I live in Eastern WA the Yakima Valley. FedEx has cut services to this rural area, Express shipments now go with Ground shipments from the local shipping offices. That means cut off is barely 2pm. Noon to 1 is a better estimate for same day shipping.
The cut off at the airport 45 minutes West is 3:30. The cut off for the airport an hour East is 4:45. There is no Saturday shipping except for the airport East and it’s a 90 mile round trip from my location.
I accepted the order with a 5pm appointment time knowing it wouldn’t go anywhere until Monday. The direction said must arrive at Title Monday. Directions received AFTER the order is assigned.
I advised my fee did not include a two hour courier trip for Saturday ship I would accept a fee of $50 to do that. I was scolded, being told you accepted the order which means you accepted the instructions. And I replied I did not accept the fee based on an additional two hours and 90 miles to accommodate the shipping requirement if they wanted a drop on Saturday - here’s that fee.
This was yesterday. I was told there was NO WAY I’d get paid to do something I was expected to do when I accepted the job. I disagreed.
Today I get a text - this HAS to be received Monday. To which I responded there is no local FedEx pick up on Saturday.
I try to be very polite when I am dealing with companies who give me business, but the disregard for rural notaries is getting old. They have no idea what it’s like driving on two lane highways in agricultural areas or how FedEx has become really terrible in this region as far as pick ups. The person texting me is getting downright hostile but I am not going to budge on not getting paid to drive another 90 miles almost two hours.
How much nicer do I have to be about the scheduling for Monday delivery was not done correctly and that’s not on me, that’s on them?
I’m very rural too and I feel your pain - I have no FedEx or UPS drop boxes near me, and the last Saturday time for dropoff at a courier is 2:00… Have been through this with companies (back in the stone age when we actually got a phone call and talked to a live person!) - what I finally started doing is, upon contact offering the job and hearing the day, date and time, I would immediately advise hiring party that the package would be held until Monday and explained my demographics - most were understanding and fine with it. Those who didn’t like it moved on and, I guess, found someone willing to go the extra 90 miles…
I did not accept the fee based on an additional two hours and 90 miles to accommodate the shipping requirement if they wanted a drop on Saturday - here’s that fee. Hang tough on this! I know it hurts, but either pay what it’s worth OR accept Mon. shipping OR re-assign and advise.
This is not an issue specific to rural areas. The latest drop times are at shipping centers. Company trucks pick up documents from office centers then take them to shipping centers for sorting and taking to the airport. Depending on the office center location they have one pick up that may be as early as 2:00 pm and as late as 4:30-5:00 pm. I routinely take my packages to the shipping center that is 15 minutes from my home (both FedEx and UPS, which are a block apart) and less than 3 miles to Boeing field, where packages are loaded onto the planes. By dropping at the shipping center I can be as late as 7:00 pm for packages going anywhere within the western coast corridor, or as early as 5:15pm for next day delivery on packages going to any other location in the US.
What Title companies and Signing Services don’t seem to appreciate is our unique knowledge of what it will take to get signed packages to them on time. Adding into the equation is scanning, which will make that drop deadline a bit tenuous. Then there are the variables to consider for the weekend signings. Those office and shipping options are totally different for a late Friday signing or Saturday or Sunday. And doing an office drop on Monday morning may not be feasible either for same day funding. We can’t simply MAKE IT HAPPEN!
Then there is the question of fees. Title and SS’s don’t seem to believe that these are separate actions requiring separate fees. Scanning is a fee that should be added to the signing. The drop after scanning is not a courtesy. That is a courier fee when they don’t take advantage of the drop after signing, which can be handled in one trip “on my way home”. Then there are late/evening signings, weekend and holiday signings. Any signing that takes place after 8:00 pm should be offered at a premium fee (like OT), not the same $75! And any signing that occurs on a day that the Title or SS office is not open also should be at a premium fee, especially so for holidays (day after Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years Eve or day after New Years are holidays, y’all). They should be offered as time-and-a half rate! We have been expected to eat those costs the past few years. And, unfortunately, too many of us are willing to do it. It’s like being in a relationship with a partner who cheats.
That was previously the case in my region; however, UPS has permanently CLOSED their Customer Counter at the Hub Center - so no longer able to drop until 7 PM.
‘a partner who cheats’ Interesting way of putting it. Very accurate comparison, too.
