Posted on 11/10/2021 8:00:54 AM PST by know.your.why
I'm in Alabama. A package that originates also in Alabama...just some 300 miles south of me...keeps showing up as 'delayed' in tracking and its a week overdue. Was wondering if its just a FedEx thing or????
I ship dozens of parcels every day. 90% of them I use USPS and their flat rate boxes or bags. Very rarely have a problem. USPS gets a bad rap, but they are the only service in the country that picks up and delivers to and from nearly every address in America 6 days a week.
UPS and FedEx only grew because of the lack of overnight services, lack of logistical technology, and the bad reputation of the USPS. If USPS had stayed in front of logistics and technology there would be no UPS or FedEx. UPS and FedEx got to cherry pick the most expensive deliveries and charge a heck of a lot more for it. They suck at ground service, and I hate working with them.
FWIW both UPS and FedEx now also have flat rate service “if it fits it ships” boxes. USPS did this first and it was brilliant. IMO, for the money, you can’t beat USPS right now. To be fair, our particular mail carrier is sort of a jerk but he does his job. USPS is 1-4 days maximum for a flat rate box by ground and it is only 4 days when it is a rural destination. Across the country in 3 days. Same zone in 1, maybe 2 days if there is a hangup somewhere. And they all include tracking that can email to the recipient.
FedEx, UPS, and USPS all routinely mis-route packages, causing delays. I’ve had packages coming from Ohio to Alabama make it to Nashville, then go to Virginia then back to Nashville before finally making it to Huntsville.
They’re all a bunch of clowns, monkeys and idiots. Count yourself lucky when a package makes it to you on time and undamaged.
Last couple of Fed ex shipments have been at least 2 days late in the last couple of weeks.
Yeah no one ever sends me anything.
“...“if it fits it ships” boxes. USPS did this first and it was brilliant.”
For the record, FedEx started with flat rates (high ones) from day one, and then went to distance-based. I laughed when USPS did that, many years after FedEx abandoned it. I signed on with FedEx in the early 80’s when we were still “Federal Express”.
I’ve been retired for a while, and from the looks of things, I’m very glad to be gone. When Fred Smith leaves, I fear for FedEx... He’s already too far from the day-to-day for many years now. It used to be a big family, or a large team. Now it’s just another corporation.
80’s before my time but as I recall they had flat rate envelopes. Didn’t know they had flat rate parcel service.
The economies of scale at the USPS are just phenomenal. They just don’t seem to have the economic incentive to maximize it.
All the time with FedEx. Delivery tracking will commonly show by end of day X and then, suddenly change to the next day, sometimes for 5 or more days in a row.
If I recall, didn’t Federal Express buy out Consolidated Freight? I remember in the mid 1990s they started investing in parcel delivery and had decent rates compared to UPS. I was working for a local distribution company at the time, most of the parcels were destined for the same county. But to get some scale they were contracting just about anyone with a van to create local routes. It didn’t work well those first couple of years.
Yes, over the years we have been burned like that too. It really hurts when you are in business. Not having something important like certain legal forms could cost you thousands in lost revenue or sales. They don’t care anymore how important it really could be. It is not always just toys.
Don’t worry about it.
Brandon’s gonna fix it.
Fedex carries USPS Priority Mail on the day sort.
The USPS is so slow in this area that I’ve incurred late charges on paying my utility bills. I’ve had bills that I put into the USPS just disappear, they weren’t just late, they were never delivered.
I just received my delivery of Trump wine from FedEx on schedule.
Yes. Bought out several regional trucking companies to set up national companies that became FedEx Freight and FedEx Ground.
As I remember it, Federal Express was constituted (are you ready?) under provisions for a railroad, mainly to help with union issues. The trucking companies threw a kink into that. They were set up as separate companies to keep the main company under the original charter with the union-forming issues protected. No matter what the truckers did, it would not be able to affect the airline. So, then you got all the different colors. Freight, Ground/home, Custom Critical, etc.
FedEx carries all kind of mail. USPS was, and probably still is, FedEx’s biggest customer.
One of their key drivers is on a Pacific island having a conference with a cocoanut...
You sound like a UPS union rep.
Interesting info I didn’t know. Fancy lawyering I imagine :-) I worked with a CFO who used to work for Shell, he said it was quite common for people there to make to multi-million dollar deals in a 2 minute conversation in the hallways outside his office.
Panama City, FL. FedEx has twice delayed delivery this week.
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