Not Sure Whether to Thank or Hate FedEx...

[JanusZarate]

After a long string of bad experiences with rude customer service, overpriced shipping, unreliable delivery schedules, and tracking that never updates when you need it to, I divorced UPS a long time ago and have avoided using them at all costs. I then started using FedEx for the majority of my shipping needs.

For the longest time, I was perfectly satisfied with FedEx - besides USPS, they have been the cheapest, most reliable service I've worked with for shipping.

...until recently, that is.

I ordered a left-handed Schecter Scorpion bass from Drum City Guitarland (great store, by the way!), and the staff were very helpful and prompt in preparing my bass for shipping. It went out on Monday, 8/28, via FedEx Home Delivery, and was supposed to arrive on Thursday, 8/31.

Since I have long periods of work and classes on Thursdays, I expected to miss the first attempt on delivery... and I did. No big deal, right? They tried to deliver it at 12:40pm, and I wasn't around. I figured I could just do what I used to reluctantly do with UPS - pick it up from some distribution facility.

When I called the main hotline (1-800-GO-FEDEX), the staff person who answered informed me that instead of arranging pickup, he could actually do something even better - he could process a request to change the delivery time to the window of 5 to 7PM, which is perfect for me. So, I asked that we go that way instead, and forget about the pickup option. To pick up the package would mean going to Benicia - a city on the other side of a toll bridge, and about 30 minutes from where I live.

On Friday afternoon, I was looking forward to getting that bass... until I checked the status of my package. Apparently, they were holding my package at the facility for pickup, which is what we had decided NOT to do! I called FedEx, expressed my discontent with this blatant error, and asked for the number to the distribution facility so I could confirm the package would be held for me on Saturday.

On Saturday morning, I called the facility, and they confirmed it was in their system and waiting for me to go get it. I was headed up to Sacramento that weekend to visit my family anyway, so it really wasn't much of a detour at all - still not bad, right?

I arrive in Benicia, go to the facility, and wait in the lobby while they pull out my package. Then, I get the bad news: The package was still on the truck, and the truck was already en-route to the Berkeley/Richmond area!

As you can figure, I wasn't pleased at all. They reimbursed me for the toll on the bridge (since I'd have to cross it again), and they arranged for the truck driver to meet up with me to give me the package. So... I turned around with money in hand, picked up my package from the driver, and headed back in the direction of Sacramento.

Before I let Benicia to meet up with the driver, I'd been talking with the facility manager about the string of mistakes I'd dealt with, and he asked me how I had informed FedEx about the delivery requests. I told him I'd called the main hotline, and he shook his head. He handed me his card and told me that the main call center is a disorganized joke - when it comes to packages headed my way, he said I should just call their facility directly, and they can handle everything properly.

Moral of the story? If your package is coming via FedEx Home Delivery, get the number of your local distribution center and work with them to ensure everything goes smoothly. The main call center is constantly hiring new people, and people are constantly leaving... so expect incompetence from them.

I'm glad that my bass is in perfect condition,though - I've never had FedEx deliver a damaged package, and I'm happy for that!