I had a shipment due to arrive today from SC (non frogs). Instead of arriving this morning for me to pick-up, they have been stuck at the Memphis HUB due platform issues. Memphis high today, 97F. I am not holding much hope, I just got off the phone and the plane has not left. Every carries has issues. Shipment was sent FedEx(All-Pro Shipping).
I use USPS and nothing else. You're right, every carrier has issues - and USPS is still the cheapest of them all - and have maybe 1 or 2 percent shipments that have a problem of any kind. That said, I virtually never have any problems, even worldwide, and I'm shipping plants all over. I'm sure that plants are a little bit more resilient than frogs, but the fact is, the USPS has been reliable, cheap, and a good standard for me. Not to mention, no ridiculous forms / paperwork to fill out.
What are the "platform" issues? Is the plane down for maintenance? Is your package on the plane, in a container, on the ground in a container, or stil loose? Was it clearly marked as live animals?
They stated platform issues and several planes did not leave according to FedEx. So it is packed in a container, I asked if it could get to a cool location and was told that may be impossible since it is in a container already. I have no idea how the box is marked, I am the receiver, not the sender. My main reason to post is not to question FedEx, but to point out shipping errors/issues/delays happen with every carrier. Many people joined the band wagon on USPS.
Indeed, and I'm not trying to dissaude that, I know for a fact it happens (I work at the FedEx Indy hub). Just trying to help figure out what the problem is.
The good news being, if it's on the plane, it should be ok, as the planes holds are airconditioned, so hopefully it wasn't left sitting out on the ramp.
USPS using Fedex planes simply means your frogs go through twice as many transfers and twice as many hands. Seems like this means twice as much opportunity for problems. I don't understand why using the same plane seems to mean "same difference" to some. It is twice as much processing. And really, who's packages are going to get priority? Their own customers, or the competitions? Think about it. I agree that you should always pack for at least 2 days. Max and I had a real stroke of Luck on top of proper packaging when ours survived 10 days in the USPS system. I like to pack for the Apocalypse, but it's hard to pack for USPS!
I think it's at least a bonus that with FedEx at least you know where your frogs are. USPS still has no idea where my frogs were for 10 days.
I still use USPS for bug shipments and I kid you not, at least 20 to 25 percent of my Priority bug shipments are 1 to 3 days late. Bugs are a little easier to replace than frogs!
JJ, I'm going to bet that they don't take 5 to 10 days to get there. I've seen it twice in a month through USPS.
Yes but Doug yours was the exception to the rule, I had 1 USPS lost for 5 days but the frogs were in great shape upon arrival. Delayed shipping has happened to me 3 or 4 times out of easily 200 packages over the last 4 or 5 years with USPS, I have had twice that many that were stated 2 day service arrive in 1 day with USPS.
For my money I am going USPS all of the time, I did 3 or 4 packages last year with Fed-Ex and they were all in excess of $110. My last UPS overnight came in dead and the reason I originally switched to USPS was the fact that 4 or 5 out 20 shipments with UPS did not arrive overnight when that was their gaurentee, and with them I did not get my shipping $$ back.
All company's have issues at times and it could be that your area may just have the wrong people giving consistantly crappy service, where I live however the USPS folks are eager to please. It boils down to people caring about who they work for, bad attitudes exist in all company's and maybe just for a day but it could have been YOUR day.
I pay $62 per pkg. with FedEx for a pkg. under 12 inches weighing 2 lbs. My packages have arrived safe and sound the next day (albeit a few hours past the scheduled morning delivery time, in which case they easily refunded all my money), and I will continue to use them due to their good service thus far. I am not inclined to use UPS or USPS for shipping animals due to the things described above. Always insure the package as well, esp. with USPS---that way you don't lose everything if it's lost.
If they don't make it (or even if they do), the shipper should be able to get their money back if it wasn't delivered on time and it wasn't due to inclement weather or things beyond their control.
They do not insure live animals. No one in the logistics/shipping industry does that I am aware of, just because you buy insurance does not mean they have to honor it.
