I HATE idiotic shipping logistics!

[thewayne]

I bought two cable adapters from Apple Monday night. They're basically unattainable locally, and a lot of their stuff doesn't get discounted, thus it's easiest just to go direct through their app. Plus, free two-day shipping.

And that last part is important to this story. Free two-day shipping. From Southern California to Southern New Mexico, a distance of less than 900 miles.

We've had a winter storm developing for the last couple of days and it decided to cut loose last night and today. Today I checked for the delivery of my cables, and they are in MASSACHUSETTS.

THEY WENT FROM ONE SIDE OF THE COUNTRY, COMPLETELY SKIPPING MY STATE, TO THE OTHER SIDE OF THE COUNTRY.

GAAAAAH!

To quote Colonel Potter, What in the ever loving Sam Hill are these people doing? Their main hub is, if I recall correctly, Nashville. So it went from California then was shunted up to the northeast? It'll now have to go back to Nashville to be sent back out west to Albuquerque before it goes down to Las Cruces then over to me.

And if they'd sent it two-day Post Office, it'd probably be sitting in my box, waiting for me to pick it up now. I will be shocked if I get it Friday. Perhaps Saturday. More likely Monday.

Fortunately my need for the adapters is not critical. It's important, but not critical.

STILL!

GAAAAAH!

I guess what really gets me is you have no choice how things get shipped. Everyone seems to use one shipper: USPS, UPS, or FedEx. At least in the USA. You can't tell them 'Please ship it USPS'. Because that would be my preference! FedEx is very unreliable up here and they don't like sending their people out in the snow - heaven forfend that they equip their people with snow tires or chains or training for snow weather, oh, and this is UPS that's responsible for this debacle.

Some day I'll have my adapters.

Comments

[moxie_man]

FedEx? I wouldn't trust anything on their tracking site after a recent experience I had. The element in our range's oven died the weekend after Christmas in a "glorious fireworks display". Fortunately, I was right next to the range while it was preheating and the element was exploding. Quickly killed the power to it.

Go online, find a new one at a reasonable price. Not so reasonable shipping fee. Much like you stated, no choice and said company shipped through FedEx. (So did the other company I found the part at for slightly more...grrr).

This is Sunday night. I get my tracking link on Monday:
Out for Delivery 10am to 2pm (central Maine) 12/30/24
Pick-up from shipper 5pm (somewhere in New York State) 12/30/24

*blink* What? Did they get their hands on Klingon Bird of Prey from Star Trek IV and now can make backwards in time deliveries? Have they changed their logo to "When you absolutely need it yesterday?" Maybe that's why the shipping fee was one quarter the cost of the part?

So, I figured maybe I'd see it by Friday the 3rd. Much to my surprise it arrived New Year's Eve. Ground FedEx no less. I can't imagine what I'd have been gouged if it had been their standard overnight rate.

That said, no delivery service employee in my area can read. Our house is built into a hillside. The entrance next to the driveway (downhill side) leads into our basement. Good size sign on door reads: All Deliveries through the Front Door Please. I come across packages at the basement door all the time. Also out front: "Please Place all Packages on Front Porch (it's enclosed, but unlocked). It's rare to see a package on the front porch. Usually, left outside. Both entrances are clearly visible from the road. Good thing we live on a dead end street off a dead end street and neighbors who watch out for each other.

[thewayne]

Far too much fun.

[murakozi]

I feel for ya I once had a package shipped from California when I lived in Maryland. It took a nice little trip up and down the west coast a couple times, then into the midwest, then back to CA, then a little tour through the south before finally arriving over a week later than expected.

Right now, I'm waiting for something I ordered that is apparently trapped in Ontario, CA. If I remember correctly, that's a Los Angeles suburb, so I'm guessing fire and smoke are the culprit.

[thewayne]

Mine originated in Ontario but made it out.

[moonhare]

My pref would be USPS as well when using online companies, other than Amazon or Chewy. Amazon has only screwed up a few times for us, and FedX gets Chewy shipments here pronto!

[elayna]

My brother worked for FedEx in the 90s and my recollection is that every package went to their hub in Memphis and then to its destination… California to Nevada, went to Memphis first! Seemed very strange to me but brother accepted its as corporate policy.

[gingeriana]

the classical problem of the sorting centers, huh
i think it's pretty much the same in all countries and will all delivery companies


when i was preparing to emigrate to Canada and had my first visa done, i had to order personal delivery and it cost like 10 dollars for a protected envelope
the thing is i was literally 2 minutes away (according to Google Maps) from the visa center, literally needed to cross the street and enter the opposing building
but NAH, they did not allow walk-ins and i had to order the delivery, the envelope first went to the sorting center (this took a day) and then back to me (another day)
so, ten bucks and two days to deliver a passport for 350 meters (facepalm)
frankly, mafia agreements it is

[thewayne]

Ten meters, Ten dollars.  ROFLMAO!  Yeah, it sure seems like a racket.

[pondhopper]

Happens here, too. I can order something originating in Madrid and it goes up to Barcelona first and then comes back down to Sevilla. So logical.
*eyeroll*

[silveradept]

You would think that a logistics company would know anything at all about how to get a thing from one place to another on time and efficiently.

[thewayne]

And this is what we get for thinking. :-)

[mtbc]

Also annoying when places don't make it clear how they'll ship before one orders so, not only can't we request them, it's even difficult to avoid certain shippers.