Comments on: Dear Fed-Ex: Why do you hate my book?

By: Vinny K

Vinny K — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 03:31:47 +0000

It’s a crime for books to be treated that way. Anyone who does that to a book should be punished severely. I love books and I hate when they’re damaged, so I understand your pain. I sincerely hope that never happens to a book you’re delivered ever again.
Sincerely, Vinny

By: Brian Igelchen

Brian Igelchen — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 16:39:57 +0000

I actually hope my book will look like a rag one day. It's always a sign that a book has been loved. (Sort of like that story you cited... Don't remember the name right now, but I'll read it once. Same goes for the last unicorn.)I don't want it to look like a rag because someone from payex, ups, usp or whatever manhandles it though. But because it's been read passionately.That reminds me, how much do you think it will cost to send my book from Norway and back?

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Sun, 16 Sep 2007 02:47:26 +0000

No, no, not UPS!!! UPS is horrible!The thing about UPS is, they won’t deliver your package, and then they won’t refund you for having not even remotely done their job. I’ve tried to get a well-deserved refund from them and they just kept saying I’d have to talk to someone else who wouldn’t be in for a week, and then someone else, and then just saying no, and then I’d have to start over… Others have blogged about items arriving damaged and UPS refusing to pay them for it, despite their having been guaranteed or whatever.

By: Teri Pettit

Teri Pettit — Sat, 14 Jul 2007 19:13:13 +0000

To tell the truth, I think the biggest fault lies with the bookstore for packing that many hardback books in a single box with no bubble wrap.When you get books from Amazon, they always have lots of bubble wrap, and sometimes the books are in an inner box with the little folding ends to keep the actual book away from the box corners, and then that box is packed inside <>another<> larger box with bubble wrap between the two. And if you order more than four full-size hardbacks, they nearly always split them into two boxes so that neither box is too heavy.With sufficient care taken in the packaging, it matters much less that package handling, like suitcase handling at the airports, is nearly all done by mindless machines and conveyer belts, no matter which company.The choice of one shipping company versus another isn't so much in which one is least likely to damage your shipment (I really think they're all equivalent), as to which one will give the least hassle about reimbursing you when it happens.

By: Jules

Jules — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 09:47:37 +0000

What weight my words carry I don't know, but take it from someone who worked at a job in which I receibed UPS shipments daily; UPS is the single worst of the major carriers, by far. It isn't close.I hate to see your property in such condition, but the first time you get a UPS box completely opened, filled with sand, and without a single intact corner, you'll know what I saw routinely.Not to mention how UPS will deliver things on an apartment doorstep without a knock or any notice, and has several times delivered a package by throwing it over a fence. Not to mention those things! I am NOT mentioning them!Don't let one bad FedEx experience ruin it for you. UPS is far, far worse.

By: jef

jef — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 04:13:44 +0000

you're lucky that Fedex didn't just repack it into a clean carton and let you THINK your books were intact. the only recourse is to have the bookstore file a claim, which is pretty painless [it's just paperwork] and with the documentary evidence, Fedex should cough up the reimbursement without incident. it sucks, but it happens in shipping. both companies have problems. the only recourse is to pack with extreme care. and even that ain't gonna help if they run the damn box over with a forklift.working in the book industry, i'm too inured to the site of damaged books [i organize the pulping of whole pallets on a regular basis], but i can understand your pain...

By: kristin

kristin — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 02:46:19 +0000

No problemo. Just trying to rescue future literature from the evils of delivery services everywhere. It still irks me that they didn’t even try to tape up the box. At UPS, we have a group of people who go around just doing that.

By: Pat

Pat — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 03:11:38 +0000

Kristin:Thanks for the middle of the week-tip. That’ll be useful to me in the future….

By: kristin

kristin — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 21:23:00 +0000

As someone who is actually a package loader for UPS (in MN, no less), it's pretty much safe to say that it can happen with any company. We get our share of crushed boxes too, but it mostly has to do with the how many packages are coming down the belt at any given time and how the box was packed. Bubblewrap is a wonderful thing.I've seen boxes of books burst open before, (as they're notoriously heavy and cardboard is oftentimes not as sturdy as people believe. I can see this might have been part of the reason in your case) but I've never EVER seen the actual books be damaged. It pains me to view it. Best advice I can give, no matter which company you use, is to pack things well and to ship during the middle of the week, since Mondays and Fridays are by far the busiest.

By: I. M. Bitter

I. M. Bitter — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 14:18:22 +0000

Inquiring minds want to know if you made FedEx pay to replace the damaged books…