FedEx follies

[skou]

All of this is good, David, until you hear about someone getting a package with tire tracks on it. We're talking fork-lift tire tracks.

I don't care HOW you package something, it won't withstand a 4000 pound fork-lift driving OVER it.

steve

 

[Archer36]

I don't care HOW you package something, it won't withstand a 4000 pound fork-lift driving OVER it.

steve

I wonder if a Nalgene bottle inside a box would

 

[David Coleman]

All of this is good, David, until you hear about someone getting a package with tire tracks on it. We're talking fork-lift tire tracks.

I don't care HOW you package something, it won't withstand a 4000 pound fork-lift driving OVER it.

steve

UPS doesnt use fork lifts. Dunno about fedex or DHL, but that sounds more like a shipper folly than anything else. Loading dock mishaps, not the shipping company's fault...

 

[T'wolves]

Trust me...it's the companies fault.

Even in your theory (which is right, actually)...it's the company paying their employees ****-poor wages and treated them like dog**** that gives them that bad attitude...trust me - I work in a place like that...

I work as a package handler at fedex msp ramp. Believe me, fedex treats us Awesome, but we still have ppl that dont care. I admit, sometimes, I just want to go home, F the arrows. But usually I do the best the best I can. It's both bad employees and the company.

 

[T'wolves]

There is alot of mis information about UPS here.

1) employees do not ever get a discount to ship stuff. Not union jobs anyways. Maybe managment gets a deal or something, but not hourlies.

2) nobody at UPS makes close to minimum wage. Most part jobs start around 9 bucks an hour, full benefits. Drivers in this area start at 14.65 I believe and it goes up from there to something like 27/hour.

3) Boxes come end up looking like crap because the shippers do not package the boxes like UPS recommends. There are multiple diagrams on how to package stuff if you go to your local UPS location. Use lots of tape; don't put a baseball sized object in a refridgerator box with half a newspaper in there to cushion it (it will get crushed to baseball size).

All shipping companies are rough with it. Thats the nature of handling several billion packages every day. You can't have each one fly on a little silk pillow to its destination. Economies of scale. I stopped ordering from companies who ship motherboards in the motherboard box or whatever, because they are ASKING for it to be destroyed, no matter what shipper they use. If, however if it is packaged inside a larger box, surrounded by some sort of shock absorbing densely packed material, you will have no problems. Seriously. And use lots of tape. Tape helps the packages slide around their chutes, belts, and conveyers. That means they dont get stuck and smashed by the Harley Davidson frame that is behind it or the set of 26" tires bound together or whatever else is in the system. The idea is to give your package the best chance to survive, not to package it to where it looks ok and cross your fingers. That's foolishness.

1) Working hourly at fedex, I get 75% off all shipments I make using fedex. So UPS really sucks, or your misled.

2) UPS pays like crap, we have ppl come to fedex from ups just for the pay hike, I started at 11.18 an hour, and up to 12.17 after 1.5yrs, now im at 2 yrs.

3) and yes at fedex the worst boxes are the ones incorrectly packaged, usually its the sorting process that does the most damage. A single package holding 500lbs behind it on the slide, plus a pneumatic arm behind pushing the pile further, doesnt make for pretty boxes. However, the individuals who have worked for ups, admit the handlers there are worse than those at fedex (atleast in my area).

Basically, I would work for and ship with fedex anyday over ups.