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Am I the only one having issues with Apple's Shipping Partner (FEDEX)?

Z

zama36

macrumors member
Original poster
Mar 21, 2007
91
10
So I placed two orders (total of three packages) by Apple's deadline to receive everything by Christmas but now it seems like that will not happen because of their shipping partner, FedEx. :mad:

One package has been sitting in the local FedEx facility for the past day and a half, because apparently FedEx doesn't know how to put it on a truck and deliver it.

Another package went missing in FedEx's system for 35 hours according to its tracking system. Let's see if they can deliver it by the estimated time of 4:30 PM PST Christmas Eve.

And the last package has been missing in FedEx's system for 36 hours and when I contacted FedEx about the package they would not put a trace on it.

I have spoke to five different customer service reps since yesterday and have received a different explanation each time.

This is just ridiculous. I wish Apple would allow people to choose their delivery method.

Addition:
Okay after reading this it sounds like I don't understand that the weather is impacting service, but for FedEx to sit on packages locally and at its Memphis hub is unbelievable. I have spoken with five different customer service reps and received five different stories. But the kicker is the fact that an order I placed with Amazon is being shipped with UPS and I expect it to be delivered tomorrow since I have seen UPS trucks drive by my house, yet FedEx has stated that they can't get out on the roads???

I even spoke to an Apple rep who apologized and stated that she was aware of the issues with FedEx.
 
Really? I've ordered things with almost every shipping service available and none of them troubled me. Maybe call them [fedex] one more time? I always think that Fedex is the best and fastest. :confused:
 
Don't complain until the deadline has passed... What's to say that your local item won't be delivered tomorrow?

Both Memphis and Indianapolis have had horrible weather in the last few days so they cannot move their cargo efficiently. Icy runways are not problems of FedEx. If you'd rather, call and tell them to move their stuff without regard to safety; I'm sure that they'll appreciate your input.

Moral of the story: if you have a strict deadline, try to get the package to arrive well before it.
 
Why not just go down there and pick it up if its on the dock?

With it being the christmas frenzy time of year, everybody is trying to ship stuff to get it to point B on time.

I've noticed my netflix shipments being a day late over the last week and a half.
 
Even FedEx can't control the weather... :rolleyes:

I ordered some stuff (fortunately, for myself, not gifts), and it's stuck at my local facility because of the weather. No big deal - **** happens. We've been sitting under several feet of snow all weekend, so I understand that deliveries are going to be delayed.

It happens.
 
I live near the Memphis area, and we've had temps below freezing for most of the day. That coupled with light to moderate rain can cause a lot of trouble.

Apparently, it was even worse in the Memphis/Western Tennessee area.

Give them a break. As for the sorting facility near you, call them — they'll be more than happy to let you pick it up.
 
Responses to comments...

First off thanks for the replies.

I started this thread for two reasons:
  1. To see what other people were experiencing with FedEx considering the weather.
  2. Start a conversation about giving Apple customers a choice of delivery methods.

As far as "Don't complain until the deadline has passed..." Well, the deadline (1030 12/22/08) has passed on two items already; the one sitting in the local FedEx station and the other still sitting in Memphis while my other order through Amazon has flown through Memphis on a FedEx plane.

As far as "Why not just go down there and pick it up if its on the dock?" I shouldn't have to if the package is at the local station and am told by several FedEx reps that it will be delivered yesterday afternoon, then this morning and then this afternoon. Don't forget that you are paying for delivery even though it is not a separate fee from Apple. (HINT: It's already included in the price.) Also, you are not paying for priority shipping with a deadline when you select DVDs on Netflix.

