Althouse: The FedEx publicity nightmare YouTube video that has over 6 million views...

December 24, 2011

The FedEx publicity nightmare YouTube video that has over 6 million views...

... in less than 5 days:

76 comments:

PoNyman said...: A friend of mine worked for UPS years ago and, according to him, this is nothing compared to what happens at the shipping facilities.; 12/24/11, 10:50 AM
traditionalguy said...: Time is money.

No wonder the stuff comes inside in such thick form fitting styro-foam; 12/24/11, 10:53 AM
Scott M said...: I was a freight manager before switching to the freight customer side of the table. UPS so mangled our freight and charged erroneously for "oversized" packages that we recouped $70k in a single check after pressing them on it.

In hindsight, I should have walked into the president's office, asked him how much of a percentage he would give me on recouped freight charges, then slapped it down on the desk.; 12/24/11, 10:54 AM
Bob_R said...: Our regular local UPS and FedEx guys are all quite good: friendly, handle packages carefully. They both have lots of temp help at this time of year, but they don't seem all that bad - certainly not as bad as the cretin in the clip.; 12/24/11, 10:56 AM
rhhardin said...: The legend "dn" with a down arrow means this end down.; 12/24/11, 10:56 AM
halojones-fan said...: I don't care. Taking video of anyone without their permission is a wicked thing to do. The TV got broken? Hey, that's what insurance is for. Is a TV really worth gross violations of privacy rights?; 12/24/11, 11:03 AM
Sorun said...: I'd boycott FedEx, but UPS guys do the same thing.

I might look into video surveillance. I bet there's a lot to learn -- whose dogs craps next to my mailbox, etc.; 12/24/11, 11:04 AM
Sorun said...: Is a TV really worth gross violations of privacy rights?

The FedEx guy does not have a right to privacy when he destroys your property on your property. What a dumbass.; 12/24/11, 11:07 AM
Bill said...: The president of FedEx has already responded and publicly apologized in a YouTube video.

Any reason you don't even attempt to mention that? Get up to speed, Althouse; you're always behind the curve with regards to viral videos.; 12/24/11, 11:09 AM
bagoh20 said...: It's the stupidity that's sad. There are cameras everywhere, it will cost you your job, and it would take about 2 seconds longer to support it down the inside of the fence rather than tossing it. Just stupid.

It always surprises me how easily people let themselves do a crappy job. Often I see people actually take extra effort to do something poorly. C'mon people, just do it right, collect your pay and enjoy the weekend. Stop being jackasses for nothing.; 12/24/11, 11:19 AM
deborah said...: As I learned with my Law and Order law degree, he had no expectation of privacy. (He was in a public place.); 12/24/11, 11:22 AM
Sue D'Nhym said...: halojones-fan,

I cannot begin to tell you how wicked I find that attitude.

Screw the customer. Screw the insurance companies. Screw Fed Ex. Screw everyone except the asshole who is paid to do a job and doesn't have the self-respect, nor the respect of his customers or employers, to do the job well.

I have a different idea. Screw assholes like him and screw his enablers in society. Like you.; 12/24/11, 11:24 AM
SteveR said...: You have an expectation of privacy on the street?; 12/24/11, 11:30 AM
MayBee said...: The legend "dn" with a down arrow means this end down.

ha ha ha ha ha!; 12/24/11, 11:32 AM
edutcher said...: Camera is clearly for security. The Blonde's ex (the one who tried to kill her a couple of times) stalked her for several years and she had the cops on speed dial, so this is somewhat familiar.

Seeing who's at the door/gate can be vital so I don't think this is one of those privacy things. Anybody who's in camera range is taped and I'd bet the camera isn't concealed.

The delivery guy did a dumb thing and got caught. His tough luck IMHO.

PS I ship a lot out to my sister in UT and any number of UPS guys over the years have told me to make sure the box is sturdy and it's tightly packed so nothing can move around inside.

As far as I know, nothing's arrived in the Valley of the Great Salt Lake broken; 12/24/11, 11:32 AM
Sorun said...: Anyone concerned about FedEx guy's privacy rights should go straight to your nearest Walmart and complain about your own rights. You're under video surveillance there.

