Big Brown Truck

“Having access to UPS order tracking is cool, but the closer it gets, the more anxious I get. Driving to work I passed an in-bound UPS semi at an intersection and felt like stopping for a look inside. Now, here I sit at work, knowing that the box is on the delivery truck driving around town. I feel like a kid who set up radar on the roof at Xmas and has picked up a blip coming from the North. The well-conditioned consumer response (gear fever) runs deep in me.

BTW, do you think my wife will mind if I turn the thermostat way down tonight so I can check out the temp rating on my new sleeping bag? I'd try it in the backyard, but A) it will get below the rating tonight, and B) the backyard is full of 1. snow and 2. dog crap.”

“that's easy, pekka.. put wife in other sleeping bag.. and camp out in the living room..”

“IMHO the arrival of the big brown truck is one of the happiest recurring events in my life... in fact if you want to see pure unbridled joy in the faces of adults, find out when the UPS truck delivers to your local high end bicycle shop and watch the folks waiting on their new rides, pure cocker-spaniel type ectasy!”

“get some wine.. some cheese.. start up the fireplace.. shoot.. sounds like a great chance to chk out your new gear.. and spend some quality time with wife.. :)”

“It's big and it's brown...bbbbbbbbbrown...bbbbbbbrown...it's brown to the bone!




























btw- Dale Farret sux...”

“TownDawg's idea sounds really good, Pekka. Even without thinking about your description of your backyard.”

“Well, actually it's a good thing I'll have a new piece of gear to focus on. She just called and said she has to write an op-ed piece for Sunday's Milwaukee paper, ready to be faxed by morning. So I know what she will be doing most of the night -- sitting at the computer, either at home or at her office.

But I could always crack the window in the bedroom, cover the baseboard vent, and try it out there.”

“Pekka, look what you started! Now I want to go serf and order some new gear so the big brown truck will visit my house!”

“Pamster, if I had a web cam, I could set it up so you could experience my joyful visit of the BBT virtually, but somehow I don't think that would satisfy your craving.

Can you imagine anything more perverse to do to us gear junkies than have someone with a no-limit credit card and the same gear interests set up such a cam and show us the UPS and FedEx vans interminably coming and going from his/her house?

BTW, just talked to the wife, and she said we have to go have drinks with a VIP in town tonight -- my new-gear fondling time is being intruded upon.”

“Ya it's cool when the big brown truck brings you your backpacking gear I get nutz when I see one comming down the street when I know I am getting some new gear!

8)”

“When's Dale Jarrett gonna drive that Big Brown Trunk?”

“Waiting for the truck to deliver my seond copy of 'Beyond Backpacking'”

“When I was home sick a week ago today, I ordered a sleeping bag for my wife from Oregon Mountain Community in Portland via its web store -- good sale price, no tax like REI charges since they have a store in WI. Since I ordered it in the morning, and got confirmation invoice screen that the order was taken, and I had coughed up for 3-day UPS, I figured it would be arriving last Friday.

Friday came and went, and then Sunday I finally got an e-mail with the UPS tracking number. But that didn't register with UPS. E-mailed yesterday to find out what was up. Got back that a key person in the e-commerce element had bugged out for New Zealand and many others had been down with flu, causing their small operation to clog up. But it was being sent out at 2 p.m. Monday. Okay, well I wasn't in a big hurry.

Finally it's in the UPS system. Package didn't leave their store until about 6 PST yesterday, and is now in the air between Spokane and Iowa. Go Big Brown, Go!”

“Love that big brown truck. The friendly UPS driver brought me a new bike helmet yesterday, yeah!

The FedEx and USPS trucks are OK with me, too.”

“I'm on a first name basis with the driver of my Big Brown Truck!”

“The big brown truck will soon be comeing house again!!!!

Oh joy!!!!


8)”

“...for the Big Brown Truck when you check the UPS website so often after the order you realize you have memorized the 18-number/letter tracking code for your box. (Mine left Stevens Point at 2:31 a.m. -- should be in town now. It spent more than 24 hrs. sitting in DesMoines, IA!)”

“I do that too!


8)”

“Pekka, you got it BAD!!”

