Why I hate Fed Ex

[rman]

So, Fed Ex has a package that I was supposed to receive on Monday. The package has a signature required so I asked my daughter to keep an eye out for them on Monday. No surprise that when she went to go to a job interview at around 3:00 there was a door tag showing that they attempted to deliver but no one was home? OK, maybe she was in the shower getting ready when they came to the door and knocked. So what about Tuesday? Check the tracking after no delivery on Tuesday and see “Local delivery restriction, delivery not attempted” What???? So Wednesday is the holiday no delivery was expected so what happened Thursday? Well, we called Thursday morning and were informed that the package somehow was not put on the truck so there would be no Thursday delivery, but we were assured that the package would be delivered on Friday.

Ok, I am a patient person so I can wait until Friday for the package that was supposed to be delivered on Monday, so what should happen on Friday when I check the tracking information? “Customer not available or business closed “ What the heck???? I was waiting here and no attempted delivery was made. So now I am pissed and call into Fed Ex again. I ask to speak to a supervisor and get a person named Ferris Masher who is a pick up and delivery coordinator. Well Mr. Masher assures me that he understands my frustration and promises that the package will be delivered on Saturday. Well since this is the third promise from Fed Ex I do not put much stock in the promise. So Saturday comes and after waiting at home for the fourth time no Fed Ex delivery truck has graced my drive way.

Mr. Ferris Masher (if that is really his name) like all the other customer service representatives at Fed Ex has lied to me. Deliveries are promised and no deliveries have been made. So here it is Saturday afternoon and I make my daily phone call to Fed Ex to find out why my package has not been delivered yet again. Wow, amazing but once again the package has not made it onto the truck again! So the customer service adviser that I am speaking with Desiree assures me that she will get me my package delivered tonight by a contracted driver. She calls me back with in the hour to tell me that they will have the package at my house tonight a six O'clock and that the driver will call me en-route. So my phone rings at 5:30 and no it is not the driver calling me but it is Desiree with the bad news that no driver will be coming tonight. So I am not surprised another day and another lie from Fed Ex.

The crazy thing is that this is not the first time we have had these kind of problems with Fed Ex, so what can I do other than wait for them to deliver the package.? Well, I can circulate this story and ask you to share this with as many of your friends as possible. Perhaps the bad press or threat of loosing business may motivate them to make changes that would improve their customer service. I know that from this day forward when I order something online I will check first the expected delivery carrier and if it is Fed Ex I will request an alternate carrier. Fed Ex claims to be a package delivery company but if that is the case then why has my package been sitting in their possession and not mine for a full week and only one actual attempt to deliver the package has been made?

Good by Fed Ex, I hope I never am forced to deal with your incompetence again.

Raymond Kerby

[natemoen]

I had some very similar experiences with them. I would be home and they would supposedly attempt delivery but just a tag would appear. I even have had the door opened they still would leave the tag and not really attempt. I have left notes on my door saying that I was home and even left my cell phone number on it (fed ex told me to do this one). still just a tag...

Attempt to puck the package up at the distribution center but every time I tried the truck was late and the office would be closed before the truck would be in. Ask them to not attempt delivery and hold the package so that I would pick it up myself and it somehow always made it on the truck.


I do hate FedEx....

[sparks]

I'm wondering of yours isnt a local problem. I have dealt with fedex for 30 years and have never had a problem. Not once. I have had problems with UPS but that was with their insurance folk.. An entirely different ballgame. I think you lmight get some answers from a regional office.. Go up the chain of command.

Lee

[crazy steve]

I'm wondering of yours isn't a local problem....

Very likely...

FedEx is different from UPS in that the people who deliver 'ground' packages don't actually work for FedEx. FedEx sells those routes to independent contractors who get paid on a per-package basis, and it's common for one contractor to 'own' multiple routes and he hires his own drivers for them. Some owners won't pay anything, so if you pay peanuts you get monkeys...

But if there's enough complaints, corporate will do something. Go up the complaint ladder and be loud....

I had issues with FedEx in the past too, but after raising hell it got fixed. And it didn't take all that long either.

[natemoen]

Very likely...

FedEx is different from UPS in that the people who deliver 'ground' packages don't actually work for FedEx. FedEx sells those routes to independent contractors who get paid on a per-package basis, and it's common for one contractor to 'own' multiple routes and he hires his own drivers for them. Some owners won't pay anything, so if you pay peanuts you get monkeys...

But if there's enough complaints, corporate will do something. Go up the complaint ladder and be loud....

I had issues with FedEx in the past too, but after raising hell it got fixed. And it didn't take all that long either.

Both FedEx and UPS do that. So it is not limited to just one carrier. Sometimes you might see an actual FedEx or UPS truck show up other times you might see Joe Shmo show up in his busted up cargo van in his stained jean shorts and sleeveless t-shirt and just toss (i mean this literally) the package on the doorstep.

Both do it especially in more rural areas.

[crazy steve]

Both FedEx and UPS do that. So it is not limited to just one carrier. Sometimes you might see an actual FedEx or UPS truck show up other times you might see Joe Shmo show up in his busted up cargo van in his stained jean shorts and sleeveless t-shirt and just toss (i mean this literally) the package on the doorstep.

Both do it especially in more rural areas.