UPDATE: Picked-up the package and you could smell it before I opened it. DOA. This package was from SC to IL.
With Delivery Confirmation, which I now use for each and every package, even letters (checks) - I can see exactly where it is at any given day.
$110 - $62 ? Holy cow !
A big, heavy, box full of plants costs me, say, $25 tops.
This is with Priority Overnight shipping via FedEx, not USPS, whose Express option may in fact take 2-3 days anyhow. You get what you pay for. I like the added bonus of getting all my money back b/c it's a couple hours late (which has happened twice out of ten times or so).
I was supposed to get frogs yesterday mroning via UPS. It was sent to the wrong place and they told me it was supposed to arrive tomorrow. Fortunately it had only been shipped three hours away from the sender, so he intercepted the package.
UPS told him they wouldn't refund him shipping because the package had been intercepted. I called and spoke with some people and got the refund rather quickly. Before I found out that he had intercepted I called and discussed with customer service what would happen if they arrived doa. Initially they didn't want to say they would refund me anything, but after applying a little pressure I got them to assure me that they would cover the total cost of everything. Ultimately I'm glad the frogs were intercepted, better they are alive than us getting a refund. Point is, all carriers have issues, and I think it just depends on knowing how to talk to customer service to get what you want....
Sorry to hear about the loss. I just shipped overnight a proven female escudo from Los Angeles to NY using USPS. It was to arrive by 3:00. It arrived by 9 and all was alright. I also used an extra phase 22 to be on the safe side just in case............. So a postitive experience.
Again sorry about the loss and the negative experience.
If you state anything that is perishable for 100 dollars or more then Fedex will ask to open the package to see if it is packaged right. They may or may not ask for a shipping license, but for me luckily that situation did not arise. My belief is if they follow their own rules then they will ask. What happens at the office if you do not have one, I do not know.
I guess my FedEx hub is pretty forgiving. I end up having an amicable conversation about the frogs with the personnel but haven't had to open it. I have generally put a value of over 100 every time.
My problem with USPS isn't that they screw up and other carriers don't. It's that USPS is a giant black hole that shipments disappear into, and occasionally appear out of. What goes on in that giant black hole is an absolute mystery. At least when FedEx screws up, or UPS screw up you learn things like "stuck at hub X" or "mis-routed to Murmansk." When USPS screws up, all you can do is wonder, cause info ain't gonna come.
Oh, and the 'tude you get from so many USPS employees makes me want to punch them. They act like since they are UNITED STATES POSTAL EMPLOYEES they are above the law, and don't have to deal with plebes like you asking pesky questions like "where's my stuff?" Go to a UPS depot to pick up a shipment and more likely than not someone will try to help you, even if it's nine at night, try that at a postal depot and the holier-than-thou postal service will have you arrested.
The USPS can't go away fast enough for me to be satisfied.
Today, a new Postal Adventure (TM), brought to you by the highly competent people at the USPS (because the post office never misses an opportunity to miss an opportunity):
On Sat (while I was home all day) I got a pink slip to come get a package after 10AM the next day at the main post office. Obviously, since I was home all day, nobody tried to personally deliver the thing to my door to get my signature (my box is a silver post with about a dozen mail slots out on the street). So today, after work, I head to the post office, and... no box. In their infinite wisdom, after not trying to deliver it in person, and leaving me a note that said to come get it, they, of course, tried to deliver it in person. Thanks for being so competent, Post Office!
If it were a UPS or FedEx package, I could have had the darn thing in my hot little hands on Sat, but instead, I have to wait some more, and make multiple trips to your office. Good thing it's a case of tea cakes from China and not live animals (especially since it's been over 105 for the past two weeks).
Do you have a source or anything for that number? My mom worked for the post office a bit ago and pay was no where near there. I'm not saying it isn't possible. Also, in what part of the country are you talking about? That can make a big difference as well.
I think due to all the grey areas w/USPS a lot of the offices make their own rules on customer service. I think in dreamcatcher's case probably someone at her post office was stealing had the disappearing packages, while at mine the folks are VERY helpful and honest. But I still would never ship frogs with them due to the general policies.
