Caution about using FEDEX for shipping! my story

[Gary from Seattle]

I've had problems with ALL the carriers.

I actually prefer USPS, despite the fact that their tracking status is often update much slower than the tracking status of other carriers.

I generally agree except for my experience earlier this year ordering a $15.00 reducer ring from Adorama, and in 2 days it was shipped to my post office, then to California, then 2 other post offices in other parts of California, to the mid west, to Maryland, to Washington DC back to my local post office, and after nearly a month, I finally got it.

A friend that used to work for USPS explained that with the recent destruction of several mail sorting machines, the system just cannot keep up with the mail anymore.

The head of the USPS, Lovechuck should have been fired a long time ago. It is clearly trying to lower the service of the USPS so that it's stock in FEDEX goes up.

 

[Off The Mark]

I generally agree except for my experience earlier this year ordering a $15.00 reducer ring from Adorama, and in 2 days it was shipped to my post office, then to California, then 2 other post offices in other parts of California, to the mid west, to Maryland, to Washington DC back to my local post office, and after nearly a month, I finally got it.

A friend that used to work for USPS explained that with the recent destruction of several mail sorting machines, the system just cannot keep up with the mail anymore.

Oh, believe me, I've had a couple of real zingers from the US Post Office in the past.

On the other hand, my wife has an ecommerce store and sends out about 150 packages a month, all by USPS. Of the few calls she has gotten from worried customers wondering why the USPS website says their package was delivered but the customer can't find it, each time has been because their roommate (or spouse) brought the package and "set it aside" for them. The roommate / spouse just forgot to tell them.

Again, not proof that USPS DOESN'T make mistakes. It just seems to me that they do a pretty good job. They seem to make a lot less mistakes than I make, that's for sure.

 

[Steppen wolf]

I bought a guitar from the USA (I live in England) and the vendor sent it via FedEx. The guitar arrived in reasonable time (and undamaged) but FedEx massively overcharged me on the duty and VAT (by over £100, or about $150) - and they refused to deliver until I paid. They said that the amount could be corrected later. Unfortunately they refused to refund me the excess charge, despite my calculating exactly how much it should be, and eventually stopped responding to any emails - their complaints line was shut down "because of Covid".

To cut a long story short the only way I could get a refund was to apply to the government website and fill in a complicated form. The whole process took about 18 months to get my refund. I also came to the conclusion that FedEx are a dishonest company and will never use them again.

 

[Gary from Seattle]

Just a follow-up here. I finally received the lens in good shape 10 days late 1/2 day after contacting B&H for a second time. B&H was the victim of FEDEX incompetence here as well as this is not so hot for customer service. I hope they railed on the shipper.

This camera was sent expedited shipping and that made no difference to FEDEX.

I had a lens sent from New York just subsequent to this by USPS as I did not want to give more business to support incompetence. The lens showed up in two days....

 

[Woody Meristem]

For all you complainers out there who are making assumptions about what happend to your package -- have you ever made a mistake at work, ever had a vehicle accident, ever heard of an equipment malfunction?????

 

[Gary from Seattle]

For all you complainers out there who are making assumptions about what happend to your package -- have you ever made a mistake at work, ever had a vehicle accident, ever heard of an equipment malfunction?????

LOL

 

[Off The Mark]

For all you complainers out there who are making assumptions about what happend to your package -- have you ever made a mistake at work, ever had a vehicle accident, ever heard of an equipment malfunction?????

Sure, I make mistakes at work.

And my wife who has an Etsy sore will occasionally make mistakes with customers orders as well.

But we have systems in place that if we DO make a mistake, it gets corrected quickly and we try our best to communicate the issue and the status of the customer's order to them as promptly as possible.

You would think that since private shippers like FedEX, UPS, DHL, etc., charge significantly more for their services than the USPS, those private shippers would have systems in place to better track "lost" packages.

I do think that in the OP's situation, B and H does have SOME blame. Meaning, that if my wife sends out an order and it is lost in the system by the USPS, we send out a replacement order to the customer first. We then ask the customer that IF the original order does eventually show up, they don't open the package, they write return to sender on the package, they cross out THEIR own address leaving OUR address the only one visible, and they give it to their mail carrier or drop it off at the post office.

So I think that someone at B and H probably should have realized that FedEx wasn't going to deliver the package any time soon, sent out a replacement package, and then had the original package designated to be returned to B and H.

I am not 100% sure of the workings of FedEx, but I think that as long as the package hasn't left the final delivery station and been put on the delivery truck, they can reroute it back to the shipper. Unfortunately, the shipper will have to pay an additional shipping charge to have it sent back to them. At least, this has been my experience with UPS and I thought it was the same with FedEX.

 

[puttin]

Between USPS, UPS and FEDEX, FEDEX is the biggest liar.