Update: Zappos will still surprise customers with free overnight shipping, but it is no longer a perk they will actively promote.
SHIPPING
Microsoft Is Very Sorry You Won't Receive Your Valentine's Day Edition Zune On Time
By 2.11.08
Cupid is helping Microsoft whisper sweet apologies to customers who may not receive their Valentine’s Day edition Zune until after February 14. Even though the players are en route, the company has promised full refunds to any scorned Zune buyers.
Dear Sur La Table: It Has Been 42 Days Since You Stole $100 From My Bank Account
By 2.9.08
Rachel used a $100 gift card to pay for her Christmas gifts, but Sur La Table decided to take the funds directly from her debit card. Sur La Table apologized for the error, but instead of overnighting Rachel a refund check as promised, they inexplicably charged her an additional $31.89. Now Rachel is angry and wants an explanation.
Tiffany's Dazzling Customer Service More Than Makes Up For Shipping Snafu
By 2.3.08
Ritzy Fifth Avenue jeweler Tiffany & Co. failed to ship Chris’ grandfather a bracelet for his wife in time for Christmas. We expect a certain level of service from high-end stores, but Tiffany’s extravagant amends caught us by surprise.
PayPal Error Stymies One Laptop Per Child Shipments
By 1.27.08
Tired of repeatedly hearing that his One Laptop Per Child was on the way, PC World’s Harry McCracken called OLPC and was surprised to discover that the charity didn’t have his mailing address on file. Apparently, PayPal passed McCracken’s payment to OLPC without providing his address.
Amazon: Let's Ship The Flat Wrist Rest In A Giant Box
By 1.26.08
“I wonder if other readers have experienced the wasteful excessive packaging used by Amazon.com. I recently ordered a Gel Wrist Rest and a hardcover book (to qualify for free shipping). The two items were shipped to me separately, probably because they were coming from different warehouses. Though that itself is wasteful, I can understand why it may be necessary. But when the Wrist Rest arrived, it came in a GIANT box filled with paper stuffing (see photo). The box measured 24″ x 12″ x 18″. The wrist rest is about 20″ long, but flat. Is it possible that a company that sells all of its various products by mail doesn’t have a long flat box that could have been used instead?”
Post Office Offers Refund In Stamps After Delivering Priority Mail Package Five Weeks Late
By 1.26.08
“I wanted to let you and my fellow readers know about the agonizing experience I had with the US postal service recently. They didn’t quite lose my “2 to 3 day” Priority Mail package, but inexplicably shipped it back and forth across the country for over 5 weeks, missing Christmas by over a week, and then told me I did not deserve a refund!”
NFL Shop Sends You Their Catalog In A Huge Box
By 1.21.08
This is just madness, I tell you:I would like to add another story to companies using boxes to send small items or in this case, boxes to send a catalog. I recently ordered a free catalog from NFLShop.com.
Dell: Let's Ship Tiny CDs In Massive Boxes!
By 1.19.08
Dell has promised to stop shipping individual CDs in 10x19x10 boxes after Christian over at Technologist for Hire posted a rant about Dell’s growing love for wasteful packaging.
Overstock.com Took My $450, Sent An $18 Part Instead Of An XBOX
By 1.11.08
Here is an account of the horror I went through with Overstock.com. I post this in hopes of helping others avoid their company, and their atrocious customer service. I apologize for the length/grammar, but I’m kind of writing this in a hurry.
By 1.9.08
../../../..//2008/01/09/dhl-and-walgreens-cut-a/
DHL and Walgreens cut a deal to open DHL shipping kiosks inside stores. 1,600 Walgreens will be offering DHL services around the clock.[Forbes]
Wal-Mart Joins The Stupid Shipping Gang
By 12.26.07
A reader writes, “As part of our Christmas shopping; we ordered several DVD’s, video games, and a phone card from Wal-Mart’s website.” The items trickled in over several days, then “this showed up. A 10X11X5 inch box, an air-filled air bubble, and one thin phone card taped to the bottom of the box.”
Companies, this has got to stop! It’s wasteful and annoying. It’s stupid. It can’t cost that much to hire someone to put together a shipping program that uses different package sizes for different types of products.
Amazon Is Unable To Ship A Hard Drive In Proper Packaging
By 12.19.07
Amazon should take a closer look at how they’re shipping hard drives, because the current plan just isn’t working.
USPS Asks That You Write Addresses Clearly To Speed Up The Holiday Mail Season
By 12.14.07
This coming Monday is the busiest day of the year for the USPS and they’d really appreciate it if you’d write your addresses in clear handwriting, so the computers can read them without human help.
6 Months Later, Reader Gets New Xbox After UPS Loses His
By 12.14.07
Dan, whose Xbox360 was “lost in transit,” spent the past six months trying to get either UPS or Microsoft to give him what he had paid his hard-earned money for, has finally succeed in his quest. After we posted his story (see Microsoft Presents: UPS And The Case Of The Vanishing XBOX 360) and he sent executive email carpet bombs (EECBs) to both UPS and MIcrosoft, they are shipping him a brand new Xbox360. We briefly spoke with Dan over IM about his harrowing journey…
