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I'm trusting FedEx/ UPS less by the day

Many of the people working these high demand jobs in the shipping industry were already hating it before the pandemic and what not. Now I think many simply dont care one bit. Then you throw huge "fragile" and "do not drop" stickers on the box with a nice big beautiful picture advertisement of the component/ speaker on the outside box for everyone to see and its almost goading them to mess with it. 

Recently bought a subwoofer and  there was a hole/dent in the box  so deep it penetrated through the 2nd interior box. Obviously this was dropped from some distance. Not too mention the fact that the UPS driver just flopped the box off the dolly causing it to roll forward on to its other side. Right in front of me. No apology or anything,  just handed me the sign pad and acted like it was nothing. And that's how it's being treated in front of the customer I can't imagine what goes down in these warehouses. 

Ok end of rant 🙂

128x128blue_collar_audio_guy
pearl132
4 posts
 

I have had so many issues with FedEx I will no longer purchase anything that’s  using FedEx as the delivery. UPS has been good so far and great luck with USPS. 

pearl132
4 posts
 

I have had so many issues with FedEx I will no longer purchase anything that’s using FedEx as the delivery. UPS has been good so far and great luck with USPS. 

clearthinker's avatar
clearthinker
1,582 posts
 

Carriers can be careless and sometimes stupid.

But responsibility lies with the manufacturer.  Original packaging must be engineered to take what the shippers hand out.  After that, if the packaging fails and the item is damaged, the manufacturer should carry full insurance cover, so that a replacement will be supplied to the buyer cost free.

 

Step forward Krell (as under D'Agostini).  My reference monoblocs each came in a heavy timber crate fitted to a premium quality pallet below.

Step backward Martin Logan.  The original packaging on my CLX References was made of cardboard and was abandoned not fit for purpose after three transits.  Shame on ML, these are $40,000 speakers weighing 100kg each.  You CAN'T put 100kg in cardboard.

oldschool1948's avatar
oldschool1948
501 posts
 

I stopped using FedEx when I checked on a preamp delivery and it was marked as delivered but wasn’t.  I called FedEx and was told that late in the day drivers might mark something as delivered when they plan to deliver it the next day.  Since I paid for 2-day delivery, I was not happy.  My conversation with FedEx did not go well.

The next day, still no delivery.  I called FedEx again.  Support said they would contact the driver. Later that day, a lady in our development rang my doorbell.  She delivered my $7K preamp. FedEx did deliver it on the right day, but to the wrong house.  I never did hear back from FedEx support.

I’ve been pretty lucky with UPS and have had zero problems with the USPS.  

hickamore
659 posts
 

Just yesterday FedEx was stupid enough to send me a customer satisfaction survey. I rated them zero in every department. Things were fine before and during the height of the pandemic. (For every shipment of sensitive electronics gear I receive 25 of overnight perishables). Since then, you pay for overnight and NEVER get it; you check the website and all tracking information is ludicrously false. FedEx had cornered the market on overnight fresh food deliveries and was doing  a crackerjack job. Then the bottom fell out and now UPS is making inroads. Hardly great, but better than FedEx.

That said, everyone is right about low pay and lousy treatment of drivers. Many of them don't care, and understandably so. But my troubles have been upstream, in the Newark-to-Memphis and Newark-to-Indianapolis routes -- air transit and regional distribution centers. Can't blame that part on drivers, but maybe upstream employees are treated no better and good workers have vanished on all levels.

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