FedEx Sucks
I’m really not one to use the word “sucks” as slang in writing but really, there’s no better word to describe it.
I know I’ve made complaints about UPS, but to be honest, comparatively, UPS is definitely better than FedEx. I have the occassional problem with UPS; with FedEx, there’s always a problem.
So, yesterday when I got home, I checked the FedEx tracking site in hopes that my new laptop had reached Portland…it had. In fact, there had been an attempted delivery at 8:40am that morning. I wouldn’t have known this since there was no FedEx notice on my door. Plus, I’d been there not six minutes earlier and had not seen any FedEx truck…so I’m suspicious.
I called FedEx and talked to a human being…finally…I hate those new fangled phone trees that require you to speak your answer to it’s innane questions and won’t let you bypass to an operator. The person wasn’t particularly understanding and told me that the package would be delivered at 4:30pm the next day. I asked if it was really going to be 4:30 because last Thursday FedEx left a notice saying they were delivering something at 7pm and it was at my house before 4:30pm. The person on the phone said that it could be delivered anytime between noon and 4:30pm. I asked if I could change the delivery address to my work address so someone would be there to accept it.
FedEx apparently doesn’t let you change the address. This is a recurring issue with them. UPS lets me do this all the time. It certainly makes for convenience.
I ended up telling them to hold the package and drove to the center to get the package myself. Mind you that I have had to do this every time someone shipped me a package larger than my iPod mini. I get lost every time because they are out of the way. I always end up driving 30 minutes out of my way because the roads aren’t clearly marked.
Anyway, they sux. I wish companies would give me a choice as to who I want to deliver my package.
tags: FedEx
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on September 23, 2005 at 12:37 pm
JP said:
FedEx…. I would have a party if they folded today. I had a $2,000 piece of equipment shipped to me by them — they dropped the package… we noted the damage to the driver. It was insured… after we set it up (computer component) and tried to make it function - guess what - the drop damaged it and it doesn’t work. File a claim — we did note damage and it was insured. Well … they want to inspect the packing - which — we don’t have anymore… BECAUSE - we weren’t told to keep it! Stupid - I know — I typically keep the packing on everything - but — since we noted the damage upon receipt and the driver inspected it - we figured the monstrosity could be disposed of. No way. Fedex says — the driver is NOT a Fed Ex employee, is not authorized to inspect a package and does not KNOW THEIR INSPECTION POLICY! (but I am supposed to!) So … we’re out of luck… Sitting on a $2K albatross…. NEVER, NEVER, NEVER will I work with FedEx again. They should be shot…. (can ya tell I just hung up the phone with them? lol) Whew — thanks for letting me air that!
on September 24, 2005 at 5:25 pm
Craig Nln said:
Okay well i’m not sure if this will be of any help to you. I am pretty familiar with the system. From the time you file a claim with fedex Ground you you have a window to file the claim. There is also another window (might be 45-90 days to submit additional documentation) If you bought your item from a company I would recomment you get from the company a detailed description of how they packaged your item and submit that to Fedex…keep on disputing the claim do not give in.. My advice to you is to do everything in writing and send letters certified as you talk to them on the phone. I can also tell you that fedex ground uses independent contractors. Another tip the managers at the ground stations can override some policies and it is in your best interest ( I know its not easy since u seem upset) to try and get with the ground station manager ( ask for the general manager or they may call him/her a senior manager ) It is really up to you how far you want to go but you can dispute a claim decision. I have worked with shipping companies for years and you have to be persistent. I would also recommend you get the fedex service guide and read the terms and conditions for ground. I am willing to help you if you want to pursue this any further. Feel free to email me at cdbexplorer@yahoo.com - I also happen to be friends with some Fedex managers and depending on what district you’re in they may be able to get you some assistance. Its up to you but I’m offering my help - don’t know if what I know will help you at all - I also don’t know if your item is repairable but you may want to get a repair estimate do not know if you were offered that option or not …. Another tip too the company you ship with may have a special fedex account and depending on their relationship with Fedex you may be able to use that to your advantage…. All shipping companies have senior sales rep that oversee large accounts and they have a budget for winning over customers - I have seen payouts and yes hand written apologies well good luck and my email adress is cdbexplorer@yahoo.com
on November 15, 2005 at 6:07 pm
chicago said:
Recently a victim of a fraud shipment, I was hopeful when they told me the package that left from chicago to nigeria has been found and is on its way back to chicago. When it arrived in london for a transfer they let me know, so far things were going alright until it arrived in chicago.
the fedex in chicago has people with no customer support skills, when asked to talk to a supervisor, connected me to a lady who works behind the shipping office who had no idea what i was talking about, ex) “..you want to wha? to wha wha?? ’scuse me, i have no idea what you talkin’ ’bout, i just work the files at the shipping office”
they told me that security is working on finding the package…4 weeks now, going on 5, no contact, no calls, nothing…..a big disappointment..
on March 1, 2006 at 3:55 pm
David said:
Wow i have a few funny stories for you, one time fedex was shipping me a $800 racing bike, and when i got it ( 2 months late!) i was very surprised to find the forks were bent together, the carbon fiber rims were trashed, the brand new frame was dented and scratched, and the box was soggy and all muddy, the fedex guy said ” we had to many boxes” to which i replied, “why didn’t you put it on another truck? ” ” one with less packages” they answered with ” if you’ll sign here please” . the next day i called up fedex and threatened to sue, so they willingly gave me almost 1000 dollars. The moral of the story is never trust fedex with important items.
