UPS Shipping

[KMench]

Anyone else been having issues with UPS shipping recently. I’ve been having packages get delayed in transit a lot recently. I ordered from LA and the order shipped yesterday. Out of 4 packages from 3 different locations, two packages got delayed and rescheduled for delivery TOMORROW. What’s the point of overnight shipping if you can’t get it overnight???? Needless to say the stress it’s going to cause the shrimp and fish in the order!

 

[nautical_nathaniel]

They had a story on my local news this morning saying that UPS was experiencing delays due to all of the Cyber Monday packages they had to process.

 

[mfinn]

I think you can safely toss out normal expectations of shipping times with any carrier this time of year.
I must be on the very end of my UPS drivers route, because last night he dropped a package off at 7:45 pm, and it's been like that for a couple weeks.

 

[S-t-r-e-t-c-h]

All of the shipping companies got hit hard this year with the increase in volume. I'm making a mental note for myself to never ship livestock between Thanksgiving & Christmas...

 

[indyjaco]

I avoid shipping anything overnight after Thanksgiving till mid January due to weather and the Holiday parcel shipment pushes.

We had some packages held up in Dallas 3 years ago for a week that were all sent Overnight AM to a client.

 

[KMench]

That’s crazy. You would think when an item is overnighted they would make a priority of ensuring those packages reach their destination first. I ordered a biota mandarin from LA and it shipped from
Wisconsin. It’s on the truck for delivery today. What do you think the odds are for 3 shrimp, and urchin, and some crabs sitting in a box for 36-48 hrs? How does that work for LA too? Do they just file a claim with UPS when I tell them they arrived dead and get a refund from UPS, or is it just lost profit?

 

[needbiggertanks]

I dont think you'll have an issue with shrimp, urchin, and crabs taking 48 hours. Buuuut, do let us know please.

 

[KMench]

@needbiggertanks Thanks! I was/am worried. My biota mandarin did make it today along with 2 corals since they came from Florida / Rhinelander facilities. Holy cow is the biota tiny! ;Watching I have to put on my glasses to see him and I don't wear glasses!

 

[VietExtender]

I know what you mean [emoji35]. I was supposed to receive my corals from aqua sd today.

 

[Dsnakes]

UPS also just had a large fire at one facility. I believe it was Maryland

 

[KMench]

https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1617227338359204&id=241349479280337

Here’s the fire that occurred. I live about two hours away. One of mine got stuck in Louisville as well. The other looks like it never made it on the plane in Cali.

 

[rkpetersen]

FWIW, Fedex Express has also been experiencing a major service disruption over the last couple of days. I had an overnight shipment yesterday that arrived at 5 PM, normally by 10 AM. I was sweating a bit.

In my experience, LiveAquaria will take care of you even if a specimen dies due to shipper delays. Just document the condition with pictures before and after opening the bag, and contact them the same day. They are not nearly as strict about documentation and timing in order to get a refund, compared to most other sellers. They pretty much go above and beyond. Get this - The one time a package from them was not delivered overnight by UPS, I got an automatic phone call from LA that day that basically said, 'Don't panic, this happens occasionally, that's why we use lots of water, oxygen and insulation, hopefully everything will still be ok, if not we will refund you.'

Also, agree with the other comments - Consistently, this is the time of year when any package is much more likely to be delayed or just vanish entirely.

 

[dealseer]

Yes, my UPS overnight packages are getting delayed. Dead livestock...no problems with FedEx

 

[Shameless_Dood]

This is just not the time of year to be trying to get anything in a hurry. From cyber-monday until Jan 1 is just too risky in my opinion. Had a TV purchased for my daughter, it was "out for delivery 3 times" and had a rescheduled delivery at least 4 times and I'm not anywhere near that fire.

 

[icedgxe]

While I’m sure the amount of packages is insane, it is not like this time of year comes as a surprise. What these companies should do is hire enough employees (temporary or not) to keep up with the increased volume. Don’t work your current employees 70 hours week and expect production levels to stay high. Hire more labor. Fires and mechanical failures cannot be avoided and are completely understandsble in terms of causing delays.

 

[VietExtender]

While I’m sure the amount of packages is insane, it is not like this time of year comes as a surprise. What these companies should do is hire enough employees (temporary or not) to keep up with the increased volume. Don’t work your current employees 70 hours week and expect production levels to stay high. Hire more labor. Fires and mechanical failures cannot be avoided and are completely understandsble in terms of causing delays.

Yeah and that’s what we’re complaining about. A company charges for next day shipping, so we expect next day shipping. [emoji36] they’re the ones who have to work to make it right, it’s their job to.

 

[Shameless_Dood]

While I’m sure the amount of packages is insane, it is not like this time of year comes as a surprise. What these companies should do is hire enough employees (temporary or not) to keep up with the increased volume. Don’t work your current employees 70 hours week and expect production levels to stay high. Hire more labor. Fires and mechanical failures cannot be avoided and are completely understandsble in terms of causing delays.

Completely agree. I'm sure the logistics of the holidays are horrific, but they are a logistics company, time to shine!

 

[AJsReef]

Ordered of LA (Divers Den) Black Friday weekend. Shipment got delayed 24 hours due to a flight that was 1 hour late. Too frustrate me even more, instead of prioritizing the already late premium overnight package and delivering it in the AM they delivered it at nearly 8PM so close to 36 hours late.... Fortunately, my Triggerfish lived.

However, with hindsight I should've known better. I work in the operations and logistics field during this time of year the "network" exceeds its capacity on a daily basis. May be best to hold off until after Dec 24th.

While I’m sure the amount of packages is insane, it is not like this time of year comes as a surprise. What these companies should do is hire enough employees (temporary or not) to keep up with the increased volume. Don’t work your current employees 70 hours week and expect production levels to stay high. Hire more labor. Fires and mechanical failures cannot be avoided and are completely understandsble in terms of causing delays.

While we are certainly fully within our rights to expect to recieve the service we paid for the solution you offered likely isn't as simple as "hiring more." Often times the bigger issue is that the current network is not able to be build fast enough to meet the growing demands of online retail. Volume can be very much a surprise too. As good as these logistics companies are we are still at the forefront of an uncharted territory. Sales grow yearly at exponential rates. Requiring more people, more facilities, more trucks, planes, etc... It's all calculated down to infrastructure cost vs perceived risk. Hiring more people is unsustainable to an extent too. Many companies have depleted work pools especially for seasonal hires. Seasonals generally perform work that isn't up to standard,

Having my LA shipment delayed for 36 hours had me just as upset too, trust me. But from someone who's been grinding out this holiday season in logistics know that letting customers down is not the plan for any of these big companies. UPS/FedEx could easily stop shipping livestock during peak without major consequences. In some ways we should be happy for what they provide...

 

[rkpetersen]

Yes, my UPS overnight packages are getting delayed. Dead livestock...no problems with FedEx

I had a UPS shipment from Diver's Den yesterday for arrival today. Got here on time, 10:30 AM. Nonetheless, it seems like DD is preparing for the worst with current shipments - There were several extra heat packs in the box.

 

[Scorpius]

Don't buy live animals in December. More than likely your package gets delayed and you as a consumer lose out and the animals perish. Wait till after the holidays and it's not -15 degrees out.