Don't just be an Internet whiner. Take some action!; 12/24/11, 11:33 AM
Joe said...: My current FedEx, UPS and USPS workers are very good and conscientious. In the past, however, we've have to play "find the package" with UPS and discovered them in the strangest places, including under a car. The worse, however, are DHL contractors. May they burn in hell.; 12/24/11, 11:38 AM
gail said...: With so many people unemployed I'm surprised when someone with a job doesn't give a damn about job performance.

There's also a video on the net showing a UPS guy giving the one finger salute to a security camera. Not nearly as bad as FedEx guy, but I'm sure his boss haa something to say about it.; 12/24/11, 11:39 AM
bagoh20 said...: Just think, you saved up the money, you finally ordered it, it came all the way from China on boats, trains and trucks, you expected it to come today, got the beer and chips, and invited friends over to watch it. Then this jerk doesn't take the extra 2 seconds to make sure it survives the final 6 feet to your house.

Now you have to make an insurance claim, wait for months to get the check, and then start all over again.

Maybe the next guy will do his job right - maybe not.

Just stop and think how much trouble you go through every single day because of two things: laziness and dishonesty.

From having to lock everything you have of value, to the constant checking to see if some handled what they were supposed to. All day - every day.; 12/24/11, 11:41 AM
gail said...: brain to finger short: haa= has; 12/24/11, 11:42 AM
Chip S. said...: Consistent with the results of a Popular Mechanics test last year:

In our modest experiment—12 trips, three carriers, three cities—FedEx delivered the most big bumps, with an average of three acceleration spikes over 6 g's (equivalent to a 2.5-foot drop) per trip. The USPS was the gentlest yet also the most active handler, with an average 12.5 position changes per trip.

The USPS: Sure we're slow, but we don't drop your packages nearly as far.; 12/24/11, 11:42 AM
madAsHell said...: Why didn't he ring the bell??

I think he could have turned the box sideways, and slide it between the iron bars.; 12/24/11, 11:48 AM
madAsHell said...: Look at the roots of the tree, but the sidewalk doesn't appear to be broken. Must be a fancy-schmancy neighborhood.

Maybe it's the Mayor's, or Governor's house? In which case, he should have drop-kicked the damn monitor from across the street!!....and there would be no video!; 12/24/11, 11:51 AM
Automatic_Wing said...: So did it work? Could be a good ad for the monitor company, like the old Samsonite suitcase commercials with the gorillas.; 12/24/11, 11:51 AM
Rick said...: I have a different idea. Screw assholes like him and screw his enablers in society. Like you.

12/24/11 11:24 AM
Excellent analysis. I agree.; 12/24/11, 12:01 PM
Jose_K said...: Maguro is right. I want to know if the monitor was or not damaged.; 12/24/11, 12:01 PM
cliff claven said...: surveillance cameras are everywhere. remember that everyone. merry christmas.; 12/24/11, 12:02 PM
Quaestor said...: So did it work?...

No. DOA due to mishandling. A shame because it looked like a high-quality 24-inch HD rig.

According to one of their senior VPs. FedEx has made amends to the customer, who is now content. Goobie55 ought to take down "FedEx Guy..." or at least explain in the description that FedEx has made restitution. All in the interest of truth, dontcha know.; 12/24/11, 12:07 PM
cliff claven said...: joe, my son worked for dhl. it was a horrible place to work and that's why they're virtually out of business in this country. they were the worst and competition drove them off the landscape. too bad there's no competition on where you can get your drivers license. how long would state dmv's be in business?; 12/24/11, 12:08 PM
Robert Cook said...: "I'd boycott FedEx, but UPS guys do the same thing."

How about boycotting them both and using the USPS?; 12/24/11, 12:14 PM
Robert Cook said...: "As I learned with my Law and Order law degree, he had no expectation of privacy. (He was in a public place.)"

