new in box! bags of air

[jwaterdawg]

Got home from work yesterday to find a big box from Amazon. LOML said that FedEx delivered it and the delivery guy commented "it sure is light for such a big box". Well I'm thinking it probably only has one 30" Bessey in it so it shouldn't be too heavy. I open the box like a 2 year old on Xmas morning and start pulling out those bags of air they use for packaging. The more I pull out the more I start to think "hmmmm, there's nothing in here". I finally get all the way to the bottom, the floor is covered with about 40 feet of those air bags and I have big EMPTY box. Where the heck is my clamp? So my first thought is that those Amazon robots need to be calibrated. But then I flip the box over (and shake it, just to be sure there is no hidden compartment ) and there it is: the telltale signs of theft. The box clearly had been sliced open and retaped. Well a quick call to Amazon gets it resolved and they expediting another one to me. Kudos to Amazon customer service and in the words of Colbert a big wag of my finger to FedEx.

[just4funsies]

Maybe it's just me, but it seems that FedEx has kinda gone in the dumper since they decided to get in the ground freight business. This kind of thing didn't happen much when all they did was air freight.

[scorrpio]

Not sure if that was indeed theft. If you read the reviews on that 30 clamp Bessey set, they all complain how badly packaged it is - the box is extremely weak for thngs like clamps.

I ordered the 30 clamp set, and I am lucky it must have shipped from some nearby warehouse cause it arrived roughly 18 hours after being ordered. Still, it was kinda frayed, taped up in a large number of places, and had holes through which poked some steel bars. All 30 clamps were accounted for, but I shudder to think what would it be if they had to ship them from California. I'd probably receive just a few cardboard shreds.

[jAngiel]

I too was wondering what has been happening with FedEx. The two orders that I made from Amazon were delivered by FedEx, and both came in Penske type rental trucks. You know, the kind that you can run down the road and rent when you want to move across town. I did have to give them credit for using Penske trucks and not UHaul, those UHaul trucks wouldn't even make it across town.

[sacherjj]

I guess I've been lucky. All my stuff (some of it over 70 lb tools) have arrived fast and in good condition. It is amazing to me that I can buy a miter saw yesterday morning for $70 less than Lowes (well plus more off from no tax) and it is out for delivery on the FedEx ground truck today. Even with Super Saver Shipping. Heavier orders actually arrive faster than lighter orders, such as books. Pretty incredible.

[jwaterdawg]

Okay, the reasonI think it was a theft, rather than the clamp just falling out is that the original packaging tape was cleanly cut down the middle and sides (with the looks of a razor knife). And then it was retaped over that. It's really hard to imagine the tape being torn so cleanly. In any event, Amazon CS solved the problem so kudos to them.

[final_t]

Packaging

UPS is also just as bad, if not worse. I ordered a bunch of drawer slides from Lee Valley since they were cheaper by the dozen than Lowes. The box was pretty badly whacked around, and when I picked it up to bring it in, it totally came apart, spilling the slides everywhere. None damaged and all there, but wow... UPS is known for kicking stuff around, and at the same time Lee Valley probably should have done a better job in packaging (I emailed them about it of course).

[JSUPreston]

I avoid FedEx whenever possible. Several years ago, I had a hard drive go bad in my computer. Sent it in to Western Digital for warranty replacement. New drive came in. I was in the process of moving, so I had it delivered to the in-laws. MIL calls me to tell me the drive came in, but the FedEx driver literally left it on the carport floor, and she didn't see it until AFTER she ran over it. I called FedEx. They said it was a Western Digital problem. I pointed out it was their stupid son of a ^&*(^&*^ driver that left it on the carport. They didn't care, and wouldn't even discipline the driver. Western Digital obviously said it was FedEx's problem, and wouldn't replace the drive either.

Long story short, it became my problem. After a couple of months of wrangling with FedEx, I gave up and put the drive in another computer. Worked like a champ until I retired it a few years later. I still think about this everytime I ship or receive FedEx. I know UPS is just as bad, but I haven't been burned...yet.

Sorry to hear about your clamps. Glad Amazon was willing to send out another set. I assume you did report this to FedEx (not that they will do anything).

[Bill in PA]

I had a cooling fan for my laptop delivered Wed. via FedEx. Eight days from Calif. to PA. The box was beat up but the fan was well packed and looks to be OK. But the seal on one side had been cut and the top ripped back about 2 inches. It looked like someone tried to find out what was inside.

[Stick]

And if was UPS in Canada, they'd have charged you 600% of the clamp's value for brokerage charges on your box of air, then refused to deliver it.

[rbfunk]

At work, we get Fedex, UPS, and DHL almost everyday. Just about every box has a dent, corner crumpled or a hole in it. The hands down best way to ship in USPS. Might be a little slow and expensive and they won't handle large heavey stuff but packages show up pretty much in the same condition that the were shipped.
Bob