FedEx delays cause pre-Christmas angst in Augusta, elsewhere
AUGUSTA, Ga. - With Christmas just two weeks away, many customers across the region are expressing frustration with FedEx.
Hundreds of packages remain stuck at the company’s shipping facility in Austell, outside Atlanta.
And a News 12 viewer said they and several other customers have been showing up at the company’s Augusta facility on International Boulevard, worried over the holdup.
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“It seems that no one in FedEx management knows of the issue of trucks just sitting here, packages not being scanned, packages not being processed,” the viewer wrote in an email to FedEx that was CC’d to News 12. “The inactivity at the ship center has caused major upsets in this area. There are contractors that are not delivering packages, but nothing is being done to correct the known systematic problems. We are being told the employees do not have the time to look for our packages.”
The viewer wrote: “I, along with a room full of people would love to know how to get service.”
It’s much the same story across the state in Austell, where a backlog has left many wondering whether their deliveries will arrive in time for the holidays.
A customer in Aiken reported problems, too, saying he’s heard of packages being out for delivery for three weeks.
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For Chris Stephens in Douglasville, the delay has been quite costly.
His front porch has sat empty for two weeks while he waits for several packages.
“Probably $5,000 worth of stuff,” he said. “So, this is costing me quite a bit of money that I needed for Christmas.”
Stephens is among dozens of customers who say their packages have been delayed for weeks at the Austell facility.
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“Black Friday, Cyber Monday stuff,” he said. “It’s all sitting in Austell.”
Tracking information for one of Stephens’ packages, shipped on Nov. 26, illustrates his frustration.
The item arrived at the Austell facility early on Nov. 29 and was marked as being loaded onto a delivery truck later that day.
However, it still has yet to leave the facility.
“You watch tracking, and they never get on a truck,” Stephens said. “They just come right back and that goes on every day.”
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Asked about these issues, FedEx responded with this statement:
“We sincerely regret any inconvenience caused by delays in the areas serviced out of our Austell facility and appreciate our customers’ patience as we implement contingencies, including securing additional delivery resources, to deliver these packages as quickly as possible.”
Nevertheless, Stephens says he’s frustrated by the lack of communication from FedEx.
“If I were to know that it was going to take three weeks to get something, that’s much better than having no idea at all what’s going on,” he concluded.
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