Living The Purple Promise

[MrFedEx]

With all the weather this week, I've noticed that all of our FO is being disregarded, even if the freight is only marginally late. What a great way to fulfill the Purple Promise to the customer. The CTV was only an hour late, but all FO was tossed-in with the P1 cycle. This happens every time the truck is delayed more than 30 minutes, so this is not an isolated event.

Considering the huge premium customers pay for FO service, and the vital nature of most of it, don't they at least deserve some level of concern for service?

If the CTV is late, FO should still be the top priority. Maybe it will be late anyway, but isn't 0900 better than 1130 or later?

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

What I find to be really frustrating is, when we have NDA in the bldg by start time with another plane coming in after we leave the bldg, they will tell us to deliver the air that we have on our cars in trace and are told which exception code to use. (We have 4 or 5 to choose from) To me, any air that we have by start time should at least be attempted before the commit time. Delivering it in trace is doing a disservice to our customers.

 

[MrFedEx]

Exactly. If customers only knew how it really works behind the scenes.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

Exactly. If customers only knew how it really works behind the scenes.

Mine do. I tell them and then give them the 1-800#.

 

[UPSBluRdg03]

Any air we have is to be delivered on time here. Our plane couldnt land yesterday morning due to fog. The fog lifted before lunch time and it turned out to be a bright sunny day and the warmest its been in months. Apparently the plane landed soon after the fog cleared but absoulutely no air was shuttled out. Instead it was all unloaded and left at the building to deliver today. It just amazes me when there isnt even an attempt to provide the service to the customers for which they have paid. Its just bad buisness and I am embarrassed some days to be a part of it.

 

[Cactus]

With all the weather this week, I've noticed that all of our FO is being disregarded, even if the freight is only marginally late. What a great way to fulfill the Purple Promise to the customer. The CTV was only an hour late, but all FO was tossed-in with the P1 cycle. This happens every time the truck is delayed more than 30 minutes, so this is not an isolated event.

Considering the huge premium customers pay for FO service, and the vital nature of most of it, don't they at least deserve some level of concern for service?

If the CTV is late, FO should still be the top priority. Maybe it will be late anyway, but isn't 0900 better than 1130 or later?

It's all a numbers game. There is no such thing as "The Purple Promise." It's all just lip service.

If Fred really cared about service he wouldn't have the upper management harping at the station mangers about productivity and SPH all the time. Those FO packages are tossed in with the P1's to enhance the SPH so things look good on the report sent down to the Memphis Ivory Towers.

What's it gonna take for customers to wake up and smell the coffee?

 

[MrFedEx]

It's all a numbers game. There is no such thing as "The Purple Promise." It's all just lip service.

If Fred really cared about service he wouldn't have the upper management harping at the station mangers about productivity and SPH all the time. Those FO packages are tossed in with the P1's to enhance the SPH so things look good on the report sent down to the Memphis Ivory Towers.

What's it gonna take for customers to wake up and smell the coffee?

You can't smell the coffee if FedEx says it's tea. In other words, when FO gets "forgotten",the customer is basically told some big effing lie so FedEx doesn't have to make a full refund. "Act of God", "Weather" (even when it isn't), "aircraft mechanical delay" (even when it isn't). That's just wrong. It's the same deal when we load a 2 pound box of something fragile underneath a 150 pound wooden crate. FedEx tells the customer they "didn't construct the packaging properly" when nothing could survive an improper loading scenario like the one just described.

One time I was told to deliver a flat heavy box that had 2 forklift holes punched clean through the very expensive car part that was inside. I knew the shipper would never accept it, but they told me to try and get a signature and at least get them to accept it "damaged". That way, FedEx could claim improper packaging. I got to the stop, told the recipient to refuse it, and just brought it back. I won't lie for Fred.

The Purple Promise should be re-named the "Green Promise", because getting the green stuff is all FedEx cares about.

