JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Expected delivery dates have become more of a guideline than a certainty this holiday season, and shipping giant FedEx has taken some heat this month over complaints about lost packages.
Overall, shipping volume is up more than 21 percent this year. All of that cargo, coupled with some recent storms, has delayed on-time deliveries for many customers, whose frustrations continue to grow.
Since Thanksgiving, FedEx has an on-time delivery rate of about 68 percent. That’s down from more than 77 percent a year ago. For UPS, the same rate is 80 percent this year, down from 86 percent last year.
Customers who spoke with News4Jax are fed up with the results.
“I called FedEx in Jacksonville this morning about a package that was scheduled to be delivered on Friday,” Dana DeRoin said. “Tracking shows it arrived in Jacksonville Friday, then nothing since.”
“They told me they’re so swamped, they’ve hired other parties and put packages in trailers. They don’t have any idea which trailer my package is in or when I’ll get it. Hopefully by Christmas,” she added.
FedEx provided the following statement in response to an inquiry from News4Jax:
“FedEx is experiencing some of the highest volume days in the history of our company, and our networks are flexing as designed to accommodate the surge of packages. We worked all year to prepare, and we are proud of our team members around the globe who are rapidly working to get packages delivered with a focus on ensuring holiday deliveries are made as soon as possible.”
A company representative recommended calling FedEx’s customer service line and the retailer a package was purchased from if an item is presumed lost. That number is 1-800-463-3339.