HOT: Screw USPS priority, Airborne launch its ground shipping service ...

[Banana]

I have a lot of experience with all three carriers due to my line of work.
Airborne is bad! Missed pickups, damaged packages, etc. Have you seen their crappy delivery vans? The missed pickups were the worst because the human tissue samples had to go overnight.

FedEx is best, and UPS is not too far behind.

Also avoid RPS for now due to inconsistent service. They were bought out by FedEx and is now part of FedEx ground. I'd stay away until they get their acts together.

I guess USPS was good when it was cheap.

1YP

 

[Oakenfold]

I've shipped all of my stuff via USPS for a few years now, I opened up a fedex account about 3 weeks ago.
I've been impressed with their customer service, I remember newegg had my address wrong to my old apartment, about a month ago.
I called them at 9:45 pm EST and they corrected the labels, one package was in holding, other 2 were enroute, I received the one in holding the NEXT DAY. The other two were delivered on time as scheduled. Since this occurrence I have been floored by the way FEDEX is run,
it's amazing. I shipped my first 2 packages today with my FEDEX account, if they can continue this service for me that they have with
me receiving packages they have a lifetime customer on their hands. No waiting in line at the post office, actual tracking service, and they can just bill it to my credit card.


Another brag on their behalf is that on my second call to them ever(this morning-just to make sure my account was okay and setup properly) they treated me with the utmost respect and courteousness, I ordered some supplies that I couldn't find on their website and they were able to answer my questions. My wait to speak with someone was LESS than 30 seconds! When they had to transfer me to order supplies I waited less than 15 SECONDS! I just cannot say enough about how much they have impressed me.
Anyways, no I DO NOT WORK FOR FEDEX.-----------------I figure someone's gonna flame me..:frown:
Credit is most definetley due to them, whatever strategy they are using for their business model, it sure is working for me!

 

[xsquid]

UPS is absolutely the worse. You have to stand in like to complain there. I cringe every time someone ships to me ups. I beg them to send through ANYONE else. I would MUCH rather go usps than ups. When I ship from here to california (where I used to live) it takes a regular leter 5 days, and priority package 3 days. They're not the best, but they are one hell of a lot better than ups. Fedex is good too. Does airborn express take shipping from individuals now? I know before they only did from companies.

 

[MrNutz]

This is a HOT deal:
--I've only had one problem w/ AE...they couldn't find my address but that was because the dumbasses @ Compaq couldn't spell the street name...but other than that they have always been VERY prompt and easy to deal with
--As far as USPS goes....they have good rates but your experience with them all depends on your local post office...unfortunately for me the one I have to deal with is run by morons....they deal with at least 200 people daily and still seem clueless everytime i need to ship something...the manager is the worst by far -> completely incompetent...they have lost over $600 in money orders sent to me by certified mail...they just seem to dissappear after they leave the little note in my box...hmmm

.....but anyway i could write a 20-page essay on my bad experiences with them so i will move on....
---FedEx is great no problems with them so far...
---UPS...how could anyone justify complementing this service?! I know for sure that the whole company kept up with the World Cup because they used my packages to practice their moves! :disgust: ...but my biggest complaint is when they couldn't find the house on the shipping label (street misspelled)....so instead of calling me, they looked up my name in the phone book and dropped off my $400 package @ my apt instead....luckily i still lived at the address listed in the phone book and my roomate was there b/c it wouldn't have lasted long sitting on the steps before someone had a late christmas! :|

 

[Nick5324]

i recived a package through airborne once, it had to be signed for, on a saturday, i missed the delivery by 40 minutes, called them, they called the driver, came back in 20 minutes. good experience!

 

[killerdcc]

Originally posted by: Epinephrine
Recent article in the Wall Street Journal reported on the USPS own internal audit. Priority mail and regular mail go on the same truck..Hence, priority was not faster than regular, they even said so themselves... LOL!!

First off Priority mail and first class mail go by commercial aircraft. Secondly the airlines (which carry mail) decide how much they will carry on any particular flight at the last minute. Many times your mail will get to the airport and sit a couple days waiting for an airline to take it. So if the airline says to the USPS that they can only take one bag to Denver then guess which bag goes?

So many times first class and priority will arrive at the same times, but it won't always.

