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Fedex, didn't it used to mean Federal Express?

I just wanted to share this story with all of the Audiogon circle...

Based on an episode I am currently experiencing, it seems the grumblings of Fedex are well founded. What was once the paragon of how to get something from here to there, is now a shadow of that reputation.

My comments are related to Fedex Ground, which has been described to me as an entirely different operation than Fedex Overnight. I only hope so.

I picked up a pair of loudspeakers in a recent auction here on Audiogon. No complaints, the handling of the auction, paying, and shipper doing his thing were fine.

Fedex took it from there. Monitoring the progress using my tracking numbers and the Fedex website, all seemed fine. Until Friday. They arrived at a corporate destination 10 minutes from my home. At 5:43 Friday morning. Theoretically, they could have been delivered to me that same day. But, no problem, I understand.

Would it be Monday, or even Saturday(not sure if they even deliver on Saturday)? Monday is fine.

NOPE!!!

So, I check back Tuesday morning, and what do I find? They left this location, and were sent back to a place more than two hours from me. Huh??? Do they have ANY idea what they are doing? It's utterly amazing to me. I mean, I used to work at the Post Office part time, and thought this kind of thing only happened there. That the "professionals" at UPS, let alone the "experts" at Fedex never blundered along these lines. Well, I guess as time goes by, instead of the giant rising up to meet the young guns, the new kids on the block are lowering their standards to meet the ponderous.

Thanks for letting me vent.

Still waiting to hear the sweet sounds of my new purchase,
Joe
trelja
sugarbrie
3,854 posts
 
Fedex Ground is a separate operation. They are slowly integrating. Fedex have been buying out commercial shippers around the US trying to build a national network to take on UPS ground. In my area they bought out national shipper RPS.


Since they agreed to keep most of the personnel of the old companys, I guess it will be evolution, not revolution, as far as retraining, etc. RPS did things differently, and there is probably resistance to change and growing pains. I wonder if RPS was Teamsters? Fedex is non-union.

I have been please with Fedex Ground in this area (Baltimore/Washington DC). There is an industrial park a mile behind my office which has truck depots and direct drop-offs/pickup for Fedex, UPS, as well as the regional sorting center for the Post Office where big packages can be handled, so I have lots of choices near by.

jameswei
883 posts
 
Fedex doesn't sort at every location. Even Fedex Overnight. It used to be (and may still be so) that if you wanted to send a letter across town in Manhattan, it would be picked up, flown to Memphis, sorted, then sent back to the Manhattan destination by next morning. Maybe your package was moved to a resort facility. Fedex Ground is less efficient and stuff sits in one place for a long time, probably because the shipper isn't paying for faster delivery and Fedex wants to save the higher labor costs it would need to incur to be prompt. What's our alternative?
sugarbrie
3,854 posts
 
All of these shippers including the post office have hubs (regional sorting facilities). The local trucking hubs behind my office all hold packages. Out going ground packages go to a larger center between Washington/Baltimore before going national by rail, or 18 wheeler. The air packages go to Dulles Airport. Fedex and the Post Office are sharing airplanes to some locations to keep the planes full and keep costs down.
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