junglejim1949 Loc: Sacramento,CA

The last three times I opted for 2 - 4 day shipping and am lucky to reveive in 6 - 8 days. I caught them twice tossing my package over the fenced area and on to my front door... too lazy to walk around. I had to send one item back due to breakage.
Anyone else having this problem?

tomcat

No problems at all with FedEx. On the other hand, UPS destroys 83% of the packages it delivers to our business. I got tired of replacing frames due to UPS, so I now only ship FedEx. The FedEx deliveries in your area are most probably due to former UPS drivers that were fired.

Reconvic Loc: clermont Fl

Really think it depends on the local branch. I have had great experiences with UPS until this local branch. Have requested from Amazon not to use them.

Shellback Loc: North of Cheyenne Bottoms Wetlands - Kansas

We live in the country and I have logged onto the sites and put in the notes section to put the packages in the garage if nobody answers the door...

FedEx puts the packages at our front door and leaves (even when we're home) - we find out there is a package there when we walk outside and see it - have told them multiple times to ring the doorbell - different driver almost every time - frustrating... The only thing that helps is the shipping notices that come in the mail with the expected delivery date...

However, our UPS and USPS drivers put the packages in our garage if we don't answer the doorbell - super service...

kpmac Loc: Ragley, La

They are all going the way of the USPS. They have outgrown their novelty. They started out as competitors of the Post Office, now they are almost as lame as the Post Office.

DaveO Loc: Northeast CT

I get excellent service from Fedx, Ups and USPS. Fedx is typically slower, but I have never had damage from any and I average a couple packages weekly.

tomcat

Actually, our Post Office is much better than UPS. The UPS truck backed up in our driveway recently one morning and sat there for a couple of minutes while the driver was looking for the package to deliver to me. I heard him throwing boxes around inside the truck so I started down my steps to tell him what the package looked like (a small green LL Bean envelope) and then he pulled off. After he couldn't find the package right away, he made the decision to leave. Then in less than 5 mins, I get an email saying that the package had been delivered! So I called the UPS 80 number and told them of the whole incident. What a fiasco---this is what the UPS driver pool is like in the area......

SteveR Loc: Michigan

I will have to give our UPS driver kudos. My son ordered an old cathode-ray tv tube monitor. He said it would be better for playing old video games. It was heavy as heck and came in a box like you see roadies pack their gear in. The guy carried it to the porch. I can't say he was too happy, but he did his job.

JDG3

Just retired in May and one of my duties was the management of shipping and receiving. Here are my experiences with the various shipping methods from over 30 years of shipping.

FedEx - Very good to fair - One thing many people do not realize is that FedEx expedited (overnight, next day, etc) is a completely different animal than FedEX ground (4-6 day ground delivery. The ground division was created by purchasing another company outright. It is basically a sub contract company owned by and working for FedEX. The drivers, while wearing FedEx uniforms and driving FedEx like trucks are actually another company. The quality of these drivers are NOT what you find in the overnight or Expedite division. If I have a choice in the 4-6 day deliveries I choose UPS or I will pay more and ship FedEx expedite.

UPS - almost always good to excellent - UPS owns and operates, from the same trucks and airplanes, both the expedited and 3-6 day deliveries. If I wanted something to arrive safely, I chose UPS.

US Postal - Good to fair - not usually a good choice for business or commercial. Customers usually want dock to dock deliveries and USPS does not do this well. For personal items USPS is OK but one of its failings is difficulty in tracking a package and the complexity of actually shipping the package. There are so many arcane options that one never gets it right when you go to the counter. FedEx and UPS are just simpler - weight and delivery destination is all that matters. However, for the lowest cost the US Postal cannot be beat. That is why Amazon Prime ships almost all their packages by US Postal.

I can say that in the last 15 years our company shipments and thousands of packages shipped and delivered out company had less than 4-6 claims for damaged or lost items. Many times if we received any damaged items it was due to bad or insufficient packing methods. Anyone shipping needs to understand that they items they are shipping are NOT handled with kid gloves, no matter how many FRAGILE labels you put on it. It HAS to be packed and padded to take some rough handling. These guys handle millions of packages per day so they are going to be tossed around at some point.

However, all these are dependent on that last link - the delivery driver. Even if the systems have performed perfectly to get the package to the last mile, if that driver is bad then the system fails. Unfortunately there are bad drivers. The delivery routes are bid on by the drivers - the best routes (and highest paid) are to commercial daily stops. The package loads are heavier but the stops are the same every day without exception. Routes to neighborhoods are the worst, since the driver must FIND all the stops and travel new routes everyday while still maintaining a time schedule. These are usually the less desirable routes and the newest drivers..

Sirsnapalot Loc: Hammond, Louisiana

They are all as good as their delivery truck drivers!

DaveO Loc: Northeast CT

junglejim1949 Loc: Sacramento,CA

Very interesting and informative. Thanks for the info.

DAN Phillips Loc: Graysville, GA

USE ANYTHING BUT USPS. STINKS TO HIGH HEAVEN! THEY NEED TO BE SHUT DOWN, IMMEDIATELY!

DaveO Loc: Northeast CT

Very interesting and informative. Thanks for the info.

whatdat Loc: Del Valle, Tx.

I have better luck with USPS. It always gets here on time, and may get delivered as late as 8pm, but still gets here on time. I have an oversize rural mailbox, so perhaps that helps. Don’t have experience with FedEx. With UPS; no telling where you will find the package. Quite often, in a location st the side of the street or in the driveway near the street where a passerby can grab & run with it. I have asked Amazon prime to only use USPS as their new contracted delivery as it wan’t any better than the other two on the one occasion used.