That's basically been the exact opposite of my experience with FedEx. I use them for "important stuff"/international shipping and have never had a problem, whereas UPS lost some important paperwork that I had to send to LSE. Whenever I would ship stuff back and forth from DC via UPS or USPS, my boxes would always arrive fucked up (yet somehow my items wouldn't slip through the damaged boxes...amazing). I've pretty much concluded that they all suck, though.

FEDEX IS THE WORST BY FAR!!!! SEEM TO BE HAVING A LOT OF "MECHANICAL ISSUES" WITH THEIR AIRCRAFT THESE DAYS!! SEVERAL PRIORITY SHIPMENTS IN THE LAST FEW MONTHS HAVE BEEN DELAYED AS A RESULT.

--NOT HAPPY, USE UPS

You're right. Fedex sucks, more than you know. If you think that was bad, try working for them! The arrogant corporate officers have cut back pay and benefits, destroying moral. They only care about cooking their books to get the stock price as high as possible, and everything else can wait..such as the well-being of customers and employees. After seeing what I see on the inside, I would not recommend them to anybody.

I have worked for FedEx for 15 years. I work on the REAL FedEx side...the Express side not the ground side as the original poster failed to mention (the signature proof is a ground confirmation). Yes, we have problems like all other shipping companies do however our service priority is taken in the highest consideration. It is beaten into our heads on a daily basis that we need to make service from our managers.

The Ground side is RPS independent contractors. The Express side has NOTHING to do with them. We can't take their packages nor can we deliver them. If it were up to me, we would absorb the ground packages too and put all of us under one umbrella. However, the Ground side is a huge money maker for us so we will probably never do that.
As far as mechanical problems with our airplanes??? I suppose it would be better to just send a plane into the air, have it fail and have all of the packages onboard to crash and burn.

FedEx much like any other company is not without problems. However, in my 15 years of doing this job, most problems are customer caused. Examples:

Wrong address
Wrong Zip
No apt,suite or floor #
Improperly packaged (I really get a kick out some of these morons who think that it is a good idea to put a pair of sunglasses inside a FedEx envelope and ask, "Why are these broken?"

Ways to make sure that your shipment gets to you on time??
Sign a release
Leave a note
Correct address
Track and have someone home to sign for it.
Have it "hold for pickup at FedEx location"

None of the Big Shipping companies are perfect and I see problems on our side all of the time. However, we lead ALL shipping companies in overnight delivery service for some reason.

I'm going through a similar problem with an Apple order shipped via Fed Ex right now. According to the web site, my package was delivered 5 days ago, and it was... to the WRONG address. After phone calls to Fed Ex and Apple, I've been able to figure out that my power mac (not a small package) is sitting 9 miles away, signed for by someone who is not me, at an address that's not even in the same county. Seems a large university had placed a big order, and the Fed Ex person just happened to throw in my computer for free. However, all I can do is twiddle my thumbs until someone can locate it, pick it up, sort out the mess, and get it to me.

I understand that mistakes happen, but at this time, I've heard conflicting excuses and dealt with less than friendly or helpful service people. On Friday, I was told that the driver who made the original delivery was out sick and they hadn't been able to tell anyone else to look for the package. Today, I was told that the form for reporting the mistake had been filled out wrong by one of the first THREE people I talked to and they've only now begun researching the mistake. Would I mind waiting another 2 days while they look into it?

This is the second time Fed Ex has misdelivered an Apple order to me (they dropped off a monitor at a neighboring apartment a year ago), and their internet tracking is a complete crock (do you know how frustrating it is to look at my order online and see the words ''delivered' with no additional actions?). I wish there was a way to have Apple ship only UPS -- I received the first part of my order through them almost 2 weeks ago.

Ugh. Thanks for hosting this place to vent. And Fedex guy, while yes, some customers might be at fault, leaving a comment that shifts the blame while espousing your company's superiority earns your case no points in my book. It just makes me want to kick you in the shins.

Kick me in the shins??? Wow! It is time for me to break out my shin guards out of the closet.

Here is an example of a common problem:

I have a package to deliver today. It is a signature required. Meaning...YOU have to sign for it, not the neighbor. You CANNOT leave a note stating that it is ok to leave the shippment. This is up to the shipper...not you. No you CANNOT sign the delivery notice that makes it ok to leave the package (although most couriers will scratch out this option). And while you may have had a release on file with us for years...this time we cannot leave it.