I have been doing this for so long that I remember when they had our back instead of the backstabbing that’s going on now. I will also say, there are a few GOOD ones left that I treasure and often reciprocate their genuine goodness. They know who they are. My thanks to them for their outstanding loyalty. To the others…maybe you should try seeing things from our POV. Go for the win/win.
I, too, remember that long since discarded era (for most).
Like you, I also have a few remaining with similarly admirable outstanding demonstrated loyalties, which I value greatly & reciprocate in my business relationships with them. Truly, they’re priceless . . .
If the others could see this as an iterable exchange of professional services, the resulting mutual benefits would be immense.
I am SO GLAD that you posted your experience. I was going to say something to you on another post that had nothing to do with shipping, but it would have tied into what we were talking about and I was going to mention it but didn’t, then I came and saw this!
Let me tell you, friend…I live in the Houston suburbs and the traffic is crazy here. There are NO FedEx locations near me. I have to drive about 15 miles (30 minutes) to an actual FedEx “Office ship and print” location. If I Google “Fedex” one comes up 4 miles away, I’m like awesome! Get there and it’s a shady looking Dollar General. I can’t trust it. If I so happen to be in the area where a FedEx (only) location is, when I have approval to drop…then great, but I had a TC tell me not to use the “Self scan” that they have, even if we’re directed to it. “Tell them you’re a Notary and you need to make sure this goes out.” A clerk just about argued me down about using the self scan kiosk, saying it’s the same thing. I told her I understood that, but the receipt would say “kiosk” and the TC doesn’t want us using that.
Anyway, long story short…I drop off at a Pack & Ship center that is 7 miles away, but still takes me about 20 minutes to get there. That’s what they get from me now. If they want their signing done and sent out on time. I will drop there, but I’m not driving 30 minutes away to a live FedEx store to make the drop. Traffic is terrible and they are not paying for my car insurance, my gas or my time to go out there.
P.s. What happened to the Census Bureau!? They know what we need and where we need it!
In town there is Safeway which scans into the FedEx system and there is a certified FedEx Ship Center that does not scan the package into the system it scans onto the truck they are super reliable so I usually drop there. Most orders say no Walgreens no Dollar General and no drop box because service to those places isn’t reliable. FedEx Centers - are 40 minutes away. If I’m already going to be there because of another appointment I’ll drop there. The only package ever lost was a UPS from a 'ship center" but I had a receipt. But 7 o’clock shipping? Not around here. Two or three pick ups a day. No such thing. I know who is reliable that’s where I go. I use the self scan AT the FedEx store because it gives a receipt.
I like that system. Wish they had that here somewhere.
I had a TC tell me not to use the self scan (kiosk). They said that risk will be on me! When I hand it to them at the counter, the risk is on them. I don’t see the difference, because you get a receipt.
I think the issue is, that the pick up didn’t happen until Monday. I dropped them after the signing. We can’t control pickup times, when locations are far away and we won’t make it.
I now put my disclaimer in there after I accept the signing and see when their drop off requirement is. “Please be advised, last pickup in this area is at 4 pm. The signing will not be complete by then” or “…by the time the signing is complete, last pickup will have occurred”.
I volunteer with Civil Air Patrol. I have access to the ramp where the charter plane that carries UPS parks. I’ve met the pilot, and often park my car next to his.
Oh my goodness. I had the same experience and after asking the clerk if it would go out that day they reassured me it would go out. Of course when the truck came they forgot to check to see if any express packages were in the kiosk. Lesson learned
I feel this in my soul ! Last weekend I was scolded ( like for real a child) for not dropping the docs in time , this is a company I have worked for many times . I explained to them the drop off options where I live and that there isn’t a fed ex here . They sent me a link to a place I drop (it’s my go to drop off as its the latest open to 5 pm with a pick up @4:30) they are closed on Saturdays . But I was the As$h*** for not having it out in time for a pick up Saturday . its like look - appointment was 11am Saturday had to drive back (1 hour AFTER the closing for driving time), Walgreens cut off is and I quote " I don’t know" but from experience its before noon most days. They don’t get driving 65 miles on steep winding mountain passes isn’t a quick 10 minute drive home .
The driver was smoking a cigarette one day and I said, “Oh, I’m glad I got here in time”. He said “I’ve already loaded everything up.” And commenced to smoking his cigarette for about another 5 minutes. I was SO HOT!!!
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