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I purchased a nice used Yamaha YEB-321S Eb tuba from Carl's Pro Band in Bloomington, Illinois (great place to do business with) and asked that it be shipped up to Chicago via Greyhound. The distance is about 120 miles and right up I-55. The horn is in its hard case and in carboard box. It was dropped off Wednesday afternoon and should have been up here that evening or early Thursday.

It is Saturday afternoon. Guess what? No tuba, no contact, and no one seems to know anything. Now, to be fair, I've both shipped and received instruments via GPX before without any problems at all. Nonetheless, I have found out:
a) the GLI "tracking" number is essentially worthless. When I call "customer service" (another misnomer) the agents have record and no idea of where the shipment is, because:
b) Packages are sent on a space available basis. If there is no room below the bus due to large amounts of passenger luggage, your box gets bumped. the larger your box, the more likely it will get bumped.Moreover:
c) If your package is sent to a destination which is not open 24 hours and is too large to fit into the station's lockbox, it will ride to the next major destination where it can be unloaded and sent back towards the original destination. Hence, my box, which was to go from Bloomington, Il to Chicago, main terminal (downtown) and then on to Chicago-Cumberland (far NW side) may be in Chicago, in Rockford, in Milwaukee, or ???. And
d) that customer service involves local station phone lines that are never answered in person (and have message cues comletely full), a main customer service number that closes on weekends and employs individuals highly skilled at telling you nothing.

So . . . I'm nervous

120 Miles? I would of just picked it up. I know that's not helpful in this case, but just hang in there until Monday when the more responsible people at G.H. will answer the phone.

Driving is no longer an option for me due to poor vision. I had asked some folks I know who trave up and down 55 between Springfield, IL and Chicago a lot, but could not make it happen this time.

And yes, Joe, I screwed up by forgetting to tell them to specify "priority"

Hi-
Be patient with Greyhound--if sent regular and not priority, evan at 120 miles, it can take time--the tracking number is ONLY useful if sent priority. Hang in there--
mark

Just because "it's only 120 miles down the road"... doesn't mean that the package took a direct route. It may have been routed to St. Louis then to Indianapolis then to Nashville then to Columbus, Ohio then back to Indianapolis then back to St. Louis and them maybe to Chicago. Be patient.

bloke wrote:Agreed. 120 miles isn't far enough away to consider shipping a tuba viable. Between the trouble that each of you have gone, it would have been less time (and surely less money) had each of you driven 60 miles (x 2) and met halfway.

That being said, was it sent "regular" (which means "when we darn well feel like it") or "priority"?

"Priority" means 'next bus out'. That is no guarantee it won't get 'kicked off' at the next stop. I NEVER use "Priority". It's worthless and the agents will tell you that.

TubaTinker wrote:Just because "it's only 120 miles down the road"... doesn't mean that the package took a direct route. It may have been routed to St. Louis then to Indianapolis then to Nashville then to Columbus, Ohio then back to Indianapolis then back to St. Louis and them maybe to Chicago. Be patient.

Toss in Memphis and this sounds like a FedEx route.

Alex F wrote:

TubaTinker wrote:Just because "it's only 120 miles down the road"... doesn't mean that the package took a direct route. It may have been routed to St. Louis then to Indianapolis then to Nashville then to Columbus, Ohio then back to Indianapolis then back to St. Louis and them maybe to Chicago. Be patient.

Toss in Memphis and this sounds like a FedEx route.

Yeah... I left out Louisville, and Cincinnati, too!

Alex, have the shipper check the spelling of your name on his receipt. It could very easily have been keyed in wrong by the guy at the terminal in Bloomington, so even if it is in Chicago waiting for you they won't tell you if it doesn't have your name on it. i.e. "no, we haven't got anything here for you...oh wait, there is a really big box in the cage over there, came in wednesday evening. How do you spell your name again?"
Happened to me (actually happened to my customer) last time I shipped GPX. I spotted the typo on the "ticket" and he was able to pick up his tuba the next day. It had been waiting for him a few days already.

I'll have to wait until Monday. The Greyhound station on the NW side has limited hours and is not open on Sunday.

Well . . . I will be able to claim ownership of a real 'travel tuba" soon . . .

Alex F wrote:I'll have to wait until Monday. The Greyhound station on the NW side has limited hours and is not open on Sunday.

Well . . . I will be able to claim ownership of a real 'travel tuba" soon . . .

You got me wondering when you said "limited hours". If you had the horn sent to the CTA terminal... that one appears to be only open two hours in the morning and even less in the afternoons and only on weekdays. Terminals with restricted hours are more difficult to 'hit'. That being said.... you might want to check the other two Chicago area Greyhound stations.

A breakthrough. My tuba is resting comfortably (one would hope) in the baggage room at the Chicago main Greyhound depot. I told the folks there to hold on to it whilst I round up a posse and come for it.

The tuba was bailed out from detention at the main Greyhound station and escorted home.

This horn looks and plays great. My hat comes off to Travis at Carl's Pro Band in Bloomington, IL. These folks are true pros. As to Greyhound, "alls well that ends well."