Got burned on Amazon (well, sort of)

[sd455dan]

Things vary by location. Here, Fed Ex has a nearly-zero batting average, it's actually very rare that they get anything right. My neighbors and I are just used to calling each other, every time the Fed Ex truck drops of one of our packages at the other's house. Sometimes, they're dropping things on my door step, for houses clear across town!

Amazon pretty much always gets it right, here, as do UPS and USPS. Only Fed Ex seems to have trouble reading giant numbers plainly visible on suburban mailboxes.

A little more than weeks ago, I ordered a new pair of pallet forks, and seller shipped by Fed Ex. Truck showed up 10-12 days ago with one fork. I spent 10 days checking tracking, and watching the other fork travel all over the country. I was actually getting envious, while it spent some time in Florida, on it's way from Virginia to Pennsylvania. Eventually, they got it turned around and sent my way, but it took a good two weeks. Finally arrived two days ago, pretty banged up, but... it's a pallet fork, I'm going to bang it up anyway.

Some areas there are a Lot of Contract labor companies for FedEX.
They wear the company clothes arrive in a white FedEx marked vehicle, but are not actually FedEx employed drivers.

 

[5030]

Some areas there are a Lot of Contract labor companies for FedEX.
They wear the company clothes arrive in a white FedEx marked vehicle, but are not actually FedEx employed drivers.

How most of Fed-Ex operates actually. One of my good friends is a Fed-Ex contractor with 60 trucks on with them and he does real good and so do his employees. Maybe that is why we get good service from them, who knows. I do know one time I followed a USPS shipment I ordered all over the country, talk about a high mileage shipment, there it was and like Winter Deere when it arrived it looked like it was on the bad end of a street fight. Some times I think they workers play basketball with packages.

 

[ponytug]

Some areas there are a Lot of Contract labor companies for FedEX.
They wear the company clothes arrive in a white FedEx marked vehicle, but are not actually FedEx employed drivers.

True, but I think Harry Truman's line still applies...
"The buck stops here"

I think that it isn't up to me to do their job, and if the delivery crew can't manage, then it is on the vendor to make it right, as they were the ones who chose the shipper.

We used to have a terrible local (statewide) delivery service, and packages were always tossed somewhere, not necessarily in a ditch here, but somewhere. I spent many hours with various vendors who chose this shipping company making it clear that it was on them as they chose the shipper, and that I wasn't going to drive 25 miles of roads looking for a nondescript package somewhere. It took a few years, but we haven't had a delivery from those folks in over a decade. Plus, most of the time, the package had been driven umpteen miles loose in the back of a 1 ton van, and looked like the delivery vehicle had been a cement truck: nicely tumbled and abraded.

I get that running a delivery or freight company isn't easy, but there are minimum standards such as getting the item to the correct destination intact, or you go the way of "Yellow". My $0.02 is if your driver can't get it done, call your local office and keep speaking with the supervisor. Feedback helps them do a better job.

All the best,

Peter

 

[sd455dan]

True, but I think Harry Truman's line still applies...
"The buck stops here"

I think that it isn't up to me to do their job, and if the delivery crew can't manage, then it is on the vendor to make it right, as they were the ones who chose the shipper.

We used to have a terrible local (statewide) delivery service, and packages were always tossed somewhere, not necessarily in a ditch here, but somewhere. I spent many hours with various vendors who chose this shipping company making it clear that it was on them as they chose the shipper, and that I wasn't going to drive 25 miles of roads looking for a nondescript package somewhere. It took a few years, but we haven't had a delivery from those folks in over a decade. Plus, most of the time, the package had been driven umpteen miles loose in the back of a 1 ton van, and looked like the delivery vehicle had been a cement truck: nicely tumbled and abraded.

I get that running a delivery or freight company isn't easy, but there are minimum standards such as getting the item to the correct destination intact, or you go the way of "Yellow". My $0.02 is if your driver can't get it done, call your local office and keep speaking with the supervisor. Feedback helps them do a better job.

All the best,

Peter

Actually you just said the part I was implying.
Agreed, FedEx is where the buck stops.