But you need to look at the bigger picture. First class mail stops at one pound. After that you only have the option of priority and parcel post. Priority will always be faster (some exceptions like shipping something to the next town over).

Moral: Never use priority for under a pound. Contemplate using it for over one pound based on price differential and length of journey. ie If it is going cross country and it is only $2 more then priority is a deal.

Originally posted by: grimmgrinn
Plus, I'm in the military serving overseas; USPS is the only way I can get stuff shipped over here without paying int'l rates. So say what you want about the service, they're still my first choice for shipping.

That's because we (USPS users) subsidize your service.
...
Your welcome ;>

 

[CHINAFIFA]

I'm not very familiar with the process to ship by UPS or FedEx. here is my question:
(1)if i print a shipping label from myups.com and let it charge my credit card, and i just put the label on the package, so can i just give the package to any UPS driver?
(2)What's the purpose of asking me teh weight and dimensions? Don't they weight and measure the package after I give it to UPS? What if the dimensions and weight I put online are not accurate at all?

thanks in advance!

 

[MrNutz]

Originally posted by: CHINAFIFA
(2)What's the purpose of asking me teh weight and dimensions? Don't they weight and measure the package after I give it to UPS? What if the dimensions and weight I put online are not accurate at all?

thanks in advance!

good question...i've wondered it many times before while working for one of my previous employers...we used UPS exclusively (not a smart move) and all we did was use our best guess on the weight of the package to be sent...never got any complains from UPS...but i'm sure that doesn't mean we have the skills to go work in one of those booths @ the state fair

 

[iamme]

ROFL.....the only sure thing is that EVERYONE has different experiences with all carriers

A good point being the guy who doesn't live near a FedEx or UPS office. USPS is the only way for him

I wish USPS kept their Priority Mail rates the same....I have so many FREE boxes/tapes/labels/stickers from them (another cool thing about USPS)

 

[ebaker]

I receive several packages a day at my office. The UPS packages are frequently badly damaged.

 

[Tommyboy8]

Fedex - used it once, no problems

UPS - used it quite a lot, I had two major problems with them, and their customer service isn't the best.

USPS - so far so good, US mail service is one of the best around the world compare to other countries.



oh yeah, and if you guys think $0.37 is expensive to send mail, try living in Europe... Their postal service sucks even worst.

 

[XFreebie]

that is why the pilgrims came to america, to flee poor postal and bad healthcare

 

[RSG2]

I've only had a couple of items delivered to me from Airborne Express, but no problems - prompt delivery, no lost drivers, etc...and I can get supplies from them for free in nothing flat (I've found that you can print up those Priority Mail and UPS labels on AE labels quite easily. Works quite well too...)

UPS has been fair to good for me - Usually on time, but sometimes the driver at my old place would not make the sop when I knew he should have been showing up with a package that day. The system would claim I wasn't at home, even though I was and knew he hadn't shown up. He'd alwasy make it the next day though.

FedEx? Not on my life. I know others have had great success and swear by them. They were horrible to me - I've never had a package make it to my house. There was one time that the guy showed up at my cack door (If he couldn't recognize the back from the front he was truly crazy). I heard him as he was leaving, never even knocked, just put the tag on the back door....so I call the dispatcher, who promises to turn him around - yeah, right. So I left the signature tag for him the next day. Of course, he left it because he went to the back door again (moron). After the third time I decided to pick it up myself. Big mistake - the place was a half hour or better away, and tucked way away where you wouldn't find it even if I was from that area. No apology, no nothing, and my package that I needed to finish the machine I was building was three days overdue.

FedEx ground isn't any better for me - They can't seem to find me (I lived right in the middle of a major street, with nothing else around me - the three blind mice could have found me...). And they are just over in the next city, but still tucked away in some industrial park that a user would have a hard time finding. Staffed by idiots - the place I've moved to is right off the highway - you couldn't miss it if you were deaf, dumb and blind (UPS and AE can find it witn no problem). Fedex ground? They don't know that the building exists (It's only thirty years old - it shows up on all the maps I can get)...

So as usual, YMMV. Fedex is definitely not hot for me though...

 

[amdskip]

I have had one major complaint with UPS as they lost a $500 crankshaft that was insured for the $500 and they refused to compensate me anything for it:|

 

[Blu3]

RSG2: how do you get free supplies from Airbone Express? Are they for Ground?

