FedEx Ship Center

I went in today to get some shipping options for a box that I was mailing out, and I must say that the person behind the counter was a bit cranky and not really helpful.
I plan on doing a lot of shipping in the coming months, and I don’t really feel like interacting with that person again.

We tried to ship the same item 4 times, each time with a different person and different story. The employees we dealt with weren’t interested in doing their job, especially the middle aged, brown haired woman with glasses. She was totally clueless. We finally gave up and went to UPS, where we sent it in one trip, and saved $ 43. Avoid this Fedex, unless you wish to find yourself in a Monty Python sketch.

Horrible service! UPS is a far better carrier. We have packages come and go weekly. 95% are handled by UPS and there are very few problems. Situations that can be expected when there is a fill-​in driver. Of the 5% handled by FedEx, 7 out of 10 deliveries involve a situation created by driver laziness, incompetence or FedEx company policy /​procedure that doesn’t serve the best interest of the customer. We avoid FedEx whenever possible.

I was supposed to receive a package today that required a signature. OK, fine, we stayed home all day to receive the package and sign for it. No Fedex truck arrived. In late afternoon, we took a break from our yard work and learned that they had called and left a message that since we did not answer our phone (we were outside working in the yard), they would leave it at an undisclosed location in a town over 30 miles away. And, that is what they did. Someone we never heard of signed for it at an undisclosed location. It took several calls to Fedex to finally get the address of the place they left it. It, interestingly, it was in a different town from the one they named in the original message left on our machine. And, by then, no one was there.
They now say they will try to get it to me tomorrow, but I do not have a lot of confidence. They have made stupid and lazy mistakes in the past, as well as out-​and-​out lies, but this takes the cake.
Additionally, Fedex parcels arrive with more obvious evidence of abuse than UPS. The difference between the two carriers is night and day.
I don’t know if this is a new policy or what, but I am appalled by them refusing to deliver a package requiring a signature if the recipient is not sitting by the phone to answer calls all day.
This occurred at the direction of management in Prescott Valley.
I will do my best not to do business with any company that ships Fedex. This is the latest in a series of unsatisfactory situations with Fedex.
Update: I got a call from them a day later, and was informed that it was a standard practice to «deliver a package to an alternate location, even if a signature is required.»
That seems to defeat the purpose of requiring a signature. Or maybe, any signature at any location is OK with them. I doubt that it is OK with the shipper.