Folks,

I haven't followed this whole thread, so sorry for any redundancy or
dumbdancy. A friend who runs a hifi shop who has for years shipped a lot of
very expensive gear switched to Fedex a decade ago after having both package
and billing problems with UPS. He was reluctant, because the local route guy
was good, and he knew Fedex was a union-buster and labor-grinder. But, the
service has been superior. That's my experience, too. For better handling,
he tells me, use at least 2nd-day. Pack tightly and professionally using
double-boxes for anything heavy or valuable. Drop-ship to customers whenever
possible! That way, although the store still gets billed for freight, the
manufacturer or distributor is responsible for the shipment.

A few years ago, the fellow who covers that rural/small-town route got into
trouble. He'd left a package for a regular store customer, signing for it
himself, as the shop keeper was busy. Somehow, that got back to Fedex, and
they fired the guy. He'd gone through the whole hiring wringer on the route,
and everybody appreciated his exceptional service and hard work. He'd call
customers ahead to tell them ETAs so they could connect - things like that.
He appealed, and just about everyone on the route wrote supporting
testimonials. But no good. He was out. They'd just had a kid and bought a
house.