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Post by chrysanthemum on Dec 9, 2022 19:40:48 GMT -6
I was really hoping when I saw that there was an update to this thread that it was going to say that there had been a successful pickup. I don’t blame you for feeling frustrated, heavyhitterokra. I’m wondering if you can turn the matter over to Baker Creek. I’m assuming they provided you with the shipping requirements and labels. Maybe they would be able to have more success with FedEx management if they deal with them more regularly. I don’t know. I am sorry that you’re having this problem.
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Post by heavyhitterokra on Dec 9, 2022 22:24:54 GMT -6
I don't arrange these seed pickups, Baker Creek does. I have zero paperwork with FedEx. (Personally, I wouldn't deal with them). I think they're a fly by night outfit.
Ironically, the FedEx Manager for this region just now left my house at 10:00 pm tonight. He was out making deliveries but was driving a raggedy, old, Budget Rental truck and had no labels nor a label maker with him, so he didn't take the seed boxes.
He said he's in charge of all shipping labels in this area and had no request from the FedEx main office to pick up any packages here.
Who knows what goes on during the Holidays with rural delivery trucks?
I told him, I don't mind the delays, I just don't appreciate being lied to. If they're over-booked, just say so, I can work with that, but don't tell me "Rest assured" you're going to be here three days in a row, when in all actuality, no one at your office even knows we're out here.
He gave me the number of the Broken Arrow Terminal, so on Monday, maybe, I can get ahold of someone who speaks English.
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Post by hmoosek on Dec 10, 2022 3:02:52 GMT -6
Are you sure you’re not having cable put in?
I’m sorry, that’s the wittiest one liner I could come up with at 3 in the morning.
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Post by heavyhitterokra on Dec 10, 2022 12:25:27 GMT -6
Hmosek,
That was a pretty good one-liner. It does sort of remind me of the fiber optic we paid for about 3 years in advance of it arriving here. Again, I would have been alright with that too, if they'd have been open upfront and said, "It's going to take us about 3 years."
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Post by amyinowasso on Dec 11, 2022 10:53:42 GMT -6
I have had some problems with fed ex, and ups, for that matter, but I'm beginning to think the problem is at the source. They print shipping labels and then don't actually prepare the packages. Now yesterday I purchased a dog halter from Chewy, and it just arrived, on SUNDAY via FedEx not even 24 hours later. Paid extra to have a prescription shipped "2 day" shipping. Took 5 days via ups. Oh, well almost everything I ordered for Christmas is here. However, I am not rural. 5 miles from an Amazon distribution center, 10 from the airport.
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Post by woodeye on Dec 11, 2022 17:23:14 GMT -6
Over the years I've had problems with them all. I remember back when I thought that UPS & Fedex were competing to see who was the worst. The lumber I order from Wisconsin all comes via UPS, they do a good job with it. I have accounts at both places, and I can leave delivery instructions. I want all deliveries to be made to the west side of my house at the back door. Sounds simple enough, right? Nope, not simple enough for Fedex. IF they deliver the packages to my house instead of delivering it to somebody else, they love to throw the package by the front door that is on the east side of the house. I made a metal sign, attached it to rebar stakes and drove the rebar in the ground in front of the east door. The sign said:
PLEASE DELIVER ALL PACKAGES TO THE BACK DOOR ON THE WEST SIDE OF THIS HOUSE.
THIS IS THE EAST SIDE OF THIS HOUSE.
Again, that sounds simple enough, right? Nope, not for Fedex. They continued to deliver all packages to the east side of the house and even went so far as to tear my sign down and throw a package on top of it. I contacted Fedex, which is not an easy task. I got ahold of the regional supervisor and he said he would correct the problem. What a comedian that guy was! They still leave packages on the east side of my house.
This package was delivered a couple of years ago by Fedex, to the east side of the house. It was 10 days late, but at least I got it. Well sort of, I got the box containing the parts that had not already fell out on the way to Oklahoma from Georgia. I took it to Lowe's and got a refund, I didn't even bother opening it, and Lowe's didn't either. Their tagline used to be "Lowe's Knows". Well it is fitting, because Lowe's knows what Fedex is capable of.
On the bright side, it was close to Christmas, and if you shook the box just right, the remaining parts in there would clink together and sound similar to Jingle Bells...
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Post by heavyhitterokra on Dec 11, 2022 18:55:10 GMT -6
Woodeye,
I don't know what's up with that? FedEx leaves stuff out West of my house all the time ... Out West of my house, on the hood of the old, dead, Jeep that no one at the time had driven since 1998. By the time we finally saw it way out there, nothing was left of the rain-soaked box. They left one out West of the house, on the ground, under an oak tree, in the neighbor's yard. They even left one out West of the house in a low spot beside the road that fills with water every time it rains. I must be special, I didn't even have to make that a request.
What would possess a person to leave a package on the hood of this old Jeep? ... Leave it to Fedex to find that very person ...
