What does operational delay mean for FedEx? (full guide)
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FedEx delivers 12 million packages a day. Of these, 85% were delivered on time. While this is certainly an impressive number considering the sheer volume of packages, it also means that 15% of packages are delayed somewhere along the way.
One reason for these delays is so-called operational delays. By reading this article, you’ll learn what the term means, why delays occur, and when you can expect to receive your package!
Operational delays in 2022 mean FedEx?
Operational delay is the generic term FedEx uses to describe the cessation of delivery of your package starting in 2022. Many different circumstances can cause such delays: weather, customs detentions or strikes are just some of the reasons you may experience see ‘Operational Delays’ in your tracking information.
To learn more about operation delays and how to deal with them, read the rest of this guide!
What are FedEx operational delays?
Seeing “Operation Delay” in your FedEx tracking information indicates that your package was held up in transit.
That is, operational delays may occur at the originating facility, the entire routing center, or the destination facility.
In some cases, operational delays may be the fault of FedEx. In other cases, it may be an event beyond their control.
In either case, operational delays were an issue in FedEx’s delivery infrastructure and were never the sender’s or recipient’s fault.
Why do FedEx operational delays occur?
Perhaps one of the most frustrating things about operational delays is that it’s not yet clear why they happen.
In other words, operational delay is a very general term that can refer to many different situations that cause your package to be put on hold.
For example, some potential reasons behind operational delays include:
- Equipment failure (for example, a truck in need of repair)
- Airplane unavailable
- Port congestion (freight)
- staff shortages (for example, due to strikes)
- Delayed transfer to local courier
- weather
For whatever reason, although these interpretations vary widely, they are all categorized in the same way by FedEx.
Where are you seeing operational delays FedEx?
If your package is on hold due to operational delays, you will see this term in your tracking information.
Additionally, you’ll see the name of the facility where the package was stuck, along with the time and date of the update.
Does an operational delay mean my package will be late?
Although the term Operational Delay makes it appear that your package will be late, this is not the case.
In fact, your item may arrive later than scheduled, but FedEx can often make up for the lost time and deliver your package on time.
How long will it take FedEx to resolve operational delays?
Unfortunately, there is no set time frame for FedEx to resolve operational delays.
Additionally, this is especially true when the delay is caused by factors beyond FedEx’s control, such as the weather.
That said, most operational delays are resolved within a few days. However, shipments (especially FedEx Ground) may be stuck for more than ten days.
Therefore, if your package is held up for longer than this time, please feel free to contact FedEx Customer Service at 1 (800) 463-3339 for more information.
What should you do if you receive an operation delay tracking update?
When you see an operation delay on the tracking information, review the tracking details to see where the holdup occurred.
If nothing else, this will give you an idea of where the package is.
For more information, it’s best to call FedEx Customer Service at 1 (800) 463-3339; they may be able to tell you more details about the reason for the delay.
Also, if your item has been delivered to a local FedEx warehouse, try calling that location. This way, you can just pick up your package without having to wait for it to arrive.
What if a FedEx package is late due to operational delays?
Let’s say your package was sent via a guaranteed service like FedEx Priority Overnight or FedEx International Priority, but was late due to operational delays.
In this case, you may be eligible for a refund. Additionally, packages that arrive late due to circumstances within FedEx’s control are eligible for a refund.
Also, this could include things like equipment malfunctions or unavailability of aircraft. Also, if your package arrives late due to weather, a refund may not be available.
Likewise, if your package was sent via a service that doesn’t have a money-back guarantee (for example, FedEx Ground) and it’s delayed, you’re not eligible for a refund.
To learn more, you can also read our posts on whether FedEx delivers to PO Boxes, whether FedEx packages are insured, and whether FedEx updates are tracked.
in conclusion
FedEx’s operational delays are very vague.
That said, it works for all kinds of different situations where your package is delayed, but it also doesn’t tell you when the problem will be fixed.
For these reasons, the best thing to do when you see this term in your tracking information is to be patient. In most cases, the problem will be resolved within a few days.
