A number of holiday shoppers are wondering where their holiday gifts went after FedEx missed the delivery date, not once but multiple times.
Jim McDermott is one of them. He sells automotive art to collectors around the country, from his home in Bridgetown, Ohio.
But during this critical week of the holiday season, his entire business is on hold.
"I have 15 prints coming that are going to be Christmas gifts, and they shipped from the artist last Friday," McDermott said.
He is waiting for the prints from an artist to be delivered so he can then wrap them and send to buyers. Unfortunately, his latest order is four days late.
"Sunday morning I actually canceled plans with my daughter to wait for the shipment to arrive, which requires a signature. Then I got a FedEx notice saying my delivery day was updated to Tuesday." But Tuesday became Wednesday.
McDermott said he can understand a FedEx truck getting backed up one day and not being able to get him his package. But he said then it happened a second day and a third day, and he started asking, "What's going on?"
By late Wednesday, the website was no help, so he called FedEx.
"They told me the contractor for the area is backed up and that they will offer all the support they can," McDermott said, "but they don't know when it's going to be delivered." When he logs on to track his package, it no longer offers any delivery date or time.
Why the delays?
We contacted FedEx, which is now investigating McDermott's late order.
But two other Cincinnati-area customers have complained to us about similar delays this week, and all three involve packages sitting at FedEx's Union/Independence, Kentucky sorting facility.
TV stations in Michigan are also reporting similar delays, with no known delivery date showing on the tracking website as well.
So we contacted FedEx Corporate, where Media Relations Manager David Westrick blamed the delays on record volume.
FedEx is experiencing some of the highest volume days in the history of our company, and our networks are flexing as designed to accommodate the surge of packages. We worked all year to prepare, and are proud of the outstanding service we have been able to provide despite some weather challenges across the United States. In cases where packages have not met our service commitments, we are rapidly working to get them delivered with a focus on ensuring holiday deliveries make it on time. For information on important holiday shipping deadlines, please visit...
But Jim McDermott and some others wonder what happened to the old FedEx slogan that said, "When it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight."
McDermott says his packages absolutely have to be there, but it has not happened.
"You know I'm frustrated and sure hope I can get my buyers their packages by Christmas," he said.
As always, don't waste your money.
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