Since I created my LLC, I opened a FedEx business account. I seldom have to send documents since labels are provided. In my town there is only one location that will give a FedEx receipt. The other three locations are either Walgreens or Dollar general which we are prohibited from using. There is not even a Dropbox which I wouldn’t use. The pickup time is 1:30 p.m. for Express. Otherwise I have to drive 22 miles round trip for the next town for a 4:45 p.m. pickup. Since I have a business account oftentimes I will call for a pickup at my house. I noticed a few weeks ago that I had a pending charge of about $35 on my credit card from FedEx. I called and inquired and they didn’t know anything about it. A few days later the charge cleared and I called FedEx. As of August the 16th their policy has changed and I will now be charged for pickup at my location. Even though I have a paid label. I was not notified of this and when I put in the pickup request it did not show that there would be a charge. They still refuse to reverse the charge on my credit card. And darn it. I sent one just the day before. So out of a $100 signing, 35 of it went to shipping. Won’t be making that mistake again. If I have a signing after 12:00 I am going to be adding mileage for the next town over to ensure next day delivery.
I’ve been a signing agent since January 2006. I set up my Fedex and UPS accounts soon thereafter. To my knowledge, there’s always been a pickup charge for both UNLESS there’s a regularly scheduled pickup/delivery at that particular location (i.e. when they pickup/deliver daily to a title company).
My understanding was always the hiring party supplying the label had to provide the correct label to allow for free pickup.
I have no drop boxes around me either, one FedEx authorized shipper (30 miles rt) and if I miss them it’s a trip to Gainesville Kinko’s (90 mile rt). I sympathize with you on that score.
The closest Fed-Ex ship center near me is about 23 miles roundtrip. I utilize Walgreens all the time and have never had an issue. The pick up cut off for next day is 4pm here and they give you a digital drop confirmation if you ask for one. I make signing services and title companies aware of this when they assign the order and it says no drops at Walgreens or dollar general. If they want to pay the additional fee for me to drop that at the Fed-Ex ship center then I will, but I have never been asked to and have had to date, zero issues with drops at Walgreens.
I live rural and have this same issue . In my nearest town there are no UPS or FEDEX stores . There is one place that takes Fedex until about 3:30-4pm . The ups drop is at the hardware store and I have never made their same day pick up which I think is around noon.
I just last week had to have UPS come pick up at my house and was charged $25.50 , they broke it down as " rural pick up fee and Pick up fee = $25.50 which I had to pay despite having a prepaid label . Of course that took away from my profit on that signing but there was nothing I could do as my next day didn’t bring me close to the drops in time , the drive into town is an hour from my home as it is. I only one time, have ever dropped in a drop box and have never been as nervous as a cat on crack about it actually being picked up .
Sometimes we just have to do what we have to do . I don’t like paying for pick up on a label that exists either I’d rather the SS/Title cancel the label, let me make a new one and get reimbursed so the pick up fee wouldn’t be so terrible but thats not how it goes.
I am sorry you also had to pay from profit to make the drop.
I live in a place with limited FedEx service as well. The authorized shipping center for FedEx and UPS in town does not give receipts.
From the beginning I have told companies that hire me there will not be a receipt. If I am asked to drop where I can get a receipt I tell companies it’s an 80 mile round trip to an airport location and that costs an added fee. So they usually don’t insist on a receipt. In 6 years I’ve never had anything lost. Cut off for FedEx is about 1:30 and for UPS is about 4pm. I’m receiving more UPS labels as a result of that.
I’ve never arranged a pick up at my apartment because I’m never here and won’t leave them unattended. If I have assignments out of town I’ll drop where I get a receipt. Today I’m going to a county that’s a good ways away but the job is a 22 page seller package which I can scan on a mobile app and drop with a receipt while in that location. I’ll take the UPS from Saturday as well.
I find when you advise a hiring company of the no receipt situation it’s not that big a deal. Hasn’t been for me anyway.
@redrovermobilellc 
WoW!
Thank You for sharing your direct experience with the 'newly created revenue stream’ for FedEx . . .
For certain, I’ll be checking my region for that FedEx Policy Update 
Just another element to ADD to the myriad facets of Creating Your Schedule of Fees for Professional Signing Agents [PSAs].
I haven’t researched this issue at all and I may not even be that helpful with this post, but. . .
Maybe it would be worthwhile to contact the signing services you work with in writing and briefly explain your shipping situation. Propose your solution and obtain their commitment to adjust your fee accordingly for any expenses you incur for shipping their completed packages via Fedex or UPS. Gently but firmly make the point that you will not absorb shipping costs. When you write this memo, give it a day or two to marinate in your mind and then, share it with someone like cNsa5 or one of the other willing sages on this forum for some feedback and editing.
JOMO (Just one man’s opinion 
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Up until now, FEDEX has not charged my business account for pickups.
I always take into account the next day/same day trip to drop docs if scans are required. I also would never consider a drop box/Walgreens/etc. I pride myself on ensuring customer docs are always traceable and have a receipt. In your scenario, did you have to put down a debit/credit card to be eligible for the business account? I would definitely write off the $35 as a business expense against taxes. Hard lesson learned.
I’m glad you must be lucky enough to have quality shippers available. FedEx for some of us rural people can be an hour drive each way. Guess what, they get the drop box.
I’m rural and my closest thing to Fedex drop is a dollar general. The closest town is an hour away and there is a UPS hub there that used to accept packages and issue receipts. Now they have closed the office and they only offer a drop box, we can take it to the hardware store in the town for a receipt but the chances of making it before same day cutoff are slim to none as the latest they pick up is noon! There is not a closer option for UPS, or I get the joy of paying 25.50 for UPS to pick up at my house the next day on the prepaid label we are provided.
I know I chose to live out here , but living in town doesn’t offer an advantage either . Title companies and SS need to understand I do my best to get their packages out same day but my options are limited at best.
Thank you for sharing your experience, the only comfort in being charged for the pickup is to write it off as an expense. I have a business account at FedEx and recently shipped a document. The scheduling company had a cow that I was using two day delivery for a non-notarized document so I had to go back and retrieve the document and ship it out for overnight. I received a receipt with the refund for the original charge. Two days ago I get a bill from FedEx saying I owed them for shipping. I paid it right away without checking the charge. I was re-charged for the document package I had shipped? Now they owe me but I no longer have the receipt for the refund. It has been two weeks since originally shipping the package. The FedEx employee suggested I call their 800 number to try to sort it out. I’m trying to figure out where I can fit in a half an hour phone call during business hours? I might just wait to see if they send me a refund check or simply write it off at the end of the year.
I am lucky as both FedEx and UPS have stores 10 minutes away from home office, but cutoff time is 1 PM, so scan backs on almost all signings. FedEx at the Airport has a later 2:30 PM cutoff time, but I always charge at least $50 more for an Airport drop off.
Me either, until these last two at the end of August. They stated that the policy changed mid August. I argued that I was NOT notified of this change, but they refused to reverse the charge.