Re: What happened to tracking?

CalminHeart · ‎03-09-2010

@loriqvc wrote:
@CalminHeart wrote:
@Bookplate wrote:
I have two recent orders which show as"shipped" in my order status (and I received the email that they shipped) but there is no tracking button. Have we given up on tracking entirely?! The only link is for "reorder" which seems overly optimistic on Q's part.....
Has anyone els noticed this?

How did it ship? If it was parcel post (Q's most common way), USPS doesn't track it. Parcel post is the lowest priority mail and often relies on their party non-USPS companies to move them from place to place.

If it was priority mail or UPS, there is some tracking but you need the tracking number.

@CalminHeart - I think you are confusing some shipping classes:

• USPS Parcel Post no longer exists; it is now called USPS Retail Ground,
and it is a class that is often used by individuals rather than companies, as
the most common applications for it are extremely large or heavy packages
or irregular options like shipping in tubes. (In almost all cases, switching to
UPS or FedEx will be cheaper, so that's what most companies do.) Although
it is possible QVC or its vendors may use this service, I have never received
any orders from the Q via this method (spanning 20+ years).
• UPS Mail Innovations is probably the most common shipping service used
by QVC and its vendors. It is primarily used for small, light packets such as
those containing jewelry, cosmetics, gadgets, and clothing. The packets start
off in the UPS system and are transferred to the USPS for delivery as they
reach a hub near the delivery address. If desired, you can use the tracking
number from QVC in the UPS tracking system to view initial progress and
then use the same number in the USPS system after the packet handoff.
The packets seem to be scanned less often in the UPS system, so details
of movement are generally not very useful. (Also note that this class of
UPS delivery cannot be upgraded like UPS SurePost can.)
• Return service is the shipping class that applies when you use QVC's
prepaid return label. This is actually the lowest delivery class and is the
service that uses third-party agents for package transport. Packages are
dropped off at a USPS (or sometimes UPS) location where they get
scanned for acceptance, but they do not move through the USPS network.
Instead, they wait to be picked up by the third-party agent (currently, QVC
contracts with Pitney Bowes) and continue through its network. Tracking
is not extremely reliable and movement is verrrry slow because there is
truly no priority at all for these packages; they are sent along to the next
point on the map when there is room for them in the truck or on the plane.

And if anyone is interested in receiving automatic notifications about incoming packages (thus not relying on QVC's inconsistencies), I highly recommend signing up for the free services offered by the three main national couriers:

USPS: https://informeddelivery.usps.com/box/pages/intro/start.action
UPS: https://www.ups.com/us/en/services/tracking/mychoice.page
FedEx: https://www.fedex.com/en-us/delivery-manager.html

(In addition, you could choose to sign up for UPS MyChoice Premium, which allows you to automatically have SurePost packages delivered via UPS without the handoff to the USPS. It costs $19.99 per year, but if you have a lot of packages coming via this service, it could be worth the cost to receive your deliveries a bit more quickly.)

I used the wrong terminology to describe the same thing. I worked in the post office for several years after retiring and terms changed. Bottom line is that Q ships as cheap as possible, often the lowest priority.

I upgraded my UPS My Choice over a year ago so UPS automatically delivers my packages. It is worth the $19.99.

LisaMofSLC · ‎11-12-2010

What does it mean when tracking indicates your item is on its way, is here on town, is being processed at the UPS facility, has disappeared. It was supposed to be delivered today, and now tracking says the information is not retrievable?