So what do I get on my hands today? Some guy whinning and complaing about why we did not leave his shippment. After explaining why I could not do it, he said that our service sucks! I just replied, "Thanks for letting me know how you feel...have a good day".

Hey FedEx guy - much as I hate to agree with anyone from FedEx, I've seen the same problems that you talk about with our customers as well over the past 13 years. The bottom line is that the customer is still always right (that's called good business in case FedEx has forgotten).

We have had a sorry reputation but have been very actively changing it: The Post Office is constantly coming up with new ways to improve service and we're doing a respectable job of it.
As a matter of fact the number of parcels we deliver has increased dramatically over the past few years because we're taking the business back that carriers like FedEx took from us years ago. We're going to put you out of business and the primary reason is that your service always has, and always will, suck (especially in Hawaii).

I too have experienced the same problems talked about here by others, and in fact have been waiting for a "2-day" shipment from Apple through FedEx for 4 days now. When I check FedEx Tracking, I see the package arrived in Alaska on the 8th and was delayed (at the same time - Exceptional Delay so FedEx can't be charged for it) in China on the 9th. That really makes a great deal of sense.

But in any case, Have a Good Day!

If only FedEx Ground would honor their so-called signature requirements. If they had, my package would not have been signed for, using my name, and by the opposite sex, at some unknown address. I wasn't home at the time, and have nobody living with me. (A boy named Sue??) The driver insists he delivered it to the correct address. Is there a release form that says, "HEL-lo! Make sure it is me you're delivering the package to."

After speaking with the driver and his manager, they still tell me that the driver delivered the package to the correct address, even though I tell them that this is impossible because I never got any package. They tell me to file a claim for a lost package, which means they are probably going to make no attempt to resolve this. So now, some dishonest stranger (who looked honest enough, says the driver) who looked at my package in order to sign my name, has my package, my name, my address, and who knows what other information, and FedEx doesn't care. With whatever protocol and security measures that aren't in place, I would have had better luck in receiving the package if they had dumped it out by the side of the road, or just left it outside my door. Scary stuff.

UPS Sucks, and the customer care representative on the phone confirmed this.

This the information I received from UPS Customer Care over the phone:

Me: I received a note on my door on Tuesday that a delivery attempt was made, but I wasn't home. So on the back of the note, I left instructions to 'leave the package with the leasing office.' This is what USPS and FedEx do by default.

But today, Wednesday, my note is still on my door, and there is no notice of a second attempt. Yet the web site says that a second attempt was delivered. Clearly the driver did not make a second attempt, but merely logged it. This is not the service I paid for. I would like a refund.

UPS Customer Care: Only the shipper can request a refund. Besides, this situation doesn't qualify for a refund. We made a first delivery attempt within the timeframe promised.

Me: But the note said a 2nd attempt would be made today, and it didn't happen. I mean, what if I had stayed home all day to wait for the package?

UPS Customer Care: It doesn't qualify for a refund...

Me: Are you saying that after the first attempt is made, UPS makes not guarentees about subsequent attempts? That delivery attempts can be delayed indefinitely?

UPS Customer Care: We will make up to two subsequent attempts for no additional charge, but THERE IS NO GUARANTEE AS TO WHEN REDELIVERY WILL BE MADE.

++++

Am I the only person that finds this questionable? That if you're not there on the first attempt, then THEY HAVE **NO OBLIGATION** TO REATTEMPT DELIVERY IN A TIMELY FASION!

The other thing that pissed me off was that the driver logged that they attempted delivery, when they didn't. What? Did this person think I wouldn't notice?

Only *after* I get my package (a gift for my wife, but looks like it'll be too late...) will I pursue UPS about this driver that's logging fake attempts. Hate your job? Wanna get fired? Let me help you...

By the way, the order was split into two shipments. The other half of the shipment was via FedEx. The FedEx driver left it with the leasing office on the first attempt... without me having to tell them. *sigh*

In the interest of full disclosure, I am a former FedEx employee of 11 years, half as a courier and half as a manager. I recently left to pursue advancement at another company. It is my opinion that FedEx strives very hard to provide outstanding service to its customers. Other companies and industries would be put to shame if they knew all of the performance metrics used at FedEx to measure itself. Of course there are lame-brained employees (couriers, customer service agents, managers) who do not do enough to help when a difficult situation arises. FedEx has gotten lax in eliminating these employees from its operation.