Ha! Tell that to the cops in the states where laws have been passed prohibiting the audio or video recording of police officers in public performing their professional duties, and where citizens have been arrested for documenting police activity.; 12/24/11, 12:18 PM
Wince said...: There are two perfectly reasonable explanations:

1.) that was the umpteenth visit to the fenced-in residence and the homeowner didn't provide instructions, or

2.) given the fence and the tree roots you can see, the house is like the Munsters' or the Addams Family's and the delivery guy was just too damn afraid to knock.

"You Rang?"; 12/24/11, 12:24 PM
bagoh20 said...: My business uses all three. There used to be significant differences, but in the last 5 years they have just all copied the others' best ideas, which is usually something FedEx developed first.

It was at one time that UPS was cheapest, Fedex was fastest and USPS was useless. They are all pretty equal now, with USPS being often cheapest for a small breadbox size package, if you ignore the cost of your tax dollar subsidies.

BTW, I have no idea what a breadbox is.; 12/24/11, 12:24 PM
Tim said...: I really hope that fed-ex employee is a member of a union. I'd hate to see him lose his job because a customer had the temerity to have a fence AND a video camera.

What's this world coming to when a simple working man has to face impediments to doing his job like that? So unfair.

If fed-ex fires him, AND he's union, I see a big-time grievance. So unfair.

Go Union!; 12/24/11, 12:32 PM
The Drill SGT said...: Corporately we use UPS, but I insist on using Fedex when I need to ensure it geys to a place on time.

seriously

PS: Literally, Fedex is an airline witrh trucks, UPS is a truck company with planes and USPS is a Union without a clue.; 12/24/11, 12:32 PM
The Drill SGT said...: Tim, I think that Fedex has a pilots union, but unlike UPS, the ground guys are not unionized; 12/24/11, 12:33 PM
Automatic_Wing said...: How about boycotting them both and using the USPS?

Please. I can assure you that the same thing goes on at the Post Office.; 12/24/11, 12:36 PM
NotWhoIUsedtoBe said...: He didn't want to wait five minutes for someone to come to the gate. That's not an excuse, but that's what he was thinking. He's probably been there before.

This customer needs a delivery box. Making people wait to make a delivery is lame.

I was a mailman for a little while. There is simply NO TIME during the holiday season to spend waiting. I worked 12 hour days six days a week for the month of December. I'd do my route and then go back to do packages.

There's a class thing going on here, too. How dare this prole throw my stuff! I've got this gate for a reason, damnit!

Still, the job of a delivery guy is to deliver professionally. But I don't see why one mistake should get him fired. Everyone screws up, and every mailman I worked with screwed up at one time or another (once I found a week-old package hidden in my Jeep). I don't see why one incident should be career-ending.; 12/24/11, 12:38 PM
Sorun said...: But I don't see why one mistake should get him fired.

It's the one time he got famous for it. It's not necessarily his one and only "mistake."

Maybe we could bring back COD. If drivers think ringing a doorbell is too much work, let them trying getting payment as well.; 12/24/11, 12:44 PM
bagoh20 said...: As lame as this employee is, I have to say that package delivery is one of those things that has improved incredibly over the years. The speed, accuracy, and reliability always impresses me, and you can track it's progress in seconds from anywhere. When you add what Amazon has done to the purchasing part, the whole buying experience has improved incredibly for me.

If you want something, you can find it, research it's performance with other real customers, compare alternatives and pricing, buy it and have it in your hand in a few days without moving more than one hand a few inches.

Sex has made the same great strides.; 12/24/11, 12:47 PM
Fr Martin Fox said...: I think the video (in the sidebar at Youtube) of the little boy pulling out his own baby tooth with a nerf gun is much better.; 12/24/11, 12:57 PM
Fr Martin Fox said...: When the aliens finally invade, we'll all be sitting in front of computers watching Youtube videos--including everyone at Norad and whoever else is manning the defenses.; 12/24/11, 12:59 PM
deborah said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 12/24/11, 1:03 PM
deborah said...: John Lynch has already alluded to this, but, The Newman Defense:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_
detailpage&v=
LL6ubXD9ZjY#t=23s

(Agreed, Cook. Would that stand up if it reached the Supreme Court, I wonder.); 12/24/11, 1:04 PM
Scott M said...: You guys are completely off base. If you took the time to watch the complete, unedited footage, you would have seen the giant pile of goose-down comforters laying on the lawn just out of camera shot with the huge sign that read, "FEDEX, PLEASE DELIVER MONITOR HERE".; 12/24/11, 1:06 PM
Dust Bunny Queen said...: I don't see why one incident should be career-ending.

