Cafryer=buddy f*cker

[zfaylor]

I've had very good experiences with FedEx, myself.
I have a local FedEx Office that I go to, I carry in my 4 bushel bag of peanuts, parts to pack (usually dirty) and any other materials I need, plop them on a counter for customer packing and go to work.
They have a selection of boxes there, they GIVE me tape to pack with and I'm treated like family, I do it how I like it and they don't second guess me.

That having been said, last year it was ~ $20 to ship a bell housing and fork almost anywhere inside the U.S., yesterday I sent one out and it was ~ $40 to Maryland.
I bitcched. Got the usual "we don't know why" reply.

Even so, a nice, well-stocked place to pack and ship parts is worth a lot to me.

Mark.

I am sure UPS and FedEx experiences vary by state and terminal and circumstance but I have had a similar experience to yours. UPS rates went up as well. I imagine the downturn of the economy and less volume may be playing a factor.

Chit happens and mistakes get made. How a business handles themselves in those times truly tells me what kind of a business they are. It is easy to make a customer happy when times are good.

 

[Broaner]

The variable experiences result from each delivery subcontractor in your region. They are privately owned and not related to the carriers except a financial/contract agreement. Usually there is at least one per county. My county has 5 I believe. The larger logistical stuff like air and semi shipping is done by the carrier company(UPS,Fedex, etc...) So in my example, fedex is terrible for my region and UPS is fantastic. Where you are might be totally opposite.

Pretty stupid from a reputation standpoint if you ask me because the big company has no control of the van with their logo plastered all over the side. If you search the vehicle, you'll see some small wording saying who the real owner of the van is. Same goes for the point of sale locations. Some are great. Usually those are actual Franchise locations. Some are terrible. Usually those are subcontractor point of sales.

And again, this lack of accountability is why packing rules require so much protection for the item to be "safe".

 

[lightsOUT]

The variable experiences result from each delivery subcontractor in your region. They are privately owned and not related to the carriers except a financial/contract agreement. Usually there is at least one per county. My county has 5 I believe. The larger logistical stuff like air and semi shipping is done by the carrier company(UPS,Fedex, etc...) So in my example, fedex is terrible for my region and UPS is fantastic. Where you are might be totally opposite.

Pretty stupid from a reputation standpoint if you ask me because the big company has no control of the van with their logo plastered all over the side. If you search the vehicle, you'll see some small wording saying who the real owner of the van is. Same goes for the point of sale locations. Some are great. Usually those are actual Franchise locations. Some are terrible. Usually those are subcontractor point of sales.

And again, this lack of accountability is why packing rules require so much protection for the item to be "safe".

Wait so let me get this straight... So you're saying the UPS truck that comes to my house being driven by a guy wearing a UPS uniform handing me packages is not a UPS employee???

 

[madmikeismad]

Wait so let me get this straight... So you're saying the UPS truck that comes to my house being driven by a guy wearing a UPS uniform handing me packages is not a UPS employee???

Sometimes.

In ND, you could buy a route/service area. One guy had a route worth something like 1.5mil. Even here in OKC, I've had guys show up in regular civilian attire and cargo vans.

 

[lightsOUT]

Well that's pretty jacked up.


However it's actually a common business model and I guess I shouldn't be surprised. The TV and phone companies have been doing that for years.


I guess in the case of UPS im surprised because I figure the Union would say no way to non members wearing the company uniform doing their work. Maybe there's nothing they can do?

 

[TheBac]

Sorry, but you guys are wrong. UPS drivers are UPS employees. Everywhere. Even the temp helpers at Christmas are UPS employees (if only for those four weeks). The only subcontractors we have are some extra feeder (semi) trucks at Christmas. One of UPS's worst nightmares is someone wearing the uniform and impersonating a driver.

Fed Ex Express is run like UPS. Their drivers are their employees.

Fed Ex Ground is a different business model, though. The routes are owned/operated by subcontractors who hire their own employees. They deliver packages for FedEx but arent employees OF FedEx. IMO, its a sneaky way for FedEx to get around paying higher wages and offering benefits.


As for the Teamsters, well.....thats another thread. Hoffa doesn't have the member's best interests at heart....only his own.