Why does FedEx suck so much for car part deliveries? (also, GRM sponsors, ship via another company!)

I have complaints with all of them; but, here in the South Bay of LA, UPS is the hot garbage logistics company from my experience. 

1) They delivered a HelloFresh package a week later than the estimated delivery time. That food had to go straight into the dumpster. 

2) I've had packages on the truck, pass by my house on their tracking system, and I've never seen the packages. 

3) I've gotten packages that legit have footprints on it where it looks like the delivery driver or someone in the supply chain process just said "f it" to that package. 

Luckily I've been refunded or resent all of these items; however, it's a pain in the butt to deal with. I try to use FedEx out here and back in Florida, UPS is my logistics choice. I refuse to buy critical car parts off amazon because of their questionable supply chain tactics and the surprises you get with them. That's a discussion for another day. 

So the other day I ordered a pair of trailer hubs (which come with lug nuts, bearings, etc) from a large trailer parts manufacturer. 

FEDEX delivered it on time today, but when I opened it the only thing in the box was one single hub and nothing else. I could see that the box had ripped open and been taped back up (a FedEx box), with imprints inside it clearly showing two hubs had been inside it originally. Ironically, the delivery driver complained that "everything she delivers to my address is heavy".....

So once again, suck it FEDEX.  

I'm supposed to have a trailer AXLE coming via FedEx tomorrow....curious to see if it makes it here undamaged.

In reply to RevRico :

Since when?  At least 1985.  I worked for a company in 1985 that we had to send billing receipts daily to TX from GA to the home office PO Box.  New manager told me to take it to UPS.  UPS refused it because they could not deliver to a USPS PO box.  

Keith Tanner said:

Tom_Spangler (Forum Supporter) said:

Am I the only one who's never noticed a difference between the various delivery companies? Other than the color of the box.

Don't say that to a Canadian. The hate for cross-border UPS burns with a red hot passion in the great white north. 

YUP!!!!

UPS SCREWS CANADIANS - Nothing like paying $150 brokerage charge on a $600 order.

When a critical furnace part fails Wednesday, you order the replacement Wednesday night, to ship out Thurs for overnight delivery, and mid-day Friday tracking shows it on the truck for delivery, with more than 6 hours to finish running the route, apparently there is nothing prioritizing its 'overnight' delivery status or stopping it from returning to the distribution center just to be pushed out for Monday (4th day) delivery... If it was ever actually on the truck in the first place. If I was willing to wait until next week, I would have just ordered it from Amazon and avoided all the cost and hassle. My wife was right when she said "I'll believe it when I see it" about FedEx actually getting it to us 'overnight'. Berkeley you and your E36 M3ty logistic (dis)abilities FedEx. 

Oh yeah, and apparently I can't even go pick it up from the distribution center in which it currently sits on Saturday, because the company I bought it from has placed account restrictions that prevent FedEx from releasing it to me without explicitly being directed to do so. So berkeley them and their E36 M3ty shipping policy too.

I suppose at least it's not winter, and it's going to be a bit warmer tonight.

Truck shortage + driver shortage + more stuff being ordered online than ever = problems.  No amount of complaining solves those.  I'm being delayed too and I know the system a lot better than most.  In 2020 e commerce experienced a project 5yrs of growth in 6 months.  That's reality.

I have a rotating assembly for my race motor shipped by USPS from Norfolk, VA on the 11th and scanned in Baltimore, MD on the 13th. It is shown as delayed but in transit to the next destination since the 17th. It is going to Hagerstown, MD to the engine builder, a distance of some 75 miles. USPS apparently doesn't know where it is or why it is delayed. That's some $5,000 in parts in limbo and 5 days til I need to be headed to Pocono for a race. I could have walked from Baltimore to Hagerstown and been there 4 days ago.

A FedEX driver once drove onto the shoulder of a freeway onramp and sprayed my car with gravel and broke the brand new windsheld, and FedEX said "not our problem, report it to your own insurance".  That's enough to make me dislike them.

AnthonyGS (Forum Supporter) said:

Truck shortage + driver shortage + more stuff being ordered online than ever = problems.  

Whether or not challenges become problems is less about what the challenges are and more about how they are responded to.

Challenges + adequate response = solutions

Challenges + inadequate response = problems

Driven5 said:

AnthonyGS (Forum Supporter) said:

Truck shortage + driver shortage + more stuff being ordered online than ever = problems.  

Whether or not challenges become problems is less about what the challenges are and more about how they are responded to.

Challenges + adequate response = solutions

Challenges + inadequate response = problems

You are correct, but lots of challenge plus unprecendented growth isn't an easy problem to solve.  It's always easier to criticize than solve an issue.  If you have constructive solutions, there is an unlimited market for you to make as much money as you want in shipping right now.  Or you can just complain more. 

In reply to Don49 (Forum Supporter) :

I was supposed to get a 2 day priority package delivered via USPS yesterday.  I tracked it and in 3 days it'd gone from Boston MA area to Nashua NH.  Now it just shows as "delayed" with no updated delivery date.

Docwyte,

The tracking on my parts shows they tried to deliver it at 4:15 today and of course the shop was closed. I can only hope it gets there Monday.

In reply to Don49 (Forum Supporter) :

Fingers crossed for ya!

I got a UPS package on time today from CA.  I also got a 4pacakagecshipment from Fed EX last week and it was delayed until Monday.  Big packages rarely move on weekends.  Heck 7 day delivery is a recently new thing for the whole business.

Seriously if you have trucks, can find good drivers and know logistics better than everyone else, now is the time to get the money.  

FedEx still sucks here, never on time and usually damaged

Cheap or free shipping usually results in FedEx Ground (very different from regular FedEx) as the choice.  This means that your stuff is being delivered for basically minimum wage.  This means that they leave boxes in the middle of my driveway, because ten more steps are ten too many.  Yes, people in an ideal world will do their jobs to the best of their abilities, regardless of what they are paid, but the world is not ideal . . .

In reply to dananorth :

I ship all of my canoes with FedEx.

I found this thread interesting. It does seem to point to the regional and local last 10 to 1 mile of delivery as the challenge for companies to get right. 

The local FEDEX hub near us is in turmoil. There have been walk offs, sick offs, sabotage, and management full house firings. So in our neighborhood if tracking said your package stopped there, you just added a week in your head and waited. In one case, we had a microwave stuck in there for 2 months. They wouldn't let us pick it up. The phone support said on the third or fourth call that they had to elevate the issue as even their office couldn't contact anyone in the building for the last few days! 

So we always select USPS and UPS. 

This is in contrast to my time living in Maryland, (or maybe it was Virginia) But FEDEX had packages to my door early most times there while UPS seemed to be unable to find my house, I remember several calls and even a supervisor?/manager? came to deliver a package and explained that her drivers can't seem to find several streets so she needed to come figure it out. I never thought that would happen but something internal to the company caused her to take that action. 

USPS still sucks. 

I have nothing but positive things to say about USPS. UPS too is pretty dang great.