Another time when fedex let me down is today actually ( 3/1/06) i ordered a new cell phone, and i got overnight shipping, and it has taken 3 days so far, they are in a town less than 2 miles away from me ” in transit” and it is taking 8 hours so far to deliver my phone! it is just plain unbelieveble, i wish my phone had been shipped with ups, they have fast shippers, fedex just plain sucks, and you know what they suck ;).
on May 20, 2006 at 2:31 pm
Dixon said:
What has happened to FedEx? FedEx Not What It Used to Be - FedEx started out as a renegade to the United States Postal Service, went through its underdog period, and is now turning into typical corporate zombie.
Last week FedEx tried to schedule a deliver and no one was home. The driver left a notice on the door with a time of 11:15 am. So I called them and had them reschedule for the next Friday.
I waited all morning, expecting the doorbell between 11:00 and noon. At 1:00 pm, I opened the door and saw the notice (11:30) that it was the 3rd attempt and they were sending it back to shipper. (Apparently the delivery person missed the class on doorbell ringing.) Since it had only been an hour and a half, I called FedEx seeing if they could contact the driver who might still be in the area.
They said they had no way to contact the driver to return. Now they have excellent tracking system for packages, but no way to call or page their drivers? The operator told me she tried to call the FedEx Tampa office, but no on was answering the phone. They have a FedEx Air office in my town, but not a ground office. And FedEx Ground office and FedEx Air offices will not be responsible for each other’s packages, so I could drive 60 miles to the FedEx office and pick it up. (This seemed a little extreme since their delivery person should have rang the doorbell.)
As I live in a tri-county area of over 655,000 people, it seems a little ridiculous to ask us to drive 60 miles to pick up a package because the ground service will not use the offices of the air service. But this is the new FedEx service.
Furthermore since it was Friday, the customer service rep said they would leave an email message, but no one would get back to me until Monday, the next business day. And because the shipper requested a signature, FedEx would not deliver it to my office address. So the next time I would be home would be the following Friday, which would be 7 days - and FedEx only holds packages for 7 days then they return it to the shipper.
So basically I was out of luck. As the customer service rep said, “Thank you for calling FedEx.”
on August 7, 2006 at 11:38 pm
Pete said:
They are idoits
Ship date
Aug 3, 2006
Estimated delivery
Aug 8, 2006
Destination
Brookings, OR (170 miles south of shipping point)
Service type
Ground-Domestic
Pieces
1
Weight
8.0 lbs.
Status
Arrived at FedEx location Salem, OR
Date/Time
Activity
Location
Details
Aug 7, 2006 3:51 PM
Arrived at FedEx location
PORTLAND, OR
Aug 5, 2006 12:09 AM
Departed FedEx location
SACRAMENTO, CA Aug 4, 2006 4:10 PM
Arrived at FedEx location
SACRAMENTO, CA (400-500 miles South of location )Aug 3, 2006 10:42 PM
Arrived at FedEx location PORTLAND, OR (50 miles North of location)
10:01 PM
Left origin SALEM, OR 6:00 PM
Arrived at FedEx location sALEM, OR 5:03 PM
Picked up (NOT! dropped off) SALEM, OR
1:01 PM
Package data transmitted to FedEx
on August 18, 2006 at 2:29 am
J.Cory said:
I just ordered all the bits for my new computer, everything except the motherboard was shipped by Newegg, via UPS. It arrived on time, on the day that UPS said it would be delivered. The mother board was shipped from Newark, CA to Sacramento, CA (a 3 hour drive, with traffic) and was due to arrive on the same day, according to Fedex. 8pm rolls by, 8:30, 9, 10, 10:30 with the Fedex site still caliming it was out for delivery. 11pm: Delivery exception/ Delivery delayed, scheduled for next business day. Arghhh!!! Why even state delivery dates, when they can’t meet them. The same thing happened when the 5th Harry Potter book was released, Amazon gaurunteed delivery on the day the book came out in the stores…Fedex had to make a special delivery on Saturday, because it didn’t arrive on Friday, and Amazon had to refund us the cost of the book.
on October 3, 2006 at 9:24 am
Product » Blog Archive » FEDEX incompetence said:
[…] I recently ordered a package from FEDEX and encountered aboslutely horrible customer service. On the day that the package was due to arrive, I checked the tracking link that the vendor had sent, hoping to find out what time the package was due so that I could get on with my life. I was surprised to find that the previous day someone had tried to deliver my package. It was marked “customer not available or business closed”. I found this particularly strange, mainly due to the fact that I had in fact been available all day, and that I had been available when the driver claimed to have attempted delivery. The scenario is repeated later that day - the driver marks “customer not available or business closed” again, even though I was standing in front of a window facing the street at the time that delivery was “attempted”. The driver is lying. Unless “customer not available or business closed” means “I didn’t feel like going to the door or even stopping”. I call FEDEX to try and get an explanation. I am greeted with one of those obnoxious computer phone systems: “Schedule a pickup? Track a package? Order Supplies?”. I don’t know how much money these companies save by replacing operators with computers, but I seriously doubt that it balances out with the pure hatred that it brings out in me. Eventually I am connected to a human, although English is clearly not her first language. I repeat myself two or three times before each sentence is understood, and finally I am able to get my point across. The driver will attempt to deliver again tomorrow. Thanks. The following day the scenario is again repeated. “Customer not available or business closed”. I call again and after giving my cellphone number I am told that I will be contacted within 2 days. On the second following day I am contacted by someone in the local office who explains that my package is available for pickup, all I have to do is drive the 45 minutes to their warehouse. I explain my situation and am given no indication of what will happen. At this point I would love to just cancel the whole thing and try to get my money back, but I really need that package (I actually needed it the day it was due to be delivered). About 3 hours later, the package simply appears at my door. No explanation, no apology, no promise to deliver on time next time. A little searching reveals that FEDEX is fairly consistent about sucking. What I find most disturbing is that I never once got the feeling that my business was needed or even appreciated. FEDEX can ignore my concerns, and they wouldn’t really be affected at all if my package simply disappeared. I might get an $11 refund, but that’s definitely not enough to concern anyone at FEDEX. Posted Uncategorized on Tuesday, October 3rd, 2006. […]
on October 21, 2006 at 11:35 am
Kirk said:
I called FedEx at 4:00 yesterday asking them if the delivery person is still out. They said the person is still out delivering packages and my package is on the truck. I told them this is a business, they said its registered as a home delivery. The person in customer service immediately recognized that this package is destined to a business. I told them that the package originator was told that this is a business, but must have delivered it improperly. They said this is marked as a home delivery and they can’t change it, even though they are attempting to deliver to a business. They said they deliver to business as late as 6:00PM.
