Fed Ex Smart Post

[Col. Batguano]

We had a thread going on USPS and their less than stellar performance which got abandoned a few weeks ago.
https://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/threads/usps.127714/page-3
I can now add Fed Ex Smart Post to the list of shipping methods to avoid. I had a shipment (just a 3 pound box with a water filter in it) that was supposed to be shipped to me in mid Jan from CA which went by Fed Ex Ground. I thought fine, 3-5 business days I can live with. It turned out they used Fed Ex Smart Post, which Fed Ex just picks up the packages and delivers them to USPS for ACTUAL shipping and delivering. Fed Ex is just the middle man. Same slow service as regular USPS, which is just an abbreviation for; "We're pretty bad at our jobs and don't care".

 

[rich pierce]

Bait and switch.

 

[William Lincoln]

And we should trust our votes to the USPS?

 

[TreeMan]

In my rural area FedEx drivers are the crackheads of the delivery guys. Terrible terrible terrible!

 

[deermanok]

Pretty much everything I order online is delivered by FedEx. I have to say that they're good to me. Except for the one time I ordered some bullets from muzzleloaders.com
I was wondering what happened to my order, when I got a call from a guy at a hunting ranch up north of me. My bullets were delivered to the ranch. It was about a 80 mile round trip to collect my package.
I called FedEx to express my dissatisfaction. The lady I talked to was very apologetic. I later got a call from a supervisor. He was very sorry for what happened.
Would have been a nice gesture if they sent me a few bucks for my trouble or refunded the shipping costs.

 

[Col. Batguano]

Did you ask them to give you some kind of credit or refund? They are pretty well trained to listen to irate customers and say "I'm sorry" all day long. Have you ever talked to a German in Germany? The first words out of their mouth in almost every conversation start with; "We're sorry for starting World War Two...."

Regular Fed Ex Ground they retain control of the package throughout the route. Fed Ex Smart Post (an oxymoron) is ground, but the USPS is the one in control of the package. So you have to be specific and ask what flavor of Fed Ex Ground the shipper is using. If you're just clicking on a web site that can be hard to figure out, because it usually isn't specified.