I shipped 2 suitcases last trip using Fedex. I created an account online. We dropped the suitcases off at Fedex Kinkos on a Sunday. Both were 29" (62 linear inches) weighing about 50# each. Used the designated Fedex luggage tag. I received a phone call from Fedex as one of the tags "fell off" and they needed to confirm, which was fine. Got a tracking confirmation they arrived. Both arrived on Thursday from NJ. They were about $20 each to ship. No damage.
Returning suitcases back home - another story!!
I used hotel computer, logged into my account and printed luggage tags and scheduled a Fedex pick up. Well, although the information I entered was correct, they tag listed pick up from my NJ home and deliver to home! I called Fedex right away and they fixed it (is you use your account this is the default). Luggage was picked up from hotel and arrived home three days later - everything fine, without damage. Later, I looked at my account and got a whopping huge bill- around $120 for the return of 2 suitcases!! First, I was charged some huge service fee for having the Fedex agent correct my tag - apparently she just scheduled a brand new pick up and cancelled the old one. Funny she never mentioned to me this would be something like a $20 extra charge or I would have taken bags directly to Kinkos! Also, the weight was correct (55# each), but the scanners somehow measured the suitcases incorrectly. After MANY phone calls with Fedex, I finally got someone to listen and got the charges reduced to $60+ dollars.
Shipping the suitcases was awesome! No minivan rental needed (saving $100). Airport was a breeze. Aggrevation with Fedex customer service - not worth it.
If I decide to do this again, I would suggest using a hard case suitcase to limit scanner error. Also, I would take the suitcases to downtown Disney Fedex Kinkos and use my account number. Cheaper and less problems.