FedEx is a messed-up company.
  • I have been told five different things by five different reps and when I call them on it (especially when it comes from FedEx's own tracking system) I get a rude response that results in no understanding on either side. Instead of trying to make up a story, FedEx should have its reps say "I don't know, let me research this and get back to you."
  • FedEx apparently has no contingency plans when it comes to situation that directly affect its business. If I acted like FedEx, I would have been fired during the winter storm that hit Western Washington two years ago.
  • Past history - finding packages on my doorstep soaked by Pacific Northwest rain, finding packages in my flowerbed, being told that a package was on hold so I could pick it up only to find out that it was on the truck and the driver attempted delivery when I went to get it and having the package delayed over a weekend.
 
zama36 said:
First off thanks for the replies.
As far as "Why not just go down there and pick it up if its on the dock?" I shouldn't have to if the package is at the local station and am told by several FedEx reps that it will be delivered yesterday afternoon, then this morning and then this afternoon. Don't forget that you are paying for delivery even though it is not a separate fee from Apple. (HINT: It's already included in the price.) Also, you are not paying for priority shipping with a deadline when you select DVDs on Netflix.
Click to expand...

Well then i don't have any sympathy for you. Whats stopping you from going down there? And i am paying for priority shipping. Unless First class postage has gone down in the ranks.
 
FedEx should have a contingency program for bad weather? EVERY air shipper has problems with the weather and they do the best they can. DHL and UPS and USPS have the same problems when the weather goes bad. If you live in, for example, New York and your package is in Memphis and air travel is screwed up by the weather, what options could FedEx have? They can't very well load the packages onto a truck or train and get them there in time; that's not likely to get it there any faster; if weather is bad it slows down all transport, not just air transport. FedEx does get things messed up now and then, but it's the height of the season and the weather sucks. And EVERY shipper screws packages up now and then; the goal is just to keep it to a low percentage of the total packages, just like the goal for Apple is to keep the number of defects down to a manageable level. When I was working we all hated DHL cause the driver wouldn't take the trouble to make sure where he delivered the packages; a building with two entrances and they regularly left packages at the front desk and we had to run around to different offices to find our packages. FedEx will often refund your shipping fee if they really mess it up.
 
zama36 said:
FedEx apparently has no contingency plans when it comes to situation that directly affect its business. If I acted like FedEx, I would have been fired during the winter storm that hit Western Washington two years ago.
Click to expand...
And you expect them to do what exactly? When a majority of the system is clogged up in ice and sleet, where are these resources to come from? When the weather prevents flying in both Memphis and Indianapolis, one can automatically know that at least 90% of FedEx US shipping will be affected. There's no way to sprout a new cargo hub overnight so you'll have to wait. Unless it's 100% safe to clear that plane for flight or that truck for a transcontinental trip, there's no reason for them to press the go button.

This works the same as with an airline; if your flight cannot leave due to weather, it is beyond the airline's control and they owe you nothing. FedEx has not screwed up with your package stuck in Memphis. As for the one lost in the tracking system, it's 99.9% likely due to overflow with the same problem. Finally, I have zero sympathy for you if you won't go pick up your local package yourself.
 
Let me see if I understand. Fed Ex sucks, right? If I look in other threads, I can see that UPS, USPS and DHL also suck. :rolleyes:

As I see it, you procrastinated until the last minute and got burned.
 
cantthinkofone said:
Well then i don't have any sympathy for you. Whats stopping you from going down there? And i am paying for priority shipping. Unless First class postage has gone down in the ranks.
Click to expand...

However, there is no guaranteed turn around time at Netflix.
 
akonradi said:
And you expect them to do what exactly? When a majority of the system is clogged up in ice and sleet, where are these resources to come from? When the weather prevents flying in both Memphis and Indianapolis, one can automatically know that at least 90% of FedEx US shipping will be affected. There's no way to sprout a new cargo hub overnight so you'll have to wait. Unless it's 100% safe to clear that plane for flight or that truck for a transcontinental trip, there's no reason for them to press the go button.

