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[Manabanana]

I've been ordering a lot of stuff online; My G5, monitor, scanner, cables, some various things for my G5, games, movies, etc. all shipped by either UPS or FedEx. We have a phone outside the apartment that delivery persons use to notify the occupant of their arrival, but since I just moved in, my name isn't on the list yet. So, in order to actually get any of these packages, I have to keep watch out the window for a couple hours. FedEx has this cute little policy where it makes deliveries before 10AM, meaning I have to be up at 8AM and sit around for a couple hours if I want my stuff. Fortunately, you can track packages on their website and you'll know when the package is due to arrive.

Story 1 - The G5

Expected Delivery - 7-10 days
Actual Delivery - 14 days

My first Mac! Whoo hoo! Considering I spend a hefty amount of time working with digital media, it seemed like the best choice. I've ordered stuff from Apple before (iPod), so I know they have amazing customer service and they're fast. Really fast. The Apple rep. that I spoke to said it would take 7-10 days to receive the computer, but it usually took less. The computer didn't come until the 11th day (a Friday), and I wasn't awake at 8:34 to get the delivery (at this point I wasn't aware of their "before 10" policy). The FedEx delivery guy left one of those "Sorry we missed you!" slips with a phone number on it. I was a bit disappointed that I missed it, but it wasn't a huge deal. I called the number to arrange for a pick-up only to find that I can't. There's apparently no way of getting in touch with the driver while he is on his route, and no way of picking it up after he finishes his route. The FedEx rep I spoke to said she couldn't do anything to help me out; I'd just have to wait until Monday. So I called again and spoke to someone else. She said she might be able to schedule a time for the delivery person to drop the package off, but she wasn't sure. I declined the offer and called again. This time the person I spoke to said she could easily set up a delivery time for Monday to make sure we don't miss him again, but there's still no way to pick the package up because they don't know which office the truck will return to (bullshit, it says on the tracking site). We set up the appointment, but apparently that didn't mean shit. Monday, the package arrived just barely before 10, not at 9:15 like we had arranged. At least I got the computer.

Story 2 - Wacom tablet, Gamecube, stuff from home

Expected Delivery - Today
Actual Delivery - ???

My parents packed up a bunch of stuff I had left at home to send to Minneapolis after I had finished working at Concordia all summer including my 6"X8" intuos2, my Gamcube, all my games (except for Puyo Pop Fever, which I bought in the cities) and my DVDs. Expected delivery was today. On their website the package status is "On Truck for Delivery" in St. Paul, MN as of 6:37 this morning. St. Paul is MAYBE a 5 minute drive from where I live. They didn't even try to deliver it today! I sat around for 2 and a half hours to have them not show up. There's no reason for them to not deliver it. I can't even go pick it up! So I'm stuck with another day off with no money and no Puyo Pop Fever! I demand puyo, dammit!

Those are the two main instances. The rest of the deliveries I was awake for, but spent at least an hour waiting for them. UPS, on the other hand, is great. 10AM-2PM. Reasonable hours to me. There's no way for them to get in touch with me through the phone system, but they've gotten in before. If there are people standing around outside, they'll ask them to be let it, they've called a different apartment before and gotten in the building, then came and delivered it to my door. The one time I missed a UPS delivery, I saw a truck driving around later, showed the driver the slip that was left and asked her if she delivered to my address. She went back into the truck and got my printer for me. I signed for it and got my printer that day. Yeah UPS!

 

[sefskillz]

I like FedEx because of their on site pickup process. With UPS you have to call them and ask them to hold it the next day and then go pick it up. With FedEx, if you miss the package, it's back on their site in the next few hours and available for pickup. I guess this really only effects people in apartments, but +1 fedex anyways.

 

[LinesInTheSand]

UPS :rock's , FedEx sucks.

 

[xsarien]

FedEx delivered my iPod at, like, 5:00pm on Christmas Eve. They'd have to run over a whole box of kittens for me to not like them.

 

[bishoptl]

I've had nothing but good experiences with FedEx.

 

[Scoobert]

UPS and FedEx both rock. Although UPS delivers to my house after 4pm. FedEx is usually before 1pm.

