Amazon "Consequences"

[59 Dano]

Not equal, just fair. I think that is possible. But listening to a lot of people on the right you would think that's evil for even wanting such a system.

Define "fair." I'm not enamored with the existing system, but it is more equitable than most anything else that has been proposed.

 

[TUT]

I can't get on a time machine and go back to peak and take video of us relabeling mislabeled packages. Lots of packages were relabeled with the proper labels at the ramps and stations. Most of them that came through this area were because there weren't many that were mislabeled. It was a different story in many other areas.

Lets talk about relabels and Express. Perhaps there were an inordinate amount during peak. To me there is one major flaw with Express labels vs any other and that is embedded ship date in the bar-code. What that means is the ship date has to match the day the driver is picking up, if not a relabel occurs, no one else but Express has this problem.

Now throw in crunch time and weekends that don't normally happen and you get a lot more labels not date matching. UPS and Fedex Ground don't have to deal with this nonsense because the day they first scan the package that is when the package is on the clock, the date isn't embedded. So when Fedex states there was a lot of bad labels, it is a symptom of a problem they have created themselves to a large degree by how they created their system. I've been bit by this one more than once. Sometimes you handle it, sometimes I have to redo, it isn't pretty and causes stress on us.

 

[TUT]

Silence? That was the issue. It wasn't a rash of bad quality labels or bad addresses, that will always be a consistent % any one has to deal with. It was the dates, the drivers were starting their processes differently than normal and the actual scan date didn't match the label and that forces the relabel on your end. That is what you will always get when you work Saturday's and Sunday's at Express, our systems can't make Sat and Sun dated labels and you were working these days late in the season.

So Fedex can say "it was bad labels", but it is bad labels because of the strict structure they have on their shipping labels. Throw in your URSA codes at the begging of each month (again an issue no one else has) and there are two reasons why Fedex Express relabels a lot more package vs anyone else. That really is an Express issue and is something they need to improve on.

Fwiw, part of my shipments are heat sensitive, so this issue does rear its head from time to time for me. I sometimes have to hold.

 

[MrFedEx]

Silence? That was the issue. It wasn't a rash of bad quality labels or bad addresses, that will always be a consistent % any one has to deal with. It was the dates, the drivers were starting their processes differently than normal and the actual scan date didn't match the label and that forces the relabel on your end. That is what you will always get when you work Saturday's and Sunday's at Express, our systems can't make Sat and Sun dated labels and you were working these days late in the season.

So Fedex can say "it was bad labels", but it is bad labels because of the strict structure they have on their shipping labels. Throw in your URSA codes at the begging of each month (again an issue no one else has) and there are two reasons why Fedex Express relabels a lot more package vs anyone else. That really is an Express issue and is something they need to improve on.

Fwiw, part of my shipments are heat sensitive, so this issue does rear its head from time to time for me. I sometimes have to hold.

Here's a question. Who provides the software to shippers? That would be FedEx.

 

[bbsam]

Here's a question. Who provides the software to shippers? That would be FedEx.

True. And TUT makes a wonderful point. FDX has enslaved itself to programming and technology. It's easy to see the problem with the labeling and easy to see from a human stand point how to logically fix it but FDX simply refuses to do so. If they aren't going to fix the programming, then they need some kind of manual override.

 

[59 Dano]

Lets talk about relabels and Express. Perhaps there were an inordinate amount during peak. To me there is one major flaw with Express labels vs any other and that is embedded ship date in the bar-code. What that means is the ship date has to match the day the driver is picking up, if not a relabel occurs, no one else but Express has this problem.

Now throw in crunch time and weekends that don't normally happen and you get a lot more labels not date matching. UPS and Fedex Ground don't have to deal with this nonsense because the day they first scan the package that is when the package is on the clock, the date isn't embedded. So when Fedex states there was a lot of bad labels, it is a symptom of a problem they have created themselves to a large degree by how they created their system. I've been bit by this one more than once. Sometimes you handle it, sometimes I have to redo, it isn't pretty and causes stress on us.

You can set the pickup date in the software. Our large shippers were reminded during peak to use the next day as the pickup date for labels printed after the current day's pickup cutoff. Some did and some didn't. Most of the ones that we deal with in this area did.

 

[59 Dano]

True. And TUT makes a wonderful point. FDX has enslaved itself to programming and technology. It's easy to see the problem with the labeling and easy to see from a human stand point how to logically fix it but FDX simply refuses to do so. If they aren't going to fix the programming, then they need some kind of manual override.

The override exists. You choose the pickup date.

 

[bbsam]

The override exists. You choose the pickup date.

Aren't you even curious as to why they won't fix it?

 

[Cactus]

Aren't you even curious as to why they won't fix it?

What does he care? I'm sure he never touches a package.

 

[MrFedEx]

What does he care? I'm sure he never touches a package.

He handles MT3's package every day.

