Dave
Post-Delivery FeedbackNov 21, 2025
You guys did fine. Aces all round... FedEx had a minor ball drop. Package took a random detour to Utah. It was only 1 day later than original estimate. No big deal. But looking into it, I discovered the shipping method used, FedEx SmartPost is basically the worst option in the continental US. Numerous reddit threads with employees explaining why the service is terrible. Hey, it was only one day later than estimated, but it prompted research and FedEx Smart Post is a spooky shipping method. It makes the $8 uncharge for better shipping make a LOT more sense.
So to recap... this wasn't a problem. A day late in an estimate is pretty normal. But when I looked into why my package went from 2 miles away (would have been early) to go hang out in Salt Lake City for 36 hours and come back... I found out that is shockingly normal for FedEx using this method. There is no promised delivery date and they know that. It is lowest possible priority for both FedEx and USPS... so service is notoriously bad.
This does not negatively impact my opinion of AMS. It does impact my opinion of FedEx.
The result to me is that I now know the odds of FedEx delivering on time are a coin toss. I can factor that in my planning. If I need a promised delivery by date... I need to pay extra. Not ideal, but that is FedEx sucking, not you.
I am sending this comment not to complain. I'm fine, this was tiny and minor. But it spooked me on the default shipping method and I thought you should know FedEx does you no favors with this service.
I'll buy from AMS again, no worries. I'm not angry. I am not demanding remedy. I don't even want a reply. This is merely intended as constructive criticism. An insignificant shipping delay caused me to look into shipping method reputation and... man do people hate SmartPost (FedEx changed name, but still called smart post in internal tracking).
So you guys are cool... your default shipping partner? Maybe not so much.
This isn't really a complaint. More of a well intended FYI.
Now for the positive? Everything you guys actually did was perfect. Smooth transaction on a cool hard to find item. Absolutely I'm buying from you again. Just because I'm pointing out a potential shipping issue doesn't mean I'm not a happy customer.