Probably not the first time.

However, why didn't he do like our Fed Ex and UPS guys do if it needs to be signed for delivery? Leave a note saying that they attempted delivery and requesting that the customer call back to confirm when they will be available to take delivery.

We get UPS and Fed Ex all the time for our business. Little items we have a delivery box (about 3 x 3 ft) that they can just leave in the box. Big items. Generally, they just leave them on the side of the workshop.

BUT....we live in the country. You can't just leave packages on the street in the city. You will never see your item again.; 12/24/11, 1:31 PM
gail said...: Scott M., could you please link to the video, I'd like to see it.

I try to get packages delivered by SpeeDee here in the upper MIdwest. Faster than UPS or USPS, cheapest method, drivers are great and there is one driver who puts the farm stuff down by the barn.; 12/24/11, 1:38 PM
Toad Trend said...: In a UPS sorting facility, 'Handle With Care' means an extra dropkick.

Its amazing more things don't arrive broken. I would advise anyone shipping via these carriers to take extra care when shipping things - sturdy carton, space in the package for packing peanuts etc., and don't skimp on the tape job either.

And please pack your stuff up BEFORE you go to USPS/UPS/FedEx...doing it at the counter with people waiting in line is annoying.; 12/24/11, 1:54 PM
Anonymous said...: I demand a Men in Shorts tag on this.

First the gorilla video and now this.

Slacker.; 12/24/11, 1:59 PM
Chip Ahoy said...: I can tell the delivery man made sure the package landed softly, like a detached leaf descending on a windless day.

But I am more impressed with the tree with gnarly roots that obey a rectangular limit, then apparently shoot straight down into the earth without lifting any pavement slabs. That's perfect for urban design where underground utilities are not a concern. The red flagstone pavers around here are so tossed by tree roots, the sidewalks are veritable obstacle courses.; 12/24/11, 2:00 PM
Bender said...: Looks like the baggage handlers I saw at Chicago O'Hare bashing people's luggage while unloading the plane I was on. Sure enough, my BRAND NEW suitcase that I had checked going to Europe was trashed, with the interior metal bar all bashed in. And for this the airlines are charging money now to check bags?

What I want to know is whatever happened to common carrier laws and bailment laws?; 12/24/11, 2:03 PM
Jose_K said...: What I want to know is whatever happened to common carrier laws and bailment laws?
They are useless would you go to a court and expend thousands in a lawyer to recoup what 500$ 1000$?Your expensive luggage was used so the value is not that in the receipt
It is easier to made a youtube video. They will call you and apologize; 12/24/11, 2:45 PM
Jose_K said...: And you signed a contract that limits the amount of damages to nothing. im not sure about the USA but in the rest of the world is the law by international treaties; 12/24/11, 2:46 PM
LilEvie said...: Fedex drivers are non-union, UPS are union, USPS are union (voluntary). Fedex has the lowest wages, USPS in the middle, UPS the highest.

I never saw USPS packages mishandled, but did not work in a sorting center.

I sent 4 fedex overnight shipments this month, guaranteed for 10:30am. One was an hour late, 2 were 4 hours late, the one 2 days ago a whole day late. These were $100 shipments. Looks like I will apply to Delta to be a known shipper.

Pack everything well. There is always a risk of a super heavy package on top of a lightweight one. Besides the drop kickers.; 12/24/11, 2:48 PM
Anonymous said...: Robert Cook said...
"I'd boycott FedEx, but UPS guys do the same thing."

How about boycotting them both and using the USPS?

