FedEx Ground is NOT FedEx--They're BAD!

[A5 Capo]

hey, people. while doing my usual "thread surfing," i noticed that a lot of ppl have had problems with FedEx. i was wondering if they used FedEx Ground, because FedEx Ground is NOT the same company as FedEx. FedEx Ground was originally just a part of the FedEx corporation, but now they are an entirely separate company that is merely licensed to use the name. FedEx ground is NOT owned, managed, or supervised by FedEx.

a few months ago, i shipped one of those hard plastic golf bags to myself from vacation to my home via FedEx Ground (obviously before i knew how bad they are). when i got home, i found the locks on the golf bag busted completely open and the bag was reclosed using duct tape, which was definitely not how i shipped it. additionally, when i opened the bag, equipment was missing (valuing approx $300). to top it all off, they told me i needed to show them the receipts in order to get reimbursed for the stolen property (who the hell keeps receipts for everything they own?). their receipt policy is particularly bad because no receipts are given for transactions made on AO/eBay/PBN/etc.

i went to my local shipping store and asked about FedEx Ground, and was told that it is horribly unreliable and that it is unrelated to FedEx. so here i am, $300+ in the hole with a busted golf bag. i hope this info helps.

[momags!]

Not only are they a seperate entity, but the routes are "purchased" by the highest bidders. They operate much the way that candy vendors do. The driver that delivered a package to me last week stated that he "owned" several cities in our area.

[riooso]

I have had nothing but problems with the "FedEx Ground" They take their sweet time to get to you. They throw your stuff in the back of a pickup and it might be there for 2 or 3 days exposed to the weather. They suck! Don't use ground, insist on UPS, you will be happy with them.

R

[Cryer]

given the choice, I have always used UPS. If not given the choice, I go soemwhere else with my business.

[cphilip]

Well.... this is sort of complicated. Fed Ex ground is indeed Fed Ex in a way... but then again... not. Stay with me here.

All Fed Ex companies operate as independent seperate companies. But they call themselves a "Family of Companies". They each share the name for exposure and I suspect some other things are shared. Web site is one of them. They all have some ties and cooperative ventures. RPS purchased and operates Fed Ex Ground. So in my oppionion they are the same if they intend to use the name for thier own benifit by associating themselves with all the other Fed Ex Family to gain clients. Like you found out one of the Family might be better than the other.

Here is some info on them all:

http://www.fedex.com/us/about/today/history/?link=4#3

So I would contend they are the same company if the have such close ties that you end up at each of their services through the same conduit. The Web page.

[Konigballer]

FedEx Ground is indeed run by the devil himself. I know, I used to work the 2am-8am shift slinging packages off the trucks. They mistreat everything, it was like working in hell. Satan has a great sense of humor though...

[Sooky]

Originally posted by Konigballer
FedEx Ground is indeed run by the devil himself. I know, I used to work the 2am-8am shift slinging packages off the trucks. They mistreat everything, it was like working in hell. Satan has a great sense of humor though...

I'm currently working for FedEx Ground. But the facility I work at treats us really well - we occasionally get pizza.

But about the damages, I know for a fact that FedEx Ground has recently put it's focus into significantly reducing damages. I haven't been there long enough to really see how it was before, but supervisors have all gone through training about this, and my supervisors are watching us much more closely lately. Us lowly package handlers have also had to sit through meetings and such to make sure we are loading properly.

Not saying you didn't Capo, but shippers could really package their stuff better. If your shipping a long way, your package could have been loaded and unloaded over 5 or so times. Every day I get dozens of poorly packaged packages that are falling apart and need to be taped up or repackaged.

[Konigballer]

Pizza, wtf, we never got that!!

All our managers must have been recently parrolled meth lab owner/operaters. They were nothing like the ones you must have. Of course, I am in Georgia...

Sooky, you ever get those boxes whose packaging is so damged that that they cant even support their shape so you can kind of roll them down the line

[Benfica4ever]

Nothing to do with the thread but...Cryer i love you sig!
lol its awsome!

