Incompetence at FedEx
Written: May 11 '00 (Updated May 11 '00)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Online tracking system
Cons: Late deliveries, shipping mistakes, incompetent workers
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| RoboBum's Full Review: FedEx 2Day |
It started when I made an order with CDNOW. The only option available from the selected shipping center was FedEx 2-day. Pricy. But I had no worries since it would arrive shortly. Throughout this epinion will be the actual tracking information from FedEx's online tracking system.
Left FedEx Ramp SACRAMENTO CA 04/19 07:13
Left FedEx Sort Facility OAKLAND CA 04/19 09:14
So, I thought the online tracking system was a very nice feature. I could see exactly where my shipment was and what was happening to it. CDNOW mailed me that it was shipped on the 18th, and I followed the activity daily.
Arrived at FedEx Destination Location SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO CA 04/20 06:43
I was excited to see it come to the town adjacent to mine. There isn't a San Bruno FedEx center, apparently. On the morning on the 20th, I checked the tracking system once more.
Placed on Van SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO CA 04/20 06:53
It was on the van, so it was supposedly on its way. Several hours passed by. The power went out, suddenly. This has nothing to do with FedEx, but it just adds to my frustration. Waiting around, after another hour went by, I saw a FedEx van outside the window, but when I checked outside, it drove away. I checked my mailbox and looked around. Nothing.
I decided to go outside again, and look around, wondering if they perhaps delivered it to one of my neighbors. I spoke with a woman, and it turns out the rest of the neighborhood's power was out as well. On my way back in, I noticed a note hanging on the doorknob. "We're sorry we missed you!"
Not a knock on the door or a ring on the doorbell. Nothing. Now, I realize that with the power out, the doorbell wouldn't work. But I was still okay. Even though the window of opportunity to pick this up, before they attempt to deliver it the next day (as the doorknob hanger says), was between 6:30 and 8:00 PM.
So, I waited all day. I downloaded the directions to the FedEx in South San Francisco, and I was on my way several hours later. I arrived at FedEX around 6:30. I stepped inside, and handed the girl behind the counter my doorknob hanger. She told me to wait.
I waited. Little flies were buzzing around inside. I overheard a conversation behind the counter. Someone tells a guy a somewhat complicated request, regarding to where the boxes he's holding belongs. So the guy just sets them on the floor and says, "That's not mine." He's then told, "You can't just leave them there." It's obvious that he started working at FedEx very recently, but it's clear that they're doing a poor job at training him.
After about ten minutes of waiting, the girl there came back and apologized to me. She said they had sent it "somewhere", and that it would take two more business days, and I would get it on Monday the 24th at the earliest. She said I could come pick it up again, or they could try to deliver again. Of course, I wanted it delivered, so she told me to sign the doorknob hanger, and I went back home with it.
Delivery Exception SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO CA 04/20 14:11
Pkg. Status Exception SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO CA 04/20 17:25
Left FedEx Origin Location SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO CA 04/20 17:58
Left FedEx Ramp OAKLAND CA 04/21 02:26
Left FedEx Sort Facility OAKLAND CA 04/21 10:08
In the morning, I found out that "somewhere" was Oakland. For reasons that will be forever unknown, if it just simply cannot be good old fashioned incompetence. Sent all the way across the bay, when it was already in the the center closest to my home.
Pkg. Status Exception SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO CA 04/22 07:55
In the meantime, I requested a refund from the FedEx website. The reply that I received said that the order was placed by Value Media, and that I should contact them in order to receive a refund. Value Media is none other than CDNOW, I assume. The delivery might be charged to their account, but they know very well that they used my money to pay for it. I sent this query to CDNOW's customer support, and they haven't answered me yet. My guess is that they got their refund and kept the money for themselves.
Placed on Van SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO CA 04/24 07:30
I waited around. The power was on at all times. I was waiting, and I didn't even know the FedEx truck was in our neighborhood by the time I saw my package outside sitting in the welcome mat, for all the world to see.
Maybe the driver wasn't required to ring the doorbell when the doorknob hanger says he/she can just leave the goods. But I'll never know if he ever tried to ring the doorbell when the power was out. But it's very well-known what happens when you ring the doorbell to a two-story house. You should be able to hear it through the door. If the sound isn't loud enough to reach upstairs, then the doorbell's useless.
On the back of the FedEx doorknob hanger is a space where I can leave instructions on where the package can be left. I wrote that it can be left inside the fence near the plants. The foliage would be enough to hide anything from common passersby. But he refused to follow this simple instruction as well.
So in short, this FedEx driver's report card gets red pen markings: "can't read", and possibly "confused when confronted with doorbell's function".
Delivered with Exception SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO CA 04/24 12:24
Delivered SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO CA 04/24 12:24
I'm not really worried that my neighborhood is a cesspool of thieves, it's just that it's unwise to rule out that possibility. It was a very simple instruction too. I was happy to finally get my CDs, but I would rather have paid a lower price for UPS or USPS.
Speaking of USPS, I used to work for them. Did you know that most of USPS' competition sends their products using USPS? No other shipping company has the manpower or resources to work, without USPS. If the business just suddenly vanished one day, the other companies would follow. Everyday I worked there, I handled several packages with the competition's logos on them, FedEx especially. So the next time you think FedEx is just plain better than USPS, think about what I said.
Recommended:
No
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Epinions.com ID:
RoboBum
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Reviews written: 3
Trusted by: 4 members
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