Yes, becasue nothing says service like govenrment monopolies.; 12/24/11, 3:07 PM
Anonymous said...: This is inexcusable. It's not news, though. An employee like this one couldn't last regardless of the video. Customer complaints would dog him. The odds are other sorts of trouble would too. Vehicle accidents and so on. He would rationalize every incident saying that all his trouble was caused by other people one way or another. I've seen it many times since I work for FedEx. All the video does is speed his chickens on their way home to roost.; 12/24/11, 3:19 PM
Alex said...: Looks like the baggage handlers I saw at Chicago O'Hare bashing people's luggage while unloading the plane I was on. Sure enough, my BRAND NEW suitcase that I had checked going to Europe was trashed, with the interior metal bar all bashed in. And for this the airlines are charging money now to check bags?

What I want to know is whatever happened to common carrier laws and bailment laws?

The answer my friend is the baggage handlers union has you and me fucked up the ass. Imagine the union boot stomping the human face... forever.; 12/24/11, 3:23 PM
Alex said...: Yes, becasue nothing says service like govenrment monopolies.

Mussolini made the trains run on time. Hitler's death camps were the model of efficiency! You really have cut the socialists some slack man.; 12/24/11, 3:24 PM
halojones-fan said...: Hey, I don't have a problem with people's behavior being recorded without their knowledge or consent. But apparently a lot of people *do* have a problem with that. What I want is for people to understand what their "privacy at any cost" attitude is going to mean for things like this.; 12/24/11, 3:29 PM
Alex said...: halojones-fan - until you posted on this blog I never heard anyone advocating a delivery man's right to privacy during a delivery. That's a completely new development that I first heard from YOU.; 12/24/11, 3:32 PM
Anonymous said...: This is inexcusable. It's not news, though. An employee like this one couldn't last regardless of the video. Customer complaints would dog him. The odds are other sorts of trouble would too. Vehicle accidents and so on. He would rationalize every incident saying that all his trouble was caused by other people one way or another. I've seen it many times since I work for FedEx. All the video does is speed his chickens on their way home to roost.; 12/24/11, 3:33 PM
Phil 314 said...: and does he still have a job?; 12/24/11, 3:45 PM
HT said...: USPS guys go in to our local FedEx office and do...something. Pick up or drop off, not sure what.

USPS is usually the best deal, until they steal from you as happened to me last year. I launched an investigation. Heck yes, I did.

Now they are closing down distribution centers quickly. For me personally, I am going to be very very careful when deciding what to ship in light of this fact.; 12/24/11, 3:49 PM
Paco Wové said...: "There's a class thing going on here, too. How dare this prole throw my stuff!"

I suspect that works both ways. "This guy's rich enough to have this fence and gate, he's probably rich enough to afford to wait for somebody else to deliver an unbroken monitor."; 12/24/11, 3:55 PM
David A. Carlson said...: Gated house? Freaking 1%'r. He deserves what he got; 12/24/11, 4:30 PM
Quaestor said...: Alex wrote:
Imagine the union boot stomping the human face... forever.

That's a bit strong. A union boot stomping a human face forever... nah, it's more like a union boot stomping a Hermes Victoria Travel Bag for however long it takes to make the 1% feel like shit on a stick.; 12/24/11, 4:34 PM
Alex said...: Gated house? Freaking 1%'r. He deserves what he got

it's more like a union boot stomping a Hermes Victoria Travel Bag for however long it takes to make the 1% feel like shit on a stick.

Funny thing is while I know you guys are joking, garage believes in that with utter sincerity.; 12/24/11, 4:37 PM
Robert Cook said...: "Yes, because nothing says service like government monopolies."

But the USPS is not a monopoly...you can choose to ship with other services if you like. Additionally, in my experience, the USPS provides very good to excellent service, at least as good as UPS or FEDEX. Plus, it delivers to areas the other two don't.

And, would one use FEDEX or UPS to mail letters, cards, or bill payments? Would FEDEX or UPS deliver magazine subscriptions, and, if so, as cheaply as the USPS?

I'm a big fan of the USPS and I think it's tragic that it may not survive.; 12/24/11, 5:38 PM
JAL said...: OK -- Rabbit Trail Alert.

Amazon is pretty terrific in getting stuff to us (actually amazing -- I once had a two day delivery arrive less than 24 hours after I ordered it).

