# Ever wonder why some of your stuff delivered by FedEx is busted up? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [July 27, 2005, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-wonder-why-some-of-your-stuff-delivered-by-fedex-is-busted-up/314404 "2005-07-27T13:40:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Homebrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Homebrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Homebrew)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2005, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-wonder-why-some-of-your-stuff-delivered-by-fedex-is-busted-up/314404/21 "2005-07-27T21:04:59Z")
> [@Liberal](#): > > It’s too bad common carriers are not regulated. This kind of thing wouldn’t happen. Is there any reason to believe the cost-benefit analysis would be different under a more libertarian scheme? Under the current system is there anything stopping someone from providing a better service, which is the libertarian solution to everything? Why aren’t they? ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2005, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-wonder-why-some-of-your-stuff-delivered-by-fedex-is-busted-up/314404/22 "2005-07-27T21:06:38Z")
I feel left out. You could have added: kaylasdad99 and the evil that is the Designated Hitter. Also, you could have just laughed at the irony of someone with the screen name of “Galt” complaining about _too much_ anti-regulatory sniping. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2005, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-wonder-why-some-of-your-stuff-delivered-by-fedex-is-busted-up/314404/23 "2005-07-27T21:12:50Z")
Well, there you have it, **Galt** , the answer is ‘No’. But with lots of bonus words thrown in. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2005, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-wonder-why-some-of-your-stuff-delivered-by-fedex-is-busted-up/314404/24 "2005-07-27T21:13:36Z")
> [@Homebrew](#): > > Is there any reason to believe the cost-benefit analysis would be different under a more libertarian scheme? That would depend on whether there are more entrepreneurs competing for the business. The more there are, the more important innovation and service become. > [@](#): > > Under the current system is there anything stopping someone from providing a better service, which is the libertarian solution to everything? I don’t think that there’s a libertarian solution to _anything_. As I’ve said many times, libertarian government doesn’t solve people’s problems, but merely gives them the freedom to solve them for themselves without coercive interference from others. > [@](#): > > Why aren’t they? Why should they? Government has set a floor and ceiling on acceptable mediocrity and incompetence. That’s what regulation does. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2005, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-wonder-why-some-of-your-stuff-delivered-by-fedex-is-busted-up/314404/25 "2005-07-27T21:14:45Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > I feel left out. You could have added: > > kaylasdad99 and the evil that is the Designated Hitter. > > Also, you could have just laughed at the irony of someone with the screen name of “Galt” complaining about _too much_ anti-regulatory sniping. 😃 Actually, I haven’t discussed my philosophy for nigh onto a coon’s age. If Galt wants to bring it up, it’s okay by me. ---
**Author:** ![Homebrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Homebrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Homebrew)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2005, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-wonder-why-some-of-your-stuff-delivered-by-fedex-is-busted-up/314404/26 "2005-07-27T21:27:01Z")
> [@Liberal](#): > > Why should they? Government has set a floor and ceiling on acceptable mediocrity and incompetence. That’s what regulation does. I understand the point you’re getting at; but I don’t think it’s true. Most regulations concerning trucking, except for licensing, were eliminated with the Trucking Industry Regulatory Reform Act of 1994. There’s not much now stopping the competition. The deregulation of the industry has led to better price; but not necessarily better service. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2005, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-wonder-why-some-of-your-stuff-delivered-by-fedex-is-busted-up/314404/27 "2005-07-27T21:31:16Z")
My encounter with DOT was in '96, I believe. Our company eventually had to hire a full time senior management guy with a full staff of clerks to manage the regulatory compliance. Unfortunately, starting up a business these days is about a lot more than pleasing customers. One has to please the bureaucrats, and they are _very_ expensive. ---
**Author:** ![SkeptiJess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea666f/32.png) [@SkeptiJess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkeptiJess)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2005, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-wonder-why-some-of-your-stuff-delivered-by-fedex-is-busted-up/314404/28 "2005-07-27T21:45:09Z")
Since **Liberal** is collecting hijacks, I’ll add mine – why are UPS guys all so good looking? I swear I’ve never seen a fugly UPS man. My current UPS guy is a work of art – I’m buying stuff from eBay just so I can sit in my library and watch him walk back to his truck. Guy’s got a butt you could bounce a quarter off… ::ahem:: In all the packages I’ve received over the years, from FedEX, UPS and the postal service, I think I’ve only gotten 2 or 3 things that arrived broken. ---
