Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: WTF is the deal with Deluxe and FedEx?

This is topic WTF is the deal with Deluxe and FedEx? in forum Ground Level at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

To visit this topic, use this URL:
https://ft-forum.com/ft/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=5;t=002771

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 03-28-2014, 03:41 PM:

Up to now we've always gotten UPS "RS" labels with our Deluxe hard drives. Slap the label on, give to the UPS driver and off it goes.

Our hard drive of "Son of God" came with a Fed Ex label. For FedEx, you have to go on their website and schedule a pickup, because if you call in, the first thing it asks for is your FedEx account number which we don't have. Besides, I hate spending time on hold because I *AM* supposed to be working here. So I entered the info on the website, and kept getting repeated "We are unable to process your request at this time." After two days of this I tried using a different browser, which said that I had an invalid tracking number. It was then that I noticed the label was for "2 day" service, not ground -- and there isn't a link on the website for scheduling a 2-day pickup. (I'm still not sure if that's why the number was invalid, but it's all I can think of.)

I thought maybe if I created a Fed Ex "account" I would have more luck. We don't deal with Fed Ex normally but I figured, if this is the way Deluxe is going, I might as well. So I went in and created an account, put in the credit card number, and... "We are unable to process your request at this time." Got the same result on both browsers.

So I called Deluxe to tell them if they want their frickin' hard drive back they can send me a UPS label. After waiting a couple minutes on hold, I got "All agents are busy, please leave a message and your call will be returned." So I left a message -- four hours ago, and haven't heard back.

OK rant over, I'm going to lunch now (that'll make'em call).

Posted by Frank Cox (Member # 6258) on 03-28-2014, 04:33 PM:

I have spent six hours(!) on hold with FedEx on a few occasions in the past trying to schedule a pick up. When I first got my digital installation I had to return some of the drives via FedEx. Now I return almost everything on the bus, which means that I can haul the stuff the the bus depot at my leisure and wave bye bye. Guess which method I prefer? [Big Grin]

Posted by Adam Martin (Member # 641) on 03-28-2014, 07:58 PM:

Hold on to the drive until Deluxe calls or emails asking for it back. Then tell them "It's here and ready to go, send someone to come get it!"

Posted by Jack Ondracek (Member # 1466) on 03-28-2014, 08:23 PM:

That's interesting.

NONE of my drives have been picked up by Fedex... ever. They deliver about 25% of the drives I get... maybe.

All of my drives have been returned through UPS, regardless who delivered them.

UPS frequently arrives with pickup tickets and shipping labels for Deluxe drives, which had already come with their own enclosed labels. I slap 'em on when I open the boxes and let UPS figure out what to do with the extras. Hasn't seemed to cause any problems for me.

About the only thing I have to deal with is them trying to pick up drives for shows I'm currently playing. Even though I ingest them on all of my 3 servers, I still hang on to them until I finish the run. The companies don't seem to have a problem with it, but I have to call sometimes, when they start threatening missed-pickup charges.

Posted by James Westbrook (Member # 3690) on 03-30-2014, 01:36 PM:

Fed Ex delivers the Technicolor drives, but UPS is sent with return labels on said drives. Technicolor seems to be indeed a very special creature...
I did have a drive with a Fed Ex Ground label, which like the deluxe drives I would leave for the driver to pick up. Discovered UPS and Fed Ex Express showed up more than Fed Ex Ground. I ended up taking the drive to the Fed Ex Office, formally known as Kinkos.

Posted by Chris Slycord (Member # 4239) on 03-30-2014, 06:07 PM:

Problem for Mike is I assume the nearest FedEx Office location would be in Billings, something like 1.5 hours away one-way from him. So, he'd have to have a bunch of drives to make that worthwhile.

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 03-30-2014, 08:17 PM:

Right, and although we see the drivers frequently, you can't just hand a driver a package like you can with UPS. And, if it's a ground package you can't ship it via an Air driver and vice versa. UPS just has the whole thing dialed in a lot better (it's because they've always been one company, where FedEx is two companies combined).

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 03-31-2014, 08:29 PM:

Update: I got an email from Deluxe today saying they are "in the middle" of switching over from UPS to Fed Ex. So, my shipping hassles just got increased several-fold. Thanks, Deluxe. [puke]

Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 04-01-2014, 06:27 AM:

quote: Mike Blakesley
you can't just hand a driver a package like you can with UPS

I am pretty sure that you actually _can_ do this, but, as mentioned above, ground and express are handled differently, so a ground driver would not be able to take an express package and vice versa.

