Why I hate UPS & FEDEX (long story)

[Kinger]

Ok picture this, you are working on your computer say photoshop, and your system is dual monitor, the main monitor is a nice 17in LCD FLat Panel and the second is a very nice 19"CRT (got to have the CRT for the photos), and all of a sudden the main monitor dies out. Now I have a completely black screen, and I can't even shut down the computer cause I can't see the stupid little "Start" button (cue Start Me Up by the Rolling Stones, yes Windows 95 joke). Luckily I was able to shut down with the little windows key. So I hope on my laptop and do some quick research for a replacement LCD (I like LCD's) and decide I nice 17" Samsung (they make my CRT and I love the picture) so I find the best price from a reputable dealer, and decided on CDW, and I figured I would choose UPS ground seeing how close they are I should recieve it by the end of the following week, for reference the date at this point is April 9th. So everything goes as planned CDW gets the order ready and UPS picks it up April 11th (monday) and has an estimated delivery date of Thursday April 14th. OK just for perspective you need to know that I work the overnight shift at a local Emergency Room, so I need my sleep during the day. On the 14th I stay awake and stay near the front door to wait for the delivery from UPS (I have to stay near the front doo in case they decide not to ring the bell and just knock ever so slightly and just leave a little post-it note that I sure that you are all aware of. So I stay aware all day waiting, and nope no package, and mind you I have the UPS tracking page up saying that it is "out for delivery." So ok mybe something happened, driver got sick, truck in accident, something so I will just wait till tomarrow to get it no biggie. So friday the 15th roles around and I stay awake again after working all night to wait for my package so I don't miss the driver. As of now I am sure you can guess what has happened, No delivery. So 7pm that night I call UPS (I have had UPS deliveries from 10am to 6:30pm to my house) and they tell me that there is something wrong with my package and they can't tell me what it is, and I need to contact the shipper to have them call UPS. So I call CDW, and speak to one of their CSR's and ask them to call UPS for me, and to call me back. Five minutes later the CDW guy calls me back and says that UPS has lost my monitor, it was loaded on the truck for delivery, but when the truck came back that night it was empty and I didn't get the monitor. Of course their computer system notices it didn't get delivered and just automatically says the delivery is now for the next buisness day (in fact it is still doing that now a week later). So now the CDW guy tells me he is going to have another monitor overnighted to me, but I need to wait till Monday the 19th, cause their warehouse is closed on weekends. Ok no biggie, I will have it Tuesday, it's not their fault that someone stole it. Ok now it is Monday morning, and I call CDW to check that a new monitor is on the way, and was hit with a big fat "NO". As it turns out, because I had originally chosen UPS ground CDW has to give them the full 5-7 buisness days to deliver my monitor before they can file a claim and ship my monitor. Now remember UPS has already stated that it is lost, so now I am a bit mad cause I was mislead. So they promise to have one overnighted if I don't have one by the end of the buisness day Wed the 20th. So the 20th roles around and guess what, NO MONITOR. So I make my call, to CDW and they setup my order for an overnight delivery of a new monitor that will be sent out thursday. Ok so I track it before I leave for work Thursday night, and it has already been picked up by FEDEX, (maybe they will get it right) at the CDW warehouse in Illinois, so I go to work thinking that I will have my monitor by 10:30 am after I get home from work. OK now as I write this, it is now 1:32pm on April 22nd (my Birthday by the way) and I still don't have the monitor, and tracking website show the last scan was at a sort facility in Indiana. So I call FEDEX, and they said that they will have to put a trace on the package, which ironically what UPS also said they would do. So I call CDW and reference the case number that was created with the first lost monitor and explained to them that it wasn't delivered again. They told me that they are going to run another trace themselves and try to get another monitor out to me asap. (By the way I told them that I run a small home buisness and I am losing money by not having my monitor). I also asked if they put the monitors that they ship in a generic CDW box, or just slap a shipping sticker on the monitor box, and it turns out they do just slap a sticker on the monitor box. Hearing this I suggested to them that they change this policy, cause an LCD Flat Panel monitor is obvioulsy too tempting for dishonest people, I also demanded that the next monitor they ship me (which probably won't be till Monday 25) that it be placed in a generic unmarked box.

So that is my story, and here I sit, still no monitor and still no sleep waiting for a phone call about my monitor, and I now hoping that CDW decides that it will be cheaper to pay one of their lackied the overtime to drive from Illinois to NJ and hand deliver it to me, then lose yet a third monitor. But if the third one does get lost I am going to demand the Lacky Hand Delivery option.

Now thank you POTN for letting me vent.

[Dirty Shirt]

paragraphs are your friend.

Can we get a cliff notes version?

[Kinger]

[QUOTE=Dirty Shirt]paragraphs are your friend. [QUOTE]

LOL, yeah well it was a rant what can I say. But I did warn you that it was a long story.

[Wazza]

I guess couriers aren't your friend also. I've had a few problems before. Particularly, packages, which I've paid extra for "SIGNATURE", and still they will just apparently knock at the door when I'm home, no answer, and decide it's not too valuable, we'll just leave it on the doorstep or mailbox.

[Skip Souza]

I can feel the steam clear out here :-) :-) :-)
You must let us know when it arrives.

[Michaelmjc]

haha thats a funny story, I could just imagine how mad you are. I hate when they tell me it will be here on thursday and I have to wait unitll monday! I hate waiting the weekend... Soemtimes online shopping isn't as convenient as it is cracked up to be.

[robertwgross]

First of all, when you expect a delivery some day, then put a sign on your door that says, KNOCK. That way, you should not have to stay awake waiting for the delivery.

If I am expecting a home delivery of something from the US Postal Service, then I know they simply dump it in the mail box and run. If I am there, I would like to know when they arrive. So, I have a photoelectric beam across the porch. When anybody walks through there, the gong sounds inside the house. Radio Shack sells photoelectric beams and gongs.

---Bob Gross---

[Citizensmith]

I've had similar stuff happen. A computer case that UPS managed to loose, and a printer that Fedex showed as delivered but never showed up. About 10 days later it showed up on a UPS truck.

As for repackaging, I think the excessive costs of all the required large boxes, packaging materials, and time to repackage would easily outweigh the replacement cost of the occasional lost item.

[Kinger]

Ok I got a call over the weekend from FedEx, according to them the airbill had been removed from the package and it was just sitting in their "Research" office waiting for a claim. I have a feeling that someon took off the airbill hoping that there wouldn't be a claim, then get a monitor after whatever waiting period FedEx requires. Now according to FedEx, I should recieve my monitor today by 10:30 am, so I will let everyone know if it does show up.

On a side note, CDW has been very good through this whole thing, in fact if FedEx didn't find it after the weekend they were going to ship a third one to me. They were very upset that the second monitor was also lost. So I highly recommend them for future computer related purchases.

[charlesu]

Good luck! But I don't have much faith in the delivery folks. I used to but I think now their systems are overtaxed daily.

[Kinger]

WellI got the monitor yesterday, Finally. Today I got a call from UPS asking if there was a problem with the delivery of my monitor from CDW. I almost told them to see this thread.