A little over a month ago, I ordered an UpLift Desk for my office. All three packages were shipped via FedEx, and it was a colossal headache. The top arrived damaged, so I had the company send me another, which they graciously did. That one also arrived slightly damaged, though not as badly as the first. I decided to use the second top, just to avoid having to deal with another support ticket (the desk, by the way, is terrific).

The FedEx tracking updates, while packages are en route, appear to be updated only once daily. Compare this to UPS or Amazon, who update their tracking information immediately. FedEx's estimations for when the packages would arrive were also all incorrect (only one of the three packages ended up arriving the day it was forecast).

Nearly a week ago, my wife's phone broke. We ordered a replacement direct from Google, and guess who it's shipping through? We ordered it December 22, and it was scheduled to be delivered December 26, by the end of the day. The last tracking update was December 23; nothing further appeared until this morning. Today's update shows that the package is in Charlotte, NC, but with this caveat: Delivery exception: Damaged, handling per shipper instructions.

I guess at least they're honest. It's not clear to me, however, what happens next. Will FedEx deliver the damaged package as is? Will it get returned to the shipper, only to have a new one shipped again? I contacted Google about it, but my support ticket is still being processed (apparently the Google support folks don't even know what happens).

FedEx has miles to go to catch up to their competition. I've never had these kind of issues with UPS or Amazon shipping. It amazes me that a company with this kind of service remains in business.