ParcelPedia Podcast

When the Weather Wins: Understanding Shipping Delays and Solutions

• James Banks • Episode 27

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Do You Guarantee Shipment Times? Are There Any Shipment Times You Don’t Guarantee Shipment Times On?

Ever wondered what really happens when your important package gets delayed? In this eye-opening conversation, ParcelPedia owner James Banks pulls back the curtain on shipping guarantees and delivers some surprising truths about the promises carriers make—and don't make.

James explains the crucial difference between delivery time "guarantees" and money-back guarantees, revealing why no carrier can truly promise your package will arrive by a specific time. With remarkable candor, he walks through the complex journey packages take—from initial drop-off through multiple handling points, trucks, planes, and hubs—highlighting the countless opportunities for delays along the way. His practical advice? "If you need something there in three days, go for that two-day option. Give yourself that cushion."

The most valuable part of this discussion might be James's behind-the-scenes look at how professional shipping stores advocate for customers when things go wrong. From filing claims to providing documentation, shipping professionals have developed systems and relationships that save customers time and frustration. James shares a particularly memorable shipping mishap involving notarized documents, a puddle, and a lesson learned that changed his approach forever. It's these real-world experiences that transform good shipping services into great ones.

Whether you're running a business that depends on timely shipments or simply need to get an important package to its destination, this episode provides essential knowledge that will change how you approach shipping deadlines. Listen now, and discover why—even when delivery can't be guaranteed—having the right shipping partner means you'll always have solutions when problems arise. 

Ready to ship smarter? Mention "podcast" at our store to receive 10% off select shipping services!

To learn more about ParcelPedia visit:
https://www.ParcelPedia.com
ParcelPedia
8992 Preston Road, Suite 110
Frisco, Texas
972- 335-1450

Speaker 1:

Welcome to the Parcelpedia Podcast, the ultimate guide to all things shipping and business services in Frisco, texas, from US mail and FedEx to private mailboxes and packing supplies. We've got you covered. Stay tuned for a special discount code to save on your next order. And now delivering expert tips and insider insights with a smile, here's your host, james Banks. Owner of Parcelpedia.

Speaker 2:

Shipping deadlines matter, but not all delivery times are guaranteed. Let's break down when your package is covered and when delays might happen. Welcome back everyone. I'm Sofia Iveth, co-host and producer. Back in the studio with James Banks, owner of Parcelpedia. James, how are you today?

Speaker 3:

Hey Sofia, I'm doing well. How are you?

Speaker 2:

I'm also doing well, james. Thanks for asking so. Shipping speed is one of the biggest concerns for customers, so let's talk about when delivery times are guaranteed and when they aren't. Do you guarantee shipment times, and are there any shipment times you don't guarantee?

Speaker 3:

Yes. So this is a great question. It puts me on the spot, but I can clear the air for all the customers that come by or will come by in the future customers that come by or will come by in the future. So no, parcel period does not guarantee any shipping times, only because the carriers that we are partnered with do not guarantee their shipping times. So it would be a little much for me to promise something that they don't even promise. What most carriers offer, like FedEx, ups and DHL they offer what's called a money back guarantee. So if your package does not arrive or something happens to it, basically just doesn't get to the destination in the way it should have, whether it's late or damaged or missing, they'll give you your money back. That money is guaranteed to you, but the timing is almost.

Speaker 3:

I don't think there's any service that any carrier provides where they guarantee you it'll get there, and that's mainly because there's so many elements to shipping. You have the initial receiving point. Like myself, you have the initial driver that picks it up for me and takes it to the main hub in the city which we're in. The area for us is Addison, here in Texas. From there it's loaded onto a new truck. From there it's taken to the airport. From there it's loaded onto an airplane, then it's to another airport, deloaded.

Speaker 3:

All of this and there's so many different elements and steps within that can potentially go wrong. The carriers do not guarantee even an overnight. They won't guarantee it Mainly because you can have it perfect. You know everything's going right, picked up, it's on time, it gets to the airport, and then a crazy lightning storm breaks out and the planes are grounded. And now what was supposed to be there tomorrow? It's not even leaving until past midnight, it's not going to be there to be processed until the next day. And so things like that they call them acts of God, nature, flooding, extreme storms, earthquakes, you know more on the West coast All those things affect shipping and because of that, it's one of those things where they just they'll give you your money back, which is great, but when you it's definitely recommended to use the fastest service so say you need something there in three days, go for that two-day option. Give yourself that cushion. Yeah, I know it may be more expensive than the three-day shipping, but if you ship it for three days and then you get that one-day delay.

Speaker 3:

now you completely missed your deadline, whereas if you do just a two-day, if something happens, not only do you get your money back because they missed the two-day, but you still have that cushion to where, potentially, you can still arrive on your timeline that you need it. That's just a recommendation I always give to people you know. If you know you need it by a certain time, if you can afford it, try to get it a day earlier. If not, though, most packages I would say about 80 percent of packages get there on time. It's normally just things that are out of their control.

