Posted on 12/25/2013 10:45:09 AM PST by Colonel Kangaroo
NEW YORK -- Santa's sleigh didn't make it in time for Christmas for some this year due to shipping problems at UPS and FedEx.
The delays were blamed on poor weather earlier this week in parts of the country as well as overloaded systems. The holiday shopping period this year was shorter than usual, and Americans' tendency to wait until the last possible second to shop probably didn't help either.
(Excerpt) Read more at mercurynews.com ...
An order placed on the 12th arrived on Xmas eve, and one I ordered on the 2nd still didn't arrive. I think the fault lies with the shippers, and not the carriers.
I have never had problems with regular FedEx, but FedEx Ground has been a series of disasters interspersed with occasional competence.
Has ANYONE thought that this year was the SHORTEST Christmas Shopping Season that you can have. Thanksgiving was the LATEST that is could be in November. All of this sounds like “Piss-Poor” “Planning”!
I've done my share of complaining about the USPS, but in recent months their package delivery service has become outstanding. I've gotten several priority mail packages from the west coast to the southeast in two or three days. Had something shipped Friday from Washington state and got it Monday, while a UPS package from Amazon was a day later than promised (only a couple hundred miles away, but spent an extra day in Atlanta probably due to high volume).
The USPS deserves some credit for the handling of packages in recent months, and now they actually provide useful tracking data.
They been running real late in the evenings of late, real late.. nothing today.. but who knows..
Bah..ever see the inside back side of the postal service?
..maybe a niche for another freight carrier?
FedEx Ground is run with drivers that are contractors that own their routes, whereas FedEx Express is run as a normal carrier, and the company owns everything and just pays the employees normal wages.
The ground service was bought from RPS (Roadway Package Express) and they kept the business model and repainted the trucks.
................The USPS deserves some credit for the handling of packages in recent months, and now they actually provide useful tracking data. ...............
It seems to me that FedEx and USPS have joined forces in their tracking program, maybe more.
I had a package that tracked through FedEx, until it got to Houston, and it was then routed to USPS for delivery in Rockport, 200 miles southwest.
Anyone else had this experience???
................The USPS deserves some credit for the handling of packages in recent months, and now they actually provide useful tracking data. ...............
It seems to me that FedEx and USPS have joined forces in their tracking program, maybe more.
I had a package that tracked through FedEx, until it got to Houston, and it was then routed to USPS for delivery in Rockport, 200 miles southwest.
Anyone else had this experience???
I agree with you. Around here, FedEx and UPS have gotten a bit sloppy and often a day or two slow on the delivery. USPS and one small service that Amazon sometimes uses in this area are much more dependable.
“I have never had problems with regular FedEx, but FedEx Ground has been a series of disasters interspersed with occasional competence.”
I think FedEx Ground is handled by subcontractors. I have had a couple of problems with fedex ground (and heard of others) but almost never a problem with regular fedex or ups. I will send via ups ground but never again fedex ground if i have a choice.
Anyone else had this experience???
I've never had it with FedEx, but it has happened to me with UPS. I love my regular FedEx driver and my USPS carrier, I absolutely despise the regular UPS driver and wish they would use the USPS more often out in my neck of the woods. The arrogant beotch is terrified of dogs and mine hated her - but what did she expect after she pepper sprayed the dog when it was a puppy - and INSIDE the house, right through the screen. Because I wasn't present, thus couldn't prove it, UPS did nothing. I really dislike that driver and am thankful I rarely get anything shipped UPS.
There is a jointly marketed product called “SmartPost” where USPS provides the pickup and delivery and FedEx provides all the linehaul in between.
Thanks guys!
Never knew that the USPS could be that smart to allow the long-haulers to maximize their skills, while the USPS fills their trucks with their house to house skill.
Both Fedex and UPS have been partnering with the USPS for a year or two. Fedex or UPS picks the packages up at the shipper's and hauls them all the way to the PO nearest the customer. Then the PO handles the final delivery. It's cheaper than Fedex or UPS ground service, but takes a day or more longer.
Fedex calls it SmartPost and UPS also has a name for their's.
"Peak" season at UPS.
It takes a special person to take the physical challenge that the job requires.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.