Is UPS, FedEx Tracking Becoming More Like USPS?

[Mossman]

In my recent attempts to acquire an unscathed 335 from American Musical Supply, I've been doing a lot of shipping and receiving, and of the last four shipments, tracking information from both FedEx and UPS has been pretty much non-existent (AMS uses FedEx to ship orders out, and UPS for return shipping). All I get is the origin location, which doesn't change for several days until the package arrives at the destination... No points in between. Just like USPS. With one of the packages (FedEx), all I ever got was a notification that a label had been created, then nothing after that.

Has anybody else experienced this with either of these companies? Either with packages you've shipped, or are awaiting?

[tlarson58]

They have agreements and swap packages to get them delivered as quickly as possible,

[uwmcscott]

I have ordered quite a bit of stuff lately and both Fedex and UPS seem to be operating as normal for the most part, regular scans at every stop. I have had a few amazon packages come with the Fedex Home delivery - which is a combo of Fedex and USPS, and once it hits USPS you get the usual nothing other than the first stop and final delivery.

[Partscaster]

I am sensing that, too. Less scanning updates in transit with usps. Workforces and resources are thin? Hopefully temporary.

[ID10t]

I receive things and they are updated well. Even to the point that twice I have seen packages leave Phoenix and arrive in NotPhoenix and turn around and make the trip all over again.

[Mossman]

They have agreements and swap packages to get them delivered as quickly as possible,

I have ordered quite a bit of stuff lately and both Fedex and UPS seem to be operating as normal for the most part, regular scans at every stop. I have had a few amazon packages come with the Fedex Home delivery - which is a combo of Fedex and USPS, and once it hits USPS you get the usual nothing other than the first stop and final delivery.

I guess that would explain it for FedEx. The first time this happened, I wasn't present when the package arrived, so I don't know if it was delivered by "FedEx Home", or regular FedEx. This time, the guitar was scheduled to arrive today, but I just checked the tracking to see if it said: "out for delivery", and instead it's been delayed due to weather. I don't know what that's about... It should be in California by now, and we don't have any kind of weather that would affect delivery.

According to UPS tracking, the guitar I shipped back on Tuesday is still in Van Nuys, with a scheduled arrival in New Jersey on Monday. The same thing happened with the previous guitar I sent back. The tracking said: "in transit" in Van Nuys for several days until it arrived at AMS. Is UPS using USPS too?

[fatjack]

Well from Miss. it would have gone to Memphis or Nashville hub to fly out. There was tha cold front full of ice and snow between there and tx they would have hit. that's probably the delay.

[uwmcscott]

According to UPS tracking, the guitar I shipped back on Tuesday is still in Van Nuys, with a scheduled arrival in New Jersey on Monday. The same thing happened with the previous guitar I sent back. The tracking said: "in transit" in Van Nuys for several days until it arrived at AMS. Is UPS using USPS too?

Stuff that goes cross country does seem to sometimes sit at one hop in the software for a bit longer, my only guess is that they are trying to maximize capacities and maybe hold a truck until it's full?

Overall, I have to admit I'm pretty impressed with the job both of them ( UPS and FedEx ) have been doing over the last year despite all that has transpired. Other than a couple of packages that were maybe a day or 2 late, everything I ordered over the past year showed up on time and intact. And some have even shown up quicker than expected.

[Mossman]

Now FedEx tracking says the guitar is in my old home town of Flagstaff, AZ, but the delivery date hasn't changed. It still says it's going to be delivered today.

Doesn't matter anyway... I have all my packages delivered to my workplace, and I'm not there to receive it. Should have it on Monday, though, I reckon.

[nomadh]

I am sensing that, too. Less scanning updates in transit with usps. Workforces and resources are thin? Hopefully temporary.

Scan labels are well known to be a major covid vector. Catch up to the science guys.

[Mossman]

I am sensing that, too. Less scanning updates in transit with usps. Workforces and resources are thin? Hopefully temporary.

Scan labels are well known to be a major covid vector. Catch up to the science guys.

Yeah, but as long as they wear two face-masks, they'll be ok.

Well, it looks like this package is running on the ground (this was supposed to ship 2nd-day air). Tracking now says it's in Bellemont, AZ (just outside of Flagstaff), with no estimated arrival date. If this were shipped by air, the closest it would get to Flagstaff would be Phoenix, and three days from Mississippi to Arizona by ground sounds about right. I don't think this package has ever been on a plane.

[redman]

I usually just make sure it's shipped and check back on the expected delivery date to see if it's out for delivery so not sure if UPS and FedEx have changed. I've had a lot of late packages from USPS lately I bought a TS9 off of Reverb the guy shipped it the next day it didn't show up for 7 weeks.

[Mossman]

I usually just make sure it's shipped and check back on the expected delivery date to see if it's out for delivery so not sure if UPS and FedEx have changed. I've had a lot of late packages from USPS lately I bought a TS9 off of Reverb the guy shipped it the next day it didn't show up for 7 weeks.

I've gotten less compulsive about checking the progress of packages in the last few years, but since I've had all this back-and-forth with AMS, and I didn't even get a shipping notification on the second guitar they sent me, I've been paying closer attention. I can understand delays, with all the weather that's been happening, I just thought the lack of updates from two different shipping companies, across four shipments was a little odd.

Now FedEx says my package is in Bloomington, CA, and is scheduled to arrive tomorrow, but according to UPS, the package I shipped last Tuesday is still in Van Nuys, and that probably won't change until it reaches the destination. Just like the last guitar I sent back.

[solteroblues]

the only dependable delivery service nowadays is Amazon, and even they have lost a package or two lately. Fedex around here has become completely undependable and unreliable. They can't even approximate the true delivery date better than a 2-3 day window, and one particular hub is the black hole of packages. Every single package that goes there gets rerouted in the opposite direction or lost for a week or two before it's delivered. Our USPS scans a photo of your mail coming THAT day, and it still doesn't arrive for days. UPS is better, but I would never bet anything that they deliver on time, either.

[Mossman]

the only dependable delivery service nowadays is Amazon, and even they have lost a package or two lately.

Well they oughta be. They use every delivery system there is. When it says: "Amazon Shipping", I never know if the package is going to come by mail, or UPS, or just an Amazon delivery guy.

FedEx is my least favorite, too. They nearly destroyed a bass that I built on it's way out to the customer. Completely demolished the case I shipped it in. Luckily the bass was unharmed, and the customer was so happy with it he didn't care about the case, but I never trusted FedEx after that. On the receiving end, they miss more delivery dates than UPS in my experience, but if your package arrives early, they refuse to deliver it to you until the date it's due. On a couple of occasions, I've had to watch a package languish in a FedEx DC about a 30 minute drive away for 2-3 days, until the date it was supposed to arrive rolled around.

Well, I received the guitar yesterday and.... well... I should continue this in the NGD thread I started. I gotta take some pictures.