Comments on: Dear FedEx: I Live Here

By: Mike

Mike — Sat, 10 Mar 2012 02:31:46 +0000

Partially true — Ground & Home drivers are independent contractors.

Air drivers aren’t

By: Joey Hess

Joey Hess — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 15:55:06 +0000

My most recent package was delivered while I was away, and I later learned that the FedEx driver got 2/3 of the way up my (mile long) driveway and paniced where it gets a little muddy. My compact car manages this mud just fine, but perhaps I do know just the right speed to do it at. :) He backed out and was noticed by a neighbor who hopped in and guided him the rest of the way up into the woods to my cabin.

By: John Goerzen

John Goerzen — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 14:05:19 +0000

Even having my number on the label doesn’t seem to help here.

I’ve seen FedEx sit on a package for a few days before. Probably not as many as 4. Ouch.

By: Diggory

Diggory — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 13:07:29 +0000

Lol, good read!

I’ve occaisonally seen parcels just left in the lean-on at my parents home in the UK, but not so often. That’s down a track with no sign on the end of the drive, but funnily enough quite easy to find via GPS.

By: Dan

Dan — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 09:28:36 +0000

FedEx’s drivers are independent contractors, not actual employees of FedEx. That may explain a bit.

By: Stavros

Stavros — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 08:10:47 +0000

Same issue here; And I don’t even live in the countryside, but in a small town with no local agents present.
One particular courier kept updating their system with a “delivery delayed” message because they didn’t know where to find me and the shipping label didn’t have a phone number on it to contact me. In one case, the package got sent back, and in another I manage to salvage it in the last minute from the “to return” pile.

Since then, I specifically ask for my number to be put on the label and incidents like this don’t happen, but they still manage to take their time: A UPS package from the West Coast (US) arrived at Athens, Greece in less than 36 hours and when that particular courier that shall remain nameless got hold of the package for local delivery, they kept it for 4 days before managing to send it 350 miles over the Aegean to be delivered to me.
Wee…

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 05:38:58 +0000

I’ve had the same problems with both UPS and FedEx. As far as I can tell, they figure that if they make it look like “best effort”, they can get through a larger volume in less time, and look more productive.

This seems like the same mindset that causes technical support people to repeatedly close tickets that they haven’t actually fixed, because it makes their stats look better.

Be careful what you measure; you just might get it.