AndyH Loc: Massachusetts and New Hampshire

I've bought many times from KEH, with generally excellent results. I buy a lot of used gear, and their return policies, fairly conservative condition ratings, and broad availability of used kit have made them a favorite. Except for one thing: They use FedEx. Federal flipping Express, for everything. And they charge you ten bucks for it.

I live in New Hampshire, not far from Boston, and just off a major highway. I ordered a bottom prism cover for a Nikon FTN finder for the not-outrageous price of $25, if it's in EXC condition as promised. I ordered and paid Monday morning, May 18, listed as shipped from their warehouse in Smyrna, Georgia. They sent me a shipping number later that day, but didn't deliver it to the FedEx terminal until Wednesday, afternoon, May 20. At that time I got an "on its way" message, but when I attempted tp check the status, the number they gave me was no good. The link on their website does not list any delivery information anyway - you have to go to FedEx, so if they give you the wrong number, you're in the dark.

Thursday, the number finally worked, and it showed that the item had made it to the FedEx office in Pompano Beach, Florida, and confirmed that it would be here by Saturday, May 23 (today). That's odd, I thought, Pompano Beach is more than 800 miles from Smyrna and it's in the wrong direction? I did not check for the rest of the day, but yesterday afternoon I got a text from FedEx noting that they would be delivering my package today, May 23, and that someone needed to be home to sign for it. The FedEx website said it had arrived in Baton Rouge at 10:30 Thursday night. Why Baton Rouge? Who knows the mysteries of FedEx. So I cancelled plans for today and stayed home to wait for the FedEx guy.

I checked the FedEx website this morning. It showed me that my package had now moved along to Snyder, Texas by 10:30 yesterday morning, and then taken a sharp left, arriving in Flagstaff, Arizona, at 8:43 last night. "Well..." I thought, "I probably didn't need to have stayed home today."

I just checked the website again, and it informs me that my package is now in Mendota, CA, where it arrived just before 9:00 this morning. We'll see where Waldo goes next, but if it's not getting here till Tuesday because of the holiday, I'll have to make other arrangements. FedEx doesn't let you change delivery instructions or order a hold without OPENING A FRICKIN' FEDEX ACCOUNT of your own, complete with credit card verification. They should change their slogan to, "WHEN IT ABOLUTELY HAS TO BE THERE AT SOME TIME IN THE DISTANT FUTURE AND YOU DON'T REALLY CARE." In reality, I will be at the office on Tuesday, so I will probably have to pick it up on Wednesday, if they actually get it to the FedEx facility, a few miles away. In the past, FedEx has left much more expensive items on my next door neighbor's patio, in the rain without a coat on. I've also had a parcel take over a week to make it back to the FedEx depot from the date of attempted delivery.

So most of my gripes are about FedEx's lousy service, poor address identification, and roughing up of boxes (at least they aren't going to break a rubber prism cover). But my problems with KEH are 1) They ONLY ship via FedEx, the worst carrier in the US, and charge you ten bucks for it (the part could be sluffed in a 3x5 padded envelope and mailed USPS for about five bucks). 2) They now require a signature for ANY delivery via Lunkhead Express.

I'm going to write them about this if I finally receive the product. But this is my last order from KEH unless there are absolutely no other alternatives. No best bargain, no "good to deal with" bonus, no desire to buy anything from them ever again unless there are zero other alternatives. For your enjoyment, here is where my package has been travelling this week....Oh the tales it will tell!

Saturday , 5/23/2020
8:48 am
MENDOTA, CA
In transit
Friday , 5/22/2020
8:43 pm
FLAGSTAFF, AZ
In transit
10:37 am
SNYDER, TX
In transit
Thursday , 5/21/2020
10:31 pm
BATON ROUGE, LA
In transit
11:29 am
BELLE ISLE, FL
In transit
Wednesday , 5/20/2020
11:22 pm
POMPANO BEACH, FL
Left FedEx origin facility
10:31 am
POMPANO BEACH, FL
In transit
10:31 am
POMPANO BEACH, FL
Arrived at FedEx location
12:00 am
POMPANO BEACH, FL
Picked up
Monday , 5/18/2020
5:13 pm

Shipment information sent to FedEx
I just thought I'd give others the information. Informed decisions are best.

Andy

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

I used to think Fed-X was the best of the delivery services, but no more. Honestly, my experience has been that Amazon Prime does a great job, UPS depends on the driver, and the USPS has done an excellent job for me. I bought a heavy (50+lbs) Radio from a fellow ham in Canada. He sent it via Canada post on Thursday and it arrived at the border on Saturday. US customs cleared it in Sunday, and it was placed in my carport, under shelter, by my back door (and undamaged) by 10AM Wednesday morning by the USPS.

My experience has been that USPS’ fixed price shipping is half the price of UPS, and I have a great mail delivery person (who I remember every Christmas).

AndyH Loc: Massachusetts and New Hampshire

This is EXACTLY my experience. We have a family member who is a UPS driver, and he always says that you can only trust the drivers who have a steady route they travel. The rest just want to get the box off their truck and get home. They are hardworking but often don't get treated with much respect, which leads to the "I don't care" attitude of some.