It would be foolish and impossible pay out a claim immediately for a package that has a signature at the correct address. I have personally dealt with dozens of cases of fraud. You would be amazed at the schemes some criminals perpetrate in order to get goods. I have been on sting operations with local police as a decoy courier, in order to catch some of these hoods. It takes time and patience to sort out the legitimate claims from the criminal ones. My experience has been that FedEx is very good at paying out legitimate claims. Where they are reluctant is in correctly disciplining the drivers who make mistakes and managers who allow them to continue.

Lastly, please remember that when you have a problem, reasoning and coutesy will get much further than venom and vinegar. I had very little patience for the caller who screamed curse words and insults into the receiver demanding a re-attempt on a package because the courier came to the door in the "two seconds" they just stepped out. FedEx couriers and managers can often work miracles if they are given the chance.

Here is my recent spat with fedex.

I live in arizona and ordered something from canada, and payed for international priority service. The day after I ordered it was shipped (wed) and tracking stated that it would be delivered thur morning.

Thursday afternoon comes and no package, with no update on tracking. So I call and get that it's still in customs. Fine, customs can take forever. I call again Friday morning and they said it was released from customs and is on its way (although tracking shows no info). Friday night, no update on tracking, I call and they state they are sorry, it is still in another state, but they will put a note in to deliver it on sat, which they normally don't do. Ok no problem.

Sat afternoon and still no update on tracking. I call, and they say they have someone working on it, and they will call me back (of course they never do).

Sun morning I call, and they say they need a description of the package from the shipper. I ask "why, did you lose it?", and their response is "maybe, but it should show up shortly. you need to call your shipper and have them call us."

Sun afternoon and FINALLY an update on tracking. The package is on its way to the phillipines. WTF? ok, human error occurs, I call up, of course I get no new info. Tracking updates and says it left the phillipines, so I call, and they have no idea where it is going.

24 hours later (I know there are time differences, I'm talking about 24 actual hours after the tracking update of departure), with no update on tracking, I call again. It is inroute to Japan (a 24 hour flight from the phillipine to Japan?). I call again and they say they don't know what is going on, they will have a rep call me tomorrow. Of course, no call the next day, with no update in tracking (it still says it departed from the phillipines).

24 hours later no tracking update, I call again, no info, and state a rep is going to call me "the next day."

Most likely my package was lost or stolen. Now I'm going to have to go through some BS and call the company to try to get them to send another, which I doubt they'll do until their reimbursed by fedex, which I doubt they will do in a time efficient manner.

No more fedex for me. I'm now going to request any shipping company but fedex.

I have been a Fed Ex courier for 7 yrs. and if you people only new what goes on in the inside. About a year and a half ago Fed Ex offered a buy-out and we've gone from fairly compitent and professional management to what I call "4th string" management. These are the people who were "sitting the bench" and always wanted to go into management and couldn't before they apparently lowered the standards. I guess I can only speak for my station, but these people are hardly capable and making changes that are nearly unbearable for us couriers. We are being forced to work long hours and given huge areas to cover that allow know time for customer service, special requests, and we aren't able to deliver some of the packages on time. While standards have been lowered for management, the couriers, cust. service agents, etc., still have to measure up to incredibly ridiculous requirements including accounting for literally every second of our day. Many of us work very hard to serve our customers, but we can only do so much without leadership and support from those that don't understand the system, never leave their office and are probably home by noon everyday. Our motto used to be People, Service, Profit. Well, the People part was about treating their employees well, Service speaks for itself and so does Profit. They seem to have lost site of treating employees well and they are beginning to allow service commitments to decline but they sure seem to be focused on the Profit. Hope the "Good Ole Boys" are enjoying their bonuses every year. Anyway, next time you see a Fed Ex Express courier, please consider what they might be dealing with. Oh Yeah, Express and Ground are two very different organizations.

i need ur help?!!!

