It's Not Just USPS, But FedEx Also

[Bruce Wrenn]

Ordered a starter for my truck on Tuesday. Shipping options were two day $29.99 (Thursday,) or economy $8.99( Friday.) Starter shipped, picked up by FedEx, Tuesday afternoon. Picked up, not just a tracking number. Wednesday got update on tracking telling me starter would be delivered early (Thursday instead of Friday.) Made me happy that I didn't pay for up graded delivery. Now comes the problem. Thursday afternoon, tracking shows my starter left FedEx facility in Haggerstown MD at 1:00 PM. That's over 300 miles from my house, so I knew it wasn't going to be delivered on Thursday. This morning it's in FedEx facility in Kernersville NC, which isn't my local distribution center, so it probably won't make it today either. Problems aren't just limited to USPS, but FedEx also.

[Kev Williams]

not long ago a customer in Denver needed an ID plate the next day. I'm in SLC. He paid $80 for next day UPS. This was Monday.

He got it Thursday.

e pluibus unum

[Alex Zeller]

I have to send a laptop back to HP for some minor warranty work. They said the whole process should take 5 days. On Wed they shipping the empty box overnight to me saying I would have it on Thursday. Of course it didn't make it. I see that it was delivered today. So the whole process is already a day behind and I don't think I'll drive over an hour to a FedEx location to drop it off so that'll add an extra day. Then there's the holiday. I suspect that it'll be Wed to Friday of next month. Glad it's not a money making item for a business.

[Bruce Wrenn]

Tracking up date: Now shows starter loaded onto delivery vehicle this morning (Friday) at 7:54 AM, with delivery scheduled for tomorrow (Saturday) by the end of the day. Let's just say, I'm not holding my breath. In the early 2000's, I grew mums for State Fair. FedEx ground would pick up five boxes of cuttings on Monday in Greenwood SC (about a six hour drive away.) With luck, by Friday I would have all five boxes. Sometimes it was following Monday before last box arrived. Because these were live cuttings, on the box was a label saying "Keep out of direct sunlight!" Would come home to find them stacked in the middle of the driveway, in direct sunlight.

[Aaron Rosenthal]

Y’all are not making me feel confident about my package!
My sharpened and factory reset sash saw was supposed to have left the factory on Monday; USPS tracking showed it leaving Wednesday; the last time USPS was charged with a package for me it took over 2 weeks.
At least I can’t get crazy about delays, because international shipments don’t update tracking positions until it’s delivered.
Wow.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

As a field engineer installing and servicing CT scanners, MR scanners and x-ray equipment, I lived and died by Fedex until my sudden deafness and resultant retirement. By accident I live about 3 blocks from the local airport and the onsite Fedex office. I was often in the local Fedex office 5-15 times a week to pickup/return parts and test equipment. Our local office accepts packages for same day shipping until 4:00 p.m. but they are open until 5:00 p.m. So if I arrive after 4:00 p.m. I could ship something, get a bill of lading with a tracking number with today's date but it still didn't go out until the next day. A lot of companies use automatic shipping software from their business but if it gets entered into the system too late after the area truck has headed back to the Mother Ship for the day, it won't be picked up for shipping by Fedex driver until tomorrow. So, it can show a package entered into the Fedex system today but it wasn't shipped until the next day.

Business like Fedex and the USPS have schedule runs from given points to a central hub. For example, I live in Lewiston, ID and can cross the Snake River on either of two bridges to Clarkston, WA. but if I mail something to Clarkston, it will go Spokane, WA and then back to Clarkston. The USPS often in remote areas like this have contracts with local shipping companies or private contractors to haul the mail. These people have scheduled runs from point A to point B at a specific time. I had a friend now deceased who had a contract for a few years doing this. He had to meet certain standards with his pickup truck to bid and get the contract to run a route for about a route about 80 mile long. They use scheduled runs for cost and efficiency.

[Bruce Wrenn]

Well the FedEx lies continue. Tracking now shows to be delivered by the end of the day TUESDAY. Today is Saturday, and it was originally scheduled to be delivered on Thursday. Tracking also shows it returning to FedEx facility in Durham, TWO DAYS IN A ROW! That means it will have taken FIVE days to come less than 30 miles, if I can believe FedEX. I guess the thing for me to do is contact shipper and tell them to send me another, just not by FedEx

[Alex Zeller]

At least you live in the south. Up here one of the most famous lines they post when you track it on-line is out for delivery only to change it to weather delay. When you call up they just blame snow (even if there isn't any). I've had them wait over a week before I gave up and went and picked it up.

[Bruce Wrenn]

For the FOURTH day in a row, tracking shows on truck for delivery today, same as Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Each of those days showed scheduled to be delivered by the end of that day. For some reason, I'm having trouble believing what tracking says about today's delivery. Wonder why?

[Bruce Wrenn]

At least you live in the south. Up here one of the most famous lines they post when you track it on-line is out for delivery only to change it to weather delay. When you call up they just blame snow (even if there isn't any). I've had them wait over a week before I gave up and went and picked it up.

Airlines used to use WEATHER as reason for late departures. But with cell phones customers were able to check current weather for their arriving airport, so that lie had to disappear.. Once son had a part ordered for his car. Went to pick it up and was told that due to heavy snow truck didn't make it out of Greensboro with part. Funny thing is we stopped at parts house on the way home from a trip to Greensboro. Had to wear sun glasses all day on that trip, due to bright sunshine.

[Curt Harms]

Airlines used to use WEATHER as reason for late departures. But with cell phones customers were able to check current weather for their arriving airport, so that lie had to disappear.. Once son had a part ordered for his car. Went to pick it up and was told that due to heavy snow truck didn't make it out of Greensboro with part. Funny thing is we stopped at parts house on the way home from a trip to Greensboro. Had to wear sun glasses all day on that trip, due to bright sunshine.

Oh Airlines still use weather as an excuse (they don't have to pay for delays due to weather problems, they do have to pay for delays due to their screw-ups) I had one of those recently where the weather at the destination was quite good. I suspect the real reason was they didn't have a crew but if they admitted that they'd have had to pay for a hotel and meals so weather it was.