FedEx Review

After having two really awful experiences with Federal Express within a month, I feel compelled to write them off, and to write a negative review of their service.

Used to be that FedEx were the go-to guys for getting stuff delivered quickly and efficiently. Their service used to be the gold standard. Those days are long gone. More recently, I've found they're sloppy, don't respond to customer service requests, don't deliver packages in time as promised, and are careless.

Last month we ordered a rather expensive anti-gravity chair to help me deal with a chronic back problem. The online dealer used FedEx to send it to us. We were told to be home between 9 and 5 on a certain day, as FedEx would not deliver without someone here to sign. I stayed home on that day, and never left the house. FedEx never knocked on my door. When I called to ask what the problem was, the person was rude and clueless. He claimed the package had been delivered. I explained that I had been home for every second fo the day, and that no package had been delivered. He said he'd look into it and get back to me. That was in mid September. I've never heard back from FedEx. I did, however, have a knock on my door from a total stranger who had dropped by my building to pick up mail for a friend of hers who was on vacation. When she got to the friend's apartment, she found a giant box just sitting in the hallway. The box was addressed to me. Yes, that's right: FedEx delivered my very expensive piece of furniture to the wrong apartment, on the wrong floor (it's a  huge buidling with over 150 units) and just left it in the hallway. They didn't leave it with a person or ask for a signature. They just dumped it in the hallway of an apartment building in the middle of the City. As I've already mentioned, they still haven't called back to respond to my request for customer service. As far as FedEx knows, I've never received my package and am out several hundred dollars...but, hey...what do they care?

Just a few days after ordering the chair, I ordered a couple of gifts for my nephews from Overstock.com, one of my favorite - and one of the most reliable - online retailers. The first part of the order, which was sent via UPS, arrived within three days. As of yesterday, the second part of the order,which had been sent FedEx still hadn't arrived. I used the tracking number provided by Overstock, but the FedEx website provided no help. According to the site, the package is "referenced" - what does that even mean???? They don't even recognize their own tracking number. I surfed on to Overstock's live online help and, within three minutes, an Overstock customer service rep was able to tell me that from hsi end, it looked as if FedEx had lost my package. Overstock was great - they said they would try to track the lost package and, if it remained unfound after a few days, they would offer to either ship out duplicate item or offer a full refund. The Overstock customer service person was polite, patient and helpful. FedEx was no help, at all.

Comparing FedEx notes with my workmate, I'm convinced my experiences haven't been exceptions, but more and more the rule. FedEx is totally off my list of shipping options, effective immediately.