**Author:** ![Mtgman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5a626/32.png) [@Mtgman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mtgman)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2005, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-wonder-why-some-of-your-stuff-delivered-by-fedex-is-busted-up/314404/29 "2005-07-27T21:49:35Z")
> [@Liberal](#): > > Mtgman on retail angst Shipping/receiving angst. Enjoy, Steven ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2005, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-wonder-why-some-of-your-stuff-delivered-by-fedex-is-busted-up/314404/30 "2005-07-27T21:57:41Z")
> [@Jess](#): > > Since **Liberal** is collecting hijacks, I’ll add mine – why are UPS guys all so good looking? I swear I’ve never seen a fugly UPS man. My current UPS guy is a work of art – I’m buying stuff from eBay just so I can sit in my library and watch him walk back to his truck. Guy’s got a butt you could bounce a quarter off… As I have often said, there is a [song](http://www.bobs.com/Lyrics.cgi?Drive_By_Love) about everything. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2005, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-wonder-why-some-of-your-stuff-delivered-by-fedex-is-busted-up/314404/31 "2005-07-27T23:20:20Z")
Nice summing up of posts, **Lib**. Now, where was I on my lecture on the demographics of North America? ---
**Author:** ![galt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/35a633/32.png) [@galt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/galt)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2005, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-wonder-why-some-of-your-stuff-delivered-by-fedex-is-busted-up/314404/32 "2005-07-28T00:32:10Z")
> [@Liberal](#): > > I find your ideas intriguing, and would like to subscribe to your newsletter. Of course. Your post was every bit as on-topic as those others. Please forgive me if I appeared to be implying otherwise. ---
**Author:** ![Ashes\_Ashes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/db5fbb/32.png) [@Ashes\_Ashes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashes_Ashes)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2005, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-wonder-why-some-of-your-stuff-delivered-by-fedex-is-busted-up/314404/33 "2005-07-28T02:26:49Z")
That explains what happened to the last FedEx package I received. My sister’s just back from vacation and sent me a bottle of something. The reason I’m not completely sure what it was, is because there wasn’t a piece of glass that hadn’t been reduced to dust, the label shredded. It had been packed like it was going to the moon, but still didn’t hold up to 2nd day air. Until she e-mails me, all I know is that she brought me something yummy-smelling from Jamaica. I’m not suprised really, I once had a package thrown onto my second floor balcony by the UPS guy. It broke my rosemary plant all to hell and dented the sliding glass door screen, but at least he had been spared having to walk to my door. Saved himself a whole ten or twelve yards. My new UPS guy is fantastic, and cute too. Maybe it’s a hiring requirement, the cuteness. ---
**Author:** ![brickbacon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@brickbacon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brickbacon)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2005, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-wonder-why-some-of-your-stuff-delivered-by-fedex-is-busted-up/314404/34 "2005-07-28T02:45:58Z")
HOLY SHIT! I was gonna start this same thread today. I actually work at a warehouse that ships tons of stuff. I am amazed at the beating people’s packages take. I’ve been working there for about a month, and I am still shocked by the way we handle packages. Everyday, we haphazardly stack a bunch of shit into a UPS truck, and listen, as the driver pulls away, for the sound of all the shit we stacked falling down. I’ve seen people throw, kick, and sit on boxes with valuable computer parts in them. It’s amazing. But, people have to understand how stressful the job is, and how liberating it is kicking the shit out of a box. The job really sucks. The trucks aren’t air conditioned, the warehouse is like an oven, everything needs to be on time, and the packages keep coming in. It’s a never ending pile of packages and paper work, each with a deadline and a bunch of meaningless related tasks. Plus, many of them are heavy and cumbersome. After shipping packages all day, it feels good to kick one really hard to see if it breaks. Some of the carelessness is due to time constraints, however a lot of it is because of frustration. Or as one driver explained to me, “[he] doesn’t give a shit, because the crap isn’t going to his house.” ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2005, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-wonder-why-some-of-your-stuff-delivered-by-fedex-is-busted-up/314404/35 "2005-07-28T03:04:21Z")
Obviously if FedEx were subject to no regulation whatsoever, no packages would ever be thrown and service would be perfect. Just gimme that old-time liberalism. ---
