# Do courier companies like Fed Ex and DPD monitor tracking requests?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-courier-companies-like-fed-ex-and-dpd-monitor-tracking-requests/828689>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [January 30, 2019, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-courier-companies-like-fed-ex-and-dpd-monitor-tracking-requests/828689 "2019-01-30T21:02:30Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\
**Post date:** [January 30, 2019, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-courier-companies-like-fed-ex-and-dpd-monitor-tracking-requests/828689/1 "2019-01-30T21:02:30Z")

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If I have ordered an item from someone and they give me the courier name and tracking ID and I check it, does that get flagged? If I repeatedly check it - like every day (not every minute :D) - does that get flagged too? Does it change the service I receive?

Brucie bonus: how about intermediary marketplace companies like Amazon and Alibaba? If I try to track an order through them, does the supplier get a ‘hurry up’ or ‘tracking request received’ message?

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**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\
**Post date:** [January 30, 2019, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-courier-companies-like-fed-ex-and-dpd-monitor-tracking-requests/828689/2 "2019-01-30T21:34:20Z")

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It seems monumentally implausible that this would be the case. Why would any company add complexity to locate and pull out certain packages from the middle of their vast delivery pipeline for “hurry-up” processing just because you keep asking about it? Why would they want to encourage you to pay less for slower shipping but then just keep bugging them, rather than offering a faster shipping service in exchange for, you know, money?

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**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\
**Post date:** [January 30, 2019, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-courier-companies-like-fed-ex-and-dpd-monitor-tracking-requests/828689/3 "2019-01-30T22:12:30Z")

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They certainly are monitoring all tracking requests for the purpose of evaluating how often this function is used, how accurate were the results, did it cut down on calls to customer service, etc. Any company with a service web site does the same.

But almost assuredly, they are not making any changes to the delivery of your package based on your tracking requests.

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**Author:** ![Alley\_Dweller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alley_dweller/32/430_2.png) [@Alley\_Dweller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alley_Dweller)\
**Post date:** [January 30, 2019, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-courier-companies-like-fed-ex-and-dpd-monitor-tracking-requests/828689/4 "2019-01-30T22:19:38Z")

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Years ago, UPS had a fee for “excessive tracking requests.” I think it was $5 billed to the shipper. They never published what constituted excessive tracking and I don’t know of anyone who was ever charged.

That fee no longer exists.