Fedex has always been good to me, but I generally just drop stuff off at Kinkos (as mentioned above), which only works if there is such a store nearby.

Posted by Tony Ratcliff (Member # 1196) on 04-01-2014, 10:07 AM:

Sounds like another good reason to check out satellite delivery.

Posted by Jarod Reddig (Member # 6363) on 04-01-2014, 02:51 PM:

+1

Posted by Steven J Hart (Member # 2340) on 04-02-2014, 04:00 PM:

quote: Mike Blakesley
Update: I got an email from Deluxe today saying they are "in the middle" of switching over from UPS to Fed Ex. So, my shipping hassles just got increased several-fold. Thanks, Deluxe.

Same thing here with Son of God. We also have no drop off for fed-ex within 2 hours from my theater. This is gonna suck!

I've asked Technicolor several times about Satellite delivery, but their "specialists" never return my call. I don't imagine they feel a single screen theater is worthy of having the system installed…….

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 04-02-2014, 05:15 PM:

I got a call back in response to a couple of emails to Deluxe. They said that Fed Ex drivers CAN pick up outgoing shipments -- the only thing is to make sure the air drivers get air packages and ground drivers get ground packages. They said to just have the drives handy when receiving deliveries and the same driver should be able to take the outgoing drives. THey also said that at the moment, trailer drives are still being returned via UPS.

We'll see if it works, but I have had drivers previously tell me they CAN'T pick up a package unless their magic little machine tells them to do it.

Posted by Dennis Benjamin (Member # 1137) on 04-04-2014, 02:09 PM:

I always take the Deluxe drives over to the local "Pack and Ship" Stores. All the theatres I deal with have one within a reasonable distance. I noticed that some of the labels are Fed Ex now. Glad the Pack and Ship store deals with both Fed Ex and UPS.

If they get the USPS involved - then that's a whole different story.

Posted by Teresa McQuisten (Member # 7032) on 04-10-2014, 02:54 PM:

I've been reading film-tech daily for 7 years, and today I'm logging in for the first time to say how annoyed I am by this. FedEx has a key to our building just like UPS, except the drivers never seem to have it. And our local shipping store charges a $2 handling fee if I want to leave a prepaid FedEx shipment there to be picked up. Plus, I have to drive there and I don't want to.

Posted by John Roddy (Member # 7348) on 04-10-2014, 03:14 PM:

My usual strategy with shipping out hard drives is to just leave them in box office one night, and come in the next evening to find them gone. This worked very well for UPS, but I've had trouble with FedEx since they're so hell-bent on keeping Ground and Express completely separate. Thanks to that, we have to go out of our way to ship out IMAX drives (they all have FedEx ground labels). These Deluxe labels, however, are all Express. We get regular deliveries from Express, so I figured I'd just try the same strategy here. Sure enough, the boxes I left down there were gone the next day. Cool. If that's the way it's gonna be, then I guess it's all right.

Posted by Barry Floyd (Member # 385) on 04-22-2014, 08:52 AM:

Yep... we've got a whole stack of Deluxe drives with Fed Ex return stickers on them waiting in our outgoing pickup area. Nobody will pick them up. We have no FedEx drop off location in our town, so they'll sit there until they come pick them up. I was told by Deluxe over the phone that whenever a FedEx driver dropped off new drives, he'll pick up the returns. That hasn't happened yet....

Posted by Dennis Benjamin (Member # 1137) on 05-25-2014, 09:41 AM:

E-Mail received yesterday on this topic:

Dear Theatre Manager,

In an effort to improve the process of hard drive returns, Deluxe Digital Cinema and FedEx have arranged a new pickup schedule. FedEx Express drivers will be stopping at all theatres serviced by Deluxe Digital Cinema every Tuesday and Friday between 1:00PM and 6:00PM to pick up any feature film hard drives that are ready to be returned.

UPS returns for Trailers By Deluxe will remain the same as it works now.

Please note: The drivers will not be asking for specific titles and there will be no additional fees or charges for these pickups. We understand that there will be times when no packages are available. Please be sure that only titles that are no longer required are placed out for pickups on these days and make sure to affix the return labels included in the boxes over the original shipping labels.

