If your life absolutely depended on it, which of the 3 major carriers would you pick to deliver something across the country?
Assume that you can not hand deliver it or get it hand delivered.
You can use their top tier options.
Which carrier would I use?
Pigeon.
Someone voted for USPS? I get some of my neighbor’s mail several times a month!
I’ve had enough bad experiences with each that my death would probably be the end game anyway.
Can you order three of them and have each carrier ship you one of the packages? If my life really depended on receiving a package, that’s what I’d do. Or maybe 30 of them, and send one to each of my 10 closest neighbors’ houses too.
Seriously? If my life depended on it?
Gimme a ticket for an aeroplane,
ain’t got time for FedEx or UPS.
I’ll handle that delivery myself, thanks. I’m not entrusting my life to FedEx or UPS or USPS.
(I checked ‘uselessly fighting the hypothetical,’ of course. :))
What’s the “something”? A letter? A body? A MacGuffin? Is it fragile? Perishable? Bigger than a breadbox?
I’ve only had limited personal experience sending things any of those ways, and I don’t think ever at the “top tier.” I’ve found the USPS to be the easiest to deal with, but that wasn’t the question.
If my life depended on it, I’d damned well do some research into the reliability of the various options—which, since it doesn’t, I can’t be bothered to do.
And, RTFirefly, carrying it personally on an airplane isn’t foolproof either, especially if the “something” is too big or too dangerous to keep on my person at all times.
FedEx. The regular service.
I’ve had problems with FedEx ground. That’s a separate operation run by the same company.
USPS Insured Registered Mail. Change of custody is tracked, and delivery is only to the named party. If it was good enough for the Hope Diamond it’d be good enough for me. It’s still the recommended procedure by Jewelry Insurers.
I’ve had the best luck with UPS, but USPS isn’t too bad these days.
Never had a problem with the USPS. I even worked part-time for the local post office delivering packages on the weekends for a while. Rock-solid bunch of delivery people.
I do remember having problem with a UPS delivery several years ago. Never much used FedEx.
Definitely not USPS. They were supposed to deliver something to my house on Saturday. Instead, they sent it from CT then NY, which they puzzled over for a couple of days - helpfully described as “Possible delay in delivery due to arrival at incorrect carrier facility” - before sending it on to what they call an “unknown” facility in who knows which state Monday, and finally delivered it here in NH today. And this was something for guaranteed next day delivery. Plus, I get my neighbor’s mail at least three times a month.
I chose UPS, but only because I’ve gotten and sent 30 times as many packages from them as FedEx, so I have a lot more experience with them as a carrier.
I voted USPS but that is because I assumed that it had to be delivered to my address. One of the other delivery companies, I forget which one, makes me pick up their stuff at their warehouse which seems cheating the spirit of the OP. And the other one just drops stuff at my front door which seems a little casual for a life and death situation. I’d risk USPS delays over that.
Can the OP clarify whether the delivery is supposed to be from or to where I am now?
Thudlow: either. I saw it as from but to is just as valid.
USPS will lose it and UPS will break it. FedEx by process of elimination.
I would use USPS with every delivery-tracking, express, certified feature they offer.
I’m not alone.UPS and FedEx rely on them, as well. Amazon, too, even in 2019.
I’d pick Fedex. If it’s that important, it’s probably business related and I think Fedex are the best at delivering to businesses.
Oddly enough I am waiting on delivery of an important package. I used USPS Priority Mail with expected two day service. The shipper dropped off the package at a Post Office order six days ago and no delivery yet.
Locally we have better luck with FedEx. With regular deliveries from Chewy.com delivered by FedEx at least the route drive knows our house and would be unlikely to misdeliver to a neighbor or get lost altogether.
OP doesn’t state delivery to where. There are still lots of places that only USPS deliver to