Between 4:00 and 5:00 waited and watched the door. At 4:30 someone locked the end of the building and turned out the hallway lights. Between 5:00 and 6:00 I stood outside watching for the truck in case they got confused by the lights being turned off in the hallway. I stood outside for an hour watching the parking lot.
At 6:00 I went back in and checked the status of the package and it was reported an attempted delivery was made at 5:15PM.
At 6:15 I called FedEx again and told them there was no delivery attempt even through the tracking information says there was. She suggested that I ask for it to be held for pickup today but call ahead to find out the hours on Saturday so I can come to pick it up in St. Paul.
I called this morning at 9:00 and they said it is out for delivery. Its not being held for pick-up. I told the woman that last evening I asked to have it held. She said it wasn’t held even though there was a request recorded to do so.
After the attempt to deliver today , the package is no longer available for pickup or delivery until Tuesday. They don’t delivery on Sunday or Monday. I asked it be held for pickup for Tuesday morning. The next time I can pick it up is Tuesday between 8:00 and 10:00AM in St. Paul, assuming it will be held per instructions. The instructions weren’t followed last time. I offered the customer service person that I can meet the delivery person anywhere if I could contact them. They said that’s not possible, they are not reachable.
Apparently I can’t change the status of the package to business delivery because somehow they are two different divisions of the delivery service. I can’t pick up the package this morning because the person didn’t leave it at the sorting facility per instructions. The home delivery service division is closed on Sunday and Monday. The earliest I can get the package is Tuesday. I have to hope the delivery person follows instructions on Tuesday and leaves it at the sorting facility for pick up, even through they didn’t do it the first time they were instructed to.
Tuesday will be the third delivery attempt (since they attempted to deliver it on Friday and today) so successive delivery attempts theoretically will force the package to be left at the sorting facility for up to 4 days.
If the package isn’t held for pick up on Tuesday, then it is supposed to be available for pick up for the next four days.
If I don’t show up at the sorting facility on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, or Saturday of next week between 8:00 and 10:00AM, the package will be sent back to the sender.
on October 28, 2006 at 3:16 am
nika said:
As an ex FedEx manager, I will agree. . .FedEx does indeed suck. It’s a customer service nightmare for everyone but the drivers and here’s why:
FedEx Home Delivery has developed an “Independant Operator/Owner” busniess model in which none of the delivery drivers are actual employees of FedEx because doing so saves the company millions of dollars each year in benefit payouts, worker’s compensation, and overhead operating costs. For example, “Operator/Owners” pay for their own uniforms, pay their own taxes, lease their trucks from company providers, pay fuel, maintenance, and repairs on those vehichles. . . .it’s all out of pocket expense for the delivery drivers.
In order to maintain the “Independant” non-employee business model, I was not allowed to “manage” drivers in any way shape or form. In fact, the reason I quit is because one driver made a daily routine of impeding my job responsibilities, this particualr day by refusing to let me update the software on her delivery scanner (which I was told was a mandatory function of my position) - she claimed that it was not in her contractual agreement with FedEx to allow give me her scanner (not true). When I tried to explain that I was required by my management to perform the task, she threatened to abandon her route. So I called her bluff, told her she was free to do whatever she wanted and offered to deliver her packages myself.
When I approached my manager with the situation, I was told explicitly told that I was to walk on eggshells with the drivers at all times that that regardless of what they say or do, that what I did was flat wrong, and I had no recourse and no support from my him. I contacted his supervisor with the situation and received the same response.
Sound crazy? It gets worse. . .
As a manager, I was responsible for responding to all issues related to customer service. Imagine being on the phone with a gentleman like the one above who was expecting a $2000 item and having to explain to him that I am not ALLOWED to insist that the courier that has been carting his package around on a truck for three days deliver the package as promised. Why can’t I do that you ask?
Because FedEx is currently in 31 different instances of class action litigation wherein Independant Owner/Operators all over the country are demanding that they be considered employees of the company so they can receive medical insurance coverage, sick leave, vacation, and worker’s compensation benefits. Any action on my part as a “manager” to instruct the delivery decisions of an “Independant Operator/Owner” is seen as an admission of employee status and thus places the company in an axionable legal position.
Now you know.