FedEx, USPS, whoever they use.

BUT will someone please reinforce with Amazon that its packers are CLUELESS. And costing them $$ and some good will, certainly.

When the Lenox place settings arrived simply put in a larger box in their Lenox boxes -- no padding, no styrofoam, no peanuts, *no packing whatsoever* -- what really was the expectation?

Then there was the serving dish (another company) that my sister ordered for her daughter. Arrived yesterday IN PIECES as it was simply pt into a brown corrugated box and -- shipped.

Who needs a FedEx guy tossing a box over a 6' fence, when a simple sideway toss two feet off the ground will produce that unique Le Creuset jingling sound?

I could go on, but deleted the wooden penguin stories so as not to offend our purple guest at Christmas.; 12/24/11, 6:06 PM
Wally Kalbacken said...: Cut him some slack! This was about peak volume day (what with all those assholes ordering stuff via Amazon, etc.) and this poor fellow was at the end of his rope.

In my younger and more vulnerable years I worked my way through college loading UPS trucks 3rd shift. When the peak arrived (in those days ~ Dec 18th) it was a mother.

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!; 12/24/11, 8:54 PM
Karl said...: Ha- can relate to shipping frustration.

Purchased an item on 12/15/11 - a Thursday. Figured the cheapest shipping was non-operational, so I opted for the "Second Day Air" at a premium. Wrote off Thursday as a shipping date as it was after 8am. So the next possible shipping date was Friday 12/16/11.
And it was.
On 12/23/11 ( SEVEN days hence) about 4pm CST I happened to notice TWO UPS dudes standing at the end of my driveway. The Alsatian was out to greet visitors...I ran out to accept delivery. And all is good. The vendor waived all shipping charges because I complained.
Something is going on - busy at Christmas should be a given.; 12/24/11, 10:17 PM
Anonymous said...: Peak volume is a bitch. I know it well. I've worked 28 Christmases in the delivery businesses. I've dealt with every sort of person over the years and that includes all the assholes. I've worked in neighborhoods like the one in the video and I've been so far out in the woods that a compass won't work. I've never thrown a computer monitor over a fence, nor yet tossed one onto the porch even. And you can bet your ass that in 28 years I've experienced the most frustrating pressure the business can produce. It's tempting to call the sort of behavior in this video as stupid but that's not accurate. What it is is careless of both his own interest and the customer. I've had many customers I didn't care much about. I've never let my personal standards get this low before undertaking to reform my attitudes. And again, you don't do this for 28 years without evaluating and reforming your attitudes many times. It's the only remedy for burnout. This kid hasn't had time to need burnout recovery. Any excuses for this behavior just grease the slope for the slide out the door.; 12/24/11, 10:31 PM
Jim Howard said...: "How about boycotting them both and using the USPS?"

USPS uses FedEx to ship much of their package mail, to the tune of $1.7 billion per year.; 12/24/11, 11:03 PM
coketown said...: The fortunate thing about publicity in a viral video-obsessed society is that everyone will forget this ever happened by Wednesday. The entire Cycle of Indignation, from incredulity to anger to resolution, is fifteen seconds.; 12/25/11, 12:14 AM
David A. Lunde said...: I've been a letter carrier with the USPS for over 25 years. Individuals who do stupid things do not represent the whole of the company they work for. Look at your own co-workers. I believe the vast majority of FedEx, UPS, and USPS workers are very competent, competitive, and assets to their employers and customers. We know we work in a competitive environment. We know our customers can take their business elsewhere. I've got much respect for our competitors delivery people.; 12/25/11, 12:56 AM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: Trad @ 10:53 hit the nail on the head.

I work for a FEDEX competitor.

In fairness, packages are tossed around at their distribution centers the same way this guy tossed that package.

Notice I used the word package. Its not that guys job to see to if the package is drop proof.. it should be drop proof.

This video is only showing a slice of a violent trajectory. that monitored may have been already broken before it was finally delivered.

I ordered a laptop via Amazon about 6 months ago and that laptop was packaged so that it could take some licks.

Whoever sent him that monitor did not package it correctly.; 12/25/11, 1:14 AM