Can anyone figure out how UPS/FedEx get anything done?

Ray H

NAXJA Forum User
I always find it interesting watching what my packages are going through to get to me. Last month I ordered a set (2) of leaf springs. One of them arrived today, the other is scheduled for tomorrow. The billing scan, origin scan and departure scans are identical but they took totally different paths to get here.

HAGERSTOWN,
MD, US 02/08/2007 2:59 P.M. DELIVERY
02/08/2007 7:00 A.M. OUT FOR DELIVERY
02/08/2007 4:00 A.M. ARRIVAL SCAN
LAUREL,
MD, US 02/07/2007 8:24 P.M. DEPARTURE SCAN
02/07/2007 12:01 P.M. ARRIVAL SCAN
CERRITOS,
CA, US 02/03/2007 3:04 A.M. DEPARTURE SCAN
02/03/2007 2:30 A.M. ORIGIN SCAN
02/03/2007 12:44 A.M. ARRIVAL SCAN
CHULA VISTA,
CA, US 02/02/2007 10:20 P.M. DEPARTURE SCAN
02/02/2007 9:40 P.M. ORIGIN SCAN
US 02/02/2007 7:44 P.M. BILLING INFORMATION RECEIVED


NEW STANTON,
PA, US 02/08/2007 1:10 P.M. ARRIVAL SCAN
HODGKINS,
IL, US 02/07/2007 2:47 P.M. DEPARTURE SCAN
02/07/2007 10:35 A.M. FORWARDED TO THE FACILITY IN THE DESTINATION CITY
02/07/2007 10:32 A.M. FORWARDED TO THE FACILITY IN THE DESTINATION CITY
HODGKINS,
IL, US 02/06/2007 9:26 P.M. ARRIVAL SCAN
CERRITOS,
CA, US 02/03/2007 6:25 A.M. DEPARTURE SCAN
02/03/2007 3:17 A.M. ORIGIN SCAN
02/03/2007 12:44 A.M. ARRIVAL SCAN
CHULA VISTA,
CA, US 02/02/2007 10:20 P.M. DEPARTURE SCAN
02/02/2007 9:41 P.M. ORIGIN SCAN
US 02/02/2007 7:44 P.M. BILLING INFORMATION RECEIVED

This is nothing, I once had a set of five wheels shipped from NJ to me (about a 4 hour drive). Three of the five wheels went on paths that took them into the midwest for a week while two of them arrived the the next day after shipping.
Im sure there a reasonable explanation but to a lay person (me) it seems haphazard at best.
Anyone have similar experiences?
 
Looks like the leaf springs ended up on different trucks traveling to different hubs. Multi-piece shipments often do not travel on the same truck or plane. They get separated in the sorting facilities and can get loaded into different containers.

Seems that both pieces will arrive in an acceptable amount of days, especially since they went from coast to coast.
 
What can Brown lose for you?

The very first set of panels we shipped to a customer in Atlanta was lost! How do you lose a 70LB BOX! I hope their toe is sore from kicking the box!

Don't get me started :flame:
 
I used to work for Fedex in the big sort facility in Memphis. It was almost embarrasing to see the way some of that stuff got treated coming through there. At the end of each sort, there would be massive amounts of lost items that had nowhere to go. I beleive they end up auctioning that stuff off if it is never claimed. I knew a few couriers that said they knew when a customer was gonna be pissed (looking at the shape of the package) and they had a card with the complaint number already on it for them. You really do have to wonder how anything gets accomplished like this.
 
I love when i get UPS shipments from Newegg, their warehouse is literally 2 miles from my house, the packages travel 40 miles north to a north jersey sorting facility, travel back down to a central jersey sorting facility about 10 miles away, and usually make their way to my house about 5 days after they ship... from 2 miles away.. never ceases to amaze me.
 
I don't feel so bad now, listening to you guys. BROWN SUCKS ! Unfortunatly, I have to use them at least a couple times a month. Fed Ex I find is much better. But not by much. UPS would screw up a shipment of a bag of bolts. Tracking is truley amazing. Track a package 40 miles from me in Illinois, goes staight southeast to Indiana, then back to Chicago suburb,5 days later. Unbelievable. Or like you said, 1 pkg one way,2nd pkg another. :flame: :flame: :flame: :flame: :flame: :flame: :flame: :flame: :flame: :flame: :flame: :flame: :flame: :flame:
 
Every delivery service has it's ups and downs. I doubt that any particular company is significantly better overall than any other.