i believe that even tho there's proof of delivery transit n all, its possible that it can be phony! i just ordered a cell from cingular,n they had Fed Ex ship it to my house, i thought i was safe enuff to check online my delivery status with fed ex. but i never got my delivery package even tho they said it was sent! they said my delivery date would be Aug 8 around 7pm. yet i stayed home since 130 pm that day just incase they'd come early.tha whole time, i didn't hear my doorbell ring or nutthing and when 7pm passed i checked online, to see if my delivery was delayed or something, n it said they delivered it at 3:49 PM.and that they left it in front of my door, and no signature was required! i just don't belive that?!! how could they be so stupid. either they played me or someone stole it from my property.jus cuz i live ina nice neighborhood doesn't mean "its all good". is that legal? they could at least put it in my mail box since its a small package. tha whole time i thought it would be a safe delivery! they didn't even warn me that there wouldn't demand a signature of proof. i'm about to file a claim and write to cingular n fedex about this problem, even tho i know there's nothing they can do about it. i just want my money back.

can anyone please give me advice?!!!!

I worked for Fed Ex for 10 plus years and can honestly say that service doesn't matter to them. It did matter years ago but not now. Refunds for servicee failures were automatic. Now the customer must call and jump through hoops. If Fed Ex was so customer oriented then why did they confuse all customers and employees with the various divisions of Fed Ex. Fed Ex Express, Fed Ex Ground, Fed Ex Customs Critical, Fed Ex Home Delivery. Will it ever end? A company who in 1998 was a top 10 Us Company to work for has plumeted to 98 in 6 years. Employees are unhappy and frustrated because they can not provide the service to customers due to the lack of information provided by the powers that be. Most of the drivers care about making service and helping the customer but their hands are tied due to management setting the driver's up to fail. Managers should be putting drivers in a situation where they can succeed yet they fail on a daily basis. For example: Fed Ex would rather send 1 driver to deliver 30 stops, knowing he or she can only make service on 20-25 stops. They will take an extra driver and keep he or she in the warehouse rather than splitting the deliveries between 2 people. Fed Ex would rather have 5 service failures with 1 driver instead of 100% service with 2 drivers. Don't believe the Fed Ex Hype. It is a garbage company that will soon be Union because of the short sighted management running the ship. I hope those still working there can swim cause the ship is going down. This company makes money in spite of itself and there should be an investigation into FedEx accounting practices.

just like my friend up there. my tracking info says it was delivered 'left at front door. signature not required', yet; no package. i also live in a 'nice' neighborhood[!!], but you never know... Now, if i was a delivery driver, in a hurry to make 30drops and here's a 'no signature' pkg, and i know nothing will get done if i just. kinda.let.it.ooops. SOMEONE's got a new toy, that's for sure...

go here and scrolldown; http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/wlg/4912

After 28 years as a courier I can attest to service is no longer the priority..
Used to be the customer came first, now that has to get cleared thru engineering.

Thank you for this site! I have also had some bad experiences recently with FedEx Ground service that has me vowing never to use FedEx again.

First, the courier left a package that was signature required sitting on my front step, and signed for it himself. When I complained, the courier called me and explained that he forgot to get a signature so he just signed for it so his numbers would reconcile, and then asked me to remove the complaint so he would still get his bonus that month. I refused.

Now I'm caught in a loop over another package from the same company. They attempted delivery and I called to see if I could pick it up instead. The phone rep said that that was not allowed but that she could put a note on the file to have it delivered in the evening. I asked for it to be delivered after 6PM. As anyone could have predicted, next day I got home from work and there was another delivery slip on the door. I called again and was told that the other phone rep had lied to me about putting a note in the file, but that they could hold it for pickup after all. So today I have to drop everything at work to get to the warehouse befor 4PM.

The reason I find this so aggravating is that they don't give you any options other than being at home during business hours to wait for the delivery, or going to the warehouse during business hours. UPS, on the other hand, lets you reroute a package yourself and you can pick up packages without any fuss. The same can be said for FedEx Express, and I've always gotten excellent service from that branch of the company. But if the corporation as a whole is profiting from their inadequate Ground service, I'm inclined to skip FedEx completely.

FedEx is just plain incompetent. Number of incidents. For one, a few years ago they lost an $80,000 server for a day or more. They agreed they had picked it up and that it hadn't been delivered but they had no idea where it was or what may have happened to it. Finally they found it and said they were shipping it on it's way ASAP. Well it got to the airport 90 miles from here and then some how got shipped back to their SE hub. So at this point it has twice been misdirected to the wrong city. This was highly time sensitive so to get it as fast as possible we were told it would be on the next plane and if we wanted to drive 90 miles to the airport we could have it that night otherwise we wouldn't see it until late the next day at best. 2 people from work waited until they received a call from FedEX saying it was on the plane and the plane had left and then drove 90 miles to the airport. After waiting for everything to be unloaded it was determined it was not on the plane. The manifest said it was but it wasn't. FedEx the next day explained it had probably been on the plane b/c their scan showed that it was but apparently someone took it off the plane to put something else on instead and didn't scan it. Total incompent to say the least.

