The delivery guy dropped first package to a different place; second package stuck in local depot with no estimate; chat useless.

First Package

I was really looking forward to testing out the Framework computer. It was scheduled to be delivered via FedEx, so I installed the FedEx app. The app looks medieval but hey at least it shows my package, its routing history and the estimated delivery date. So far so good.

Upon the delivery date I worked from home so that I would be ready to receive my shiny new laptop. Sadly nothing happened at all, and at the evening I received a message that the delivery failed and the message is returned to the local depot. The courier attached the photo of a house and claimed I wasn’t home - WHAT? The photo wasn’t of my house - the bloody courier just tried to drop my expensive laptop to a random house 200 meters away and backed off since I wasn’t home. Well I was home, it’s just I happened to be at home in my own bloody house 200 meters away!

Lesson #1: don’t trust couriers to find your house, use postal lockers. As a bonus, you don’t have to sit at home all day, waiting for the courier to show up.

FedEx told me they will try to make one more delivery before returning the parcel to the sender. Brilliant - the courier will once again try to drop my expensive laptop to a random neigbour; then the postal machinery will send the laptop back to Germany. I won’t let that happen - I want my notebook, which means the package has to be delivered to a locker. So I reached out to FedEx support.

FedEx Support is terrible

FedEx web site allows you to send feedback, apparently to /dev/null since nobody bothered to reply to this day. Fortunately there’s a chat window. The lady was super-nice but super-unhelpful: she couldn’t tell me where the package was, and she couldn’t arrange delivery to a postal locker - she could only change to a FedEx office at Vantaa Airport. That was a bit far, and at this point my trust for FedEx hit the all-year low and I was really unconvinced the change will take effect: you see, FedEx already dropped the parcel to some local Finnish company (AKA trusted partner) and then forgets about the whole thing.

So, a complete frustrating clusterfuck. Long story short, the local company sent me a SMS and I was able to arrange pickup from a locker.

The UX is horrible

FedEx app shows the package as undelivered days after I got the laptop. So, the app is medieval, slow, shows obsolete data, and offers no possibility to contact anyone nor to change the delivery method, other than via ad-hoc SMS messages from third parties.

I hear people complaining about Finnish Postti company. I don’t get it. Compared to FedEx, Finnish Postti is a night-and-day difference: the app looks modern, the app will notify me if I have a possibility to change delivery method, and the couriers are able to find my house.

Second package

Framework display stopped working on day 1 after the eDP cable was cut by laptop’s hinges and then short-circuited with a bright light and a bunch of smoke. You should be able to fix your stuff says a friendly Framework sticker which you receive with the laptop. Sigh that’s cool and good, but I don’t want to have to fix my stuff on DAY ONE. Luckily Framework support is top-notch, replied in a day and quickly arranged for a shipment of the replacement cable + display. Via FedEx. Fuck.

This time a FedEx contractor reached out via SMS and offered a Wednesday delivery. Since I wasn’t at home, I gathered my courage and changed the delivery for Thursday. (Sure, since it’s FedEx, I probably have to be flying around like a Superman over every house in a 200 meter radius, but still, there’s hope this time they’ll send someone that can use Google Maps).

Long story short: Thursday no delivery, app shows package in local depot, no estimate date. Friday no delivery, app shows package in local depot, no estimate date. Saturday I’m calling provided phone number, where I am welcomed by a friendly AI and I’m told that my package is in a local depot, no estimate date. AI told me that a human will be present on a workday (Monday in two days), I’ll let you know afterwards how the story ends.