Poll: UPS vs. FedEx

[Overpaid Union Thug]

I was thinking of posting this on Myspace. I'd like to see the results after it's sat there about a week.


UPS vs. FedEx: Battle of the Brands - BloggingStocks

 

[DS]

big arrow...if you had made this an actual brown cafe poll you would`ve gotten a lot more participation.
Its an intersting idea.
true or false
1)ups time guarantees are met more often than fedex
2)fedex billing is presented more accurately than ups
3) my fedex driver seems to care more than my ups driver
4)when I request a sales rep, ups responds faster than fedex
5)fedex packages arrive in better condition than ups

just an idea

 

[SmithBarney]

big arrow...if you had made this an actual brown cafe poll you would`ve gotten a lot more participation.
Its an intersting idea.
true or false
1)ups time guarantees are met more often than fedex
FALSE
-I noticed an interesting trend in the past two years.
time in transit estimates went up, but service remains the same
so basically UPS will "estimate" your package will get there friday
but it actually gets there thursday.. So its making customers feel
better, but nothing has actually improved.(hope that makes sense)

2)fedex billing is presented more accurately than ups
TRUE
Very easy to Dup the UPS system

3) my fedex driver seems to care more than my ups driver
TRUE
-FedEx Drivers have time to focus on customer care/service

4)when I request a sales rep, ups responds faster than fedex
(No experience here)

5)fedex packages arrive in better condition than ups
TRUE
-The handling process encourages better care


All my answers are based on FedEx Express services..
ground on the other hand... I've had the experience of using
and its not always a good experience.

 

[Overpaid Union Thug]

true or false
1)ups time guarantees are met more often than fedex
FALSE
-I noticed an interesting trend in the past two years.
time in transit estimates went up, but service remains the same
so basically UPS will "estimate" your package will get there friday
but it actually gets there thursday.. So its making customers feel
better, but nothing has actually improved.(hope that makes sense)

We must be doing something right if our rates are higher, yet, people still use us more than FedEx

2)fedex billing is presented more accurately than ups
TRUE
Very easy to Dup the UPS system

That depends on who you ask. Some people "have a few screws loose" and can't understand anything and some people just prefer one layout over an other.

3) my fedex driver seems to care more than my ups driver
TRUE
-FedEx Drivers have time to focus on customer care/service

Our job is to deliver the package and answer any questions the customers may have and refer them to someone else that can help if we can't....not to stand their and "shoot the sh#$" like FedEx Express drivers do.

4)when I request a sales rep, ups responds faster than fedex
(No experience here)

My friend was a sales rep for UPS for 3 years. Customers often told him UPS sales reps seemed more professional and more efficent.

5)fedex packages arrive in better condition than ups
TRUE
-The handling process encourages better care

Well DUH! LOL. FedEx doesn't handle anywhere near the volume nor do they handle as many over weights. The handling process is the same..just less to handle for FedEx.

All my answers are based on FedEx Express services..
ground on the other hand... I've had the experience of using
and its not always a good experience.

I don't like getting packages from RPS (AKA "FedEx Ground") but if I can pick who delivers my pacakges and UPS isn't an option I will go with RPS over DHL any day.

 

[SmithBarney]

Each company has its good and bad sides.
Correct Fed Ex Express alone or Ground alone doesn't handle the volume
UPS does.
But you won't find Express packages piled 15 feet high in a trailer
god help that package on the bottom if its not a box of paper...

How much is it worth to a customer to be able to connect with
the company that provides them service? As a UPS driver I pissed and
moaned cause they wanted me to turn in sales leads, but there was no time
in the day to even consider stopping to provide a good experience for the customer, let alone try and sell them something. UPS would never send a sales rep out for anyone less than $150k sales annually. FedEx, took many of my small accounts when UPS wouldn't bother.

Not sure how DHL got into the conversation, but I wouldn't use em either... clowns.

 

[Overpaid Union Thug]

Each company has its good and bad sides.
Correct Fed Ex Express alone or Ground alone doesn't handle the volume
UPS does.
But you won't find Express packages piled 15 feet high in a trailer
god help that package on the bottom if its not a box of paper...

Actually...they do that. Maybe not in your station but I know it happens in others. And besides that....it's not like cramming packages into those Air Containers are any better for the packages as far as wear and tear is concerned.