Having said that...... the UPS delivery guy back home at my folks has been delivering there for more than 20 years. And even 15 years after I moved out, still recognizes me when I got parts overnighted there.

And DHL was known by my g/f's former employer for being able to lose entire cases of medical samples off the back bumper.
 
ChiXJeff said:
Every delivery service has it's ups and downs. I doubt that any particular company is significantly better overall than any other.

Having said that...... the UPS delivery guy back home at my folks has been delivering there for more than 20 years. And even 15 years after I moved out, still recognizes me when I got parts overnighted there.

And DHL was known by my g/f's former employer for being able to lose entire cases of medical samples off the back bumper.

For me DHL has lost 1 in 5 years, UPS has lost 10 and fedex 3

95% of jeep parts I send via ups through bakersfield disappears after check in and before they get to a truck
 
I once checked a package through the UPS tracking site. I work in Lewiston, the UPS hub is in Auburn, less than 10 mins down 95. Package went out for delivery, returned to Auburn around 10:00 due to inclement weather. I want to say it was September, upper 70s and sunny that morning.
 
rockwerks said:
For me DHL has lost 1 in 5 years, UPS has lost 10 and fedex 3

95% of jeep parts I send via ups through bakersfield disappears after check in and before they get to a truck
Sounds like a good reason to buy insurance. Yes, I know it's a PITA. If the insurance company/administrator sees a spike in insurance claims out of a depot, you can bet your bottom dollar they'll be looking at stuff there.

In your case, it might be a mildly interesting exercise to contact the corporate offices and ask to talk to someone there.
 
ChiXJeff said:
Sounds like a good reason to buy insurance. Yes, I know it's a PITA. If the insurance company/administrator sees a spike in insurance claims out of a depot, you can bet your bottom dollar they'll be looking at stuff there.

In your case, it might be a mildly interesting exercise to contact the corporate offices and ask to talk to someone there.

insurance through UPS only pay the actual cost minus shipping and any credit card or paypal fees. you have to provide an invoice for the product or no luck on getting the insurance.......so in other words you pay paypal the 3.5% and then UPS takes it out again..............they plain suck
 
rockwerks said:
95% of jeep parts I send via ups through bakersfield disappears after check in and before they get to a truck

I'll bet theres some nicely built Jeeps in the UPS parking lot.
 
Well I got a second leaf spring today, on schedule.
I cant really complain about the service. My post was more of an observation than anything.
Both our UPS and Fedex guys seem thoughful and competent. Ive had pretty good luck shipping stuff. Off hand, I cant remember a lost package or even one that was significantly late. Ive received a few that looked like Katrina survivors but I cant testify what they looked like before UPS or FedEx got their hands on them.
Ive started using the USPS for smaller packages. They seem much cheaper and as much as everyone cracks on the USPS, they really do a great job considering the complexity of what they do.
 
I just ordered a computer and a monitor from Dell. The monitor went by DHL/Airborne, and came in 3 days. The Computer is supposedly coming by UPS. Supposedly. Where is it? Who knows? The tracking number doesn't track, Dell only knows that it went to UPS on the 8th. Hey, how about contacting UPS? Look on their web site for contact info. The only number they give is for Mexico. So maybe I'll get a computer, and maybe not, I guess.
 
i got a cannon printer and gateway tablet laptop...both through fed-ex...a friend e-mails me tellin me that my printer showed up at her door...and sent it back, so we went down to pick up the comp (no one was home to pick it up) and asked about the printer and u know what the lady said? Maybe it was shipped by ups...i dont think we'd do that. Ha...i can't believe that
 
Matthew Currie said:
I just ordered a computer and a monitor from Dell. The monitor went by DHL/Airborne, and came in 3 days. The Computer is supposedly coming by UPS. Supposedly. Where is it? Who knows? The tracking number doesn't track, Dell only knows that it went to UPS on the 8th. Hey, how about contacting UPS? Look on their web site for contact info. The only number they give is for Mexico. So maybe I'll get a computer, and maybe not, I guess.
I'd be all *OVER* that customer service rep from Dell. It's not my stinkin' problem how it gets shipped, it's theirs.
 
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