurts and helps to not have to grin and bear it and say I'm ok.
I experienced the exact same thing. I literally stalked fedex via phone, email, I knew flight numbers, I filed reports, etc. My shipment arrived 6days late. It was a miracle that I received my lh surge the day before my shipment arrived. My vials arrived the day of my procedure.....like 2 hours before my appointment. It was the most stressful experience ever. Don't give up ladies. Keep calling and sending Emails. I'm currently 3dpiui
Thank you for choosing NW Cryobank to help grow your family.
As you may know, severe winter weather across the U.S. and at the FedEx Hub has caused widespread delays with shipments. FedEx is prioritizing the safety and well-being of their team members as they navigate these hazardous conditions. Areas not directly impacted by weather may also experience package delays, and FedEx scanning and tracking information may be delayed.
Our team understands the time sensitivity of your package and have been working hard to address these challenges. We are very eager for your specimen to arrive as quickly as possible. We are handling delayed shipments case by case so please feel free to call us at 800-786-5251 or email us at info@nwcryobank.com with any questions. We’re here to help you as best as possible.
Additional information about package delays and tracking can be found on FedEx’s website.
Thank You,
NW Cryobank