I agree. FedEx sucks.
on November 17, 2006 at 10:12 am
Eric said:
They don’t guarantee anything. It’s pure BS. They don’t even try to deliver things. I work in a a 15 story government building that has the mayor’s office, the county commission, etc… apparently they “couldn’t find” the second floor. Or the 200 square foot information desk on the ground floor. A week later I’ve had 6 contacts with FedEx and still no package. FedEx sucks. I don’t care what your excuse is. You pay for a service, you should get it. Not delivering a package is fraud. I feel like $1100 was stolen from my bank account and I have nothing to show for it.
on December 16, 2006 at 1:06 am
shawn said:
DONT USE FED EX SMART POST
I AM SO MAD. ITS CHRISTMAS TIME YOU KNOW. ORDERING GIFTS FOR ALL THOSE LOVED ONES. WELL DON’T USE FED EX SMART POST IF YOU WANT TO RECEIVE THESE GIFTS. I ORDERED 2 PACKAGES FROM A COMPANY AT THE BEGINNING OF DECEMBER, TO MAKE SURE THEY WOULD GET HERE IN TIME. ONE THEY SHIPPED VIA USPS AND IT CAME IN 2 DAYS, FROM ACROSS THE COUNTRY. THE OTHER ONE THEY SHIPPED USING FED EX SMART POST AND IT TOOK 10 LONG DAYS TO GET. BUT OK IT WAS STILL THE MIDDLE OF DECEMBER SO FINE. NOW ON DEC 9TH I ORDERED FROM A COMPANY THAT IS ABOUT 30 MINUTES AWAY FROM ME. I THOUGHT FOR SURE I WOULD GET THIS ITEM IN TIME FOR CHRISTMAS. ALL THEY HAD TO DO WAS DROP IT IN A MAIL BOX AND IT WOULD ARRIVE THE NEXT DAY. BUT NO NO NO, THEY USED FED EX SMART POST. IT SPENT 2 DAYS IN THIS STATE, 2 DAYS IN ANOTHER STATE, 3 MORE DAYS IN ANOTHER STATE, AND IT ISN’T EVEN BACK IN MY STATE YET. THE ARRIVAL DATE HAS CHANGED 3 TIMES, AND IS GETTING VERY CLOSE TO NOT ARRIVING BEFORE CHRISTMAS. FED EX SMART POST IS A LYING STUPID WASTE OF TIME AND PEOPLES MONEY. I JUST HAD TO VENT
on December 29, 2006 at 9:24 pm
UPS SUCKS said:
THINK FEDEX SUCKS? GIVE UPS A TRY SOMETIME AND SEE HOW THEY FOOK UP YOUR ORDER, DON’T DELIVER WHEN PROMISED, DON’T DELIVER ON WEEKENDS (EVEN WHEN ALREADY LATE) AND/OR PACKAGE ARRIVES CRUSHED. I’D TAKE FEDEX ANYDAY OVER OOPPSS!
on January 2, 2007 at 11:58 am
Rene said:
I don’t usually gripe like this, but I just don’t want anyone else to have the same headache that I have had. I bought three Christmas presents and had this shipped FEDEX. They were shipped on December 17. It is now January 2 and two have still not be delivered. All three were being delivered to the same city to different addresses. When I called FEDEX, they said that they were 5 days behind because of a storm. Even though it had been beautiful for four days. When I called them last week another storm was coming in, so they didn’t expect they would be able to deliver for at least another few days. I shipped other packages UPS and DHL the same week and they had no problem getting there. Merry Christmas FEDEX!!!!
on January 2, 2007 at 1:15 pm
n. mallory said:
FedEx probably had their shipping through Denver. I only say this because my father had the same problem with a Christmas present form my mother because of the two storms in December.
I’m not saying the FedEx doesn’t suck; I’m just pointing out that sometimes shipping involves other cities.
Actually I think UPS and FedEx both suck big time.
DHL and the post office are currently the only shipping worth anything.
on January 13, 2007 at 12:17 pm
Keith Walker said:
As a FedEx Ground Contractor, I understand the concerns of many of our customers. The truth about inconsistencies with delivery times and delivery attempts is the lack of support we get from the company. Everyday, we are responsible for insuring our trucks are properly loaded and if the workload given to us can be done within our daily schedule. As contractors, very rarely do we get help from our managers or temps for additional help to meet the needs of our customers. When the workload exceeds the capacity of an individual contractor, often packages are left behind at the terminal for later delivery dates. The fact of the matter is, often customers hear one thing from customer service and another thing from the delivery driver. Communication between customer service and a contractor doesn’t exist. In general most of our customers are satisfied because our service is good compared to our competitors. Believe me, as a contractor, I want 100% customer satisifaction every single day, as do the rest of the contractors. In fact, we receive a bonus at the end of each month that reflects on how good our service was. If every customer that has had a problem with our service could just see what we go through every single day, I truly believe that they would have a little more understanding of how stressful and difficult our job really is.This is not to excuse the fact however that a multi Billion dollar company can’t get it right all the time.They could but the interest of the compay is to save money and to stick it to the contractor by any means possible. I guess if we lived in a perfect world everyone would be happy and hunkie dori but that will never be the case.
on January 16, 2007 at 6:47 pm
Mike said:
Right now it’s 37 degrees where I live and damp roads. However, Fedex is not delivering due to “local weather delay.” Apparently, FedEx doesn’t deliver when it’s cloudy out. Will never use their service again.
on January 19, 2007 at 11:36 pm
Carl said:
Everytime I order from a company that ships FEDEX my packages wind up being hauled all over town several days. UPS has NEVER EVER done this — only EXFED does such crap. Newegg used to ship with Fedex but they stopped and went with UPS to keep their customers happy. I don’t care if the couriers are contracted labor or Exfed employees all I know is I paid for a service and I expect t oget it otherwise it is fruad. EVERYBODY boycott Fedex and lets make them EX in the shipping business. UPS ROCKS!
