Free Shipping: NEVER AGAIN

[retrodog]

I have a problem with the word never. I'm always telling people to "never" use it. Partly in jest, and partly serious. But I'm using it now and I have a funny feeling that I'm going to stick with it.

I ordered some stuff and it was shipped on 5/27. Well at leased it was processed for shipping on 5/27. It was listed to be delivered on 6/4 (last Saturday) right up until the morning of 6/4, whereupon it got extended to 6/9. The interesting part of this was that it arrived at League City TX on 6/3. And that is my delivery depot (or whatever you call the place), basically the building where they put it on the delivery truck that comes to your house. Anyway, that's where it got interesting. So instead of delivering it to my house, or even delivering it to the local postal service, they routed it off to Arizona.

I spent about 30 minutes last night, online and on the phone, until they finally told me they re-routed it by mistake. And here's where it gets good. I then asked them if the delivery estimate for 6/9 was valid. They assured me it was. I then asked if that was going to be a delivery to my house or to the US postal service. The lady was quiet for a few moments and then finally admitted it was to the postal service, meaning that I might get it by next week sometime, if I'm lucky and it doesn't get re-routed again. And if the USPS doesn't lose it. And if they don't re-route it.

Well at this point it gets even more interesting. I explain that the League City location is within easy driving range for me and I'd like them to hold it there for me to pick up, hoping to minimize any additional globetrotting plans they or the USPS had for my package (no, not that, the stuff I ordered from GetFPV, silly). And they then told me that my shipping was some low level cheap shipping that didn't allow for any exotic special handling like this, but for the small sum of $3, I could upgrade my delivery status and get this advanced high-tech feature.

So there you have it, the free shipping is a joke. I'll just be glad to get the stuff some time this year, I guess. Hopefully, Amy the gorilla didn't get to do the Samsonite test on it. But NEVER again will I use the "free shipping".

Edit to add tracking history to this point (6/7/16) just because it shows the big "Texas Circle" my stuff is taking. Ironically, all my quad stuff is going ground. LOL!!!

Ft Worth, TX, United States	06/07/2016	4:38 A.M.	Arrival Scan
El Paso, TX, United States	06/06/2016	3:42 P.M.	Departure Scan
	06/06/2016	1:54 P.M.	Arrival Scan
Phoenix, AZ, United States	06/06/2016	5:15 A.M.	Departure Scan
League City, TX, United States	06/03/2016	8:07 A.M.	Destination Scan
	06/03/2016	6:33 A.M.	Arrival Scan
Houston, TX, United States	06/03/2016	5:45 A.M.	Departure Scan
	06/03/2016	2:54 A.M.	Arrival Scan
Dallas, TX, United States	06/02/2016	10:56 P.M.	Departure Scan
	06/02/2016	4:59 A.M.	Arrival Scan
Shreveport, LA, United States	06/02/2016	12:33 A.M.	Departure Scan
	06/02/2016	12:20 A.M.	Arrival Scan
Jackson, MS, United States	06/01/2016	8:30 P.M.	Departure Scan
	06/01/2016	1:38 P.M.	Arrival Scan
Jacksonville, FL, United States	06/01/2016	3:56 A.M.	Departure Scan
Jacksonville, FL, United States	05/28/2016	6:26 A.M.	Arrival Scan
Sarasota, FL, United States	05/28/2016	1:07 A.M.	Departure Scan
Sarasota, FL, United States	05/27/2016	8:37 P.M.	Origin Scan
United States	05/27/2016	4:30 P.M.	Order Processed: Ready for UPS

[Shifteer]

All this because your package took a week and a half to get to you for free? Dude try living anywhere else in the world. Packages from Hobbyking take a month and can cost over $100 in shipping to get to Canada. God help me if i order from a US shipper, where anything costs $50 to ship plus another $100 in taxes and customs broker fees if the shipper uses UPS. Enjoy your cheap and fast shipments!

[retrodog]

All this because your package took a week and a half to get to you for free? Dude try living anywhere else in the world. Packages from Hobbyking take a month and can cost over $100 in shipping to get to Canada. God help me if i order from a US shipper, where anything costs $50 to ship plus another $100 in taxes and customs broker fees if the shipper uses UPS. Enjoy your cheap and fast shipments!

Wow, a Canadian who is complacent with anything normally considered unaccpetable, and a spoiled American whining about something he doesn't like. Dude, we just validated two stereotypes.

Here in America. Well actually North America. Ok, actually centeral North America since I'm talking to a Canadian. Anyway, here in the US, we operate differently and have a different level of expectations. I'm not going to lower them because other people in third world countries* have it a little rougher. If we lower our standards that far, we might as well live in a cave. And we don't have any of those in this part of Texas so that's not really an option.

Update: I just got off the phone with UPS. The lady claims the package is indeed at League City. But she says it was not actually there last Friday. Her story is that it was a "logical scan" that showed it there, while it was actually on a truck to Arizona. She also says that she called the manager at the LC facility and they could not hold it for local pickup. It will be transferred to the USPS tomorrow for delivery when they get around to it.

*reference to Alaska. It's a third world country. It just happens to be one that we own.

[Coctailer]

Meh,
i get my stuff from GetFPV in 3 days.

[retrodog]

Meh,
i get my stuff from GetFPV in 3 days.

Is that with "free shipping" or something you pay extra for?

[Coctailer]

Is that with "free shipping" or something you pay extra for?

I always order over $60 worth of stuff, so the shipping is always free.

[Pushjerk]

Man, the free shipping to HI would usually be 3 bus. days. Those guys at GetFPV have it down. Nothing my but good times with them. Maybe they just don't like Texans.

[retrodog]

Well the box was on my doorstep yesterday. Looks like they finally predicted a delivery day accurately.

The box was a bit beaten up but all the contents were packed very well and in good condition. I got the bottom X braces for the QAV-RXL I'm building. Got it installed last night and that's a really nice add-on. Feels tough as nails now.

Also got one of the Fatshark chairs. Looks like another version of the Helinox design, but has adjustable legs on the back. And interesting additional feature.

Also got some extra 35mm standoffs, Pololus, and whatever else I can't remember right now. Good stuff.

Thanks guys.

[slowgto]

Stuff from that same Sarasota location takes 5 business days to get to me... I live a 2.5 hours drive from them. Their 'free' shipping is total crap.

[Channel 1]

She also says that she called the manager at the LC facility and they could not hold it for local pickup. It will be transferred to the USPS tomorrow for delivery when they get around to it.

When you get a chance set up a My UPS account, the basic account is free and it gives you the ability to change the delivery type of most shipments, for example it appears your package was shipped UPS SurePost that is where UPS handles most of the shipment and hands it off at the end terminal to the USPS so they can take a crack it mis-delivering it.

With a My UPS account you can select to upgrade the package for something like $2 and have UPS deliver it right to your door or have it held at a UPS CC or UPS store.

Another nice feature is you will receive notices of incoming packages with a date and approximate delivery time.

https://www.ups.com/content/us/en/re...ons/myups.html

And if you really want to go gung-ho set up a UPS shipping account, a basic account is free and saves you a few percent off the retail shipping rates, allows you to create shipments and print pre-paid shipping labels and once opened you can order many shipping supplies from UPS for free, including delivery.

Also if you do a lot of shipping through your UPS account you will after 60-90 days receive a substantial discount over retail rates.

https://www.ups.com/

Wayne