Parcel Carriers Work to Resolve Christmas Problems
Parcel carriers UPS Inc. and FedEx Corp. worked diligently in the days following Christmas to deliver packages that missed the promised Dec. 24 deadline.
UPS said it cleared its backlog of Christmas packages by the night of Dec. 27, the Wall Street Journal reported, and will offer refunds to some international and air customers whose packages did not arrive by Dec. 24. It did not deliver packages on Christmas.
FedEx told the Associated Press that it “experienced no major service disruptions in the week before Christmas despite heavy volume.” It said it worked with customers to resolve “isolated” delays, including allowing them to pick up packages at FedEx Office stores.
Retailers since as Amazon.com Inc., Kohls Corp. and Wal-Mart Stores Inc. have also offered refunds to affected customers.
Both carriers said they brought in extra vehicles and staff to get late packages to customers quickly. Unexpectedly high volumes, combined with other factors, overloaded their delivery systems and caused the delays, AP said.
Marshal Cohen, chief retail analyst at market research firm NPD Group, blamed the delays on increased online sales, especially last-minute Christmas gifts. “We always have last-minute Charlies, but this year, even people who normally complete shopping earlier completed shopping later,” he told AP.
