Hello,
 
I just wanted to express my sincere apology to "K" for the delivery
problems she had experienced with us.  I would blame Fed Ex 100%, and the
reason I do blame Fed Ex is because we do have some serious troubles with
their delivery at times, but we have taken every precaution we know of.
We put a sticker on every box that we ship Fed Ex that says "If you have
problems delivering this package please call 1-888-833-7738 for further
instructions" or something to that effect.  Suppose you live in Texas, and
the package got there in 4 days... Supposedly, they will send you a post
card - or contact you by phone, and hold the package for 7 days waiting for
your instruction, then it will be returned to us.  We won't find out about
it until it comes back to us.  Keep in mind, we also have "your" phone
number on the label too.  It really stinks that this company can be so
inefficient about deliveries, and what is totally unfair is that in 90% of
the country, Fed Ex has made their ground product excellent!  - But for
whatever reason, some parts of the US are seriously inefficient, and SOME
people within their network are not doing their jobs.  The AIR product
on the other hand, is 99.9% perfect - one of the best shipping methods
available to anyone today.
 
So why do we use Fed Ex?  In order to keep the "Free Shipping" policy, we
have to go with the most economical carrier.  In some parts of the USA, UPS
is cheaper for us, Fed Ex for others, and for some packages, US Priority
Mail is the chosen method.  Fed Ex as a company has always treated us well
in the past.  We also have many customers that "swear" by Fed Ex Ground,
and love their Fed Ex drivers, and we hear the same about UPS.  So we want
to offer both carriers... How do we decide how we ship your "Free Shipping"
Package?...
 
We have a shipping system that queries every shipping carrier and picks
the best rate.  Because of the shipping problems, last year we started an
option where you can pick between UPS and Fed Ex for $0.99.  Some customers
want the ability to pick their shipping method, but we need to ship at the
lowest possible cost to maintain a free shipping policy.  We initiated the
$0.99 charge to select your delivery method because generally when our
system picks Fed Ex over UPS or vice versa, the average savings to us is
about $0.75-$1.25.  It may not seem like we should care for a dollar, but
multiply $1.00 by 200-500 packages per day... One dollar we can save on a
package is a huge savings.  We currently have 18 Full Time employees with
benefits, and another 8 Part Time employees.  Every year, health insurance,
unemployment, liability, Workman's Comp, shipping costs, and product prices
have risen, and for this, we have to raise our prices occasionally.  Free
Shipping is something that we believe EVERYONE should be entitled to, from
every company - so I will always do whatever I can to maintain this policy.
 
I know this is a very long, drawn out explanation, but as a consumer
myself, I always hate it when companies institute policies, and never take
the time to explain them.  I will respond privately to any questions you
may have, please write me at [log in to unmask]
 
Thank You,
 
Joe Palko
NEEPS, Inc.
The Ferret Store
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Joe Palko - NEEPS, Inc.
http://www.theferretstore.com
The Ferret Store
Phone: 1-800-440-3356 Ext. 9201
Fax: 1-888-329-8384 / (570) 208-1948
We're More Than Just Ferrets!
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
[Posted in FML issue 3507]