Shipping Rates

[ScrapIron]

The entire world has lost their minds. I just took a box that measured approx. 12x6x6 to Fedex to ship it to Dutchman axles. It weighed about 7 pounds.

Fedex demanded a Government issued ID if i wanted to ship it. I took the package and headed to UPS instead. I walk in and didnt see anyone initially so i stood there waiting. Then i caught movement out the corner of my eye and the kid that was supposed to be working was across the room sitting on top of the counter with his feet up on the adjacent counter texting on his phone. I yelled across the room that i would like to ship this package and he gets up and comes over and points at 3 computers and says i have to enter all the information in the computer to create a tag for it. He then goes back across the room, hops back on the counter and puts his feet back up.

I stood there a minute in disbelief and i said.. "let me get this straight, im supposed to enter all of this info and do this work while you sit over there texting your with your friends?" He mumbled "its self service here".

I grabbed the package and headed back to Fedex and decided i would have to show my government issued ID just to ship a small package. Get this... i was quoted $190 if i want it there Monday, $175 for Tuesday, $137 dollars for Wednesday, or $30 for next Thursday.

[N147JK]

It's part of the race to the bottom. Very sad really. I wonder what the bottom looks like. Will we know it when we see it? Is there even a bottom?

[marret]

Yes, or at least the US.

Crazy times we are in, Covid just exacerbated it. I do admit I have not yet encountered a self serve UPS location…

[ScrapIron]

I should have said "just give me the $1.99 get it there sometime before next month special".

The other issue is that these corporations are intentionally understaffing and not hiring sufficient help. That means they are making money at my expense by understaffing. So instead of spending 10 or 15 minutes at fedex to ship a package, you get to stand in line for 30 minutes because there is only one woman there doing the work of three people.

Call me a fool, but i consider my "time" to be the single most valuable asset i have in this life. Once its spent i cant get it back at any price. That said, when i run across these companies that waste my time by not hiring an appropriate number of employees, it angers me. Its disrespectful and shows that the company does not value my business because they dont care that they are wasting my time on purpose and it isnt just these shipping companies.

[marret]

Yep, I think during Covid many companies realized they could provide less service, make people wait, even increase costs at the same time, and get away with it.

Some companies pretend to be hiring, but never do, and then just blame it on labor shortages.

Maybe the best way to combat this is to vote with your feet and go elsewhere as you mention. You ain't alone on your feelings.

[1der]

It sucks. As w every other downturn customer service is the first cut.

Do these companies give a sh** - probably not. Most UPS and FedeX consumer locations are franchises.

The corporations - 99% of the packages are pre labeled and already in system just waiting for a scan to match the already in the system record. Everything we ship is either a match to the order placed online or info I input. Open the shipping app, select shipping method, label printed, affixed and dropped at a shipper location or picked up by a driver. Charge is to the credit card on account. No waiting.

Still sucks that the customer service part at the offices has evaporated. Welcome to the world of AI.

[86Scotty]

Fedex will soon be out of business. The world has moved on from the need to ship documents overnight, which was their forte, and the rest of the shipping world has copied their model now. They have few big accounts left. When I was still there Amazon was one of the biggest customers. Now they have their own fleet as we all know. And yes of course Fedex's prices are insane.

I use USPS for most things but occasionally Fedex Ground, which is a deal, but it won't save the company. I wonder how much their CEO made last year while the company sunk? 100 million? 50 million?

[dhally]

I have online accounts at USPS and Fedex. My return address and all of my frequent ship to addresses are already entered. We have a tape measure and tabletop scale (cooking scale). It is actually easier for me to enter the package data and compare prices at home than waiting in line and driving to multiple locations.

Do agree that the COST of shipping has gone up the last few years, but the convenience has definitely gone up as well (for me).

And we must be lucky here in Dry Shitties, because the UPS and Fedex stores have pretty good customer service. I only go to the post office to pick up free shipping boxes and envelopes...

[1der]

[QUOTE=dhally;324801]
And we must be lucky here in Dry Shitties, because the UPS and Fedex stores have pretty good customer service. I only go to the post office to pick up free shipping boxes and envelopes...[/QUOTE]

You can order the USPS boxes and supplies for free online and have those shipped to your front door. If you use FedEx Express (nog ground) via an account you might be able to order their blank labels

[Big_ern_101]

Head on over to Pirate Ship for much better rates on UPS and USPS