Speaker 3:

I've seen it where a plane has broken down and so at the airport, everything had to be deloaded off that plane and put onto another plane, and so of course they just pushed everything back. Just things of that nature happen. And so while we do not guarantee anything as far as timing on packaging, we do guarantee that if something does go wrong, something does happen, a delay, damage, we will be your advocate. So we will reach out to the carrier and fight the good fight. You know we'll file the claim on your behalf, we'll provide all the evidence, we'll provide the shipping, the addresses, we'll do all that process. So you can just kind of sit back and, you know, relax, because we understand you're already upset. Package was delayed, package was damaged, so we'll do everything we can in the in the middle to try to help you out. So take some of that pressure off of you. So unfortunately, we cannot guarantee your shipments other than guaranteeing that either they will be delivered You'll get your money back or you'll get the item back itself.

Speaker 3:

There's been cases where you know, it's got to be delivered somebody, but now that they're flown out of the country, it's no good over there. Get it back, and we handle that too. We'll do all the facilitating of getting it back to you as well. So we, you know, unfortunately, we know we can't offer that guarantee, but we can definitely promise you that the work behind it, you know, fixing the issue, is all on us and you can just sit back and relax.

Speaker 3:

So what you're saying is no matter what, there's a solution. Yeah, thank you, thank you, thank you, sophia. That's why I need your help. No matter what there's a solution and we've done it so many times it's really better to let us handle it. We know which departments to call, we know who to bypass, we know who to talk to. We know exactly what they're asking for when they say we need pictures or we need evidence or we need proof of value. We know all those things, you know. And so, instead of you Googling and chat GPT in your way to a solution, we're already here. You know we're your AI help, just not artificial.

Speaker 2:

Would it be what PI?

Speaker 3:

Yeah, there you go Personal intelligence.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, there you go, yeah, there you go. So, James, what circumstances can cause delays, even for guaranteed shipments, if there are any? Yeah, I mean really it's weather.

Speaker 3:

Weather is the biggest proponent of delays and it's just a safety issue. We don't want pilots out in the sky when there's crazy storms or icing or just poor conditions. If it was your family member had a job, you wouldn't want them to be out in something that's dangerous just for someone's you know t-shirt to get to a cousin or you know, whatever it may be. Obviously there's much more important shipments like medication and documents that can be very timely and very important. But you know, protecting people, keeping people safe I think that should be at the top of most people's list as far as what they want, and that's what it is.

Speaker 3:

They're not sitting planes down or keeping trucks in the bay just to save gas money. These are big, big corporations. They want to move as many as they can, so they do everything they can too. That's why, even when a plane is broken down or a truck breaks down, they'll find someone in the area to go get all those packages off that truck. You know, get it to the next truck and keep it moving. Yeah, you may see a delay, maybe a few hours, maybe one day, but they're still actively working to get your product delivered and I think that is commendable.

Speaker 2:

Okay, James, I have to ask you, when it comes to delays, what is the craziest situation you've come across?

Speaker 3:

Crazy situation I've come across. So this was a two-part shipment, which was an initial shipment down to the state capital, austin, texas, and then from there there was a shipping label inside the package which was going to be then shipped internationally, and part of the whole process was that it needed to go down to the capital because of some documents inside that were notarized. Well, unfortunately, as we know, it's Texas Out of nowhere. We got a pretty decent rainstorm down in Austin and the envelope fell into a puddle.

Speaker 3:

The water seeped through and it bled all the notary stamps. So, yes, so they became invalid. The shipment to the international then became null and void. There's like no reason anymore. So what we had to do was facilitate an expedited shipment from here down to Austin with a new expedited shipment on the international, which, of course, was no problem for us. We did that to help the customer.

Speaker 3:

But it's just one of those things where it's like not even a crazy storm to stop the trucks or tell them like there's delays, but just enough water. I mean that's all it took and it just created havoc. So now, because of that, because of my PTSD, any documents I send out, I put them in a plastic Ziploc so no matter what, you know, come rain or storm, they still get there safe. So, international especially, I do it. But it's just one of those things that you know, you learn from. I hate to say a mistake. I didn't really didn't feel like I made a mistake, but you learn from things. And so, going forward, we just always, always have Ziplocs on hand and make sure that if it's a document especially important when it gets waterproofed and sent out. So yeah, that one I was really. I couldn't believe it, you know when they called me and told me, yeah, all the notary work we did, it's not worth it anymore.

Speaker 1:

I was like no, wow.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, it was almost a very scary nightmare, but it got resolved. Out of all the things that could happen, simple puddle not a, not lost, not damaged, just oops, and I think the driver he had dropped it and picked it up and so he didn't even think about it, you know. But by the time the recipient opened it and went through the paperwork, they're like we can't use this, yeah. Yeah, that was that one hurt, but we fixed it. So, as always, we do everything we can to fix it.

Speaker 2:

Well, good, that sounds like the moral of the story For every problem there's a solution.

Speaker 3:

I may have to get a new sub tag on my store.

Speaker 2:

Well, james, thanks for clarifying shipping guarantees. It's such an important topic for customers who need timely deliveries, and we appreciate the insights. We'll see you next time.

Speaker 1:

All right. Thank you, Sophia. Thanks for joining us on the Parcelpedia podcast. Don't forget mention podcast at our store. To snag 10% off select shipping services, Stop by at 8992 Preston Road, Suite 110, Frisco, Texas, or give us a ring at 972-335-1450. We're here to make your shipping a breeze. Until next time, keep shipping and smiling.