I have searched about the SmartPost on the internet and I have found similar experience and people are calling this service FedEx DumbPost.
To those who doesn't know about this service, here's little background information about the service. Basically FedEx picks up the package from the sender and drop it off to the nearest post office where you live. And the post office sort them out and deliver to you. It's cheap and it takes long time.
(Tip: I found out that if you add 92 in the front of FedEx SmartPost tracking number, it will become USPS tracking number)
I had no idea about this kind of service. And if I knew it better, I would've definately paid more to deliver in different service.
My nightmare started on July 3rd 2013. I saw the great deal on the camera from B & H Photo, which is located in 34th St. and 9th Ave. So I went to the website and ordered the camera. Few minutes later, I thought maybe I should just pick up from the store front. Item was only $300 and I would've rather paid the tax, about $22, and pick it up instead of waiting for the delivery. So I contacted the online help, and they told me they can hold the order and let me pick it up from the store. However, I looked outside the window, it was raining hard. So I decided to let it deliver. (I work on 42st and Part Ave. About 10 to 15 min walk)
THIS WAS MY BIGGEST MISTAKE!!!!!
That afternoon, I have received the email from B&H that my item got shipped. But July 4th, holiday in US, so I was 100% sure I wouldn't be able to receive the package by Friday. That night, my FedEx tracking show the estimated date as July 8th, following Monday. Which was totally acceptable. I live in Fort Lee, NJ, less than 10 miles from B&H.
Long story short, as of today, I haven't received my package yet. And the estimated date changed to N/A. Here's the current FedEx tracking information page.
10:59pm - Package arrived in FedEx SmartPost Allentown, PA. (NY to PA, hmm package is going to NJ)
11:43pm - Departed FedEx SmartPost Allentown, PA.
July 4th
Independence day, we are watching fire work!!!!
July 5th
3:13pm - Arrived at FedEx Edison, NJ (So far so good. Package is finally in NJ)
July 6th
12:00am Shipment information send to US Postal Service
7:26 am Departed Edison, NJ
9:26am This is my last update from FedEx. Simply in Transit to Englewood Cliffs, NJ
According to Google map, from Edison to Englewood Cliff NJ, about 40 miles. And less than 50 minutes driving.
It's been 6 days since it left the Edison office. And I called FedEx so many times, and nobody knows exactly where my package is. Couple of times, they were blaming on USPS. So I called them and USPS comfirmed that they haven't received my package yet.
I left my phone number with FedEx today. And they told me they will send it to their SmartPost office to search my package and they will give me a call. It's about 4pm, end of Friday. I doubt I will get any information until next week.
This is pure nightmare!
It's 9:30PM and I didn't get the phone call from FedEx today. And FedEx tracking is still at transit. Nothing changed. I doubt there will be anything happening on the weekend. I will probably call FedEx again next Monday.
I have contacted B and H. They told me that free shipping is estimated upto 10 business days. So if I don't get the package by next Thursday, B&H will claim it to FedEx and they will either refund my money or send me the camera again. However, my camera is currently in backorder and I am afraid that this camera will be discontinued by this Thursday. I really don't want to money back, I want my camera!!!!!
No great surprise. FedEx DUMBpost is always SLOWER than simply mailing the same package.
ReplyDeleteFedEx pushes their misnamed "SmartPost" to businesses as being faster than USPS but it NEVER really is. FedEx typically wastes a day at each routing stop along their standard routes with packages arriving in the early AM hours and not going out again until around midnight because each stop waits all day for incoming packages before they sort and ship that day's packages. It wouldn't be so bad if FedEx actually did transfer the packages to the post office at the nearest post office, or at least at the nearest USPS Sorting Center, but _NO_THEY_DO_NOT_ instead they have a number of chosen locations where they transfer massive number of packages to overwhelmed USPS facilities - often hundreds of miles out of the way. For example, all FedEx DUMBpost packages going to Louisville KY are transferred to the USPS at the post office in Indianapolis Indiana (more than a hundred miles away and not even the correct sorting center for Louisville packages). For any package coming from the Southeast quarter of the US, this means that FedEx will load the package in a truck, and haul that package THROUGH LOUISVILLE to go over 100 miles farther away to pass the package to the Postal Service where it has to be sorted, then hauled back those same 100+ miles to reach the USPS Sorting Center for Louisville, before it can be hauled to the post office that will eventually deliver it.
Also despite your observation about adding 94 to the front of the FedEx tracking number to get the USPS tracking number - the simple fact is that FedEx quits tracking the package when they pass it to the Postal Service, but the USPS frequently fails to enter these packages into their tracking system (there are simply too many packages in the truckload dumped on the post office by FedEx, so many of them simply don't get scanned into the system).