on January 21, 2007 at 6:39 am
Frank said:
I’m a contractor and I think FedEx has something seriously wrong. I have a rural route where you might have a row of mailboxes going back a lane and houses not marked, so my time is spent searching for a person just to ask if they know the house numbers, not to mention I have about one stop every 30 minutes on a route that takes about 220-250 miles a day. Does Fedex care? Hell no. The service managers want the packages on a contractors truck if you can’t deliver or find a person that’s your problem, just empty the terminal. So please mark your homes for the contractor, he/she are not employees.
on January 23, 2007 at 9:26 pm
Arizona Visual » Blog Archive » It’s only Tuesday? said:
[…] So for the second day in a row I get home to find a door tag from FedEx. Seems the idiot company that sent me the replacement RAM also sent it requiring MY signature and MY Photo ID. Well now, since I have a job, what’s the chances of being there to sign for this? UPS always leaves it with the office, who will sign for it. So tonight, I had to drive 45 minutes during rush hour on a Freeway under construction, to get my RAM. Needless to say FedEx and Trans Intl. are not my favorite companies at the moment. I should have used Crucial like I always do. […]
on January 27, 2007 at 1:53 pm
Chadwick said:
FedEx SmartPost apparently steals packages. I ordered a product from Circuit City with ‘Free Shipping,’ that was shipped on Jan. 5. While my package came within a 3 hour drive of me the next day, it failed to move according to their tracking from the black hole known as the Grove City, OH sortstation.
The fun thing is that SmartPost has a phone number that only functions as an answering machine, where they will supposedly get back to you. I left several messages with my name, number, and tracking number and never heard from the company.
After inquires to CC, I recieved an e-mail 21 days after I ordered the item that said that FedEx SmartPost had ‘lost’ the item.
If I had known about SmartPost, I would have sprung the extra $10 for shipping that would have actually worked.
on January 29, 2007 at 6:31 pm
Bryan Keller said:
FedEx somehow lost a package that was shipped to me that I could have driven to and back in under 3 hours. It was ridiculous. I always thought FedEx was the cheapest way to ship something but I came across www.shippingsidekick.com and I found out that UPS is cheaper a lot of the time as well as USPS Priority. I will never use FedEx again unless the price difference is huge.
on February 5, 2007 at 12:17 pm
HARTMAN said:
I would like everyone here who has had a terrible experience with fedex to please send their experience to Dateline at the address below.
STORY SUGGESTIONS
Dateline NBC
30 RockefellerPlaza
New York, NY 10112
lets put some pressure on fedex.
on February 12, 2007 at 5:40 am
nika said:
I get so tired of hearing what a bum rap FedEx contractors get and their imaginary struggle against “The Man” a.k.a. FedEx management. Service managers are not at fault. Company standards upheld by UPPER MANAGEMENT and expected to be mantained to the letter by service managers are to blame. Service managers don’t make the rules, but we have to enforce them or lose our jobs.
If I’d had my way as a manager, I would insist that contractors be held responsible for the customer service issues of the residents they serve. But contractors really never are. When a customer has an issue, they call the 800 number and talk to some call center employee in Memphis or some other distant location. Most of the time the call center people aren’t properly trained but more often customers insist, coerce, or scream to be connected to a terminal manager and service managers are forced to deal with customer service concerns we know nothing about and can’t explain or fix because we don’t deliver the packages!!
Once a contractor loads his/her truck and hits the road we have NO IDEA what goes on. We are constantly at the mercy of contractors who don’t inform us HONESTLY and or TIMELY of what is going on and who then refuse to do the jobs they signed up for because they feel under appreciated. It’s kind of a crock if you ask me.
I started out at FedEx as a supplemental driver. And I’ve delivered in service areas that covered 300 miles and spanned 4 zip codes with 50 stem miles, 80 stops and 65 packages in a P-500 that my contractor boss didn’t see fit to take care of - that I had to put a quart of oil into every time I fueled up. A contractor who bounced my paycheck on more than one occasion and hardly ever listened to my concerns about the truck. But you know what I did? I DID MY FREAKING JOB!!! I pulled 98.8 and above service every day I was out on the road even if that meant writing out 20 door tags and being out on the road for 13 hours. I carried a cell phone that I paid for myself and told the service managers at my terminal that if they had any customer service calls from any of my customers to pass them along to me so they could do their jobs in the terminal. And you know what I found? I gained their respect and consideration and whenever I needed something, they were right there doing everything in their power to make it happen! And the integrity I showed led to my being hired as a clerk and later promoted to a manager.