 

[Smokey0066]

one thing i havent seen anyone mention that i really like with fedex is the fact that i can always go pick up the package if i miss it; about a 20min drive.

theres no ups pick up around here for me so that sucks for me; i called once and they told me i couldnt pick up and had to wait for the next day which was a monday. But with fedex if i know tracking says its coming today and no one was home i can run by the fedex place on the way home and they usually have it sitting there waiting for me.. no lines and friendly staff.. love em..

for some reason all my stuff from fedex needs to be signed for. UPS always left stuff infront of my house even if it shoulda been signed for.. big no no.. fedex NEVER leaves stuff infront of my house..
hate it when i dont hear the doorbell.. that means i getta go for a drive..

i think i'll stick to the FedEx which has proven itself to be good in my book.

 

[randomlinh]

am i the only one who's had pretty good dealings w/ USPS priority mail? I always used it for trading/ebay and didn't have a problem. Only a couple times, but that's a given for anyone. Of course, this is mainly for small things.. lines aren't a problem too much, only usually during lunch hours.

 

[grimmgrinn]

Originally posted by: killerdcc
Originally posted by: grimmgrinn
Plus, I'm in the military serving overseas; USPS is the only way I can get stuff shipped over here without paying int'l rates. So say what you want about the service, they're still my first choice for shipping.

That's because we (USPS users) subsidize your service.
...
Your welcome ;>

Well, no, actually it's because USPS delivers all of our mail to various drop points in the states (mine's in New Jersey) and then the military picks it up and brings it overseas.

 

[kyutip]

AE is kinda suck.
I never send anything with them, but the way they deliver my package I wouldn't trust them a bit.
I've receive 3 - 4 packages sent to me with AE and every single time the delivery man would knock on my door 3 times and bam he's gone and leave the package in front of the door.
There is one time that they knock and it took me less than 1 minutes to get to the door.
Still I couldn't find their tail anywhere. Maybe a ghost deliver the package. I mean drop the package.
If u use that for your ebay shipment, be afraid.
If they leave the package at front door and got swiped, you are in deep do do.

UPS Ground definately suck.
They need you to open your package for inspection and double box the damn thing.
Not to mention some horror story about the package being a soccer ball.
Their devil child Mailbox Etc even worse, they charge 10 times (exaggeration, but somewhat true) more than UPS do but no opening box nor double boxing.
Staples is kinda ok, you can use $10 off $40 for shipping and get $5 for every $20 spend. And they have better rates than MBE too.

FedEx Ground is the best.
Cheapest rate, friendly peeps, and pretty reliable too.
Trust me they're expert

 

[Patchmaster]

Originally posted by: CHINAFIFA
I'm not very familiar with the process to ship by UPS or FedEx. here is my question:
(1)if i print a shipping label from myups.com and let it charge my credit card, and i just put the label on the package, so can i just give the package to any UPS driver?
(2)What's the purpose of asking me teh weight and dimensions? Don't they weight and measure the package after I give it to UPS? What if the dimensions and weight I put online are not accurate at all?

(1) Yep, you can hand it to a driver, drop it in any UPS box, or drop it off at Mail Boxes Etc.

(2) They ask the weight and dimensions so they know how much to charge you. You're paying ahead of time for this service. If you lie about the weight, they'll just charge your credit card the extra (they can put the package together with your billing record by that bar code printed on the label). They ask about dimensions because odd-sized packages get charged extra. (I was mistakenly billed once for a 25 pound package that was six feet long. They charged for an additional 25 pounds because of the length.)

Originally posted by Braxus:

1. Does UPS/FedEx care if I only say ship four packages a month?
2. How hard is it to open an account?
3. Where can I buy a decent scale to weigh packages? (assumming they don't weigh it for you and charge it to your account)
4. Can you have UPS/FedEx driveby and pickup the packages? If not does dropping them off at a 3rd party shipper cost you anything?
5. Does UPS/FedEx provide you with sticky labels or can you print them on plain paper and tape them on?

I haven't shipped with either in a few years so this info may not be current.

1. If you're talking about pre-paid shipping arranged online, neither one cares if you ship 100 packages a day or one package a lifetime. If you're talking about having an account where you get billed every month, that's a completely different thing.

