UPS, FedEx snags delay Santa's sleigh

San Jose Mercury News ^ | 12/25/2013 | Scott Mayerowitz

[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.

[Sans-Culotte]

Yep. The problem is, is people are ordering the next-day or 2nd-day air shipping right up to Christmas and expecting miracles. They don't take into account the weather or the volume. Too many people are procrastinating and then bitching when they don't get their stuff.

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.

[RightGeek]

I have never had problems with regular FedEx, but FedEx Ground has been a series of disasters interspersed with occasional competence.

[US Navy Vet]

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”!

[Will88]

This sort of incompetence is why I'm glad we still have the USPS as an alternative.

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.

[NormsRevenge]

They been running real late in the evenings of late, real late.. nothing today.. but who knows..

[ReaganÜberAlles]

Bah..ever see the inside back side of the postal service?

[skeptoid]

It's actually far worse than reported!!

[Banjoguy]

..maybe a niche for another freight carrier?

[Disambiguator]

I have never had problems with regular FedEx, but FedEx Ground has been a series of disasters interspersed with occasional competence.

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.

[Noob1999]

................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???

[Noob1999]

................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???

[grania]

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.

[jim-x]

“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.

[Engraved-on-His-hands]

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???

Most people don't realize that USPS delivers a lot (and I mean a whole lot) of packages for UPS and FedEx. The joint FedEx product is called Smart Post. The joint UPS product is called Mail Innovations. Early each morning UPS and FedEx trucks go to various local post offices and drop off many hundreds of packages for delivery. I would guess that in some areas the Post Office delivers more of their packages than UPS and FedEx does. DHL depends upon the Post Office to an even greater extent (or at least used to), relegating their delivery of entire areas to USPS.

[Gabz]

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'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.

[brewcrew]

There is a jointly marketed product called “SmartPost” where USPS provides the pickup and delivery and FedEx provides all the linehaul in between.

[Noob1999]

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.

[Will88]

It seems to me that FedEx and USPS have joined forces in their tracking program, maybe more.

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.

[dancusa]

Long time UPS guy here. I load the air containers and trucks PT. I worked till 4 AM Christmas morning.

"Peak" season at UPS.

It takes a special person to take the physical challenge that the job requires.

[Colonel Kangaroo]

I used to work at a USPS general mail facility as a young man. Like the stories of the former UPS workers in this thread, it was a great way to get in top physical shape. The USPS employs the good and the bad just like any other business. The big difference in workforce is that the USPS is the biggest employer of military veterans in the US.