How much is it worth to a customer to be able to connect with
the company that provides them service? As a UPS driver I pissed and
moaned cause they wanted me to turn in sales leads, but there was no time
in the day to even consider stopping to provide a good experience for the customer, let alone try and sell them something. UPS would never send a sales rep out for anyone less than $150k sales annually. FedEx, took many of my small accounts when UPS wouldn't bother.

Provide a good experience? LOL. We are delivery drivers...not Singing Telegrams. Where does it say there is no time for sales leads? Unless someone is entering sales leads at every stop then there really isn't much time lost. If someone loses a little time on sales leads once in a while they won't catch hell for it. I don't see what the big deal is. My friend (the one that was a sales rep) used to get sent after ANY sales lead no matter what the $$$Value was going to be. Believe it or not...some big accounts don't profit so UPS doesn't pursue them. The same goes for smaller accounts.

Not sure how DHL got into the conversation, but I wouldn't use em either... clowns.

They are terrible. The customers I talk to ( See...:=) There is enough time for a little chit chat after all) always complain about DHL. They complain about everything from their service to their appearance.

 

[SmithBarney]

We could go round and round on this one, obviously both companies do what they do, and people seem to like either or both.(otherwise one would be out of business)
I've driven for both, I was in perhaps the worst UPS location for both turnover(mgrs and hourly) and now I'm in a darn good area for FedEx Express.

Having gone through both companies training, work environ, etc..
the only thing "great" about UPS was the Pay... but it don't mean crap
if you can't spend the money(or time with your family) working until
9:30pm-11pm 4-5 nights a week wasn't worth it in my book.

I'd much rather make $4 less an hour, and get to actually sit
for dinner in my home instead of a diner, or on the side of the road
in the dark.

 

[Overpaid Union Thug]

We could go round and round on this one, obviously both companies do what they do, and people seem to like either or both.(otherwise one would be out of business)
I've driven for both, I was in perhaps the worst UPS location for both turnover(mgrs and hourly) and now I'm in a darn good area for FedEx Express.

Having gone through both companies training, work environ, etc..
the only thing "great" about UPS was the Pay... but it don't mean crap
if you can't spend the money(or time with your family) working until
9:30pm-11pm 4-5 nights a week wasn't worth it in my book.

I'd much rather make $4 less an hour, and get to actually sit
for dinner in my home instead of a diner, or on the side of the road
in the dark.

I'm the lowest seniority driver in our building and I'm home for dinner more often than not. Between 5:30-7:30 is reasonable for me. Peak is the exception but the rest of the year is sometime between that 5:30-7:30 range. So, family time isn't an issue except for Peak. And even that isn't that bad until the week or two leading up to Christmas Day. I was home for dinner many nights. I'm not trying to bash FedEx here. I would go work for them right now if I was offered full-time. The problem I have is when FedEx drivers try and take the points you alluded to and blow them out of proportion so they can build their case against UPS. UPS isn't for everyone. I'm sure being a FedEx driver now feels like such a relief but it doesn't mean that driving for UPS is all that bad. I think the extra work is worth the difference in pay but I definately would cross over to purple and orange if offered a full-time job. Are you full-time already?

 

[SmithBarney]

I understand other parts of the UPS world are run a little better.
We occassionally had drivers from outside our center come in to
help, and they couldn't believe that we worked so late. They would say that
they rarely were out past 6:30.
I worked more than 500 hours of overtime last year.
That averages to about 10 hrs a week over time, 2 hours a day..
Not too bad, but if you consider a 9:30 start, not getting out till 10am
using the "average" 10hr day Gives you 8:30pm average punch out time...
Then drive home? 5-45minutes for most drivers. so hopefully you can understand where I'm coming from, and why I was driven to leave.

a regular 10 hr day would have been great if we had
a normal start time like the majority of the UPS world.

 

[Overpaid Union Thug]

I understand other parts of the UPS world are run a little better.
We occassionally had drivers from outside our center come in to
help, and they couldn't believe that we worked so late. They would say that
they rarely were out past 6:30.
I worked more than 500 hours of overtime last year.
That averages to about 10 hrs a week over time, 2 hours a day..
Not too bad, but if you consider a 9:30 start, not getting out till 10am
using the "average" 10hr day Gives you 8:30pm average punch out time...
Then drive home? 5-45minutes for most drivers. so hopefully you can understand where I'm coming from, and why I was driven to leave.

a regular 10 hr day would have been great if we had
a normal start time like the majority of the UPS world.