“Yeah, SG, I do. Package left the local terminal on the delivery van at 6 a.m. today so it is probably at my house by now, or will be soon. We've got a snow storm starting, so hopefully that won't slow things down too much!”

“Delivered exactly one hour ago while I was in class. Time to head home and see if my step-daughter brought it inside and out of the snow storm.”

“I don't know if I should be upset or not?

I have worked for FedEx for almost 14 years. We very rarely screw things up too!!! Now there's an ad slogan for ya.

"Use FedEx! We screw up less than the BBT!"

Do ya think it'll fly?”

“Freedom:

Sorry, but in my neighborhood, UPS will make a second and third attempt, FEDEX won't with out specific request. Sent my honey flowers, FEDEX screwed up and had to "beg" the 1-800 person to try re-delivery.”

“FedEx sucks. 10 days before Christmas, an aquintance send a box of home baked cookies to her son at a price of $50.00!!!

She was guaranteed that the package would get there in 2 days. Her son received the package 2 days after Christmas.

It would have been faster if she used regular post. It would have been easier if she had just send him a check for $50.00 and told him to buy a box of cookies (probably cost less than $50.00).”

“Oops, no offense to FedEx employees. Maybe these things happen at UPS, Purolator etc. also. It's just that it happened to someone I know.”

“Never had a problem with FedEx. In fact they have always delivered my packages efficiently, and with courtesy.

UPS on the otherhand has appropriate corporate color to reflect the service you can expect, #&%!$ brown! I get nothing but sullen and resentfull delivery people from UPS and equally unhelpfull staff at their warehouse, that is when they aren't leaving those little yellow "attempted delivery" notices on my door without even trying. I have had a UPS delivery person even have the tenacity to lecture me for not being at home at his convenience even though I was. I have had packages almost returned because this company can't get it's act together to keep track of them...I once had to actually find my own package in their warehouse as their slothfull staff just watched.

Give me FedEx or good old USPS anytime.”

“My UPS driver leaves my stuff on my front porch. I guess there are some advantages to living in a white redneck community. My neighbors leave my stuff alone.”

“Hey Stumprider,
I am sorry to hear of your bad experience with the flowers.

Seems like you got some wrong info from the 800 # too. Honestly, that is the exception rather than the rule with FedEx. FedEx was built on customer service and I challenge my employees daily to "What would you expect if you were the customer?". Again, on behalf of the company, I apologize.

It is not my intent to defend, but rather share information of the process. The policy is that route drivers make 3 attempts on packages for 3 business days. At that point we hold them in our station for 5 days while we contact the shipper for further delivery instructions.

The only exception would be if a signature is REQUIRED by the shipper versus a customer requested release. In those instances, we will request a call from the customer after the 1st attempt so that we can arrange delivery when someone is home.

Another area that I causes the public's anger is the FedEx Brand Name. Our customers expect and count on perfection in the process. Since FDX corp is made up of 7 companies, often people think of FedEx "Express" as FedEx. The Ground & Home Delivery divisions are owner operators, and do not fall under the same policies and guidelines that the Express side does. I have had numerous situations when something is shipped Ground and the customer thinks it was Express.

I deal with that assumption more than I like, but I understand and am empathetic when it occurs. The key is getting the problem fixed. There are certain things that I have control over and power to change or accelerate, and some things I don't.

I rarely talk about work when I am not working. I leave it there, but when I read (laughing) the posts about the BIG BROWN TRUCK, I felt compelled to chime in...

Heck, work is what drove me to the woods in the first place. Without the consistant "Very Urgent/Very Important" Quadrant that FedEx built it's business plan around, I might not of ever started Backpacking....

Oh... What a pity that would have been!

Thanks for listening... and if you ever have a problem with FedEx, you can contact me directly and I will get it fixed to the best of my ability. Just call the 800# and ask to be put through to me. My EE# is 85460. They can find me by that.”

“Our UPS drivers will put our boxes in the garage if we aren't home or just set by the side door. USPS leaves packages by the side door, too. Like bacpac said, living in small towns where you can trust your neighbors has advantages.

