Greyhound accused of losing Okanagan jerky shipment worth hundreds

WEST KELOWNA – Kody Smith is the owner of Pioneer Meats in West Kelowna.

He says for more than two decades, he’s been shipping meat products like beef jerky to out-of-town clients through Greyhound.

However, one order of jerky, worth $1,600, didn’t make it to its final destination.

Smith says it was shipped from the Greyhound station in West Kelowna on March 5.

Express shipping meant it was scheduled to arrive at its destination in Peace River within two days.

“I think it was like March 9 and he told me that he still hadn’t gotten it and that’s why it raised flags and that’s why I called Greyhound right away,” says Smith. “They tracked it and the furthest they could track it was to Kamlooops and then it just disappeared.”

After repeated calls to Greyhound, he finally received a letter from the company five months later. Greyhound offered Smith $100 on a promise he agrees the matter was settled.

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Smith paid close to $70 to ship the jerky.

“They’re responsible for it until it gets to where it’s supposed to be going and I think that they should pay the amount due because it was their responsibility and it’s not fair that they’re just offering $100,” he says.

Share this on X Click to share quote on X: "They're responsible for it until it gets to where it's supposed to be going and I think that they should pay the amount due because it was their responsibility and it's not fair that they're just offering $100," he says.

When Global News first contacted Greyhound, the company said Smith is out of luck because he did not declare the value of the shipment and present it as a perishable item. But after further inquiries from Global, Greyhound issued a statement:

“We are opening up an investigation to find out what happened since the customer has stated he informed them that he was shipping a perishable item (beef jerky) and that its declared value is $1,600. Per our policy, shipments can have declared values up to a maximum of $1,000 unless pre-authorized from National Customer Service.”

Meanwhile, Smith says his small business has taken a big hit.

“We can’t really afford the loss at once,” he says. “I just don’t think they should get away with it.”

Share this on X Click to share quote on X: "We can't really afford the loss at once," he says. "I just don't think they should get away with it."

Despite the ordeal, Smith shipped a second order of jerky to his client through Greyhound immediately after finding out the first order didn’t make it. Greyhound did not charge him for shipping the second time around.

The company also says Smith will be getting a refund on the original shipping fee.