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Post by FrostyTurnip on Dec 12, 2022 1:15:36 GMT -6
I have had some problems with fed ex, and ups, for that matter, but I'm beginning to think the problem is at the source. They print shipping labels and then don't actually prepare the packages. Now yesterday I purchased a dog halter from Chewy, and it just arrived, on SUNDAY via FedEx not even 24 hours later. Paid extra to have a prescription shipped "2 day" shipping. Took 5 days via ups. Oh, well almost everything I ordered for Christmas is here. However, I am not rural. 5 miles from an Amazon distribution center, 10 from the airport. I think you’ve been there a while, is it noisy? Tulsa spent a boatload on the houses in the area (close by the airport) for abatement. Broken windows were routine. At ten miles, they’re above the clouds, right?
We’re beneath a flight path from our local tiny airport. The bi-planes are actually fun and the rest is minimal but it is noisy. I hear a “whomp, whomp, whomp” and my windows rattle when military choppers fly over. We’re about ten miles out. The small commercial flights are generally above the clouds but I hear them.
___
Fed Ex is notorious for these antics. When we ran the book bindery, they’d toss a couple hundred pound roll of cover materials half on the sidewalk and half on the parking. We’d find it when we were closing up. That was in the late 2000s, some time ago.
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Post by amyinowasso on Dec 12, 2022 10:00:40 GMT -6
We're north east of the airport. They generally use the north/south runway and we don't hear much. But if there's a crosswind, then we'll hear jets taking off, especially the air guard doing touch and go's. You can hear them run up engines at American at night sometimes, but we're far enough away it's not bad. Every now and then we get small planes flying over, but there are 2 small airports in Owasso so who knows where they're coming from. Last year, someone stole a truck, was it FedEx or USPS? Anyway it was full of Amazon packages and I'm pretty sure that the book I ordered was among them. I've heard of drivers just getting fed up and dumping the contents of their trucks. You know they're busy this time of year.
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Post by FrostyTurnip on Dec 12, 2022 10:57:42 GMT -6
You are kind, me thinks. That being said, I’ve taken to being kind and/or helpful with my delivery personnel, mainly USPS. We offer to help them carry heavy stuff. We never use FedEx, though. I don’t know how they stay in biz.
Ron seems to have an awful time every year with multiple carriers. His fall is always a grimacing seed picking adventure that ends up with grumpy customers awaiting delayed packages.
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Post by heavyhitterokra on Dec 12, 2022 16:28:09 GMT -6
I just shipped package #574 since my son created our Heavy Hitter Okra Seed website in January of 2020. Who knows how many orders I've shipped in all the years previous to that? I've been steadily shipping seeds since 2011.
So far, I've not had a single package come up missing, but I have had to track a few of them down to addresses other than the one on the label. Some overseas orders have taken as long as 3 months to reach their final destinations, some have gotten stopped at customs and sent back to me, and one that was sent to me from France a couple of years ago took a year and 6 weeks to reach our house. (That's why I've stopped accepting overseas orders). Ever since covid, shipping overseas has been a nightmare.
Who knows what I've paid in postage over the years, but I somehow always get reimbursed for shipping. However, I have burned many a tank of gasoline, making trips to and from the Post Office and the FedEx drop-off sites.
I finally did get the seed order shipped to Baker Creek today. I had them cancel the at-home freight pickup and took the seeds to FedEx myself. This was day #6 of waiting on a FedEx truck that has yet to show up.
Taking them there myself sure was a burden off of my shoulders. I can never rest easily, knowing that I have an order that has not shipped yet.
It cost $365.04 total for postage on 6 boxes, about $60.84 per 30-pound box.
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Post by chrysanthemum on Dec 12, 2022 19:38:00 GMT -6
I’m glad it got taken care of, heavyhitterokra. Congratulations on another year of seed production, hard as it was in so many ways. The shipping certainly shouldn’t have been such an ordeal, and I think you had to right idea to cancel the labels and do the delivery to FedEx yourself. I hope you had a handtruck or something to help you move all those boxes.
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Post by FrostyTurnip on Dec 12, 2022 19:54:27 GMT -6
I hope you can get reimbursed. At least it’s one of the hottest industries right now.
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Post by woodeye on Dec 12, 2022 21:02:19 GMT -6
That's great news, heavyhitterokra. I'd be just like you, I would have taken the seeds to Fedex too.
I'm sitting here wondering if the shipping rates are different for the type of products, items, etc. The lumber that I order from Wisconsin is shipped via UPS, most orders weigh somewhere between 30 lbs. to 49 lbs. I always watch the weights as I order, because I don't want to order over 49 lbs. the rate jumps up a lot after that. Anyway, last week I got an order that was exactly 30 lbs. and the shipping cost that I had to pay was $30.77.
So, either there is a big difference in shipping rates depending on the product being shipped, OR, the company that ships the lumber to me has such a huge volume of packages to ship that they get a discount on shipping rates from UPS. The lumber package dimensions last week was 5x5x47, 30 lbs. (5 boards in the package, $6 per board shipping cost)
Regardless, I'm sure you will sleep well tonight, the seeds are on the way now. Good Job! If that ain't being a seed saver, then there is no such thing...
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Post by heavyhitterokra on Dec 12, 2022 23:41:44 GMT -6
I do have a hand cart, but it's currently being used as a bottle dolly for my cutting torch.
The shipping rates when you have a business account are about half what they are otherwise. Hopefully, if I do this for long enough, I'll eventually work something out in that regard. So far, I've always been reimbursed for shipping. It just takes time, usually a month or so. Patience in that area is a virtue, but man, those have been wearing mighty thin lately.
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