... I have made to purchases in the US and both have delivered to my workplace and on-schedule. The UPS tracking systems is excellent and, if I remember correctly, FedEx is not as good.
When tracking packages via the UPS web site, one must keep in mind that some of the entries are 'actual' scans of the package and some are 'virtual' scans.
A 'virtual' scan entry is automatically entered into the system when there is no actual scan, but the system predicts that there should have been one.
If a package is lost, and is not being scanned anywhere in the system, it will continue to show new virtual scans indicating normal progress.
The internal system used by UPS customer service allows them to tell a virtual scan from a real scan, however end-users like us can not tell from the web site.
I found this out the hard way. I was tracking an important package on it's way to me. The UPS web site indicated that the package was progressing normally through the system, yet it didn't arrive when scheduled. I contacted UPS customer service, and they told me they hadn't had a scan on the package in days. I pointed out that they web site indicated differently, and that the package obviously was in my local office or on the truck. They explained that the scans I had been seeing were 'virtual' scans. Virtual scans are provided to enhance the customer experience in the event a package misses a scan.
UPS is betting that the package is progressing through the system, it just didn't get scanned.
Personally, I would be much happier with the UPS tracking system if it indicated which entries were real, and which were wishful thinking on the part of UPS.
I have never heard an allegation that Fed-Ex uses 'virtual' scans in their public package tracking system.
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