Just when you thought you had it all figured out, Santa is bring companies in the mail order & supply business a lump of coal for the holidays. We received a notice from Federal Express notifying us that all shipping rates are increasing an average of 3.5% effective January 7, 2002. Residential package pickup is going up to $4. Additionally, Federal Express Air is adding a $1.35 residential surcharge for deliveries to residential addresses (Fed. Ex. air never had this charge before). Federal Express Ground is increasing it’s residential delivery surcharge to $1.35 and its Fed. Ex. home delivery to $1.10.

These increases are in addition to the continuing fuel surcharge imposed by Fed. Ex. months ago due to raising fuel costs.

Mud Hole (and I’m sure the other vendors) will continue to due what ever we can to provide the lowest possible shipping cost to our customers, but sometime these things are out of our hands.

Tom McNamara
Mud Hole Custom Tackle
[www.mudhole.com]
Phone: (407) 277-0099

Thanks for making me feel better Tom, I thought they were just picking on me!
Happy Holidays
Tom W.
Last Cast

Thanks Tom. I believe this is one invaluable asset to this board, is the ability to have the perspective from the suppliers and builders. Communication is so important. Thanks for letting us know, prevents us from thinking suppliers are gouging.

Tom - With the drop in airline ticket prices it might be cheaper for you to start delivering packages to people in person.

Tom,
Thanks for letting everyone know this. What's amazing is when fuel prices were going up they impose a surcharge, but now that fuel prices are dropping every week they still continue to not only collect the surcharge but now increase their rates as well. I think the delivery companies are the ones gouging. It's just my 2 cents.
Happy Holidays to All,
Joe R.

yup, this is the perfect way to get us out of the reccesion! driv up the cost of delivering the products that nobody has the money to buy in the first place! sure makes sence to me. Pretty soon I won't mail-order anything,I will just hop in the old bronco and have myslf a vacation and go get the stuff myself, because even at 13 miles per gallon it will still be cheaper!

I am finding more and more that the US Postal Service is about the cheapest and fastest for delivery. The Priority service is based on weight but you can get most anything delivered anywhere in just a few days for between $4 to $7. I know they have some limitations on length and such but I've been getting my fly blanks like that lately and they have arrived quickly and in good shape.

I'm with you Kevin! The USPS priority mail is the only method I use to ship packages. It is real hard to beat $7.00 to ship a 7' rod from one coast to the other and have it arrive in 2-3 days. I have never had a problem with Priority Mail. Fedex is good, but as noted in the first post, very expensive! Don't even get me started on UPS. I could tell some stories that would boggle your mind.

I'm outside USA, and it took 2 months to receive a package from Florida using USPS. But then it was a month after Spet 11th.

Gasoline is cheaper now, than before the price jump. I think the law should look into these companies that continue to gouge.

I recently got into it with a local supplier about the surcharge. I gave them a check for the amount MINUS the surcharge, and told them if they wanted their stuff back, then they would have to send some guys to load it back on their truck, and get it off my jobsite TODAY. I then asked the delivery manager to justify why the surcharge, when gasoline is down to $1.09 in our area, about 20 cents LESS than before the surcharge went into effect. He said, "Company Policy." I said, "YEAH, right! Do you want my business?"

They deleted the surcharge from my account.

One small victory, but the war rages on...

TH