My steel has been around, literally.

George Kimery · From: Limestone, TN, USA

I bought a steel from a forum member that lives in Scranton, PA. I'm in NE, TN near I-81. Scranton is right off of I-81. Google said it was an 8 hour and 43 minute drive, straight up I-81. FedEx quoted a 2 day ground home delivery time. Now, things are going to get interesting. After 3 days, it was still in PA, and had been to 3 different locations. The next day, it was in Elkhart,Il then: Chicago, Il, Willow Grove, Il, some town in Kansas, Hereford, TX, New Mexico, then 3 different locations in CA. They gave me two different days that it was out for delivery, which never happened. They told me it was in Kingsport, which is my local hub. It should have been out for delivery the next day, which it wasn't. I tried to call the Kingsport hub, but all could get was the main 800 number. I called 3 different times and all I got were girls that could not speak English well enough for me to understand. I asked them if they were located in the United States, but they didn't answer the question. I asked them if they knew where PA and TN were located. They didn't answer. I was tracking the guitar daily. It would give the time and location that the guitar had departed and its next destination.I called and told them where it was headed and to have somebody intercept it and get it on the way to me and stop this madness. I told them it was a large box 18 x 24 x 36 and weighed 60 lb. It would be easy to spot. They said they couldn't do that. They took my phone number 6 times and said somebody would call me back. I'm still waiting for those calls. After 8 days, I finally got to talk to a girl that her job was finding lost packages. She told me not to worry, that they had my package. I told her that was what I was worring me. She did, as promised, call me back and said the guitar was on it's way to me from Sacramento, CA. I got an email notice that it was scheduled for delivery the next day. I didn't believe this for one minute after the experience I had with them lying to me three times already. Plus, it being in CA and me being in TN. To my astonishment, it was here the next day. This girl, whoever she was, had the power and cared enough after hearing what all I had been through, had got it shipped overnight. Just for the heck of it, I looked up how much overnight would have been and it was $650.00. It didn't matter to them because they have their own planes. The guitar was packed really well and the package only had a few scuffs on it, but there were 3 keys broken off. The guitar was in the normal 3/8" plywood case, so the keys got broken off by the guitar bouncing around in the case. Really more the case builders fault than Fedex's. Insurance doesn't cover damage using your own packaging, only if they pack it, which is expensive. Your packing is only covered for loss.

Scott Denniston · From: Hahns Peak, Colorado, USA

I know this is no excuse but they are pretty loaded up both with the Christmas shipping and rolling out the vaccine all at once. It's pretty easy for them to screw up. My wife & I as long haulers have taken both their and UPS's overflow some years. There are a bunch of third party carriers (like us) involved. If everything goes right most of FedEx's go to the Memphis hub first and then flies out all over. With UPS it's Louisville. I think that's the most hectic thing we ever did. If they hold you up by not being ready at some terminal they'll be calling/texting for the next two days inquiring why you're late. If one person makes a mistake it can put something on a wrong vehicle and start a chain reaction of mishaps.

David Ball · From: North Carolina High Country

Last year I bought a guitar from a seller in Massachusetts, and it shipped out promptly via UPS. It was in two boxes, and the box with the legs, pedal bar and pedal rods made it to me in a couple of days. The box with the guitar in it showed that it was at some hub in the northeast. And there it stayed for several months. Eventually, it reappeared in Kansas City, then shipped to Chicago and eventually made it to me in NC. No damage to either box or the guitar. I was just glad it finally arrived.

Dave

Larry Dering · From: Missouri, USA

Makes me nervous to buy or sell when shipping is involved. Things have gotten way off base. Our mail carrier often drops my package at the wrong house. Calling the Postmaster was a joke and no help. Lucky my neighbors came through. Tracking is another joke. Covid19 or not, what happened to responsible people?

Scott Denniston · From: Hahns Peak, Colorado, USA

Surprisingly I've had some great luck shipping and receiving steels with Greyhound. Decades ago Mac McDonald shipped one to me in Idaho that way so I've done it a couple of times. I put a couple of bands around it and some fragile stickers. I think maybe it gets handled a lot less and goes like luggage pretty directly to the destination instead of being thrown around at several terminals. I can't recall what the tracking was like though.

David Ball · From: North Carolina High Country

Ken Mizell · From: Lakeland, Florida, 33809, USA

Last week I bought a pedal steel last week from a forum member ust to the N. of Atlanta, GA. He shipped it via UPS. It was at my house 2 days later, and it was in great shape. The seller did an excellent job packaging the guitar up, both between the case and the box, and inside the case as well. i was afraid UPS would mess it up, but not this time.
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Steeless.

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