Receiving a FedEx delivery pending message and having to wait beyond an expected delivery date can be both confusing and frustrating. Here’s some insight into why FedEx delivery pending messages are sent and what they mean.

What Does FedEx Delivery Pending Mean?

According to FedEx's official website, a delivery pending status means: 

“Delivery commitments were changed based on some type of delay and our efforts to mitigate that delay.”

Reasons For Delays

Items marked as fragile or which have a high monetary value may need to be handled with care in order to avoid causing damage. FedEx will need to carefully plan the route to the package's destination and work out the best and safest way to ensure that the package arrives undamaged.

How Long Does It Take For A Delivery Pending Message To Be Fixed? 

In general, pending deliveries should be cleared within a twenty-four to forty-eight, hour window unless the delay is serious, and necessitates further interruptions. The 24 to 48-hour window is an estimate, as FedEx will be working hard trying to fix the problem.  

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Can Anything Be Done While Waiting? 

No, other than checking the tracking status on a regular basis. If the delay is extended over 48 hours without any feedback, calling FedEx customer support should be considered.  

World Options customers that encounter delivery problems possess the advantage of being able to contact their account manager, who thanks to World Options' direct contacts with leading carriers, can attain information on a FedEx delivery pending message much quicker than contacting FedEx support would be. 

This is because the business model of FedEx, which along with other carriers do not provide the same level of support to small and medium-sized businesses that ship small volumes — typically one to three shipments a week, as they do with companies that ship hundreds of goods weekly.  

FedEx Delivery Pending For Three or Five Days 

Receiving a FedEx delivery pending message in one to five days can be resolved by either waiting for the delivery to arrive, or it can be solved by calling FedEx and asking them to keep the delivery for pickup from the nearest FedEx hub. 

Can You Get A Refund If The Delivery Is Late? 

There are four situations for which FedEx will offer a refund in the case of a late delivery. 

• Service failures. 

• If the shipment is a transportation service and not intra-Europe economy or FedEx International connect plus bookings. 

• If the package does not exceed the number, type, size or weight of packages tendered on average for the location by the sender throughout the year. 

• If the sender agrees not to seek any other form of compensation, other than getting refunded for a delivery. 

• Only one refund or credit per package. 

• FedEx’s money-back guarantee doesn’t apply to duties, taxes or any other charges. 

Conclusion 

A FedEx delivery pending message represents an inconvenient speedbump in the flow of a delivery process and for the most part, isn’t a cause for concern. Key things to remember when receiving a FedEx delivery pending message are: 

1. Knowledge: understanding the reasons behind a delay. 

2. Patience: knowing that a delivery pending message will eventually be fixed. 

3. Consistency: checking tracking statuses regularly. 

4. Flexibility: if a shipment is delayed for days or weeks, be willing to travel to the nearest hub in order to pick up the delivery.