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11 Responses to "QotD: Postal"

1. | Reply Tim Buchheim
   Posted 23 Aug 2004 at 10:15pm #
   

   I agree. I've never had a problem with FedEx, and in my experience the USPS has been pretty good. (There are some parts of the country where they are apparently pretty bad, but I've never lived in any of those places, luckily.)

   UPS, though, is best avoided.

2. | Reply mike3k
   Posted 23 Aug 2004 at 10:39pm #
   

   Avoid FedEx Ground (which is completely separate from 'regular' FedEx). On several occasions I've had problems with them being unable to find my address at two different locations. When I tracked the package, their site said "business closed", when it was supposed to be delivered to my home and they supposedly left a note on my door. No note on my door and when I asked at the gate, they said no truck arrived that day. The same thing happened the next day. Finally I asked for the package to be held for pickup. Instead, they returned it to the sender as undeliverable.

   I've never had that problem with FedEx Air, UPS, or anyone else.

3. | Reply Aaron Linville
   Posted 23 Aug 2004 at 10:45pm #
   

   DHL! I avoid UPS (You Pick up your own Shit) and always stick with Fedex whenever possible. I had a friend in college who worked at UPS at nights and he had some pretty good stories about people not caring about stuff.

4. | Reply Josha Chapman-Dodson
   Posted 23 Aug 2004 at 11:27pm #
   

   UPS turns it's back on the set time intervals given for delivery, I hate driving to the UPS depot and making cheap talk with the receptionist. Sucks Amazon uses UPS.

5. | Reply Eddie Hargreaves
   Posted 24 Aug 2004 at 2:44am #
   

   You forgot about DHL, which ranks along with UPS near the bottom of the barrel. FedEx is marginally above both, but I've had so many horror stories with all three that I prefer to only use USPS when possible.

6. | Reply Olivier
   Posted 24 Aug 2004 at 3:18am #
   

   I've had good experiences with UPS delivering real fast from the US to Switzerland and even attempting delivery three times in 24 hours. The merchandise was kick-punch-dropp-and-treat-badly-proof, though.

   In Europe, it appears that Amazon now uses Deutsche Post. The last CDs I ordered came in broken boxes, I hate that.

   But clearly the worst is the Swiss Post. They take ages to deliver, charge exorbitant amounts and seem to use the parcels as test masses to reproduce Galileo experiments.

7. | Reply David
   Posted 24 Aug 2004 at 1:50pm #
   

   I have four friends that have worked for UPS during college. One of them is still working for UPS after graduating. They've told me many stories about how horrible it is to work for UPS and how people working there can't get fired and often take out their aggression on packages. So, I got a good laugh from your line, "I can't recall anything I've gotten from UPS in the past four years that didn't look as though it had been kicked, punched, dropped, and treated badly."

   I think I should even send this to a few of them to give them a good laugh.

8. | Reply Steve
   Posted 25 Aug 2004 at 12:21am #
   

   Have always had good experiences with DHL and FedEx.

   Last week I order a package from B&H New York and had it freighted to here in Australia using the UPS 3-5 business day WorldWide Express Service. The tracking option didn't work after the first 24 hours. My three emails requesting assistance were never addressed. And it's now day 7, UPS claim I haven't paid my customs amount (which I have) but they've released my package to a domestic courier - which will hopefully get my package to me within the next 48 hours - some four days after their guaranteed delviery service deadline...

9. | Reply Dino
   Posted 29 Aug 2004 at 12:41am #
   

   The think I hate about UPS is this:

   Even if I hear the truck, get up immediately, and rush to the door it's often just in time to see them driving away. Those guys waste NO time in getting the heck outta there.

10. | Reply Bud Landry
    Posted 09 Oct 2004 at 1:09am #
    

    UPS at least is predictable... for good and bad. They WILL drop and rush towards the end of their day, but there is less reliable service. Airborne/DHL would not keep a driver on a particular residential route long enough for them to be reliable. Lots of packages a day late, with no redelivery! Go to the hub or it gets shipped back to sender.

    FedEx had the cutest delivery girls.

11. | Reply Kelley
    Posted 28 Mar 2005 at 1:56pm #
    

    Has anyone actually tried to pick up a package at the "Customer Service" Center? Goes something like this:

    1. Arrive at package depot

    2. Fight way to counter and attempt to sign in.

    3. Wait 20 minutes to be told that you did not put the correct tracking number on the form (even though it is the same number you printed offline)

    4. After fighting with people behind counter for 10 minutes, resume waiting. By this time you have lost your seat because there are 40 people in a 5x15 room with only 12 chairs lining the side

    5. Sit and wait 40 minutes before going to check on what is taking ao long. Get yelled at in the process because they "are doing the best they can. They have to look on all the trucks individually for your package"

    6. Wait patiently another hour before you start getting sick from how hot and stale the air in the room is. Get up to go out and get some air (even though you know you will lose your place in line - you're ready to tell em to screw it and you'll come back)

    7. FINALLY, after waiting almost 2 hours they call your name.

    The sad part is that so many companies will ship crappy items like modems through UPS that require an ADULT signature IN PERSON. Seriously, why? I use Fedex when at all possible, and it literally takes me 5 minutes. Fedex knows exactly where they keep the packages and there is NEVER a problem. UPS is HORRIBLE and I get to go and play this game AGAIN tonight. I only hope to get out in under 2 hours