Never had a problem with USPS. Not one. Dozens and dozens of packages shipped.
First time I shipped with FedEx- was a day late. Second time - a day late. First shipment received with FedEx- day late.
What does this mean? Nothing.
The statistics of small numbers are dangerous, and that's all any of us have to work with (even those who've shipped 100+ packages, in light of total shipping traffic it's insignificant).
This is statistically untrue, if you have a random sample, n=30 is generally considered the number around which Central-limit-theorem/Law-of-large-numbers analysis starts to hold true. It's the size of the sample, in absolute terms, not the fraction of the population the sample represents. If you have a random sample of 100 shipping experiences, you probably have a decent grasp on the quality of that shipper.
Problem is people don't have random samples. If your mailman is a useless hack, you'll have lots and lots of bad experiences; if your mailman is a postal exemplar, you'll have many great experiences, etc... Even if you take a random survey, your results are only truly valid if all the people you reach out to respond, or if there is no correlation between the likelihood of response and subjective quality of experience.
But you don't need any of those statistics to know the following.
A) USPS equipment and technology is behind FedEx and UPS when it comes to tracking. They simply do not have the equipment for real time tracking. i.e. It does not get scanned AS it goes on the plane. It does not get scanned at every point along it's travels. It does not get scanned as it is handed to you.
B) USPS can not manage to effectively ship their own packages overnight. They have to hire FedEx to do it for them.
B1) This means your package changes hands more often and has twice as much processing and handling. This means twice as much chance of being lost somewhere.
B2) If FedEx is experiencing a problem, and not everything is going on that overnight plane, who do you think gets left behind? There own, higher paying, customers? I think not.
C) USPS is inefficient enough that they would go out of business if it weren't for the government dollars thrown their way.
D) (and this is an important one for us working stiffs) USPS uses FedEx and that means USPS needs time to process before getting them to FedEx. This means the absolute last cutoff for a 2 day or overnight package is 4:30 PM through USPS. This gives them time to try to process it all and get it to FedEx before 7:30 PM. That means taking off from work early to package frogs (or whatever) to get them there before 4:30 PM. Or, I can stay, work my full day, and get my frogs to FedEx as late as 7:30 PM. This also means several hours that my frogs are NOT cooped up in a box.
We all have our preferred shippers, but no one will ever convince me that USPS is as good as FedEx.
Then that should be what is stated for reasons to use others over USPS instead of incomplete statistics which I think is what the start of this thread was trying to say.
B1) This means your package changes hands more often and has twice as much processing and handling. This means twice as much chance of being lost somewhere.
I believe the primary reason for this from what I've read in the past is the benefits during/after working there that is the biggest reason for this. This isn't exactly a justification, however it does make a difference. I don't have the source for this at this time.
My local USPS has been wonderful with frog shipments and I've always had packages arrive on time - until today.
Currently 4:22 pm on the summer solstice with a high of 101, the USPS tracking system is down for online tracking and at my post office, and as of right now, no one has seen my package.
I feel sorry for the poor bugger who is stuck in the box! Luckily my sender has probably packed him up really tight so hopefully he's not suffering too much....
Edit: I will still probably continue to use USPS even after this incident.
Have a Female fine spot Leuc still sitting in a box somewhere...guaranteed arrival at 3:00 pm and it's now 5:45 and no sign of her....Youngstown post office said it hasn't been scanned yet so it's not in Youngstown yet...second a time ive had frogs shipped USPS and second time ive had and issue. Last time i used USPS i ended up having to go down to the post office at 330 am to pick up the package. When UPS and Fed Ex were used in the past, the frogs always arrived around 10 am on the day they were suppose to arrive.
There is no guarantee with the USPS simply b/c there is no reliable recourse to get your goods and money back, as with most govt. based spending and investment.
Well it say next day delivery or your money back guarantee?? It's now 9:30 and it's still not in Youngstown....looks like it's gonna be another 3:30 am trip....I hope I don't get drunk tonight
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