My response to a contractor who thinks he’s got a bum deal? Put up or shut up. If you don’t want to live up to the responsibilities being a business owner, find a 9 to 5 and get out of the game.
on February 19, 2007 at 4:35 pm
Olivia said:
I agree! FexEx hasn’t gotten any better since this article was posted. I ordered something from a seller on eBay, who sent it overnight. It’s been 4 days. Now the computer’s saying that it was delivered, when I’ve been sitting at home staring at the road like I was holding it down with my eyes. I’ve never liked FedEx, and I’ve always preferred either UPS or the good old USPS to them. Neither company whines about bad weather, and they either deliver it on time or they at least deliver it within a day of the original date.
on February 23, 2007 at 3:28 pm
Nick said:
So a package is sent to me via Fedex Ground. So I will never ever be home when the package is going to be delivered. I can’t change the address to my work address, and I can’t pick it up at the center because they aren’t open late enough. I ask if it could be held at the regular Fedex station. But it seems that Fedex and Fedex ground are almost two different companies and that can’t happen. So the package is being sent back to the shipper and will be sent out USPS! Yes Fedex does SUCK!
on March 12, 2007 at 1:43 pm
dan adams said:
I am tired of you knocking fedex. I have never had problems with fedex deliveries. lets be honest. why are you knocking them?? did you get fired from there? there is one legitimate complaint. I have an online fedex account. i print my own labels. I weigh them at home and send the packages to kinkos. they almost always charge me a surcharge at some point down the line.
on March 16, 2007 at 8:07 pm
Daniel said:
Im only 13 years old. And this is my story, I got on a website and ordered a new paintball gun. I had options on what kind of shipping i wanted. Well i was offered free shipping for 99$+ items. I thought it was a pretty good deal and took it. Bad idea my package circulated the united states and stopping at “sortation centers” and spending 1-3 days there for each one. Im still waiting on my package and im SO MAD BECAUSE I MISSED MY BEST FRIENDS PAINTBALL PARTY!. FED EX CAN BURN IN HELL!!
on April 11, 2007 at 11:04 am
nika said:
RE: Dan Adams
No. I quit. Walked out and never looked back. Best decision I ever made.
on April 13, 2007 at 9:41 pm
Unsure About U said:
Let me get this straight, this ahppens to you all of the time, and you repeatedly have to drive out to their center? But yet you always get lost, to somewhere you always have to go? I am not sure who sucks more, FedEx, or the idiot who keeps getting lost “always” going to the same place!
on April 17, 2007 at 4:56 pm
Bebe said:
I hate FedEx. They never deliver to my address but instead to the office of the building. Many people deliver packages to my business, and I have no way to know that they have been delivered until the office calls. Today, it was important that I receive the package, but I didn’t get a call on a priority early morning delivery until 2:30 in the afternoon, too late for me to do anything about it. It cost me thousands of dollars. UPS delivers to me directly, but FedEx doesn’t do their job properly. I’d like to file a class action lawsuit if anyone is interested, it would be great if you’d let me know at bebe0217@aol.com.
Thanks.
on April 27, 2007 at 5:45 pm
IPodOrderer said:
I ordered an Ipod, unfortunately they only deliver it through FedEx if you don’t want to pay 10 Dollar additional.
FedEx is slow as hell and the costumer service sucks really bad. My package stuck in their location for no reason is not moving further. I never had problems with UPS, so if companies would just let the costumer decide who he wants to have the package delivered it would help a lot already!
But apple is not better, but thats not the point here. I just would say it is not random that they work together.
on April 27, 2007 at 11:20 pm
Steve said:
Fedex is a company that uses unintelligent operation managers as monkeys to harrass hardworking employees on a daily basis. FEDEX needs a UNION!!!!!
on April 28, 2007 at 8:43 am
Disgruntled said:
I work for FedEx, and I’ll be honest - I’m surprised that customer packages ever make it on time and in one piece.
Unlike many of the other employees who have commented on here, I work at the airport and have very little contact with the delivery drivers. In reality, I’m usually the one dropping/crushing/destroying your package. I don’t have anything personal against people who ship FedEx, I just don’t care.
At this point in time, we have 17 employees who are expected to unload, sort, and reload over 8,000 packages in under 2 hours. And that’s before the airplanes even land. They’re firing people left and right over stupid piddly crap just so they can say they’ve never laid anybody off. Over the last 6 months or so our hours have been trimmed back - I’m lucky to work 4 hours a day now. FedEx guarantees us 17.5 hours worth of pay a week, but here’s the nasty part: we lose our pension if we don’t work 1000 hours a year. Our insurance coverage has been cut back, and the tuition reimbursement program (the only reason I’m there) is rumored to be slated for cutting as well.
We’ve been told (through management’s action) that the reward for hard work is more hard work, and if you hurry up and get done, you don’t need as many hours.
In short, we’re short-staffed (they refuse to hire any more employees right now) and overworked. We don’t particularly care what happens to your package. In fact, there is nothing more satisfying than smashing glass when you’re ready to kill your manager.
If you want better service, please feel free to call Fred Smith at 901-369-3600, and tell him (or one of his secretaries) that better incentive programs would encourage his employees to actually keep high service standards. If that’s not your thing, just use UPS, I’ve had good experience shipping with them.
I used to like my job, but not so much anymore…
on April 28, 2007 at 11:56 pm
Ex Manager said:
RE: Steve
What FedEx needs to do is hire each and every contracted driver as a legitimate employee of the company, pay them an hourly wage (say bye bye to your service bonuses, per package/stop bonuses, service area pay, and supplimentals), and make them accountable to the same service standards that actual employees (managers, package handlers, QA clerks, etc.) are responsible for upholding.