If they have poorly run service by their contractors the contractors need to be replaced with either FedEx personnel or a Contractor that runs a tight ship.
I will say locally both seem to be well run.

 

[Menagerie-Manor]

For me Home Depot is a 50 mile round trip equating to approximately $10 in gas plus the sales tax in CA. Needed four 3/4" ips railing flanges last week and that would have cost about $55 with the drive and tax. Two day later they are on my bench at a cost of $9.99 for a set of. Even my local hardware store where it would have to be ordered would still be close to $50 at almost $12 each.

 

[Yander]

We spend roughly $50k per year through Amazon, and I've never bothered checking any vendor review. Amazon backs you, on the exceptionally rare occasion that one defaults or fails to deliver, so I'm not wasting previous time in checking each vendor on each item.

I think they were here 3x yesterday, delivering about 8 different items. Light day, since wife is out of town.

If we run out of paper towels or toilet paper, and no one is running to the grocery store today, we know Amazon will have it here in the morning.

We spend a lot on Amazon, but I hope it isn't $50k.

I'm afraid to look lol. Probably more like $10k. We order a lot of consumables from there. Though we are starting to find other sources that are bricks and mortar.

 

[Yander]

How most of Fed-Ex operates actually. One of my good friends is a Fed-Ex contractor with 60 trucks on with them and he does real good and so do his employees. Maybe that is why we get good service from them, who knows. I do know one time I followed a USPS shipment I ordered all over the country, talk about a high mileage shipment, there it was and like Winter Deere when it arrived it looked like it was on the bad end of a street fight. Some times I think they workers play basketball with packages.

Maybe FedEx could teach their drivers to stay on my driveway and off my yard. Next rut I see I'm calling to rat someone out.

I have plenty of gravel and space to navigate, they just get in a hurry.

 

[Code54]

Amazon has been great for us. We had a few vendor problems over the years and in one case they tried a return item fee that was not listed anywhere. I just chatted with Amazon and the young lady looked at everything, saw where I was credited less than I should have been, and Amazon made up the difference. I cant complaint about that.

I also look at the total cost of the item. Sure I can get it for $2 less locally but I need to spend $5 in gas, and waste about an hour of my time. Times money, gas is cash, so ordering it and having it arrive on my doorstep is smart move. Sure if I need it this second I will go get it, or going to that area anyway I may just pick it up, but Amazon makes it easy for me to save a trip. Also in a lot of cases Amazon is a LOT cheaper than I can fins stuff locally. For example - I was rewiring a SxS and using a lot of wire looms. Locally 10' was $10.99, Amazon, 100' for $18.99 delivered the next day. It is something we use commonly so that is hard to beat.

 

[Yander]

Amazon has been great for us. We had a few vendor problems over the years and in one case they tried a return item fee that was not listed anywhere. I just chatted with Amazon and the young lady looked at everything, saw where I was credited less than I should have been, and Amazon made up the difference. I cant complaint about that.

I also look at the total cost of the item. Sure I can get it for $2 less locally but I need to spend $5 in gas, and waste about an hour of my time. Times money, gas is cash, so ordering it and having it arrive on my doorstep is smart move. Sure if I need it this second I will go get it, or going to that area anyway I may just pick it up, but Amazon makes it easy for me to save a trip. Also in a lot of cases Amazon is a LOT cheaper than I can fins stuff locally. For example - I was rewiring a SxS and using a lot of wire looms. Locally 10' was $10.99, Amazon, 100' for $18.99 delivered the next day. It is something we use commonly so that is hard to beat.

Yes, my logic also. I'm not retired and my time is valuable to me. I have been starting to cross check the Amazon prices with other sources though. Their prices are not always the best and other companies ship for free or at least do an in-store pickup at my convenience.

 

[DarkBlack]

We and everyone I know, has, and has had great service from Amazon.
Sometimes we order it and it arrives in a few days, cheaper than just the product alone locally, nevermind the fuel and time driving we save.

They didn’t get to be the world’s largest retailer, and 6th largest company in the world, by not pleasing customers.