Now tonight another great experience with FedEX incompetence. I have been home almost all day expecting a delivery. As I was checking the tracking online I noticed it changed to delivered around 5pm. No one had ever been do the door so I was very surprised. I went outside and checked for a package or delivery notice and found nothing. It has been snowing and there were no truck tracks. I called and they say it has been delivered and signed. Address is correct but apparently delivered some place else. Great how long is this going to take to sort out?

Do yourself a favor use and insist on UPS. Undoubtedy any shipper will have occasional problem but FedEX is awful especially for later packages. Our company switche to FedEX a number of years ago due to cheaper prices but we eventually switched back to UPS b/c we had a lot more complaints with FedEX. That says someting.

Very interesting. My brother Fed-exed my Christmas package on 12/22/05 and was promised delivery in 2 or 3 days. Here it is 1/1/06 and still no package. I tracked it several times on fedex web site and it appears to be stuck in the Toledo, OH terminal and they claim several attempts to deliver .....but they can't find my address. I have called them several times and my brother has called them several times and we both get told it will be delivered on a particular date and it DOES NOT. What a poor way they have of handling customer relations they have.

My question is.......how do we get it out of the Toledo, OH terminal and at my doorstep? The address has been checked and re-checked and is correct in entirity. Is there a web site I can where I can send an email to their public relations manager to get this straightened out. Those who answer the phone won't give it to me. I gave her specific instructions as to how to get to my house. By fumbling my delivery they have gained for themselves another week of bumbling and not producing any. Now I am told it will be delivered on 1/4/05. I don't believe anything they say and neither does my brother. FedeX is EXFedEx in our vocabulary. Brown gets it right!!! We will use them or the USPS. At least we will get things delivered!!!!!

Thanks for letting me write to "Someone" about this. If you have an email address for me to send my complaint to, I would appreciate knowing it. Someone in that company is sabotaging them or they are just plain stupid!!!!!!!!!

