HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WAAY) - A FedEx truck carrying thousands of packages that overturned in Georgia is bringing to mind the question: Just how protected are those heart-felt gifts of yours, when you ship them to your loved ones?
That accident happened Tuesday morning on Interstate 75 in Macon, Georgia. Workers reloaded the packages onto another truck, but some items, many appearing to be Christmas gifts, were destroyed.
FedEx alone is predicting they'll ship 290 million packages between Black Friday and Christmas Eve.
But, what happens to all those gifts, if something goes wrong with a shipment?
FedEx and UPS all insure all packages up to a hundred dollars if they're lost or damaged.
The United States Postal Service, however, insurances an automatic $100 coverage only on Global Express mail.
"To be honest with you, when you order over the internet, you don't really think about that because they don't really talk about that,” says shopper Scott Donovan.
Got something more expensive than $100?
You may want to pay up, if you're shipping some expensive goods.
You can purchase other insurance for various rates.
For example, the maximum declared value per package on many of FedEx and UPS services is $50,000.
The Postal Service offers up to five thousand dollars insurance for standard shipments, or $25,000 for registered mail.
"I mean, when you mail something, that's one thing, I'm always thinking about insuring if it's worth something,” says Donovan.
But make sure to read the fine print, because there are some restrictions.
If you don't properly package a breakable item, for example, that can negate some of that insurance coverage.
And be aware, you do have to file a claim to see any of that money, many times within a certain time frame after the package was supposed to arrive.
You also have to have proof, like pictures and documents and the original shipping receipt, in order for your claim to go through.
