This week has been a bit of an emotional roller coaster at Provotypes HQ. We were informed early this week that FedEx had lost our crate in shipment. We just (today) received news that it had been found in British Columbia - it had been delivered to 6390 by mistake. Things are getting straightened out, and we’re very happy to be reunited with our robot and tools.
In dealing with this, we’ve become aware that we’re not the only team that’s had a shipment snafu (6390’s crate apparently was shipped to a team in Denver). Besides us and 6390, are there other teams in here who have experienced this, either this year or in years prior?
I don’t know your specific circumstances but it is worth noting that FedEx may not be at fault, here. There are a couple of other parties involved.
FIRST uses a drayage company called Shepard Exposition Services. They’re the people driving around the pits with forklifts and rearranging the crates (for seemingly no reason, occasionally). It is possible the mistake was on there end.
There can also be mix-ups at the shipping desk which, to my understanding, is a joint effort between FIRST and FedEx.
Either way, the situation is very annoying and potentially alarming. If you haven’t already, I would make sure to contact [email protected] and [email protected] and let them know your thoughts. And that goes for everyone who this happened to.
I’ve heard of a couple of crates going to the wrong place before. It’s been a LONG while though…
2004: A rookie team managed to have their crate sent back to their school, just in time for their Championship trip to Atlanta. As in, they walked into the building, no crate there, call the school, who says “Hey, what’s this crate doing outside?” (Cue massive effort to get the team a functional robot.)
2006: A team traveling to Canada (Greater Toronto Regional) showed up and found no crate on practice day. The crate was located in California in drayage… Someone managed to “overnight” the crate somehow so it showed up in Toronto for Saturday matches.
Other than that, I’ve heard about more crates being destroyed than mis-sent.
It was a bit of a surprise when the driver pulled your crate off the truck.
Crate looked in good condition though. Your door was a little loose, but okay. Was going to put some screws into it for you, but only had Robinson screws on hand, sorry.
Hopefully it gets back to you soon. The driver loaded it back onto his truck before I could slap a 6390 sticker on it.
I remember hearing a story f a team having their crate shipped back to them upside down. Made me want to paint : IF YOU CAN READ THIS YOU’RE FIRED! on the bottom of our crate.
Our crate, for 4096 in Champaign, IL was mistakenly sent from Detroit to 1507 in Lockport, NY. FedEx came back the next day and picked it up, and now it’s home.
The thread was short on details but what I was getting out of it was 3038 took their robot and paid to have their crate destroyed in Detroit. Instead their crate with a robot showed up in Massachusetts and the team where it showed up was trying to figure out whose robot it was.
Haven’t heard about this but thats pretty funny. We ship our robot from one of our sponsors, Mahle, since that’s where we store the crate, which is probably why I haven’t heard anything.
I’ve shipped A LOT of stuff with FedEx, but as they say… Vigilance is price of freedom. I monitor shipments like a HAWK. Phone app, online, all the options…
One year I found out they called to check on an address and I realized they were shipping it back to the SCHOOL not to the competition.
The destination was clearly spelled out on the shiiping documents (properly filled out and attached to the crate and we kept a copy … always keep a copy)…
They just looked at the wrong adress and started going that way!