This works the same as with an airline; if your flight cannot leave due to weather, it is beyond the airline's control and they owe you nothing. FedEx has not screwed up with your package stuck in Memphis. As for the one lost in the tracking system, it's 99.9% likely due to overflow with the same problem. Finally, I have zero sympathy for you if you won't go pick up your local package yourself.
Click to expand...

I have no issue with the weather delaying the package. I do have a issue with FedEx using the weather to explain why they don't know where a package is and letting a package sit at the local station and being told that they weren't delivering because of the weather even though they were delivering.
 
USPS scores again.

So if I could shut down this thread I would but for the record;

USPS vs. FedEx - 3-0
USPS vs. UPS - 1-0

(Scores = Days of possible delivery against actual delivery.)

For whatever reason, neither FedEx and UPS feels it's capable of delivering packages. At least the UPS didn't make up any stories or said that they would deliver unlike FedEx.

And remember no matter how nice the presents make the holiday, they are not the reason for Christmas.
 
FedEx opened up every local station from 8-12 on CHRISTMAS DAY! I'd say that is going above the norm to try to get packages to customers.
 
zama36 said:
I have no issue with the weather delaying the package. I do have a issue with FedEx using the weather to explain why they don't know where a package is and letting a package sit at the local station and being told that they weren't delivering because of the weather even though they were delivering.
Click to expand...

When the weather gets bad, everything gets backed up. So it's quite possible that, even once the weather clears and their trucks get back on the roads, they won't get to your packages immediately. They're going to clear the stuff that's been sitting at their office the longest first. I doubt they were "letting it sit", but rather were badly behind once the weather cleared, and other packages had priority.

As for what you were told... yeah, that's an issue. Sadly, a lot of companies have issues with communications. :/

(And for the record, I had a package delivered today that my local office has had since the 19th. Am I ticked it took so long? Yes, because I leave town on the 2nd and haven'twouldn't have been able to get out there and pick it up myself). Do I understand? Yeah. It's the holidays. The weather has been awful. **** happens.

If it was so important, you should have found a way to pick it up. You know what they say: if you want a job done right, do it yourself. Or plan well enough in advance that even if the other guy screws up, you're covered! :D
 
In the UK I have only had problems with UPS not TNT. UPS will not allow you to collect from the depo till you have had one failed attempt at delivery. With TNT I used to pop in to the depo at 3am, 5am and collect my parcels. But this was when apple provided detailed tracking info, i.e country by country.
 
zama36 said:
First off thanks for the replies.

I started this thread for two reasons:
  1. To see what other people were experiencing with FedEx considering the weather.
  2. Start a conversation about giving Apple customers a choice of delivery methods.
Click to expand...

While I agree with other posters that no shipping company can control the weather and that you can never be sure when ordering at the last minute, I do think a discussion about giving Apple customers a choice of delivery methods is in order. Here the shipping partner is TNT, and I've had nothing but trouble with them. I've contacted Apple detailing the problems (politely and constructively) and asking them to consider a new partner or a choice, but never heard anything back at all.
 
Don't get me started with the USPS. The very name infuriates me.

They left a book of mine that i ordered off amazon in the rain. Not just a light rain, i mean flash flooding type rain. Luckily amazon had put the book in a plastic bag inside the box. The post office manager or what ever he is called here in town didn't care. But a day later after i called the washington DC post master's office, i got a call from the guy here. He was very polite and assured me it wouldn't happen again.
 
can't happen again if youdon't use them again

cantthinkofone said:
Don't get me started with the USPS. The very name infuriates me.

They left a book of mine that i ordered off amazon in the rain. Not just a light rain, i mean flash flooding type rain. Luckily amazon had put the book in a plastic bag inside the box. The post office manager or what ever he is called here in town didn't care. But a day later after i called the washington DC post master's office, i got a call from the guy here. He was very polite and assured me it wouldn't happen again.
Click to expand...

Hi, it cannot happen again if you don't use them, they are incredibly GAF. I am so steamed by my own experience and by reading all of these complaints.
 
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