Be Careful With Greyhound

Markos

Well-Known Member
Site Donor
Messages
13,369
Reaction score
7,502
Location
Seattle, WA
Hi Folks,

This is a cautionary tale about Greyhound. I shipped a set of Recaros to the east coast at the end of September. I used Greyhound as K have had good luck with runs to California. Nearly 60 days later, the buyer still has no package.

Here is how it works. Greyhound opportunistically sticks the box on the bus, if they have room. The package goes from stop to stop. The agents are supposed to scan the package. Given that they aren’t really a logistics company, they half-ass this step. All is well and good until your package goes missing.

Since they have no history they send out alerts to each major depot. I’m still not sure if the small stops get the note. Their very small (but responsive) customer service then tries to hunt down the package. Since nobody answers the phone at the greyhound depots, no progress is made.

I am now in the process of submitting a claim. I can only assume that the act of paying for their negligence will result in the package turning up. My assumption is that the agents have no real incentive to find the packages until there is a financial burden.


FYI - The standard route from Seattle to Greenville, SC is:

Seattle
Phoenix
Atlanta
Chicago
Greenville

That doesn’t include the small stops in btweeen. Passenger luggage trumps packages, so any number of stops can punt your package. This scenario combined with process gaps on package scanning means that your package can easily get lost in the ether.

I’ll post back once I learn more. I’m still going to use Greyhound for arterial routes but I wouldn’t recommend cross-country shipments.
 

bluecoupe30!

Well-Known Member
Site Donor
Messages
2,136
Reaction score
1,283
Location
Delta, British Columbia, Canada
what a shame. we all are amazed at the high cost of shipping, and we look for cost effective alternatives. seems like we are being forced to consider NOT shipping/saving larger items. Couriers that will do Ground shipments are more trustworthy, but prices are very steep and can make a good deal, simply a non-starter:(. Thanks for the alert Markos.
 

CSteve

Well-Known Member
Site Donor $$
Messages
3,765
Reaction score
1,279
Location
Bucks County, PA
what a shame. we all are amazed at the high cost of shipping, and we look for cost effective alternatives. seems like we are being forced to consider NOT shipping/saving larger items. Couriers that will do Ground shipments are more trustworthy, but prices are very steep and can make a good deal, simply a non-starter:(. Thanks for the alert Markos.
Twenty-five years ago(I know a lifetime in the shipping world) I folded two front seats, tucked in the head rest. Encased them in cardboard cut to size and used bubble wrap as protection. How naive.

Lugged them to the small, local post office, weighed, paid and shipped to California from PA. They arrived unscathed at a modest cost which of course I can't remember except it was cheaper than any other method.

The postal employees are still talking about it and wince w I come through the door with anything larger than a cardboard box that once held wine.
 

Bavman

Well-Known Member
Messages
566
Reaction score
119
Shipping is crazy these days...I blame Amazon.

I would not trust Greyhound, they are in the bus business and packages are an afterthought...if they had the right employees they could make it work, but doubt it will ever happen.

I ship 90% thru USPS, really really pleased with their flat rate options, look online there are all kinds of free packaging that is not offered in person. I have shipped a hub from a small PO in NC to Seattle at 3pm on wed and it is there Friday morning for $7.65!....with tracking.

Al Taylor
 

w. chen

Well-Known Member
Messages
103
Reaction score
12
Location
los angeles, ca
Thanks for the heads up. It's too late for me. I had purchased a fender from a seller in Birmingham, Alabama. It's been only 12 days but I have a feeling it just might go astray like Markos. Their tracking system is truly pathetic. It's true passenger luggage has priority over large packages. They get left behind and no one scans them at the smaller stops. Easy to get lost/stolen. They claim it should get in at maximum of 15 days. I'm having my doubts n the seller is also worried. Two months n no sign of the package is extremely frustrating n maddening. I think Amtrak is better as my daughter shipped her belongings from Boston to Los Angeles and it arrived within the week but because it wasn't packed well, some of the boxes were banged bad but nothing lost or damaged. I'll also update this thread when my package gets in. Thanks.
W. Chen
 

Markos

Well-Known Member
Site Donor
Messages
13,369
Reaction score
7,502
Location
Seattle, WA
Thanks for the heads up. It's too late for me. I had purchased a fender from a seller in Birmingham, Alabama. It's been only 12 days but I have a feeling it just might go astray like Markos. Their tracking system is truly pathetic. It's true passenger luggage has priority over large packages. They get left behind and no one scans them at the smaller stops. Easy to get lost/stolen. They claim it should get in at maximum of 15 days. I'm having my doubts n the seller is also worried. Two months n no sign of the package is extremely frustrating n maddening. I think Amtrak is better as my daughter shipped her belongings from Boston to Los Angeles and it arrived within the week but because it wasn't packed well, some of the boxes were banged bad but nothing lost or damaged. I'll also update this thread when my package gets in. Thanks.
W. Chen

Sorry to hear - yes please update! I'm filing my claim today.
 

Markos

Well-Known Member
Site Donor
Messages
13,369
Reaction score
7,502
Location
Seattle, WA
Well they showed up i damaged after 60 days. I used Greyhound for another shipment down the coast. I won’t be using them for cross country stuff...


I am thinking of setting up my own drone delivery logistics system for Coupe parts only. Hey, if Amazon can do it....

My next door neighbor works for the drone program. It seems a little less pie in the sky when you know real people are working on it.
 

w. chen

Well-Known Member
Messages
103
Reaction score
12
Location
los angeles, ca
Thanks for the heads up. It's too late for me. I had purchased a fender from a seller in Birmingham, Alabama. It's been only 12 days but I have a feeling it just might go astray like Markos. Their tracking system is truly pathetic. It's true passenger luggage has priority over large packages. They get left behind and no one scans them at the smaller stops. Easy to get lost/stolen. They claim it should get in at maximum of 15 days. I'm having my doubts n the seller is also worried. Two months n no sign of the package is extremely frustrating n maddening. I think Amtrak is better as my daughter shipped her belongings from Boston to Los Angeles and it arrived within the week but because it wasn't packed well, some of the boxes were banged bad but nothing lost or damaged. I'll also update this thread when my package gets in. Thanks.
W. Chen

Hi all: after a month sitting at Dallas terminal, my carton finally arrived. So the story goes, after I filed a claim approx 2 weeks after it was shipped, I visited the terminal twice. The clerk there was courteous n during the 3rd visit, he asked if I had photos of the carton, so I gave him the pics, n within 4 hrs, they located it sitting at the Dallas terminal. They claim the carton had no label, so it was just sitting there. Lesson learned, besides the plastic pocket u insert the bill into, sharpie the tracking number, name n address it's going to on the carton on almost every flat surface of the carton. Don't listen to the clerk who says the plastic pocket will hold up. In my case, it was ripped off.
Finally, I still don't like the greyhound tracking system. Package shipping is not their priority. Passengers n their luggage is.

W. Chen
 

mulberryworks

Mr. Fixity
Site Donor
Messages
1,243
Reaction score
612
Location
Jacksonville FL
When I would return parts to Apple's part center, they would demand that the RMA number be written on three sides of the box or they could refuse the shipment and bill us for the missing part. Too much trouble to turn the box around? Oh well.
 
Top