Do you know the difference between FedEx express shipping and FedEx SmartPost?

Neither did I until I read this article.

In case you didn’t click through I will summarize.

A guy ordered a navigation update CD online for his car’s navigational system. He took the day off from work to receive his package, but it never showed up. After some research he discovered it was shipped with FedEx SmartPost and had gotten lost once FedEx handed it over to the USPS.

Unfortunately they do not have a very accurate tracking system and the online status didn’t change until after it had been delivered late.

With FedEx SmartPost you only get an estimated delivery date, and no guarantee. FedEx ships it for the first part of the delivery but then hands it off to the USPS and once it’s in their hands there is no guarantee how long the rest of the trip will take.

So I guess the moral of this cautionary tale is use expedited shipping when its important that it gets there on time every time.

Then set up PackageFox to keep track of all the details for you.

When things are going fine, great. When something goes wrong, don’t sweat, PackageFox is there to do all the heavy lifting.

So this story could have gone much differently if only things were set up better from the beginning.

There is no question taking a day off to receive a package is a bummer when it never shows up. But if the guy in the story had used the right kind of shipping and set up a free PackageFox account he would have at least got his money back.

Don’t let yourself be a victim of bait and switch package shipping. Make sure you are getting guaranteed shipping and sign up for your free PackageFox account here.