2. When I got my FedEx account it couldn't have been simpler. Call their 800 number, answer a few basic questions, they give me a number and supplies are on my door the next day. I was actually shocked that they didn't ask for credit references. With this number I could ship packages and was billed at the end of the month. There was no minimum number of shipments for FedEx. UPS was different. They charge a monthly fee for open accounts. This used to cover a certain number of pickups, though a friend said that was no longer the case. I don't know what kind of info they ask for because I never got that far.

3. Any stationary supply store will have shipping scales.

4. Both FedEx and UPS will be glad to come pick up packages. When I was shipping with them, FedEx didn't charge for pick-up, but they would give you a $3.50 discount if you dropped off at their office. I let you connect the dots on that one. UPS has always charged for pick-up. FedEx now has drop boxes at all USPS offices (part of their deal for carrying Express Mail). UPS pre-paid items can be dropped at any authorized UPS pickup point, which includes all Mail Boxes Etc. stores.

5. Both UPS and FedEx have web sites where you can enter your shipping data and print up a mailing label. I know FedEx has Windows software you can use to manage your shipping. I'm sure UPS has something similar. The free supplies FedEx provides have plastic windows you just slip the mailing label into. The only thing you need is a printer capable of printing a barcode, which includes most printers sold in the last five years.

 

[yodayoda]

Overnight carriers for service:
FedEx > UPS > Airborne > USPS
Overnight carriers for price:
Airborne < USPS < UPS < FedEx

Ground carriers for service:
FedEx > USPS > UPS (never used Airborne)
Ground carriers for price:
FedEx < UPS < USPS (never used Airborne)

that is my experience. i always take my FedEx and UPS stuff directly to customer counters (there are a ton of them here in downtown LA) so you don't pay surcharges like Mail Boxes Etc or the like.

 

[jna]

Originally posted by: Braxus
There is a thread about this on FW... From what I've read, FedEx Ground is seems to be the cheapest for shipping items. However, they are currently not opening any new FedEx accounts as they've been flooded with them since the USPS rate hike.

Some questions I posted on FW which I think some people here might be asking:

1. 
   1. Does UPS/FedEx care if I only say ship four packages a month?
   2. How hard is it to open an account?
   3. Where can I buy a decent scale to weigh packages? (assumming they don't weigh it for you and charge it to your account)
   4. Can you have UPS/FedEx driveby and pickup the packages? If not does dropping them off at a 3rd party shipper cost you anything?
   5. Does UPS/FedEx provide you with sticky labels or can you print them on plain paper and tape them on?

Someone should make a little FAQ on how to do things as I'm sure most of us are used to shipping via USPS and not via UPS/FedEx/Airborne.

EDIT: Can't type

#1 I have a UPS account and ship about twice a month. Just call 1-800-PICKUPS. However, it is more useful to use their internet shipping on their web page, because you can pay with a credit card (you can't pay your account with a credit card).
#2 It took about 5 minutes of questioning, but again, there is no advantage to having an account vs. using their web page, except they send you a neato information box with envelopes and books and stuff.
#3 I dunno, I always ship light items, so I always say 1 lb. (less than 1 is the same price)
#4 I think a one time pickup costs money, but I could be wrong. I like to take my boxes to the mailboxes etc. They pick them up until 8pm, and it's free.
#5 Print and tape. Use lots of tape, it's bad if the label comes off.

Of course, if you do enough business, you can get a daily pickup, and sticky labels, and a sticky label printer, but I'm not sure how much is enough.

 

[wasssup]

forgive my ignorance, but has the USPS priority rate really gone up that much?? i've been extremely busy the last few weeks and haven't had time to sell some stuff I needed to, and after reading this i'm wondering if i should find an alternate carrier...

 

[XFreebie]

for short distances ur good to go, but u can forget about sending anything from coast to coast over a few lbs, i saw some guy ship a giant box at the post office the other day and it cost him over $100 for just parcel post. i wanted to tell him fedex or even UPS woulda been no more than $20 bux but he was too far ahead of me in line and if i said it too loud, the postal clerks wouldnt be too happy

 

[wasssup]

you're right...i took my lazy ass over to usps.com and checked out the rates (http://www.usps.com/consumers/domestic.htm) and noticed pricing was zone dependent, just as you say. I guess i'll use Media Mail for now...