Sounds like the drivers in the center you were in needed to grow a pair and file on over nine fives. We typically have 2 over nine fives a day. Sometimes more. Sometimes none. Excluding peak of course.

 

[hoser]

This is not a very well organized poll. If you're asking me as to which company has the "best brand", it's UPS hands down. Everything's under one roof. Everyone recognizes UPS. FedEx loses big time because they have no brand control, I guarantee you that 7/10 people will confuse a fedex ground truck for a fedex express truck, and i can guarantee you that 8/10 people cannot name one other opreating wing of FedEx (home delivery doesn't count).

Now if you're asking for 'best overall service', it's a bit closer. UPS is cheaper, but their cutoff time for international is 3 hours earlier than FedEx. UPS consolidates everything as well.

If the poll is asking 'best managed', as a consumer, I'd actually go with UPS. Stuff that I have shipped has never been late and they're extremely efficient. FedEx is really inefficient, but when things go bad, FedEx has a buffer to catch up.

If the poll is asking 'best employer', well, duh. FedEx wins hands down.

However, 'best tuition assistance' goes to UPS .

 

[1989]

In my center, in town drivers start at 8:30....Air lands at about 8:45, if it's on time. Gets shuttled out at about 9:45 or 10:00...Most days we get our air at about 11:00....NOW THAT'S CUSTOMER NON-SERVICE!

 

[SmithBarney]

Sounds like the drivers in the center you were in needed to grow a pair and file on over nine fives. We typically have 2 over nine fives a day. Sometimes more. Sometimes none. Excluding peak of course.

9.5's fly all summer long during the open period and they pay

Actually was told on the side that its cheaper for UPS to pay 9.5's than
it would be to hire new drivers... hopefully the next contract will correct this.
Gotta make it cheaper to get more drivers on the road(or more expensive to keep less drivers on the road) either way it'll get the same result.

Since I've left my center, they have had 4-5 off the street drivers come and
go(3 months)... I'm sure the preloaders/loaders have seen 20 go... BTW this is a Center with only 30 routes(max)

 

[hoser]

In my center, in town drivers start at 8:30....Air lands at about 8:45, if it's on time. Gets shuttled out at about 9:45 or 10:00...Most days we get our air at about 11:00....NOW THAT'S CUSTOMER NON-SERVICE!

one loop in a major us city probably gets as much NDA volume as your shuttle. after all, ups offers a refund if service isn't met.

customer service, if you ask me.

 

[moreluck]

FedEx To Ship Bad Results?

Joshua Lipton, 06.18.07, 1:15 PM ET



Don't expect FedEx to mail in impressive quarterly results.
The company is expected to release fourth-quarter financial results on June 20th. Ahead of that announcement, Edward Wolfe, analyst at Bear Stearns, reduced his estimates.
Wolfe wrote to clients that the fourth-quarter performance of FedEx will likely come in below expectations. The analyst reduced his earnings-per-share estimate for the quarter from $1.98 to $1.85.
Why the pessimism? Wolfe said his sense is that both the domestic and international package business has slowed materially during the first half of 2007, following a slowdown in truck load, less-than truck load, and rail volumes in 2006.
Further, Wolfe wrote, the company's economist has reduced his 2007 GDP forecast from 2.6% to 2.1% since April. The analyst also expects fuel to work against FedEx by about 13 cents per-share in the quarter.
Wolfe told clients that he has reduced his fourth-quarter 2007 and 2008 EPS estimates by 7% and 5% to $1.85 and $7, respectively, from $1.98 and $7.40. He said that FedEx has underperformed both the transport sector and the S&P 500 year-to-date as earnings estimates continue to come down.
Also, Wolfe said, firm management has announced that capital expenditures will need to go up for several years as re-investment increases Europe, China, and India as well FedEx's domestic plane fleet.
He rates the company "peer perform."
In morning trading Monday, shares of FedEx decreased 1.3%, or $1.46, to $109.91.
Back in March, FedEx lowered its earnings forecast for the fiscal fourth-quarter to a range of $1.93 to $2.08 per share, from a previous range of $1.98 to $2.13 per share. Analysts had estimated $2.04 per share.
Slower economic growth and additional investments in the business are expected to adversely affect the company’s earning through fiscal 2008, but the company had said it remained hopeful it will maintain its long-term growth rate. (See: "FedEx Delivers Disappointment.")