Louretta Schell

OK, OK, OK. Let's get some things straight. I am the Office Admin for FedEx Home Delivery in a certain state....Am I going to praise FedEx? Hell No!! we are the biggest mis managed company around. You know what we did during peak(the 2 weeks leading up to Christmas) while customer service calls were relentlessy ringing my phone? I didn't answer!!! Wanna know why I didn't wanna talk to you guys? Because I knew as much as you did. Here is the scoop on hubs and terminals. When a box comes into our hub it gets a "inbound scan" Let's us know we have it and it is here in our incompetent hands. Everytime that box gets touch or moved it gets a scan or suppose to. Now, John Doe loads Sallys box on the truck for delivery... BUT JUST DOESN'T FEEL LIKE GOING UP HER ICY Driveway, He scans the box with the code "UTL (unable to locate recipient) or Not Home...whatever, Now remember, He did NOT attempt her package, but you wanna know why he scans it he did??? CAUSE HE GETS PAID FOR THE BOXES HE DOES ATTEMPT....Yup they are ALL liars!! If you guys only knew the inside workings of this hell hole, You actually have to EARN hours to pay your employees, (not contractors- their different, own their own trucks yada yada) Yes, we have to have so much volume in order to have employees...Stupid Stupid Stupid~~ Oh and near Christmas time for Dec 1st on--- We hire temporary drivers, so that is why your packages are late or lost. They simply have no clue how to be efficient! While they do attend a 3 day training course it is no where near as informative as it should be and they (FEDEX) needs to screen the temps a little better, some of them look like murderers! Trust me I interviewed a few losers! Customers want to see a pleasant looking face and a great personality. Not a man from deliverance!! We suck! and We know it at FedEx, they are GREEDY! STINGY! LIARS! They will never ever pay overtime, don't even let you get close to it! Your expected to work longer than you are paid for, FOR FREE! or your looked down upon, Trust me they notice! We skimp on EVERYTHING POSSIBLE! Not allowed to purchase anything without it going through 15 friggin higher ups, The budget sucks ass and is ridiculous, Example! Our Christmas Party which we were told NOT to have SUCKED in truest FedEx fashion starting with the budget, Now my husband works for a VERY WELL KNOWN homebuilder, Their parties are Out of this world!! They spare no expense!!! While going over the budget for our Party, I noticed we had a actual budget for "Awards and Recognitions" Great I thought all of the drivers will recieve some gifts....WRONG!!! Our budget was a pathetic 200 bucks... Just wrong! They want us to bust our ass so the Fat Lazy ones at the top can kick back and relax while all the little people make THEM money. It really is a terrible company to work for. Honestly, I thought I was going to love it and be proud but once I started there and witnessed how thing were done I was hating it by the end of the 2nd week. If you want great service and happy employees, then TREAT THEM WELL and recognize them, Otherwise you'll still have the outrageously high turn-over rate you do, FedEx doesn't wanna pay out a single damn dollar for anything! The cheapiest company I have ever witnessed. It is pretty bad when a self employed Doctor pays you more than a Multi Billion dollar business does and also gives you $1000 per year for every year your there at Christmas. Really burns me up. Oh the drivers, yes it is true. They DO NOT CARE!!! They set their own schedules, times, everything!!! They ARE self-employed. FedEx can not make them do anything at all and can only fire them after building quite a lengthy file of wrong-doings. Back to Peak...Our shitty ass Customer Service which is FedEx One Call was screwing our customers! For one DON'T EVER CALL THEM, they are in another state and have NO CLUE about your package. always call your terminal DIRECTLY!!! Anyways, Customer Service was telling you the customer to "go to the terminal to get your package if you want it before Christmas" FOR 1, Most likely you ain't gonna get it if you come to the terminal without setting up a pick-up time. We had over 800,000 boxes on our floors, Do you think I and maybe 1 other person are even gonna attempt to look through every box to find only 1, NO! You have to schedule a pick up so we can put a researcher on it and when they locate your package and send it to the window to be picked-up you are called to come a retrieve it.
Secondly, We don't even know if your package is here, it could be on a truck out for delivery, During Peak not every driver scans his boxes hence scans "Still on the Truck" since Yesterday" or it looks as if it "as on a truck for 3 days" It hasn't been, it just means no scans have been put on it. Or the label could have been ripped off on the conveyors, This happens to over 1000 boxes a day in the big hubs!!! It has to be re-labled, swak'd, and sent back up to be put into the computer...And during shitty weather we put codes in for Icy driveways, THEY WILL NOT ATTEMPT IT! So keep your driveway clear. Muddy ass driveways, NOPE won't do them either. Best advice is to MAKE SURE YOUR DRIVEWAY IS CLEARLY MARKED AND VISABLE WITH YOUR HOUSE NUMBER ON THE MAILBOX, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY WHEN EVER YOU ORDER SOMETHING! ANYTHING, ALWAYS GIVE THE SHIPPER YOUR HOME TELEPHONE NUMBER TO BE PUT ON THE LABEL, that way if there is a problem with your box you will be notified Immediatly, Without the phone number how are we suppose to call you to say, The driver can't find your house, The address is wrong, Signature is req'd, Just a helpful hint.

Although I hope FedEx seriously considers knocking off the micro managed shit, and gets someone in there with some people skills and a team of people together to figure out a way to keep employees happy, I doubt it will happen. They will continue to sit on their thrones as we the little people bad mouth them and watch them slowly decline.

FedEx Future Motto
"When it absolutely has to be late or lost, Ship FedEx"

