WHAT HAPPENED TO QUALITY AT FEDEX?

By James Carlini

I remember when FEDEX was a top-notch company with sharp AND professional people supporting you in critical time periods when you had to get things like proposals and reports out to distant locations. You could set your watch to their pick-up and delivery times. What happened???

Last Monday, I sent a CD disk with the final copy of my book to my printing company by PRIORITY OVERNIGHT and paid $32 and thought that was HIGH. Friday, I had to send another disk, so I go and ask for PRIORITY OVERNIGHT (10:30AM) for Monday (today) and it’s over $50.

WHAT????? Then I asked for the price of the afternoon delivery (3:30PM) and it was still $37.25. HOW COULD THAT BE???

I pointed out I sent the same exact package to the same exact place on Monday night and it cost me $32 overnight, how could sending something from Friday night to Monday morning cost so much more? No answer from the guy at the counter.

Gave him my FEDEX number that I had for over 25 years, but nothing happened. The account has been dormant for too long a time (well, even though I just paid for something last Monday night, I was still considered a “cash only” account). So much for being a long-time customer.

Employee #2014904 at the store I went to was no help. He could not look up anything but said, this is the price coming up on the computer. He did not do anything to check the exact same package delivery that was done four days earlier. He didn’t really care either, so I decided it wasn’t worth discussing. Just pay the inflated price for lower-quality service and walk away.

WHERE DID THE QUALITY AND PERFORMANCE GO?

I was really ticked off, went home and called FEDEX Friday night. After 23 minutes on the phone with one Rep I could not even understand and then a Manager, Jay, who was a little smarter, I got the thing right – delivered by 10:30AM – but I still have to call billing to rectify the charges AFTER the package is delivered. AND, the package was going to Tennessee – that is where FEDEX’s planes are headquartered.

As I told the second customer service manager on the phone, “Hey, this is FEDEX, not Joe Blow’s Delivery Service.” I had a very high regard for FEDEX 20-25 years ago. They were top-notch and their people knew their job. Today, one out of three knew their job.

What executive screwed up FEDEX???? Who decided overseas call centers were a good customer service move and what happened to professionals manning the counters?

Now I am thinking next time I need to ship something – I might just go to the Post Office. My expectations at the Post Office were never high, but seeing FEDEX in such a disarray, maybe it’s time to go back to the Post Office?

TAKE OUR SURVEY AND GET A DISCOUNT NEXT TIME

Next time? On my FEDEX receipt it said, “Take our survey and get a discount the next time.”

Thanks, but no thanks FEDEX. Writing this article is much better way to get someone to wake up and look at their business, than calling a different 1-1800 number to answer a lame questionnaire.

There is a definite problem both at the front lines of the stores as well as the 1-800 number for FEDEX support.

WHO’s FAULT IS IT?

Who is in charge? You can’t blame low-level clerks for inconsistent billing. Or can you?

Whatever your job is, learn it, and perform it well. If you’re the boss, make sure people are doing their jobs well and recognize them for doing a good job.

We cannot get better as a country until we figure out what we are doing wrong – and fix it.

Now, with the guy who burned down the Air Traffic Control data center in Aurora, Illinois that stopped all flights across four states over the weekend, who knows if the package will arrive on time? Shouldn’t control centers like that be totally backed up? That’s another story (Which I will be writing about)

CARLINI-ISM : Have passion for your job and show a sense-of-urgency for your customers.

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