 

[DOWNTRODDEN IN TEXAS]

We haven't run FO since Monday, but then we have had nothing but ice and high temps in the teens to 20's all week, and now we have 4-6" of snow to top that off. We have areas around my station, which has more extended areas than most, that haven't been served all week because of road conditions.

But it is an amazing sight to see when you flip on the news and see 2 busses with BIG GAME teams (don't want a copyright infringement case..lol) that had a plow and a sand truck to make sure they made it to Jerrywood safely.

You gotta love where the loyalties lie...I bet Freddo gets the same treatment from his door to the hub.

 

[UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)]

I would think the NFL is picking up the tab on the plow and sand truck.

 

[DOWNTRODDEN IN TEXAS]

Maybe, they were TXDOT trucks, but it sure does make you mad when you have to go to work and slip and slide all over the place, and then you see that on tv.

I am sssooo ready for spring..lol

 

[quadro]

You can't smell the coffee if FedEx says it's tea. In other words, when FO gets "forgotten",the customer is basically told some big effing lie so FedEx doesn't have to make a full refund. "Act of God", "Weather" (even when it isn't), "aircraft mechanical delay" (even when it isn't). That's just wrong. It's the same deal when we load a 2 pound box of something fragile underneath a 150 pound wooden crate. FedEx tells the customer they "didn't construct the packaging properly" when nothing could survive an improper loading scenario like the one just described.

One time I was told to deliver a flat heavy box that had 2 forklift holes punched clean through the very expensive car part that was inside. I knew the shipper would never accept it, but they told me to try and get a signature and at least get them to accept it "damaged". That way, FedEx could claim improper packaging. I got to the stop, told the recipient to refuse it, and just brought it back. I won't lie for Fred.

The Purple Promise should be re-named the "Green Promise", because getting the green stuff is all FedEx cares about.

It's interesting that you claim FedEx doesn't care about its customers yet you give an example where you yourself didn't care about the customer. You said you "knew the shipper would never accept it". I presume you mean the recipient but who are you to decide what your customer wants? By taking the package to them so they could see the damage, they can make the decision of whether or not to accept the shipment. That's why you are supposed to take out damaged shipments. You don't know if the entire shipment is useless or if the shipper wants to salvage what they can out of it (and I don't mean this particular shipment but shipments in general). It seems in this case, your managers had customer service in mind more than you did.

Also, aircraft mechanical delays do qualify for a refund. And as for FO, my manager just showed me where the stations are now accountable for all FO service regardless if there's a weather delay, mechanical delay, etc. So apparently, FedEx is concerned about making sure that the premium product is treated like it should be.

Loading a 150 pound box on top of a 2 pound box is not too bright.

 

[MrFedEx]

It's interesting that you claim FedEx doesn't care about its customers yet you give an example where you yourself didn't care about the customer. You said you "knew the shipper would never accept it". I presume you mean the recipient but who are you to decide what your customer wants? By taking the package to them so they could see the damage, they can make the decision of whether or not to accept the shipment. That's why you are supposed to take out damaged shipments. You don't know if the entire shipment is useless or if the shipper wants to salvage what they can out of it (and I don't mean this particular shipment but shipments in general). It seems in this case, your managers had customer service in mind more than you did.

Also, aircraft mechanical delays do qualify for a refund. And as for FO, my manager just showed me where the stations are now accountable for all FO service regardless if there's a weather delay, mechanical delay, etc. So apparently, FedEx is concerned about making sure that the premium product is treated like it should be.

Loading a 150 pound box on top of a 2 pound box is not too bright.

No, I cared enough about the customer to tell them to just flat refuse it, rather than play games with Claims. My managers would have preferred that the customer accept the package, so FedEx could claim improper packaging. How do you package something to prevent forklift blades going all the way through it?
FO is not regarded with the proper level concern. I don't care what Maury told you to say.

 

[packageguy]

I agree with you Upstate. If it's my truck I try my best to do all air first. NO GROUND---AIR FIRST.