**Author:** ![diku](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4af34b/32.png) [@diku](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/diku)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2005, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-wonder-why-some-of-your-stuff-delivered-by-fedex-is-busted-up/314404/36 "2005-07-28T05:01:34Z")
> [@brickbacon](#): > > But, people have to understand how stressful the job is, and how liberating it is kicking the shit out of a box. The job really sucks. The trucks aren’t air conditioned, the warehouse is like an oven, everything needs to be on time, and the packages keep coming in. It’s a never ending pile of packages and paper work, each with a deadline and a bunch of meaningless related tasks. Plus, many of them are heavy and cumbersome. After shipping packages all day, it feels good to kick one really hard to see if it breaks. Some of the carelessness is due to time constraints, however a lot of it is because of frustration. Or as one driver explained to me, “[he] doesn’t give a shit, because the crap isn’t going to his house.” Yeah, that’s great. Job’s hard? Fucking quit. I’ve had shitty jobs too. You know what? I left. I didn’t puke into the grinder when I worked at a meat processing plant, I didn’t spit in people’s food when I worked at a restaurant, and I don’t randomly delete email accounts at work if I’m frustrated or pissed. Sorry, no fucking understanding here. What do they think they’re going to have to do when they go to work for a shipping company? For the record, my UPS guy is eh, the Fedex driver is great. ---
**Author:** ![diku](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4af34b/32.png) [@diku](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/diku)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2005, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-wonder-why-some-of-your-stuff-delivered-by-fedex-is-busted-up/314404/37 "2005-07-28T05:23:52Z")
> [@brickbacon](#): > > But, people have to understand how stressful the job is, and how liberating it is kicking the shit out of a box. The job really sucks. The trucks aren’t air conditioned, the warehouse is like an oven, everything needs to be on time, and the packages keep coming in. It’s a never ending pile of packages and paper work, each with a deadline and a bunch of meaningless related tasks. Plus, many of them are heavy and cumbersome. After shipping packages all day, it feels good to kick one really hard to see if it breaks. Some of the carelessness is due to time constraints, however a lot of it is because of frustration. Or as one driver explained to me, “[he] doesn’t give a shit, because the crap isn’t going to his house.” Yeah, that’s great. Job’s hard? Fucking quit. I’ve had shitty jobs too. You know what? I left. I didn’t puke into the grinder when I worked at a meat processing plant, I didn’t spit in people’s food when I worked at a restaurant, and I don’t randomly delete email accounts at work if I’m frustrated or pissed. Sorry, no fucking understanding here. What do they think they’re going to have to do when they go to work for a shipping company? For the record, my UPS guy is eh, the Fedex driver is great. ---
**Author:** ![GusNSpot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gusnspot/32/436_2.png) [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2005, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-wonder-why-some-of-your-stuff-delivered-by-fedex-is-busted-up/314404/38 "2005-07-28T05:28:22Z")
I got on Liberal’s list … \*::: preen ::: \* Now, if the guberment would not be so silly about gus, I mean guns, (_guns is good_ ) then the lack of personal responsibility would not be such a factor in the mishandling of others goods … and guns… YMMV \*:: I made the list, I made the list… ::: \* Þ ---
**Author:** ![brickbacon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@brickbacon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brickbacon)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2005, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-wonder-why-some-of-your-stuff-delivered-by-fedex-is-busted-up/314404/39 "2005-07-28T05:50:54Z")
> [@diku](#): > > Yeah, that’s great. Job’s hard? Fucking quit. I’ve had shitty jobs too. You know what? I left. I didn’t puke into the grinder when I worked at a meat processing plant, I didn’t spit in people’s food when I worked at a restaurant, and I don’t randomly delete email accounts at work if I’m frustrated or pissed. > > Sorry, no fucking understanding here. What do they think they’re going to have to do when they go to work for a shipping company? > > For the record, my UPS guy is eh, the Fedex driver is great. Whatever asshole. You may not like the answer, but it’s the truth. ---
**Author:** ![RobuSensei](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/919ad9/32.png) [@RobuSensei](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RobuSensei)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2005, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-wonder-why-some-of-your-stuff-delivered-by-fedex-is-busted-up/314404/40 "2005-07-28T06:08:25Z")
> [@brickbacon](#): > > Whatever asshole. You may not like the answer, but it’s the truth. It may be the truth, but it sure as hell doesn’t make it _right._ You wanna work out your frustration by beating and kicking the hell out of something of your own, go right ahead. But deliberately doing that to a package that doesn’t belong to you, and indeed you have been trusted to _deliver_ that package to its rightful owner? IANAL, but to me that sounds like you could be sued for “willful destruction of property” or “vandalism” or another one of those pesky little laws… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-wonder-why-some-of-your-stuff-delivered-by-fedex-is-busted-up/314404.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-wonder-why-some-of-your-stuff-delivered-by-fedex-is-busted-up/314404.md?page=3)