Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2020/01/14/amazon-reinstates-fedex-ground.html
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Thank you so very much Jeff Bezos.
[note sarcasm]
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We’ve been using FedEx’s 2-day service to fulfill since summer 2019, and it has been rock steady. I wonder what went on with Ground, and if there really were poor metrics, or if this is some negotiating nonsense.
This is too much power for one company to wield.
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Well, at least Taco Bell didn’t take over the world! Although at least in that scenario, we might also have Wesley Snipes cyberpunk criminal masterminds running amuck, which would at least be sort of cool in a glamorously dystopian kind of way…
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Given the way that company treats authors, publishers, and third-party sellers, I’ll guess the answer is #2.
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In other words, Bezos realised their own delivery service is stealing packages and leaving them at the wrong addresses so he decided even the worst carrier is better than themselves.
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Package delivery tends towards awful service, as the person who experiences any lack of service isn’t the one directly choosing and paying for delivery.
Therefore, rather tan having to trust Amazon to enforce service quality levels on it subcontractors, get the buyer to select their preferred delivery method when purchasing. This is going to give much finer grained feedback than the occasional kicking administered from the central corporate mind.
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I can tell you my own personal experience in Chicago, which is that drivers consistently ignore any Delivery Manager instructions, leaving packages anywhere they feel. I’m disabled, so it’s important my packages are left where I’ve requested they be left. Even included “do not leave on front porch” in the address, and they still did it. Filed at least 6 complaints since 2016. I avoid using them at all costs.
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Where I work there are a lot of courier pick-ups and a (not-so) surprising number do not read the instructions.
No, dude, we are not handing over the legal documents until you tell us who they’re listed under (clients arrange for and pay for delivery and are instructed to use the name of who applied as a pick-up name). Most times the instructions are right there on their device. I have seen it. The difference is if they don’t pick up, it’s harder to lie about than fucking up on drop-off. So we can say “check your instructions or call your dispatcher” and they do it because there’s no CYA. But a lot don’t know how to check those instructions. So with you, they can shrug and say “It’s delivered.” and push it on you to prove otherwise.
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Oh no, they’ve fully admitted it’s their error. I’ve spoken to the depot manager several times, who assured me they’d flagged my address and would make sure instructions were checked, because again I’m dealing with a disability and it’s important. The drivers just don’t care. They mark off “Left on Front Porch” every time. I’ve had the last three packages stolen and require replacement by the shippers. I’ve had the shippers file their own complaints.
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I have to use Amazon Prime at work, and I ordered over $1,000 worth of items the day before they cut off FedEx. Most of the items were third party sellers, but a few were fulfilled by Amazon itself. All but one were shipped via USPS.
Our facility is located in a business park and uses those apt/condo mail boxes. Normally, FedEx would deliver to our warehouse, but USPS will not. All but one item was returned because there wasn’t enough lockers for all the businesses and their packages.
I’m thinking that we weren’t the only customers who had to have Amazon credit back money.
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Given the way it treats its “employees” as well.
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I work in a mailroom for a large corporation (we have a trademark on a color), and I gotta say Amazon drivers are badly mistreated.
If I was doing amazon delivery I’d feel pretty unhappy about the company and I’d be disinclined to see things their way.
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Despite it being almost 20 years since FedEx bought RPS and rebranded it as FedEx Ground I still wouldn’t call them 1 company. Last I checked little if any infrastructure or backend systems are shared between the two.
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Fedex Express refuses to pickup for Ground stuff, and Ground guys refuse to pickup anything express.
UPS will pick up anything (although sometimes the driver appreciates it if you presort overnights from everything else) and sometimes our UPS guy even takes USPS mail to the post office.
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Fedex is the only delivery service that consistently delivers our packages to the wrong town. UPS, USPS, and DHL all manage to find us, but Fedex with its rotating cast of casual drivers manage it about 1/4 of the time.
I think it is significant that we have regular UPS and USPS delivery people who are pleasant and we know by name. But Fedex seem to have a different person every other day and they never get to know the vagaries of street naming in small New England towns
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FedEx likes to leave packages sitting on top of our rural-style mailbox – rather than walking down our 200-ft driveway to the door. One package was left leaning against the post of the neighbor’s mailbox down the road.
We’ve been here 20 years with the same setup, but the problem is only FedEx (not UPS or USPS) and only in the last 6 months.
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I wish every online store gave me the option to choose USPS. I don’t care how long it will take to get to me. I’ll pay extra. I just want it delivered by the actual national postal service, which has access to my mailbox, thanks.
One exception is the variety of FedEx service which uses FedEx to get to the general vicinity of the destination and then hands over to USPS. That works fine.
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