[Sooky]

Originally posted by Konigballer
Pizza, wtf, we never got that!!
We get donuts sometimes too. It's just because package handlers have a tendency to quit so often, that their trying to get us to stay. At the moment we may be getting a raise too.
All our managers must have been recently parrolled meth lab owner/operaters. They were nothing like the ones you must have. Of course, I am in Georgia...
That's weird about your managers. All the managers here are required to have university degrees. But apparently there are quite a few differences in the ways US and Canadian facilities are run; or so I am told.
Sooky, you ever get those boxes whose packaging is so damged that that they cant even support their shape so you can kind of roll them down the line
LOL! I don't recall seeing too many that bad, but yeah... My favourite is when people ship glass. Why oh why do people ship flourescent lights?!? One of the best was when we had to check if the contents of a large package was damaged, and it turned out to be a small box of microwave popcorn.

[SGTKennedy]

i work for UPS, and i hate shippers. the fools dont even consider what these boxes go through before they get to the other side. they put a loose chunk of iron in a box 10 times to big for it so it rattles around or breaks out and falls on someones foot when 1000000 boxes come off the belt at once. and then youre flyin to get the stuff taken care of, you go to scan the tracking number and the retread put it around a corner. BARCODES ARENT DECORATION! if you see them, they must be used for something. make em easier to scan and they might be scanned... and people write their address labels in cursive and expect them to get to the destination on time. sometimes things like this can lead to damage.... if a label is misread it could go thru the system a few extra times. if its crappy packaging its going to be smushed. if the barcodes/labels arent on a good surface, its not going to be scanned, and make sure the snotnosed kid at the counter types in the correct ZIP/State/City on the label... or it cycles extra times too. i hate that place. ready to quit. they treat us like crap. work hard. low pay. good benes though. just not worth it to me.
-kennedy

[A5 Capo]

Kennedy and Sooky: i can appreciate that there are ppl who don't know how to package their stuff, but i do. this bag was built to be shipped and mistreated: i dropped it out the back of a pickup truck and the bag and its contents were completely fine. think about it--the bag was built to protect golf clubs, which can be among the most expensive pieces of sports equipment you can buy. i could tell without any doubt that the locks were definitely jostled. the addy was written in print, the label was in a clear place, and i stuffed towels throughout the inside of the bag to fill any void to prevent injury to my stuff. for there to be any problems with that setup is inexcusable, as far as i'm concerned.

p.s. i LOVE ups and usps. FedEx NON-Ground is fine, too. i just can't stand FedEx GROUND.

[SGTKennedy]

yeah, i wasnt really pointing that at you, i was kinda venting... i hate my job.
i bet some schmuck saw you had nice stuff, and wanted it for his own.

[Sooky]

A5 Capo:
"inexcusable"
I totally agree, and I'd be pissed too.

But just from the methods we go by at my facility, I have no clue what could have happened. Packages often get dropped, the belt may be overloaded and packages can fall off the belt, they can fall off the shelf in the truck if their not lip-loaded...

But as for your package, sometimes if your unlucky enough to have your package loaded by someone having a really bad day, it could get, ummm, dropped again. I know my managers don't stand for that kind of thing, and depending who catches you you'd be either sternly warned or fired. But as for the missing stuff, then its no doubt you were unlucky enough to come across some theiving jerk. FedEx Ground does, however, offer rewards to employees for turning in other workers caught stealing (up to 5,000CDN here), but I guess thats no consolation to you, eh?

[Sooky]

"they put a loose chunk of iron in a box 10 times to big for it so it rattles around or breaks out"

"you go to scan the tracking number and the retread put it around a corner. BARCODES ARENT DECORATION! if you see them, they must be used for something. make em easier to scan and they might be scanned"
LOL!! I totally identify with your pain.

Another note on the theft. How big was the thing that got stolen? If it couldn't fit in a pocket or down a pant leg I have no idea how they could have swiped it. We're not even allowed to bring cellphones or a spare pair of shoes to work. Plus there is always some supervisor around...