A FedEx dispatcher will be calling your theatre to confirm pickup of any available packages. If your theatre is not open between the hours of 1:00PM and 6:00PM on Tuesday or Friday you may change the pickup day and time with the FedEx dispatcher, and/or please respond to this email with the time your theatre opens and your best contact information so that we may work out special arrangements with FedEx.

We thank you for your continued business and patience in this transition and look forward to providing you with superb content distribution going forward.

Deluxe Digital Cinema | 877-272-3870 | ddchelp@bydeluxe.com

http://digitalcinema.bydeluxe.com

Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 05-26-2014, 01:06 AM:

I have my FedEX pickups set for Friday after 1pm.

Please make sure that the label has the "E" in the box, and not "G" (for FedEX Ground), for Express drivers will not take "G" labelled parcels.

Posted by Jack Ondracek (Member # 1466) on 05-26-2014, 01:51 PM:

Since my last post, I see that just about everything from Deluxe comes with Fedex return labels... except their trailer drives.

Now, I have UPS coming to my place with pickup tags for some of the drives I have with Fedex labels on them.

A few days ago, the Fedex driver said she would take them, but I think I need to figure out how I'll log or receipt that I've given them to Fedex instead of UPS.

{edit} Just got off the phone... no wait!! Deluxe says they are going Fedex with features and UPS for trailers. We shouldn't see UPS asking for features unless Deluxe runs short of drives and hires UPS to do a nationwide sweep for them (got it?).

As of this week, Fedex is supposed to stop by on Tuesday and Friday, to pick up anything you might have for them. If you have a Fedex office nearby, as we do, you should be able to drop your drives off there.

Guess we'll see how that works in practice.

Posted by Steve Matz (Member # 1890) on 05-26-2014, 04:43 PM:

Since I'm haven't ever used these New Digital Projectors or even seen what the Harddrives look like;This Question might seem Lame. Is there a Possibility in the future that these Hardrives will be made in a disposable Type format where after their Run they do a Mission Impossible type destruction of the encypted Movie and then be thrown away.Even though returning HD's is much simpler and less costly than 35mm Film was it seems like from this thread that dealing with Fed-ex at this point is a hassle.

If they made a disposable one time use HD for theaters than there would be no worries or hastle on returning them. I'm sure UPS & FED-EX wouldn't like this but I think Theater Operators would like not to have to return a Movie and save time and money in the long run.....

Posted by Frank Cox (Member # 6258) on 05-26-2014, 04:54 PM:

The eventual plan is supposed to have all distribution done by satellite, so there won't be anything to ship around at all other than advertising materials.

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 05-26-2014, 08:50 PM:

Not even that....they would like everyone to have internet-connected virtual one-sheets (flat panel monitors) and display one-sheets that way. That one's going to be a LONG time coming though....although some huge places already have 'em, I'm told.

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 06-24-2014, 10:24 PM:

It's looking as though Deluxe is backing off on their FedEx deal -- our most recent Deluxe movie (How to Train Your Dragon 2) came via UPS and has a UPS return label. Maybe the whole FedEx thing isn't working out as well as they thought it would?

Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 06-25-2014, 12:39 AM:

Our "Dragon II" was delivered by FedEX. Might be the small markets that could be affected.

FedEX called me to day to see if I'll be satisfied with just the Friday pickups, in which I mentioned it was totally fine to do.

On the reverse side: Been a while since I've seen TECH do any feature deliveries. Just get my weekly "Trail Mix" drives from them.

Finally, we get one - "Term 4" will be shipped by TECHNICOLOR

-Monte

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 06-25-2014, 01:51 AM:

What the heck is "Term 4"?

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 06-25-2014, 01:38 PM:

We just got the new Transformers from TES so I guess that's what Monte was referring to above.

I will say that I do like TES better because they only send out the keys you need....where Deluxe sends every key possible and some of them two or three times.

Posted by Martin McCaffery (Member # 37) on 06-25-2014, 02:29 PM:

I haven't paid attention enough to notice a pattern, but we do get drives delivered by UPS with FedEx Return labels, or not. Just got the feature The Double delivered by UPS from Tech as well as trailers. Yesterday's Deluxe trailers came in UPS and have a UPS return label. Who knows what they're thinking.