Missing Tuba and Greyhound package service

[stufarris]

Thanks for everyone's input. I've talked with the agent in Decatur just about twice a day (except when they are closed), and no dice. I've called Greyhound and spoken with several people (after spending probably hours on hold and transfers) trying to find the route the bus would have taken, but no one can give me a route. I was going to call the stations along the way, as was suggessted, but without knowing the specific route, especially if it was a milk route type of trip, there is no way to track it that specifically. I've talked to the stations in Dallas, Chicago, and Atlanta, which is where I was told (and also read here) that wayward packages may end up. I'm still hoping it just got pulled off for some passenger baggage and is sitting in a corner at some bus stop. Maybe the attendants will get tired of tripping over it and will send it on its way.

Thanks again to everyone for your comments and help.

[Curmudgeon]

Stu, I hope all works out. Very disappointing and stressful for you.

Best of luck!

[bort]

I hope Greyhound treats their passengers better! They don't call it "riding the dog" for nothing!

But really, I wonder if some of it has to do with location. There are a ton of buses every day here to NYC, so more opportunities to get a box on board. If in a place with fewer buses (or more stops), maybe that changes the cargo availability...?

[TubaTinker]

..... I wonder if some of it has to do with location. .....

I've only had one inbound Greyhound shipment go astray... and that was just delayed a week or so.

A LOT does depend on the knowledge of the agent on the shipping end. My agent here in Evansville, Indiana knows how to route a package to get it to the final destination with minimal problems. For example... there are direct buses from here to St. Louis, Louisville, and Nashville twice daily. Knowing which bus to send a shipment out on in order to connect 'down the road' helps a lot. Sometimes the 'first bus out' (as is the case if you ship Priority) is not the best method. The only thing 'Priority' guarantees is that the package will be on the first bus out AT THE FIRST LOCATION. That's not to say that it won't get 'kicked of' at the first stop.

LOTS of the locations listed by GPX are contract stations. Some only have lock-boxes where freight is placed if the location is closed. Those lock-boxes might be large enough to house a tuba! If that's the case... down the road the package goes. And... it will continue to ride around until it 'hits' when the location is staffed.

When you drop off a package at Greyhound... it might be a good idea to ask the agent for the routing. In some cases, it might be better to use a destination location other than the closest one.

[Alex C]

When shipping by Greyhound, it is always better to have it shipped to a nearby major-city terminal rather than to a small town station.

For example, I lived in a small town near Melbourne, Fl after a p-r-o-l-o-n-g-e-d wait for a Melbourne delivery I had future shipments sent to Orlando. It was an hour drive one-way but saved me weeks of waiting, I'm sure.

[stufarris]

An Update:

Great News. The horn arrived in great shape tonight. After reading the posts here, I guess a little over three weeks is not that bad for Greyhound.

Once again, many, many thanks for the sage advice and words of encouragement.

Best Wishes to all

Stu

[TubaTinker]

An Update:

Great News. The horn arrived in great shape tonight. After reading the posts here, I guess a little over three weeks is not that bad for Greyhound.

Once again, many, many thanks for the sage advice and words of encouragement.

Best Wishes to all

Stu

Three weeks is waaay too long but I'm glad your horn finally arrived.

[jonesmj]

Glad for a Happy Ending....
Mark

[roughrider]

Good For You! Now you can enjoy that gem of a tuba that you bought!

[sloan]

Good For You! Now you can enjoy that gem of a tuba that you bought!

Now might be a good time to reflect on how much you WOULD HAVE paid to avoid all that anxiety.

[TubaTinker]

.... Now might be a good time to reflect on how much you WOULD HAVE paid to avoid all that anxiety.

He could have paid A LOT more just to have had FEDEX trash a descent horn!

[sloan]

.... Now might be a good time to reflect on how much you WOULD HAVE paid to avoid all that anxiety.

He could have paid A LOT more just to have had FEDEX trash a descent horn!

Who said anything about FedEx?