Sometimes I hate FedEx

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Landric

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I'm getting into .223/5.56mm handloading after 15+ years loading for handguns. To that end I acquired the appropriate primers, powder, and bullets. I ordered some dies, shell holder, etc. from Graf's, such items not being available locally. This order was the last lot of stuff I needed to get started.

I got an e-mail earlier in the week reflecting that my package had shipped. The estimated delivery date was today. Well, I worked night shift last night (and I do again tonight), so I sleep during the day. I put a note on the door reflecting that fact and asking that the package be left on the porch in the event that no one answered the door. There are both a car and a truck in my driveway and the note. One would think that would be enough.

I woke up at 12:30 and went to check the porch for the package. No package, but a sticker reflecting attempted delivery and a message that they would try again tomorrow. They tried to deliver it at 12:20, when I was still asleep. I just missed them.

Generally this wouldn't be that big of a deal. However, I'm leaving for a friend's house tomorrow afternoon when I get up and I will be gone all weekend. We are going shooting on Saturday, and I was hoping to have some test loads assembled at that time. I might have time if I manage to get the package tomorrow to do a couple before I leave, but I doubt it. Besides, I was really looking forward to messing with my new .223 stuff when I got up this afternoon.

Generally I prefer FedEx to UPS. I always ship FedEx myself, but when I leave UPS a note asking them to leave a package, they do.

Sorry, just had to vent. :cuss:
 
I share your dislike for Fedex. I ordered a new electronic powder scale and a new leupold scope and a box of bullets from Graf and Sons. The fedex dumba$$ comes to the house to deliver it. He did not even come on the porch to leave it on the deck. I heard the truck pull up he walked around to the front of the house and tossed the box onto the porch. My front porch is a deck but it has 5 stairs coming up to the door level. It also projects out 12 feet from the door to stairs. The bastard threw it hard enough to clear overall 16 feet by 4 feet up. It bounced off the front door and he simply walks back to his truck and left.:fire: Nothing was damaged and I had put additional insurance on the package but what a a$$.
 
I feel your pain. I have had no end of problems signing for items shipped FedEx. One thing that has worked for me is to prepare a note for FedEx which includes the tracking number and a signed statement releasing the shipment. It won't work if a direct signature is required, but for indirect signature, I've had good luck.

Sorry to hear about the missed delivery. I hope you're able to work things out soon.

Cheers,

RealBuffDriver
 
My worst FedEx experience by far happened when I was living in Norfolk, VA. I purchased an AR-15 upper from a gentleman on AR15.com. He sent it to me FedEx. He neglected to e-mail me the tracking number. When enough time had gone by that I figured that the package should have arrived and it had not, I e-mailed him and asked if he had the number.

He sent me the number, and when I checked it, it showed three delivery attempts on the package without success and said it had been returned to the sender, get this, the day before I checked the number online.

The kicker? There was never a sticker on my door and I was home (and awake) all three times they claimed to have attempted delivery. I lived in an apartment that required a 3-flight walk up. There was one parking space for each apartment, plus some open spaces. I always let my wife park in the marked space and I would park in an open space. Each time they claimed to have tried delivery she was at work (no car in space), but I was home. I figure that the driver saw there was no car in the space, didn't want to walk up three flights to knock, and just marked it as an unsuccessful delivery.

I was hot, but since I couldn't prove anything I never got any satisfaction from FedEx on the issue.
 
Boy, does this ever strike a chord. I have had some pretty crummy experiences with Fedex. I have no doubt they are the most unreliable of any delivery service.

I run a small repair business from my home shop, and all my customers have to ship their items to my place via the P.O., UPS, or Fedex.

Fedex has reported on their tracking webpage that an item was un-deliverable due to excessive snow... on a sunny day when there was not a speck of snow anywhere in sight, (on the ground or in the air).

They have left packages addressed to me at four different businesses in town. I live five miles out of town. They've left them at a NAPA store, an FTD florist, a small grocery store, and a book shop. I recovered all these packages only because the business owners of the various "drop off" points looked up my phone number and called me. The Fedex tracking website reported that they had all been delivered to my address. The drivers simply lied.

They left one package, a customer's Leica camera, in a gutter. It happened to be the gutter directly in front of the pharmacy I use, and someone walking in saw the package in the gutter and thought it must belong to the pharmacy. The people in the pharmacy know me, and called me.
Again, Fedex had reported it delivered, and the driver had even forged my signature on the sig pad.

They are simply the worst in the biz. It's too bad so many larger companies use them as their primary shipper.
 
I've also had some problems with Fedex, but in the case cited, an adult signature is required for delivery of powder or primers, and this package contains both. It can't be released without the signature.

The driver should have knocked under the circumstances.

One of the advantages of living in a rural area is knowing the UPS and USPS drivers by their first name. I've accepted delivery for friends across town when they weren't home, and vice versa, but this was with UPS. The same can't be said for Fedex, I'm afraid. They seem to hire a different caliber of driver, except in some rare exceptions....

Hope this helps.

Fred
 
Perhaps I was unclear. I already have the powder and primers, the package from FedEx only contained a set of .223 dies, a .223 trim die, some case lube, and a shellholder. In fact, all the powder and primers I have ordered in the last few months were left on my porch without my signature as they arrived when I was working (and were delivered by UPS).
 
Ah, that does make a difference. He/she should have just left the package. Unless the shipper specified an adult signature, there's no reason it couldn't have been left for you.

I have found that the female drivers for Fedex that deliver in our area seem to have much more sense than the male drivers they hire. They've also worked for them longer, since the male drivers seem to come and go.

Hope this helps.

Fred
 
Grafs often sends packages with indirect signature required. You can sign the door tag and leave it for the driver and he will deliver the next time. Or, as I posted earlier, put a signed release letter mentioning the package by tracking number and he should leave it for you.
 
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