

MyKickback – Fedex and UPS automated refunds - mlrtime
https://mykickback.com/

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imroot
About 10 years ago, I dated a woman who worked at a distillery, and they were
looking for some software to automate the labeling and shipping process for
their bottle and label samples. FedEx just released their API, so, I wrote
them a little web based program that generated the label, and then
automatically identified which packages were delivered outside of the delivery
window so that they could be submitted for refund.

While FedEx had no problem refunding the shipping for the packages that were
delivered outside of the window, they raised the distillery's rates
dramatically (over 100%) over the next few months. At the time, UPS nor USPS
would accept packages from a distillery (regardless of if they were shipping
spirits or not), so, I turned off the functionality that sent the 'out of
window' reports, and a few months later, the distillery's rates went back down
to normal.

Would I use this today? Not at all -- FedEx is really on top of areas where
they're going to be delivering late and if you have a package or packages
going to that area, they're preemptively sending you "Service Alerts" letting
you know that they're using the weather or other clauses from their terms of
service to not honor the guarantee. I haven't shipped UPS in years due to them
not wanting to pay on a warranty claim, but my guess is that UPS is probably
also doing the similar type of things to their customers as well.

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maratd
> but my guess is that UPS is probably also doing the similar type of things
> to their customers as well.

This isn't possible with UPS. They publish their regular rates. If you're a
large enough shipper, you'll have a contract that explicitly defines your
rates and discount.

This kind of thing is mostly useless for UPS. First, they notify you when they
screw up. Second, they screw up maybe 1 out of a 1000 packages in my
experience. That's a small enough number that it's absolutely worthless for a
business to pursue. You're better off aggressively negotiating your rates.

~~~
bdcravens
_Second, they screw up maybe 1 out of a 1000 packages in my experience._

I have years of data at my disposal. It's more like 2-5 packages out of 100.
:-)

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gergles
100% is an extraordinarily misleading claim for you to make (and isn't in the
title, so the title here should be edited, probably.)

From the FAQ: > Q. How much does it cost? A. It's FREE! The service has no
cost to join or monthly fees. We don't get paid unless you do! The percentage
we take is agreed upon at the time of registration and will never exceed 50%.

"We take 50% of your refund" =/= "It's FREE!" either. Sorry, the current
messaging leaves a really bad taste in my mouth. There's nothing wrong with
saying "We just take some of the found money".

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mlrtime
Noted and corrected (also not my site but I did sign up).

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mtmail
Really helpful time-saver. Not sure if the company name fits. I saw the same
idea for plane tickets and trains.

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impostervt
Have to agree - the name isn't great. When I hear 'kickback', I think
corruption, not a legit business revenue stream.

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drone
I wonder how they compare to existing services, like Veriship, which has
pretty much the same messaging, and payment model? That is, how does
MyKickback differentiate its self from existing audit services?

~~~
walterbell
Do customer need to hand over their UPS/FedEx authentication and account
details to the audit service, i.e. is the audit service acting as an agent?
Why don't the shipping companies block such services from their API, e.g. eBay
blocked many 3rd-party companies when the auction industry was starting.

~~~
bdcravens
_Do customer need to hand over their UPS /FedEx authentication and account
details to the audit service..?_

Yes. It's not cost effective if you can't scale with automation.

 _Why don 't the shipping companies block such services from their API_

UPS and Fedex depend on the guarantees. I believe the negative backlash to
block companies enforcing those guarantees would cost more than the money
they'd save.

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lifestyleigni
My dad has used [https://www.71lbs.com/](https://www.71lbs.com/) and it's
worked out great. Literally free money for his wholesale shipping business.

~~~
bdcravens
71lbs has received a lot of press, and have some real experience in their
leadership. However, they're relatively new, and their reporting is lacking.
(Full disclosure: I'm the Director of Technology with Refund Retriever)

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th0br0
That fonttype is a pain to read, esp. with those background colours.

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bdcravens
Keep in mind that there are much older companies in this space. I'm the
Director of Technology at Refund Retriever: we've been doing this since 2006.

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dsugarman
this is a billion dollar industry

~~~
kgrin
I'm doubtful that it's a billion dollar industry. As a prior commenter noted,
shippers will likely raise rates to compensate (particularly when you're a
large shipper, rates tend to be negotiated anyway), or adjust policies to make
refunds scarcer.

It may be a clever hack for a few early adopters, but is likely to be somewhat
self-defeating if/as it grows. (Though in fairness, "shipment auditing" is a
much bigger and more interesting play than refund harvesting specifically).

~~~
bdcravens
_It may be a clever hack for a few early adopters_

There's a number of companies like Refund Retriever (disclosure: I'm the
Director of Technology) that have been doing this since 2006.