I guartantee you 90% of them would either quit or be begging to have the freedom they now have to tell off a FedEx employee and then turn around and call Contractor Relations.
on May 31, 2007 at 4:28 am
Twin J said:
My orders are 6 boxes from Meritline.com and so far, the FedEx (ground) driver claimed that I wasn’t home, the funny thing was I was home all day and all night. After having to wait for another 4 days, he again, claims that I wasn’t home when I checked the tracking number. How can a person lie so easily? For those who don’t think this will never happen to you, choose UPS instead, FedEx ground drivers will lie to you and next thing you know, your packages will be sent back. What a fucking company.
on June 13, 2007 at 3:30 pm
Brad said:
fed ex just plain old sucks. i ordered a package on jun 5th and and was supposed to be here on the 12th. turns out they have tried to bring it to my house 3 times and yet there is no stickers on my door. so i call fed ex and some bitch answers the phone and tells me i have to go pick up the package 25 miles away from my house because they never came to my house. so then i asked her is she is going to pay for my gas to come up there and again she told me the only time you can picl it up is between 8 and 5 pm. NEVER USE FED EX
on June 18, 2007 at 2:46 pm
Johnny said:
When I receieved my box it look destroyed. I was lucky that it was only T-Shirts. But i will never use Fedex anymore. Fedex somehow has become a garbage company.
on June 22, 2007 at 2:33 pm
Sammy said:
I ordered ipod accessories from apple.com. One of items were shipped by FedEx Ground. As you can see below, my package’s delivery status stopped “delivery exception” on 6/20. And I called local facility in South S.F. Their QA dmitted that they were NOT SURE where my package is… WTF!?
Apple Computer should not use FEDEX Ground!!
–
Jun 20, 2007 7:50 PM
Delivery exception
SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, CA
Delivery delayed, scheduled for next business day
7:26 AM
On FedEx vehicle for delivery
SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, CA
7:01 AM
At local FedEx facility
SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, CA
Jun 19, 2007 7:10 PM
Departed FedEx location
SACRAMENTO, CA
6:50 AM
Arrived at FedEx location
SACRAMENTO, CA
Jun 18, 2007 1:06 PM
Package data transmitted to FedEx
12:37 PM
Picked up
SACRAMENTO, CA
on June 25, 2007 at 6:08 pm
Jon Hammond said:
I’ve worked at UPS and I currently work at FedEx. If anyone paid attention to actual factual numbers. FedEx customer service takes a crap on UPS. I’ve worked with UPS drivers, They kick smash, steal or throw away packages because UPS drivers are not charged for claims. None the less, FedEx contractors are charged in full when packages come up missing off their van.
Ship FedEx
on June 27, 2007 at 12:17 am
JEFF said:
John Hammond; I am not sure what you are smoking.. But please share.. Okay, so I ordered a computer last week; The monitor was shipped out 4 days prior to the computer being shipped. The monitor was shipped Fed Ex, computer was shipped UPS. I check the fed ex tracking site: day one- customer unavailable or business closed. day two -customer unavailable or business closed.. Day three (I am actually off work this day and I am at home-customer unavailable or business closed.. I contact fed ex and let them know that I was home all day on day three and no attempt was made, they advise me that they will send it out one more time. Day four- unable to locate customer address… So Fed EX claimed that they attempted delivery 3 times previously, but now my house has suddenly moved? By the way, UPS package arrived, that same day, no problem whatsoever… even though it was shipped out 4 days after the fed ex package.. Contact fed ex again, they tell me they will not attempt delivery again, and that I need to pick up the package at their center… I agree to do so, I ask customer service what hours they are open on saturday, I am told 8:45- 4:45.. Okay, so I take my happy little self to their office on saturday at around 10 am, lights are off, doors are locked.. No office hours posted on door. I walk back to my car, call fed ex.. Yes sir, that office is open today, you can pick up your package until 4:45… I advised sajii that the office was indeed closed.. He argues with me, tells me that I must be confused because the office is open.. Phone call finally escalates, Sajii’s Manager Kuldeep “but you can call me mike” finally agrees to call the local office for me… 10 minutes later Kuldeep comes back on the line to let me know that while the office is open, no one is answering the phones.. by now I have walked back over to the customer pick up center and i am banging on the door.. I tell Kuldeep “but you can call me Mike” that he is full of it, and that I am in fact standing at the office door banging, and there is absolutely no one inside, lights are off…. No one is home.. Kuldeep suggest that I call back on Monday to find another solution… Okay, so now fed ex has had my package for over a week… I have a great new computer (delivered on time by UPS) but still no monitor…
on June 30, 2007 at 3:10 pm
Ex Manager said:
Ha!
Best of luck to you, Jon. You’re still wet behind the ears. No doubt you’re doing your best to please your boss and earn points with your co-workers. Once you get comfortable with your new job, the FedEx crap will dominate your vision.
When it does, come back and give a holler. I’ll be listening.
Contractors don’t give a damn about claims. It is a RARE contractor that follows up on a claims form. Most of them ignore it and just let it be deducted from their pay. Most could care less. So before you go off thinking the claims process does anything to imporve service, think again. Most contractors ignore it.
They lie. They lie. They lie. The gentleman above who’s FedEx driver submitted the code “Customer Unavailable or Business Closed” — that is what’s known as a code 4. A code 4 is a BS code. It’s a code that is only meant to be applied to businesses and even then, is only applicable for one hour of the day - between 4pm and 5pm (thought most manager’s aren’t savvy enough to figure that one out).
The name of the game is this. Contractors will do whatever is in their power to accomplish two thing - Work as few hours as possible and maintain decent service so they can get their bonuses. To do this, they avoid all difficult deliveries by using “creative status coding” they will lie and scan a package as an 04 Business closure rather than what it actually is, a 27 Contractor DNA.