I'm about as 'rural' as it gets, and I've never seen non-UPS trucks except at Christmas a few times. The 'regular' UPS driver works for UPS, I've asked him. FedEx, I rarely see the same driver twice which IMO is one of their problems. Before the availability of inexpensive GPS units I can't tell you how many times I ended up picking up FedEx packages at the PO because 'they' couldn't find my address...

FedEx has been better the last few years, for a while they were terrible here. I had a neighbor who worked for a 'route owner' and he told me that complaining to the local office is pretty much a waste of time, as has my son-in-law who bought a route this last year. You need to go up the food chain to get results.

[Cuda 69]

Fed Ex in our area has both company driver's,whom delivers to commercial addresses and Fed Ex ground who does home deliveries. One of my friends works for UPS, and they do not hire outside contractors,except for extremely busy times.My friend is a driver,there teamsters and would never allow that.

[natemoen]

I grew up where my closest neighbor was almost 2 miles away. There are still no options for internet or cable for my parents other than satilite. So from what I have heard you describe of your area that still beats you.

Maybe UPS doesn't hire out anymore but I know they used too.

[crazy steve]

Fed Ex in our area has both company drivers,who deliver to commercial addresses and Fed Ex ground who does home deliveries...

The way it was explained to me was that anything other than 'ground' is delivered by actual FedEx trucks/employees, while 'ground' is done by private contractors. There is crossover if commercial deliveries are involved, i.e. FedEx will make commercial ground deliveries if they're on a route rather than run two trucks. Residential ground is all done by contractors.

FedEx has also cracked down on what's an acceptable delivery vehicle; except in special circumstances, the vehicle has to be white and plainly marked 'FedEx', so no private cars or trucks. That's a bit interesting, as my son-in-law was telling me that to buy another truck (he needed a spare for his route) it has to be no more than 3 years old and meet their specs unless the truck is already in their 'system'. So used trucks (up to 10 years old) are OK if it's in the system, even if it's a total POS... He had to pay about double what it was worth for a beat-to-hell used GMC van from another contractor or buy a much newer one. He was not happy....

[xs11lover]

The way I see it is the signing for it is the trouble, Fedex will give you insurance up to $100 for free if the shipper tells them that is the value. You would have had it the first day if he could let it at your door. Also any chance they had at a profit ended after the second trip out. Our shop used to make deliveries on a route. You would run your route then get back and a guy at the other end would call and say ok I'm home now you can bring it back. Like you were going to run a truck with a driver 30 miles with one item on it.
I used Fedex all the time when I shipped parts, never had a problem unless I shipped to Canada.....

[ViperRon]

I have moved arround Virginia quite a bit and can tell you here in this state it varries a bit. I actually helped run a local mail delivery route for some time. Both FEDEX and UPS would use the post office for delivery. I did not work for the Post office I worked for a contract carrier who worked for another contract carrier which worked for another contract carrier. (thats why the postal service is broke and the carriers make nothing) We got packages late all the time and people complained all the time to us that they paid like $12 for overnight and here we are doing certified mail delivery 3 days late. I guess it is cheaper for FEDEX to send it US mail for a couple bucks and pocket $10.

Other places I have recieved stuff by only professionally dressed in company vehicles. And in other places Rider and U-haul trucks with a sticker on the side and a guy or girl in filpflops who just drop it at the door never ringing the bell.
My suggestion is once you deal with a problem never ever use that service in that area again but don't condem them for service everywhere.

[fredintoon]

So, Fed Ex has a package that I was supposed to receive - - -

Hi Ray,
shoulda had it sent via USPS.
That said, ALL delivery persons have a detector that tells them if you are in the washroom or otherwise not available for pickup so they can knock once, leave the "you were not at home" tag and be gone before you can get the door open.
At least with USPS you can pick up at the post office the next day.

[rman]

Well, still no package yet today.

Also We have had problems with Fed Ex while I have been TDY. While out at Vandenberg AFB we had a critical overnight shipment. So around 1:00Pm the next day we checked the tracking information only to see the customer not available or buisness closed? When we checked with the front gate security we were told that a Fed Ex vehical had pulled into the parking lot sat there for 5 minutes then drove away. So rather than get off his damn ass and enter the security gate the driver just drove away with a critical overnight delivery. I had to send a team member up to Santa Maria to retreave the package.

As I said, I will never use Fed Ex again. Too many broken promises.

Ray

[CatatonicBug]

Why not just sign the tag and leave it on the door? That's what they are for... Around here, you can take the tag to the FedEx office after the drivers get back from their routes and personally pick up the packages too. At least with UPS, you can put your name in their system and they will just leave it at your door. I still get things delivered to work though, since the corporate routes (for FedEx, UPS or USPS) are a lot more reliable.

[rman]

Why not just sign the tag and leave it on the door? That's what they are for... Around here, you can take the tag to the FedEx office after the drivers get back from their routes and personally pick up the packages too. At least with UPS, you can put your name in their system and they will just leave it at your door. I still get things delivered to work though, since the corporate routes (for FedEx, UPS or USPS) are a lot more reliable.

Well if I had that option don't ya think I would have fricking did it? No Fed ex vehicle has been to my house since the first delivery attempt! And yes I probably could have driven the 50 miles round trip to pick up the package that they were PAID to deliver but since they told me that they would not pay my mileage I declined to do their job for them.

But thanks for playing.......