Problem with FedEx Ground Shipping?

I have used FedEx Ground and the buyer of my speakers reported they arrived in fine shape. I have also received lots of stuff from UPS and never had a problem with them either.

But, and this probably just says something about the individuals who work in my neighborhood, I have more trust in UPS. My UPS guy goes through my gate, up the stairs to leave things in front of my door where they can't be seen from the street. While I was out walking the other day I noticed a FedEx Ground package in a neighbor's driveway on the edge of the sidewalk - like a throwaway paper - even though his gate was open and his front door just a few feet away.

FedEx Ground is an acquisition, another company really. Not the same standards of service as FedEx.

I had simular problems with FEDEX on an audio equipment shipment. The boxes clearly marked FRAGILE arrived with major dents and tears in the boxes. They did about $220 worth of damage. There inspector took two weeks to even come and see the damage and then declared thatFEDEX was not responsible. Their reason was that the boxes were used once before and therefore were inadequate packaging. These were the manufacturer's packaging (heavy cardboard with dense foam inserts). Under theri theory you could never shiop anything back to the manufacturer without buying totally new boxes. Bottom line - they were arrogant, rude and totally non responsive to any damage claims. I strongly advise against using FEDEX for audio equipment shipments.

In the past year and a half FedEx has bought several carriers and made them thier own. Among them was RPS, a ground service - now FedEx Ground. They've repainted the trucks, but in my area little else has changed ... same drivers etc. I've seen packages beat to hell for no apparant reason and I've also seen packages look like they were courier carried. All in all I can't say that they're any worse than UPS. The comment above about the divisions operating as seperate business units is true ... but I gather that the units are moving towards a more centralized approach. My personal favorite and recent find is BAX Global. They offer air and expidited ground services. I ship large and fragile upholstery for our company, and it survives very well on BAX. Previously I had been forced to use Northwest Air Cargo, and provide my own transport to the involved airport terminals. The key is to let the carrier handle the product as few times as possible ...

The quality of the delivery usually depends on the quality of the delivery man/woman. I suggest you check with your neighbors, that is the most reliable sources.

I work for a company that ships about 1000 packages a day via Fed-Ex Ground (RPS), UPS, Airborne, DHL and several other carriers, and I have found that the ground services are very similar in the number of packages that are lost or damaged. You will find just as many people who hate UPS (www.ihateups.com) as you will who hate Fed-Ex. The safest way (albeit expensive) is to ship either Next Day or Second Day. There are very few mess-ups with the "rush" carriers.

-Kurt