I am a FedEx Express courier in going on 3 years. I haven't been around long enough to remember the "good old days" but I can speak to what's happening in the here and now. But first of all Express and Ground are as different from each other as Kinkos and Corn Flakes. So, please state which company you have a gripe about. It's only fair. My list of complaints is long. First thing most newer drivers will bring up is the issue of pay. In years past a driver could "top out" in just 2 years. That means he would make the maximum dollar-per-hour. Now it takes 10-12 years to top out. Yes, over a decade. That means there are drivers in my station who make many thousands of dollars a year more for doing the same work. It makes the new guys feel pretty hopeless. In my region I can't hope to buy a home dispite working long, long hours. Fedex also used to give bonuses. No more. They dangle dollar incentives on occassion, but lets be real. Why work harder for a few pennies more when you're already unable to get the work done! My personal experience has been that if I complain to a manager that 100 deliveries a day is too much, or that skipping lunch is not acceptable they moved me to different routes where I had so little to do I was forced to take 2 hour plus lunches thus losing an hour of pay. The other favorite method for punishing the "squeeky wheels" is to dump more work on them. My point is just that 99 out of 100 drivers want to help the customer. We want to make service commitments. We want the customers that we see every day to be happy and satisfied. We want the company that we have given so much of our blood sweat and tears to to be a fair and honest company. And we desperately want to be paid fairly for our time. The "company" on the other hand doesn't make that possible. I have been encouraged to falsify my delivery records by the very same managers who proclaim at meetings that we should NEVER falsify. Routes are being eliminated as well which means that fewer drivers are now required to deliver even more pakages to even larger areas. I'm seriously looking for another line of work.

I am a FedEx Express courier of 7 years and am now getting tired of this company. First, let me just say I deal with problem packages on a daily basis and most times it is the sender's fault that the package is delayed. I can't believe the amount of people who forget to put a recipient address whether it be the state the city/zip or the whole address all together. Then we contact the sender and they get mad at us. We are under a serious amount of pressure to make sure packages are delivered on time. Not just most but ALL the packages we deal with. Now let me talk about what I hate about this company. Without getting too specific let me just say I took some time off to have a surgery done. A surgery I had to help save my brothers life. I had to use up 5 sick days and FedEx just told me today that I am on the verge of going on probation for poor attendance! Its because I took off the time the approved me to take off to donate an organ! Crazy but true. I work my ass off always volunteering and FedEx never sees the good in anyone.

I received a parcel in March 2004 a package from Florida, shipped by the seller by FedEx to me in Denmark. The goods were damaged during the transport, so I emailed FedEx in Denmark and filed a claim.

They acknowledged the claim and we had several emails about what exactly was wrong and the value. Then after 2 months suddenly FedEx stopped answering my emails.

I emailed them again and again during summer, fall 2004, all of 2005, tried to phone them ( yeah right ! ), and then in December 2005 sent a registred letter.

Then I got a reply where FedEx stated that since the seller and not I, hadn't filed a complaint within a 45 day time limit they would not compensate me for the damaged goods.

How about that for service ?

Well unfortunately for FedEx during the initial emails they were in contact with the seller, and that I have emails that prove.

But how very sad that FedEx try to treat customers this way.

Christian Vinaa, Copenhagen, Denmark.

Yeah i used fedex to ship my x his birthday presents, ya know, in part to kiss ass and beg him to take me back (i'm awesome i know) anyhow, i spent a few hundred dollars on the presents and then fed ex goes and smashes the glass on not 1, not 2, but all 3 presents. how they managed to do that DRIVING from NYC to New Brunswick, NJ I'll never know.

now I'm waiting for 2 days for them to fax me the claim forms i need to fill out. so i go online to print one out but one link tells me it's already been filed and the other one tells me there is nothing filed for them to generate a form for! SWEET! small claims court is gonna rule, especially since I work at a lawfirm

FedEx DOES suck and it is getting worse all the time. I have worked as a courier in Express for 11 yrs in a small town. I have always tried very hard to do a good job for my customers because these are my friends and neighbors that I see and deliver to everyday. FedEx has become so intent on growth and increasing their stock value that they don't care about their employees OR their customers. The amount of work to do has FAR outstripped our small team's ability to deliver the "Purple Promise" in our area. They have not hired a new person in eight years! We are so overloaded it is ridiculous! I have become embarrassed to work for FedEx because they have made it IMPOSSIBLE for us to deliver on time, let alone provide any level of customer service. For those of you who think "you should just get another job loser" you should try to live in a small town and face the prospect of leaving your steady paycheck job! Even if it sucks! 80% of the people I work with try to do a good job, but FedEx won't get rid of the ones who won't! You could kick Fred Smith in the balls and not get fired...an example...a woman I work with was just "fired" for falsifying a delivery. This is the exact FAILURE that many of you have experienced and complained about!!! She took the package to the wrong town by accident, (believe me when you have forty packages crammed in a small truck, it's easy) but instead of calling the customer and trying to make it right, she LIED about attempting the package! This is a person who is a liar, is lazy, has a STACK of customer complaints (they call her the Cocaine Blonde), and who is SO disliked by her team that we were going to have a PARTY when she was fired! We even had a cake ordered! The bad news... FedEx gives people a chance to get their job back through the "guaranteed fair treatment" process. This has been a 12 WEEK PROCESS!! She lost her first two appeals and they STILL gave her the job BACK!! They even went so far as to back her greivance against my manager who was trying to do the right thing. Why? WHO THE HELL KNOWS!! So she can come back a screw up some more?? I have a theory...she knows one of Fred's friends from Vietnam and she went to him to get his help getting her job back, and they gave it to her!
The way FedEx treats their good employees, that's how they treat their customers also...LIKE SHIT!!!DO YOURSELF A FAVOR AND USE UPS!!