My postal carrier is also a regular, and will get things in the right spot and take care to cover them if needed. She's delivered all manner of mislabeled letters and boxes and rarely, if ever, confuses my box with my neighbor's (We share a driveway and our boxes are next to each other). She also gets a gift during the holidays.

I generally like KEH, but it seems this "must sign" policy is a new one for them, and it makes things much more difficult by forcing you to choose both the method and the shipper. I'm done.

Andy

DaveO Loc: Northeast CT

The world is coming to an end...

User ID

Two sundays ago there’s a tapping on my kitchen door. It’s the FedEx guy an a Sunday afternoon!

Beats me how got into the building. It was from KEH and when I ask if he needs a signature he says they’re not doing signatures during the covid crisis. But at least it was delivered to my hand rather than left on the porch.

AndyH Loc: Massachusetts and New Hampshire

I don't know whether that's universal or regional. The text yesterday came from FedEx and it specifically warned me that someone would need to sign for the package. If their stupid delivery tracking software had been remotely accurate, I would have known yesterday that it wasn't going to come in today, so I would guess that they should have known it too. They've been terrible and incompetent for a number of years (I think since Tom Hanks left them) but they've gotten much worse during this crisis, maybe from adding a lot of temporary employees.

Their (FedEx's) lousy service has cost KEH a pretty loyal customer.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Hang the dealer because of the shipper?

AndyH Loc: Massachusetts and New Hampshire

Not gonna hang the dealer. Just not going to buy from them if I can buy elsewhere because they force you to use this shipper, and charge more for doing so than many other dealers. In my business, you are judged not only by your product and your employees, but by the subcontractors you choose. KEH chose them, and doesn't give its customers any other options. It's like the restaurant in the Monty Python skit where the only thing they have is Spam. You may love the restaurant's ambience, service, and beverages, but if all they serve is Spam, and they charge filet mignon prices for it, you're not going to eat there unless your other options are extremely limited.

Andy

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

The 'must sign' has been that way for a while. I just ship to the nearest FedEx office, that happens to be a 24hr location a short walk from my place in downtown Chicago. KEH is good about shipping to this alt FedEx location. The FedEx location, though, isn't the best about calling when a package arrives, so you do need to actively track and pick-up in a timely manner, or they'll send it back to Georgia.

AndyH Loc: Massachusetts and New Hampshire

There is not a FedEx location that is conveniently located to either my home or office, or that has hours accommodating my work schedule. We've had business documents delivered to my office over a holiday weekend, only to find on Tuesday that they'd been returned to sender because "multiple delivery attempts were made" (to a commercial office building on a long holiday weekend). Just a month ago, we had a shipment of PPE LEFT ON THE DOORSTEP OF THE OFFICE BUILDING by FedEx. A commercial, four story office building in the heart of downtown in a city of 200,000 people, basically on the sidewalk! And yes, it was a "Must Sign" delivery, but it was apparently too heavy for the FedEx driver to bring back to the truck.

If a company uses USPS on a "must sign" item, and they leave the ticket in my mailbox, I can get to the convenient downtown Post Office in my town, as early as 7 AM the next day and pick it up. They don't try to redeliver until one day has passed. If the same thing happens at my office, we know right where to find it the next day, and if we wait one more, they'll deliver in person.

UPS can be sketchy, but I find the USPS the most accurate and responsive. Our mail carrier has a key to the building for Saturday deliveries, and if there is something that won't fit through the slot, they take it back to the truck and deliver it on Monday.

But FedEx is the absolute worst from every possible standpoint - poor handling, delivery to wrong addresses, excessive shipping times, and more. I won't be forced into using them just because they have some kind of advantageous deal with KEH. It's not like they're passing the savings on to me - ten bucks to deliver a two ounce parcel that will fit in a padded envelope is no bargain.

As you can tell, I'm pretty steamed about this. The combination of KEH's policies on shipping along with the odious performance of their designated shipper offsets any presumed KEH advantages. If they really cared about their customers they'd give them a choice. I'm not saying I'll never buy from them again, I just won't buy anything if I have other options. And there are still plenty of other good options for most of the stuff I buy.

Andy

BebuLamar

Too bad that the USPS is in financial trouble but I found it works very well.

PixelStan77 Loc: Vermont/Chicago

Andy, KEH doesn't care and FedEx can care less.

AndyH Loc: Massachusetts and New Hampshire

Seems that way. But from KEH's perspective, I will guess that the vast majority of retail businesses that have failed did so by losing one customer at a time.

Andy

JD750 Loc: SoCal

Hi Andy, you post is timely for me because I was weighing buying from KEH vs Amazon. I think that tipped the balance for me.

I think FedX was once the better carrier, but like the rental car companies, the top carrier changes frequently. It’s easy to walk around the side of my house to the back, to leave a package. There are no dogs. Yet all The carriers leave packages sitting on my front porch in plain view of the street.

USPS is the worst, I think next worst is FedX. UPS is ok these days (they used to be worse than FedX). By far the best is Amazon. That is my experience here in Spring of 2020. But things will change, they always do.

tramsey Loc: Texas

For me Fed EX has always been top notch. I had the same driver for a long time. Then he quit or disappeared a few years ago and Fed Ex went from top notch to way off the bottom. If who I am dealing with uses Fed Ex I find a different vendor.