Now it's the USPS that sucks. If I'm waiting for a package and it's raining, forget it. I won't get it. One time I was home and their was the "missed you note" in my mailbox. Yeah, you should try knocking on the front door you lazy bastard!

Another time I was expecting a delivery on a certain date and never got it. I've gotten so many packages I pretty much know the day I will get them, lol. Anyways, I end up checking online to track the package and it said no one was home anda note was left. Umm...their wasn't even a friggin note this time! The next day? The exact same thing! If I didn't call they would have shipped my packaged back to the sender.

Yeah, USPS is the one that really sucks!

 

[LinesInTheSand]

Now it's the USPS that sucks. If I'm waiting for a package and it's raining, forget it. I won't get it. One time I was home and their was the "missed you note" in my mailbox. Yeah, you should try knocking on the front door you lazy bastard!

LOL

 

[Error Macro]

Those USPS bastards have knocked on my door, and I've quickly got up to answer the door, only to find they're already two houses down the block. So I have to run out in my socks, or barefeet, and try to catch the guy as he's delivering to the other houses. "Hey! Did you knock on my door? I got your slip." And then he gives me this confused look, as if he completely forgot what he did 60 seconds ago. "Yeah, this is your delivery slip, right?" "Uh... Oh yeah! Here, uh, sign here."

Damn.

 

[chocoholic]

If you buy something from US and want it delivered to the UK, what method is best to use?

 

[Vlad]

Now it's the USPS that sucks. If I'm waiting for a package and it's raining, forget it. I won't get it. One time I was home and their was the "missed you note" in my mailbox. Yeah, you should try knocking on the front door you lazy bastard!

Ugh, they do that all the time here. I'm convinced that it's standard practice for them to just not bother actually trying to deliver a box during the day, and just leave a note no matter what. Even when there's a car in the driveway, they still never bother actually knocking.

Of course, then you have to go through the hoops of actually retrieving the package... Most of the time, they won't actually leave the package at the post office the next day, but take it in their truck to "attempt delivery" again, which of course consists of just leaving another note without so much as knocking.

Along the same lines, we were expecting a package a few days ago, but we were headed out to run a few errands. We left a note on the door addressed to "USPS/UPS/FedEx", that told the delivery person to "leave any packages in the carport". This would put any packages out of direct view of the street, and keep it protected from the rain. They've left packages there before, so we figured it wouldn't be too much of a huge request.

We come back from our errands to find our box (which was about 2'x2'x3') right in front of our front door. The really strange thing was that the delivery guy, for no reason whatsoever, put our doormat on top of it!

 

[SKluck]

You know you can make it so they leave the package, unless you don't want that. UPS automatically does, but I had to add to my file or some shit for FedEx and USPS to leave the package. I suppose that wouldn't be smart in a city area though.

I never really have any shipping problems though. I almost always use the 'free' shipping option for most sites, which advertises 7-10 business days and I always get in within 4.

 

[Error Macro]

I don't think the USPS bothers with having you on file. I am on file with UPS and FedEx, so they just leave the packages. But with the USPS, I have to be there to sign every time.

 

[LinesInTheSand]

If you buy something from US and want it delivered to the UK, what method is best to use?

UPS.

 

[Tsubaki]

I hate both FedEx and UPS, and it's all because of the same shipment.

I order 2 Sakura Taisen 3 Limited Editions (like $110 bucks each) from VGD. They ship it via FedEx 2-day to my old address, because of some memory settings in their database. So yeah, VGD's fault.

FedEx delivers it to my old address. All packages are dropped off only with the manager's office. So I call the manager the next business day. Apparently their office was not open the day FedEx delivered. So what FedEx did was drop off my package WITHOUT A SIGNATURE in front of the locked office, where a lot of foot traffic is and anyone can take it. And I'm sure, someone made off a bandit with over 200 bucks worth of goods. WTH were they thinking. Packages can only be dropped off w/o a signature if it has a signature release, and it did not have one. Those lazy morons just didn't want to redeliver.

So when I go to VGD about this, they luckily had 2 more Limited Editions left (they were technically sold out, but they say they keep usually 1 or 2 on hand in case of situations like this) and said they would send it off to me 2-day UPS with no additional charges on my end. Considering how much I hated FedEx by now, UPS would be great right?