Former FedEx guy: "I have personally dealt with dozens of cases of fraud. You would be amazed at the schemes some criminals perpetrate in order to get goods. I have been on sting operations with local police as a decoy courier, in order to catch some of these hoods."
You made some good points but this line is bogus!
I had 2 boxes on my truck one day @ 18lbs each. One of the boxes got punctured by the shelf bracket. I then got a STRONG odor of marijuana in my truck. I just happen to have a delivery for the local police dept and told them that I suspected drugs on my truck. They brought out the K-9 and he hit on them right away. The police wanted me to make the delivery while they stood back waiting to make the arrest. It's company policy to call a manager in this situation. My manager along with Corp. Security said not to do that. The police then wanted a spare FedEx shirt and they wouldn't even do that. It is liability issue that FedEx is not willing to risk. So I find it hard to believe that you went on STINGS with your local police.

I am a FedEx Express manager and just want to share some observations about these posts.

#1 FedEx guy, Former FedEx guy isn't making that up about the sting. It used to be that managers could do that. It may still happen in some areas. I've done it myself.

Interesting to note that all these former and current employees who complain about FedEx trying to make money, also claim that FedEx isn't looking out for its employees. Any company that doesn't try to make a profit is the one that isn't looking out for its employees. Have to make money to fund benefits, payroll, etc., but it's easier to blame than to accept responsibility for your own actions. So be it.

Every company has good and bad employees and no company is perfect. FedEx is no exception. I can tell you that the majority of FedEx Express employees do care about their customers and will do whatever it takes to fix a problem, even when they didn't cause the problem.

As has been said, most delays are caused when shippers make an error on the address. However, it is not necessarily the recipient's fault that the shipper made a mistake so we will do whatever we can to get the customer their package. Whatever the reason is, if your package is 1000 miles away, no-one can get it to you in 30 minutes. I am not about to put the blame on customers but neither am I going to say that FedEx is always at fault. Contrary to popular belief, the customer isn't always right. It's how you deal with that situation that can elevate your service above the competition's. I once had a customer yell and scream and demand that I go to Wal-Mart on Xmas eve to buy a replacement toy for his daughter because FedEx didn't deliver as promised on 12/24. His tracking number showed that his package was in another city and it was all FedEx's fault. I explained to him that from the info I saw, it appeared that Wal-Mart had given him the wrong tracking number and/or mislabled the package. Didn't matter to him and he couldn't get Wal-Mart on the phone. On 12/26 his package arrived with a different tracking number and with the wrong address which FedEx corrected to his address. So the delay wasn't FedEx's fault and I spent a lot of time listening to him shout at me as I explained what the shipper had done. He couldn't get the shipper to answer the phone, it was the shipper's error, yet FedEx was the bad guy. Go figure.

Anyway, for every customer that has a bad experience with FedEx, there's one that has a bad experience with UPS, USPS, DHL, etc. Not that that's ok, it's just the way it is.

I'm glad I found this web site and have read most of the posts. I ordered a golf club on EBay and it was sent by FedEx "ground." Until I read these posts, I didn't realize they were two separate divisions (contractors?!).

Well, like many people that have posted, I checked my tracking log and it said that the courier tried to deliver the package, but nobody was home. But, of course, someone was home and there was no tag left at my door. The tracking log says they will try to deliver on the next business day, which is in 3 days because of Labor Day weekend.

I am kind of worried, after reading these posts, that the same thing will happen on the next business day.

I feel kind of sorry for the couriers that are really, for the most part, trying to do a good job in spite of the b.s. system created by the corporate management at FedEx!