Signature service on home deliveries will cost you

By Ray Bohman -- Logistics Management, 8/1/2005

Effective July 11, two of FedEx Corp’s. subsidiaries—FedEx Express and FedEx Ground—began delivering packages to residences without securing a signature. If you want to obtain one, it now costs you extra.

This policy change is intended to allow the carriers to deliver more packages to residential customers without a recipient signature, and thereby complete more deliveries on the first attempt.

For shippers that require a signature on delivery of packages to residential customers in the United States, both companies now offer three new, fee-based "signature options."

Here are the three options and the charges for each:

1. Indirect Signature Required. For a fee of $1.50, FedEx Ground or FedEx Express will obtain a signature from:

any person at the delivery address;
a neighbor, building manager, or other person at a neighborhood address; or
the recipient can sign a FedEx door tag authorizing release of the package without anyone present.

2. Direct Signature Required. For a fee of $2.00, FedEx Ground or FedEx Express will obtain a signature from any person at the delivery address. If no one is at the address, the carrier will reattempt delivery. The recipient may also choose to pick up the package at the location indicated on the door tag.

3. Adult Signature Required. For a fee of $2.75, FedEx Ground or FedEx Express will obtain a signature from any person at the delivery address who is at least 21 years old. A government-issued, photo identification is required to prove the signer's age. If no one is at the delivery address, the carrier will reattempt delivery. The recipient may also choose to pick up the package at the location indicated on the door tag.

FedEx said its policy on obtaining signatures for shipments to non-residential addresses is not changing. Drivers will still attempt to obtain a signature from someone at the delivery address or a neighboring address, and no fee will apply. For shippers with more specific requirements, the two subsidiaries will also offer the second and third options shown above, namely:

Direct Signature Required—fee of $2.00

Adult Signature Required—fee of $2.75

UPS already has a signature rule titled “Delivery Confirmation Service” (Rule 600), which provides for an additional charge when a shipper requests the driver to obtain the recipient’s signature and include it in the delivery confirmation. In addition, shippers may request that UPS obtain the signature of an adult 21 years of age or older and to include it in the delivery confirmation. UPS will assess an additional charge for each such confirmation. The carrier reserves the right to request photo identification confirming the recipient’s age before completing delivery. Adult signatures typically are required for delivery of regulated substances, such as tobacco, alcoholic beverages, and pharmaceuticals.

DHL Worldwide Express likewise charges extra for signatures. The carrier has a rule in its Ground Tariff 1001-B titled “Signature Required Fee.” That rule provides that DHL will charge a fee of $2.00 when the sender requests that a signature be obtained at the time of a residential delivery.

If you’re presently using FedEx Ground or FedEx Express in the United States to make residential deliveries, this would be a good time to verify what types of shipments require customers' signatures, and which of the three options you’ll want to choose.