The nation’s two largest private shipping companies, Atlanta-based UPS and Memphis-based FedEx, are keeping mum on how many late packages are still to be delivered or whether any area of the country is affected more than others.
Atlanta’s United Parcel Service referred us back to a statement from December 26th which says in part, “UPS apologizes to both shipping and receiving customers who may have delays … Customers should access UPS.com for the most updated information.”
We checked the UPS website, and there was no information on the homepage specific to the late holiday deliveries.The broadcast audio of the story.
No apology from FedEx either, which also said in a statement, “Every single package is important to us, and we will continue to work directly with customers to address any isolated incidents.”
UPS says it will provide refunds to any air or international shipping customers but not to anyone who sent a parcel via UPS ground service shipped after December 10th.
Our story is a follow-up to reports such as this one filed on December 25 by the Associated Press:
Santa’s sleigh didn’t make it in time for Christmas for some this year due to shipping problems at UPS and FedEx.
The delays were blamed on poor weather earlier this week in parts of the country as well as overloaded systems. The holiday shopping period this year was shorter than usual, more buying was done online and Americans’ tendency to wait until the last possible second to shop probably didn’t help either …
The problems appear to have affected many parts of the country. The Associated Press spoke to people in Alabama, California, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, Nevada, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia who didn’t receive presents in time for Christmas.
Many were left with little or no time to make alternative plans.