I fully realize this is an old thread, but I found something in this pertinent.
I work in a factory currently, while factories and UPS/Newegg are not exactly the same (duh), there are enough similarities in how things work for me to know a bit about how this all goes down:
Here's the thing about shipping that most (not all) people don't realize.
- You are paying them to pay UPS/USPS to ship. Overnight/Next-Day shipping will get it to you in said time from the moment it leaves NEWEGG's hands. In other words:
Say you ordered a new monitor, and check Overnight and pay 50 bucks. The system does it's thing and get's the order to the departments it needs to go through to get to "packaging".
Once packaging receives the "order" eventually (sometimes right off the bat, sometimes it will take all hell breaking loose) the item gets picked up by someone and braught back around to "packaging".
Then "packaging" puts it in a padded red tote (used to be anyways, don't know if it is still), and then goes through a sort of "sorting" system that gets your new monitor sorted out to the right and proper truck (most of the time, heh).
Then the truck takes it to UPS, or UPS picks it up direct from newegg... either way... it is at this point that you will get your "overnight" from, as as they pick it up with other orders, they also then give the proper payments (I'm sure this is how it works, anyone able to say otherwise?) and such, and off they go for overnight/ next-day shipment.
So if something gets stuck in packaging, you have to realize that humans are involved at this stage for a large enough portion that things can happen. Could be incompetent employees, lazy ones even... and they eventually are caught, reprimanded, and/or fired... Could also be that they currently do not have easy access to said item. They might have said item in a lot (meaning area) of boxes that are currently covered by other boxes and have to have a fork-lift truck driver undo said mess at their earliest convenience, as these drivers already probably have a HUGE load of work before something like this comes over the radio to them or their supervisor/PC (personel control).
overnight/next day just means from the point UPS/USPS gets it. And it's not guaranteed within that time, overnight get's the same guarantee that 3 day gets I think... though correct me if I'm wrong... basicly if you get it within 12 days they consider it successful, even if you payed 50.50 for overnight.... though I might be wrong, I don't work for UPS nor have I ever been in a facility. Just guesstimation.
Also, if it get's stuck at a hub, I can tell you not from personal experience but having seen enough people that work at various hubs post on various forums over the years... they break their backs to get you your new monitor. I mean more than what they get payed for.... it's well beyond "borderline" slave treatment at some, if not all, ups places.... So trust in them and me that they do the best they possibly can to make sure that orders get out on or before time. They NEVER hold it just out of maliciousness. If it get's held up at a hub or elsewhere, it's most likely out of the fact they UPS doesn't send a truck out until it's able to be completely filled. That alone can take extraordinary times... but MOST of the time it get's sorted and filled faster than you could ever imagine that amount of products along with yours getting done in...
Trust me, in the end, there are workers at all points breaking their backs to get you your package.
And as for people (to hijack this thread a bit) that bash companies for putting defective products into packaging and then selling it... trust me, this is where my factory knowledge comes in:
Having worked for Electrolux Manufacturing of Anderson for 3 years (top mount refrigerators), I can tell you that employee incopetience is there, but eventually get's delt with... so that is a factor, but small.
What mostly happens is that the humans involved in the process, at any point, either get tired or bored... and the mind wanders away from the repeitious things they are doing and thats when things get through, even Quality Assurance has it occur. They do their best, but this is where things like this should, but don't always end... final quality assurance testing and personnel. They get tired, but shouldn't process another unit until they are sure the one they are on works 100%. Also realize that some things are still allowed through because the unity essentially still works up to their standards. And there's the magic word, standards. If it meets or exceeds standards... it's good to go. Say said monitor. If they allow 5 dead/always on pixels... guess what you might get in your brand new box... Not all workers break their backs, but over 90% of us do so, in any trade... including Newegg.com's sales, and UPS shipping.
And to answer the obligatory question, yes I did order a new monitor. The monitor is an ASUS VG248QE 144hz LED-Backlit masterpiece of a TN panel
. I can't wait to get it. It's an upgrade over my older ACER 60hz tn panel that is backlit by cold cathode fluorescent tubes.