So I call UPS just to make sure everything's ok. I find out there's another problem. So my address is 1924. Somehow UPS input my address as 19924, which does not exist. It leads into the Pacific Ocean. I call them up and inform them of this error -BEFORE- my package even goes out for delivery hoping that they will change it in time for delivery. Yeah right. So the package gets bounced around another week before everything is fixed, and I finally receive it.

Three weeks to get a package that should have been here in two days. Both parcel services screwed up royally. Getting it late resulted in some other drama issues cuz the extra ST3 I ordered was for someone else that lives far away. We planned to do an exchange at a convention, but because of the shipping fiasco, I didn't have his goods. And even til now, 3 years later, I haven't gotten my entire amount back for paying for his game.

Ironically the only carrier I've not had problems with is USPS, which is what most people curse.

 

[LinesInTheSand]

I've never had problems with any of them. They've all served me well.

 

[distantmantra]

UPS never gets to me until the very end of the day no matter what. FedEx, on the other hand, is extremely prompt. Could have to do with the fact that my uncle is a corporate executive at FedEx.

 

[teh_pwn]

Never get UPS ground from California to east of the mississippi. It'll take a 3 weeks of circles around the nation to get to you.

I've never had a problem with Fed Ex. I order from newegg and they ship the same day, and fed ex gets it to me in 2 business days.

 

[LinesInTheSand]

UPS never gets to me until the very end of the day no matter what. FedEx, on the other hand, is extremely prompt. Could have to do with the fact that my uncle is a corporate executive at FedEx.

Er, it probably has more to do with the order they do their deliveries in. You're probably the first area the FedEx guy hits and the last the UPS guy hits, is it that hard to figure out?

 

[LinesInTheSand]

Never get UPS ground from California to east of the mississippi. It'll take a 3 weeks of circles around the nation to get to you.

I've never had a problem with Fed Ex. I order from newegg and they ship the same day, and fed ex gets it to me in 2 business days.

I get ground from California with UPS quite often and usually receive it in 3 - 4 days.

 

[distantmantra]

Er, it probably has more to do with the order they do their deliveries in. You're probably the first area the FedEx guy hits and the last the UPS guy hits, is it that hard to figure out?

Oh, I figured that was why. I was just joking about that last part (although he is an exec with FedEx).

 

[Christoff Yurievich]

We come back from our errands to find our box (which was about 2'x2'x3') right in front of our front door. The really strange thing was that the delivery guy, for no reason whatsoever, put our doormat on top of it!

DUH! it was hidden. :lol

 

[distantmantra]

Back in high school when I lived with my parents, I got some concert tickets off ebay, and they were to be delivered via UPS. We couldn't find them, but UPS claimed to have delivered them. Apparently the delivery guy got into our backyard and stuck them underneath my mom's potting bench by the doors to the rec room.

 

[dog$]

Having worked at the Fed Ex Ground Chicago Hub for the last two years, I can say with confidence that I have no idea how anyone gets their parcels intact.

Note that Fed Ex Ground != Freight != Air != Custom Critical, so... just don't use FedEx Ground or something.

ps: Really small boxes (less than 3 sq. ft or 5lb) tend to get bagged up and make the journey ok, as long as the bag doesn't get destroyed mid-transit. For the love of God do not send any glass or crystal products through FedEx Ground.

 

[Deleted member 1235]

Weird Fedex Economy got a package from the states to NZ for me in under a week.

 

[kiryogi]

IMO, never get ground service for anyone period Even if its free, pay that extra bit for 2-3 day shipping. It'll save you a whole world of trouble!

 

[Miburou]

When I was in Japan, I ordered a couple of books from amazon.jp using their free shipping option. That was on a Saturday, around 1 or 2PM. Sunday around 5PM, and I find my package waiting for me. How many couriers ship on a weekend?

 

[kiryogi]

USPS does, for EMS anyway or so they claim. I swear they don't try on the sundays even tho the tracking says they did. :/ (I'd be waiting at home all day..) But sometimes I'd get a surprise when I'm not expecting it since sunday isn't your usual business day.