And the lady at our UPS counter is unfailingly pleasant, even with the diesel fumes drifting in from the warehouse. So it may not be the corporation as such: UPS, FedEx or USPS all depend on the employees at the delivery/acceptance points to create a good company image and provide quality service.”

“Our mailman, Fedex and UPS drivers are all very helpful and pleasant in my neighborhood. They put packages on my front porch or in/by the garage if I'm home with the garage door open. Fedex and UPS just ring the doorbell and run, which is fine, but the mailman will wait for me to answer the door so that he can hand me my mail if I'm home, since he had to come to the door with a package anyway.”

“Freedom:

Assumed FedEx was FedEx. Perhaps the people who ship via FedEx vs. FedEx should inform THEIR customers about the difference.
But I do loathe the FedEx notices, express or otherwise that tell me to call to make delivery arrangements?

My experience in Chicago has been, if I'm not there when the driver arrives, "oh well."”

“Thats what I like about P.mail.They will leave it and when you get home from backpacking you have new geat there to play with!!!!

8)”

“The Big Brown Truck (Dale Jerrett) didn't have much luck at Darlington today.”

“Came home from work and asked the wife if my REI order had arrived today, as it was supposed to according to the computer. She said no. So I checked the UPS tracking and it said it was here, in the garage. My wife said, well I did have the music on pretty loud while I was painting the ceiling this afternoon.

Oh the sacrilege...to be oblivious of the holy Big Brown Truck making a visitation on your house!”

“It could have been worse. What if you came home to see that dreaded sticker on your front door?”

“I live 1.5 miles from the UPS Columbus hub...I see the damn things driving around all day. Around 9 o'clock about fifty of them drive by my house. If I got excited everytime I saw one after I placed an order I'd be let down a lot.”

“fed ex always leaves that dumb sticker...I hate waiting that extra day!

The big brown truck is due to visit my house this week! Mountain Hardwear sub-zero down booties and a Voile XLM Snow Shovel!”

“FedEx leaves that sticker on my door too and I have to drive 4 miles to their office to pick up stuff. The UPS man is smarter...he hides my packages in the corner of my porch and uses my doormat and chair to mask it. Clever devil.”

“Their(fed ex) office is an hour south of me...so I just wait.
Actually I filled out a card last time....that tells them it's ok to leave the package and where to hide it.”

“I think I'll fly out to Porterville and loiter outside somebody's house.”

“Capt. the neighbors are real nosey...did you want the address?
:)”

“For awhile, my wife was getting frequent deliveries of supplies for her business, and wasn't always home, so we put up a sign on the door that said where to stash stuff. Hadn't ever taken it down, so it's a good thing that the new, now-lockable garage door wasn't locked this afternoon.

BPing was pretty maxed out for me gear-wise. Today's box was a Seattle Sports waterproof tote/duffle for my sailing stash. Ah, the joys of adding a new sport that needs new gear! (Ssshhh...I know my waterproof bags I use canoeing and kayaking are fine for the sailboat, but what's the fun in that!)”

“They probably aren't quite as user friendly. After all, if you're out there relaxing and enjoying your freetime there should be no stress, especially from a drysack with no tote handles! ;)”

“Exactly. Sass, you are so darn sensible! And Birch, you are one lucky guy to have such a gear-savvy spouse.”

“The UPS guy just opens the front door and puts it in the house.

Bet you can't do that in many places, huh?”

“Windwalker, report here about the MH booties. I want to know if yours are too small. I ordered a pair according to the size specs on the website and they seem too small with the padding in them. Take the padding out and they fit fine. The whole point is the padding, though. I didn't return them so might be a used gear sale item soon when I can afford to get the next size up.”

“I swung by the house to make sure Captain Underpants wasn't camping out in my driveway....and low and behold the Big Brown Truck was in my driveway!

Mine fit great Wolfie! Can't wait to use them!!!”

“I've got a new pack on the way and the suspense is killing me! I'm beginning to think that tracking system was designed to torture us, lol.”

“You have to learn to be patient. It will aide you in many aspects of life.

If impossible to be patient, then pay mega-bucks for over-nite delivery.”

“Same thing here, new backpack...mine has been in transit since 9pm on the 29th! I'd better check on it now.”