FedEx, UPS Apologize, Offer Explanations For Late Deliveries
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- It's the day after Christmas -- and many residents are still waiting for FedEx and UPS to deliver Christmas gifts.
"Christmas Eve I was kind of down in the dumps about it," Marlene Pisarcik, of Overbrook, told KDKA money editor Jon Delano.
KDKA's Jon Delano Reports:
Pisarcik has not yet received the gift she ordered for her daughter-in-law.
"It's disappointing. I was sad and upset, but she was very understanding," she added.
Pisarcik is not alone, as all over America, people have reported similar problems.
"I paid extra in delivery costs guaranteed for Christmas Eve and it did not arrive," noted Kelly Gallagher.
Vickie Madsen's gifts for her daughter never made it either.
"I was really excited. I couldn't wait to see her face, but it didn't happen," said Madsen.
FedEx and UPS blame bad weather and system overload from too many online purchases.
For last minute shipments both companies would not guarantee delivery before Christmas, but even those customers who used those services well in advance found that their gifts did not arrive in time for Christmas.
Pisarcik says she ordered her gift with plenty of days for delivery by FedEx.
Delano: "You were guaranteed two-day delivery. How many days did it take to get to you?"
Pisarcik: "Six days. It took six days to get here. It's not actually here, sat on the truck, in transit for delivery today."
Delano: "So you don't even know if you'll get it today?"
Pisarcik: "I don't."
The shipping companies are apologizing -- saying they're doing their best -- with some companies like Amazon offering $20 gift cards for late arrival -- after promising two-day delivery.
"I questioned them several times, 'you're guaranteeing this, you're guaranteeing this.' They said yes, but there is no guarantee," Pisarcik said.
Pisarcik is also the long-time manager at the Hometown Mail Center in Mt. Lebanon, and in frequent touch with the shippers her customers choose.
She hears all the explanations for delay.
"They say inclement weather -- due to inclement weather -- which is becoming a very popular excuse for delays," she said.
Bad weather in major parts of the country doesn't help, but system overload is another problem -- as more people shop on line with expected delivery.
KDKA's Jon Delano Reports:
UPS told KDKA that e-commerce now represents 40 percent of their delivery business -- and the logistics of that much delivery may be overwhelming.
It's bad enough that your Christmas packages didn't arrive on time, but what if you found out that one of those packages for Pittsburgh got hung up at a FedEx site in Sewickley?
That's what happened to Pisarcik's daughter who was expecting delivery of photo cards.
"It was held up in Sewickley. The hang-up was about two days, and the package was delivered to the wrong address," she added.
Many customers say tracking delivery is confusing.
Derrick Brashear ordered something from a local company for local delivery via FedEx.
"This was a package ordered from ModCloth. It was addressed. Basically, it was coming from Crafton -- their warehouse is local -- to the South Side. For whatever reason, the day it left it went to Columbus, spent three days there, before finally getting back to Pittsburgh on Saturday," said Brashear.
UPS uses Chicago as its ground shipment base and Louisville for air shipments.
Pisarcik says, whatever's to blame, it's not the truck drivers who deliver everything in their trucks.
"The drivers work so hard. They've told us they're extremely exhausted and doing the best they can," she added.
KDKA's Susan Koeppen Reports:
RELATED LINKS:
UPS, FedEx Not Able To Deliver Some Packages In Time For Holidays (12/25/13)
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