Why can't FedEx/UPS estimate delivery times?

[sixone]

They know how many packages are on the truck, before they ever leave the dock. With GPS and reliable travel times, this doesn't seem so difficult. A half-hour window would be close enough.

I can't go to lunch until they show up, unless I want to drive to the other corner of the county to pick up my package after work. Already did that once this week.

They won't show up until I leave, no matter how long I wait.

 

[onza]

"historically" when does the package show up?

Because in my case they are consistent with delivery times.

 

[sixone]

They were here at 12:15, on Wednesday. Still waiting.

 

[sdifox]

Because they can't predict traffic condition/ time taken per delivery?

 

[Krazy4Real]

Usually, they always deliver in the same one hour span of time for me. I guess you're one of the unlucky ones.

 

[sixone]

Because they can't predict traffic condition/ time taken per delivery?

With GPS, they could adjust that in real time. Even if one delivery puts them behind by 10 minutes, they can adjust later deliveries accordingly.

 

[sixone]

Usually, they always deliver in the same one hour span of time for me. I guess you're one of the unlucky ones.

Yeah, they were here at 9:30am, the time before that.

 

[Vdubchaos]

Move to a better neighborhood where they will leave packages at the door?

: D

UPS/Fedex usually comes around the same time for me, but most of the time (even when I'm home) they just leave it at the step.

 

[sixone]

Move to a better neighborhood where they will leave packages at the door?

: D

UPS/Fedex usually comes around the same time for me, but most of the time (even when I'm home) they just leave it at the step.

I'm at work. They didn't leave the last one, so I'm 99.9% sure they won't leave this one, either.

 

[Schfifty Five]

They know how many packages are on the truck, before they ever leave the dock. With GPS and reliable travel times, this doesn't seem so difficult. A half-hour window would be close enough.

I can't go to lunch until they show up, unless I want to drive to the other corner of the county to pick up my package after work. Already did that once this week.

They won't show up until I leave, no matter how long I wait.

It is difficult. The # of packages on a truck + the places they need to go to + traffic monitoring + random chaotic shit that happens = difficult to track.

Sure they could give you tracking with the time of delivery, but I bet you the cost associated with it would increase the rates they charge to deliver things.

 

[Exterous]

Because delivery is an inherently unpredictable business and grows more so the more stops you add?

While it is often possible to maintain a somewhat predictable pattern they want to avoid any type of window to avoid complaints of 'you said it would most likely be delivered by this time and you were 5 minutes late. I demand compensation Rabble rabble rabble!' (Trust me - it would happen. We got complaints when deliveries were made towards the end of the window but still within the promised time allotment)

Also - as someone who often did numerous deliveries and did actually provide time frames a 30 minutes is an insanely small window. One traffic jam, weather front affecting road conditions or difficult delivery could easily botch the whole day's scheduled times. And having GPS doesn't mean you will know how long the delay will be so this isn't going to be any type of instantaneous update system.

At best I think you would see 2 to 3 time frame windows consisting of a ~4 hours each

 

[pontifex]

The UPS guy that delivers for me will delivery anywhere between 12:00 and 5:00 PM.

 

[Schfifty Five]

With GPS, they could adjust that in real time. Even if one delivery puts them behind by 10 minutes, they can adjust later deliveries accordingly.

$$$$

What you are describing costs money, man-power, etc.

And what if they miss a time-window? Now they got to deal with the complaining customers. More money $$$.

 

[bigrash]

They always deliver at the right time for me. It's normally end of day, so I get it between 6pm and 7pm.

 

[purbeast0]

I'm at work. They didn't leave the last one, so I'm 99.9% sure they won't leave this one, either.

whether they leave it or require a signature is 100% on the shipper, ups has nothing to do with it they are just following the shippers request.

in regards to the question in the OP, it would require a whole new infrastructure and software to do that and would require much more bandwidth in general. and it would really have 0 results in the end as far as ups is concerned.

they can also deliver at different times.

when i first moved into my house i ordered a lawn mower from HD. i was going to my car at 8am for work and the UPS was pulling up and i was like woah that's early. he told sometimes he likes to deliver the bigger items in the morning to get them out of the way.

all of my other packages have came in the afternoon, including an entertainment stand that was heavier/bigger than the lawn mower.

 

[Baked]

I'm waiting for my 4 fleshlights to come in, they've been held hostage on a UPS truck somewhere in Texas at the moment. I haven't fapped in 2 days in preparation for the fleshlights.

 

[herrjimbo]

i'm waiting for my 4 fleshlights to come in, they've been held hostage on a ups truck somewhere in texas at the moment. I haven't fapped in 2 days in preparation for the fleshlights.

t m i

 

[artvscommerce]

UPS has always been accurate for me, although probably the slowest of the ground services. Fedex on the other hand has been wrong many times in my experience.

 

[sixone]

Because delivery is an inherently unpredictable business and grows more so the more stops you add?

While it is often possible to maintain a somewhat predictable pattern they want to avoid any type of window to avoid complaints of 'you said it would most likely be delivered by this time and you were 5 minutes late. I demand compensation Rabble rabble rabble!' (Trust me - it would happen. We got complaints when deliveries were made towards the end of the window but still within the promised time allotment)

Also - as someone who often did numerous deliveries and did actually provide time frames a 30 minutes is an insanely small window. One traffic jam, weather front affecting road conditions or difficult delivery could easily botch the whole day's scheduled times. And having GPS doesn't mean you will know how long the delay will be so this isn't going to be any type of instantaneous update system.

At best I think you would see 2 to 3 time frame windows consisting of a ~4 hours each

I'm not asking for scheduled times. I just want to be able to look at the package tracking, and know whether the package is likely to be here in the next half-hour, or if it's still least three hours away, etc.

Reasonable people can figure out that weather and unexpected issues will change those estimates. Bitchy people are going to bitch, that's just the cost of doing business.

 

[sixone]

UPS has always been accurate for me, although probably the slowest of the ground services. Fedex on the other hand has been wrong many times in my experience.

UPS has a nasty lil habit of shipping packages to my city, then putting them in the mail. Since USPS doesn't deliver to our street address, and UPS won't take PO box addresses, this is a problem.

 

[bignateyk]

They can. They just don't want to because then they would have people bitching and complaining about it if they were off on their estimate. If you call your local distribution center they will usually tell you where you fall on the route.

 

[slayer202]

$$$$

What you are describing costs money, man-power, etc.

And what if they miss a time-window? Now they got to deal with the complaining customers. More money $$$.

this

it's an unnecessary upgrade/expense

 

[spacejamz]

OP, you are always 100% on time for everything you commit to, right??? Even through traffic jams, bad weather, construction, 15 minute trains blocking your path, etc...

 

[sixone]

OP, you are always 100% on time for everything you commit to, right??? Even through traffic jams, bad weather, construction, 15 minute trains blocking your path, etc...

When I placed my order, no one "committed" to any specific delivery time, or even a specific delivery date.

If I were running behind, due to any of the causes you listed, I'd call and tell someone I won't be there at the time we planned on, and provide the best estimate available for when to expect me. It's what's referred to as "manners", in polite society.

I'm much more interested in knowing when my package WON'T be delivered, than when it WILL. If there's zero chance of it arriving in the next half-hour, or two hours, or whatever, that information would be infinitely helpful.

 

[SamQuint]

Because if they did people would show up at there home at the time they estimated, wait there 5 minutes, get angry that they did not show up at the scheduled time, then call up and bitch out some poor schmuck on the phone that their package didn't show up on time.