 

[Route 66]

He handles MT3's package every day.

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

 

[hypo hanna]

The override exists. You choose the pickup date.

Yes, it's the customers responsibility to fix it

True. And TUT makes a wonderful point. FDX has enslaved itself to programming and technology. It's easy to see the problem with the labeling and easy to see from a human stand point how to logically fix it but FDX simply refuses to do so. If they aren't going to fix the programming, then they need some kind of manual override.[/quoteitinerary it makes the customers feel any better, I can tell them our internal programs a

True. And TUT makes a wonderful point. FDX has enslaved itself to programming and technology. It's easy to see the problem with the labeling and easy to see from a human stand point how to logically fix it but FDX simply refuses to do so. If they aren't going to fix the programming, then they need some kind of manual override.

if it makes TUT feel any better, many of our own internal programs are just as bad. Requiring a work around by the end user rather then fixing the software.

 

[bbsam]

Yes, it's the customers responsibility to fix it


if it makes TUT feel any better, many of our own internal programs are just as bad. Requiring a work around by the end user rather then fixing the software.

Yes. Annoying and completely stupid.

 

[TUT]

You can set the pickup date in the software. Our large shippers were reminded during peak to use the next day as the pickup date for labels printed after the current day's pickup cutoff. Some did and some didn't. Most of the ones that we deal with in this area did.

I PM'd Dano, I don't want to put too much detail here. It isn't quite as clear as he states here, there are real issues with getting weekend dates on a shipping label for Express to match. Some of your software's do not allow Sun at all. I'll leave it at that.

 

[MAKAVELI]

I PM'd Dano, I don't want to put too much detail here. It isn't quite as clear as he states here, there are real issues with getting weekend dates on a shipping label for Express to match. Some of your software's do not allow Sun at all. I'll leave it at that.

Whatever the reason it's FedEx's software and FedEx's problem to solve.

 

[thedownhillEXPRESS]

I PM'd Dano, I don't want to put too much detail here. It isn't quite as clear as he states here, there are real issues with getting weekend dates on a shipping label for Express to match. Some of your software's do not allow Sun at all. I'll leave it at that.

Nothing Dano says is clear.Thats what hacks do,muddy the waters with half truths and BS.

 

[DontThrowPackages]

it all depends on your LOCAL management team

we were caught up by Xmas eve... because the managers started hiring temp drivers in Sept. We were near 100 temps running in cargo vans and boxvans.

i doubled my workload & since the area gets tighter during peak, i was making more per hour than being paid by the hour w/ a temp agency this season...

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regionals are mostly operating out of their own personal cars... so yea, it's going to be a hit-or-miss with their customer service ~ because it's dependent on how lazy or good that local owner-operator is... They need to hire more owner-operators though just to help service those regional areas.

a member here said amazon is trying the shotgun-approach; they'll just aim at every courier out there and see what sticks

there is no way amazon will pull out of UPS / FX/ USPS... they don't have that infrastructure yet. We'll be used for the bulk while the regionals will take the overflow if the local FX UPS USPS are over-whelmed.

still waiting on how their amazon fresh delivery is going... it's not expanding to other areas for a while now

i wouldn't mind jumping ship & going there if they or a regional carrier pay better than my contractor

it all depends on your LOCAL management team

we were caught up by Xmas eve... because the managers started hiring temp drivers in Sept. We were near 100 temps running in cargo vans and boxvans.

i doubled my workload & since the area gets tighter during peak, i was making more per hour than being paid by the hour w/ a temp agency this season...

-----------------------------------------------------
regionals are mostly operating out of their own personal cars... so yea, it's going to be a hit-or-miss with their customer service ~ because it's dependent on how lazy or good that local owner-operator is... They need to hire more owner-operators though just to help service those regional areas.

a member here said amazon is trying the shotgun-approach; they'll just aim at every courier out there and see what sticks

there is no way amazon will pull out of UPS / FX/ USPS... they don't have that infrastructure yet. We'll be used for the bulk while the regionals will take the overflow if the local FX UPS USPS are over-whelmed.

still waiting on how their amazon fresh delivery is going... it's not expanding to other areas for a while now

i wouldn't mind jumping ship & going there if they or a regional carrier pay better than my contractor

Yeah but do get to fly for free on their planes?? Oh wait...never mind.

 

[MrFedEx]

Whatever the reason it's FedEx's software and FedEx's problem to solve.

Exactly. Blaming the customer is extremely bad form, and indicative of Fred's delusional state. IMO. he knows how badly Express effed-up, but is doing his best to spin-it as though FedEx issues were overstated and that Express was tainted by the problems over at UPS.

FedEx provides the software and shipping systems for most (if not all) major shippers. If there is a labeling problem, even if it's a glitch that customers can exacerbate, it is incumbent on FedEx to fix it.

Blaming Amazon shows how messed-up the Express opco has become...truly dysfunctional.