And God help you if you’re ever a manager and call them on their shit. They’ll scream “Contractor Relations” and put you out of a job.
on June 30, 2007 at 8:09 pm
ExEmployeeThankGod said:
I worked for Fedex as a courier for 5 years. I left a few months ago. Best decision of my life. Here is some truth. Fedex does not care about their employees at all. Not at all, not one bit. They cut our raises from twice a year to once a year. While I never had an accident, managers LOVE to say any vehicle accident is preventable. There are NO incentives at Fedex. NONE. If you become a Dangerous Goods Specialist, you do not get 1 penny more an hour. Same goes for being an International Auditer, etc. You are PRESSURED to make your on-road goal every week. Yet, these hypocrites preach safety first all the time. Be safe….BUT YOU BETTER MEET YOUR ON ROAD GOALS OR IT’S A LETTER!! They FORCE the employees to do doubles. If you want to say no, don’t bother. Fedex ust using the “operational needs” policy. Again, there really are no incentives. You do your job and they do not recognize it at all. If you bust your azz, you ust screw yourself because they raise your goals!!! Managers love to fire employees for “falsification” yet managers falisy EVERY DAY. Trust me on that. I can go on and on and on. I’ll write more later :O)
on July 1, 2007 at 11:00 am
x fedex employee said:
ex manager you hit the nail on the head. If you have worked for fedex for any length of time you know they suck. Out of the remaining 30 employees at my old terminal you couldn’t find one that likes his job. They had gotten rid of almost 70 employees for such petty things and are trying to get rid of more so they can increase profits. For those out there who think fedex is a great company, it isn’t, this from someone who has been on the other side of the fence.
on July 1, 2007 at 11:10 am
x fedex employee said:
Just another tid bit. As far as packages being damaged its has alot to do with disgruntled employees venting their frustration out on your freight/packages. I have seen employees purposely run over packages and ram into freight with a 7000lb forklift. I am so glad to be out of that enviroment. I wish i had got out sooner.
on July 1, 2007 at 7:43 pm
ExEmployeeThankGod said:
So I have been out of that hell hole for about a month now. I feel like I’m in heaven. I spoke to a few friends who still work there and they told me about no Purple Promise pay out. What a suprise. Yes, employees et fired left and right for the silliest things. You have to make sure you cross your T’s and dot your I’s. They fire employess like there’s no tomorrow and then say hey, Fedex never laid anyone off. lol They treat their employees like animals. Like scum of the earth. I should have gotten out their a long time ago.
on July 3, 2007 at 9:13 pm
P. Ores said:
FedEX should leave Ground service to UPS - they so suck at this. I wait all day for my package on Monday - but I learn calling them they don’t work on Monday - WHAT? So I wait all day today and they say it’s coming, it’s coming and at 9:45pm I call and they say it never went on the truck. They suggest that I call back on Thurs (as Weds is July 4th) and ensure it’s on the truck - I paid nearly $50 to ship this box and I have to manage their staff?
on July 4, 2007 at 12:05 am
Jim Stoffaire said:
FedEX sucks big time. I use the correct address every time and still they can’t find my residence. The address is well marked in a condo complex but the driver is too damn lazy to walk the package to my door. The last time my package bounced around in his truck for nearly 3 weeks. This last week I got another phone message from FedEX tellig me they have my package but can’t deliver it! When I told him the sad history of the last eight packages he tersely told me that I was doing something wrong. At that point I blew my stack and told him to ship the f_ _king package back to the shipper. I will contact the shipper and get it delivered via UPS who HAVE DELIVERED DOZENS OF PACKAGES TO THIS SAME EXACT ADDRESS WITHOUT A SINGLE PROBLEM! SHOVE IT FedEX!!!!
on July 4, 2007 at 8:02 am
ExEmployeeThankGod said:
Laziness may have something to do with undelivered packages. However, here is another reason…Couriers have alot of pressure to get “X” amount of packages delivered in “X” amount of time. They may have, for example, 32 to deliver by 10:30 (priority overnight packages).If the courier feels like they might not make it, they won’t make that extra effort. So, if it is a complex or apartment building, they may lie and say they attempted it since they know this attempt will eat up a little more time than normal. Couriers just want to make service (meaning no lates, not delivering all packages), that’s all. If they get lates, they may have to pay a price, depending of course. So, laziness may be factor. Then again, it may be what I stated above. Now there’s a little more truth for those who don’t work there. I’ll always feel like I’m in heaven now that I’m out of that hell hole. :O)
on July 4, 2007 at 8:09 pm
Ex Manager said:
RE: P. Ores
Yet another example. I will lay you odds the reason your package didn’t get onto a truck was because the contractor looked at the address lable, decided it was too far out of his way or would be a pain to deliver, and left it in a pile at the QA cage just before he/she left the terminal — claiming it was a bad address and not giving the QA staff a chance to locate the address and return the package to the contractor before they took off. Happens all the time.
It happens so often in fact, that my senior terminal manager once issued a memo stating that contractors must have their QA packages in the cage and researched prior to leaving the building and before they can have their vehicles Van Service Audited. In response to his attempt to ensure quality customer service, the contractors threatened to strike.
RE: ExEmployeeThankGod
Not sure about Custom Critical, Express, or other FedEx services — but Home Delivery doesn’t have scheduled deliveries and very very rarely has to worry about overnights or priority packages, so there really is no pressure other than the pressure they create for themselves. For example, we had a handful of drivers who wouldn’t arrive at the terminal until two hours after the sort was finished, didn’t finish loading their trucks until 10am, and didn’t dispatch util around 11am — knowing they had 80 stops to deliver — and would come back the next day with 20 DNA’s claiming they ran out of daylight and couldn’t complete their deliveries and getting angry when it was suggested to them to arrive at the terminal during the sort like the majority of the other contractors. It was unbelievable.