UltraLast UL-NP80 battery any good?

saxshooter said:
Was it FedEx Ground? My track record with them hasn't been so good either! :( Seems to operate with a completely different ethic than their air service... Or maybe some sort of trick by Ritz? Hope not.
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Yes, it was FedEx Ground. Do they not use zip codes at all? Or do they think, "Well its in the same county."

We'll see what Ritz does. I've sent them a message -- so they still have time to pull a dastardly trick on me. The battery will be old and stale by the time it get to me. :)

Michael
 
FedEx Ground is truly a train wreck of an operation. There is no insurance, and I've had packages left on my doorstep looking like they've fallen off the back of a truck. I once mailed a saxophone case (empty, thank goodness) to a buyer and it suffered impact damage that was beyond my imagination. I used them because they were cheap. Now I know why, and steer clear. Many merchants seem to be using FedEx ground now (which I believe is the same as FedEx Home Delivery).
 
saxshooter said:
FedEx Ground is truly a train wreck of an operation. There is no insurance, and I've had packages left on my doorstep looking like they've fallen off the back of a truck. I once mailed a saxophone case (empty, thank goodness) to a buyer and it suffered impact damage that was beyond my imagination. I used them because they were cheap. Now I know why, and steer clear. Many merchants seem to be using FedEx ground now (which I believe is the same as FedEx Home Delivery).
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Hmmm . . . this is clearly a case of "YMMV".

Other than one mishap a number of years ago, I've had nothing but good luck with FedEx Ground. Of course I used to work for UPS so I know how to pack things so they usually arrive safely.

For the record, FedEx acquired Caliber/Roadway in the late '90s and rebranded the service FedEx Ground and added FedEx Home shortly thereafter.

"no insurance"??? Where did you get that idea? As with the other common carriers, the first $100 is covered in the basic shipping charge and coverage can be purchased at additional cost for items of higher value.

USPS insurance is outrageously priced. I try to use them only when a buyer demands it or the shipment goes outside the U.S.

My normal procedure is simple. I pack well, then use the FedEx on-line shipping tools to pay for the shipping and create a label making sure to enter the buyer's email address so they automatically get tracking info. Drop the package at a local Kinkos or any place that has FedEx Ground service and I'm done.

Michael, it'll be interesting to find out if your battery package is correctly addressed or not. If not, it's down to Ritz. If so, you can cuss FedEx. :D

ScottGee1
 
scottgee1 said:
...

Michael, it'll be interesting to find out if your battery package is correctly addressed or not. If not, it's down to Ritz. If so, you can cuss FedEx. :D

ScottGee1
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Maybe we'll find out what went wrong one day. I got the following email today;

"ear Michael,

Thank you for providing an opportunity to be of assistance.

This is with regard to your order number xxxxx.

We are sorry for the inconvenience caused regarding the order. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience.

We would like to inform that as per the FedEx Website, the package has been rerouted to correct delivery address and the package is at the FedEx facility. We request you to contact the FedEx for the delivery of the package.

Please feel free to contact us for further assistance.

Sincerely,
Brenda Jones,
Customer Service,
www.RitzCamera.com."

I wrote her back the following;

"Dear Brenda,
No, I will not contact FedEx -- The problem is yours, fix it. The town to which the package was delivered is not even in the same zip code as my address. Either you, Ritz, miss-addressed that package, or FedEx messed things up. I did not sign for the package, so it is not my problem. The problem is yours or your carrier's.

Either send me another package and have it here by the end of the week, or cancel my order (an credit my card) -- the choice is yours. This needs to resolved this week.

Michael Wooten"

Take care,
Michael
 
Well done! To quote HST, "Don't take any guff from those swine."

Interesting how companies that have such poor customer service can get to be so big.

Of course we have Sony and Fuji, that used to have decent service but now can hardly be bothered with mere customers.

ScottGee1
 
As a follow up, FedEx delivered the battery this morning. I'm guessing the folks that received it called to report the miss delivery.

Michael
 
Scott,

It was FedEx that screwed things up. There is another street in my county that has a similar name (only one letter's difference) so that's how they messed up. What gets me is that other street is a couple of towns away. It's like FedEx never even looked at the zip code. Lord knows what the do with packages for folks who live on Main Street.

Michael
 
Scott -- FedEx rep at the counter told me that FedEx Ground does NOT do insurance over $100, and additional insurance cannot be purchased. So that is where I "got that idea."

Yes, YMMV. I only did a websearch on others' FedEx Ground experiences after my bad experience and discovered I certainly was not alone. If it works for you, then keep using them.
 
saxshooter said:
Scott -- FedEx rep at the counter told me that FedEx Ground does NOT do insurance over $100, and additional insurance cannot be purchased. So that is where I "got that idea."

Yes, YMMV. I only did a websearch on others' FedEx Ground experiences after my bad experience and discovered I certainly was not alone. If it works for you, then keep using them.
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Sax, that counterperson needs better training! Always someone in the bottom ten percent of the class! :D

You can google ANY of the carriers and find lots of horror stories and people swearing up and down that they'll "never use XYZ again". Given the billions of items that get sent there will always be a percentage that have a problem. Each of us finds what works for us.

ScottGee1
 
mwooten said:
Scott,

It was FedEx that screwed things up. There is another street in my county that has a similar name (only one letter's difference) so that's how they messed up. What gets me is that other street is a couple of towns away. It's like FedEx never even looked at the zip code. Lord knows what the do with packages for folks who live on Main Street.

Michael
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So it is down to FedEx. Glad you got it and hope it works out for you!

Years ago I made a trip to Atlanta. The friend with whom I traveled had a cousin who worked "in a restaurant on Peachtree." I figured, no problem, we'll just get a AAA map when we get to town. I about fell over when I looked at the street listing and saw about fifteen different streets named "Peachtree"!

ScottGee1
 
Longest battery thread ever...

Longest battery thread ever...

Buy.com did all right by me after all. I got the first of two batteries in 5 days and the second 5 days after that. Not bad. Back on topic Rich, they work fine, although I haven't had the opportunity to try to run them down with heavy useage.

Jim

galavanter said:
Like I said don't sweat the small stuff. Buy.com sent me an email saying they only have one of two batteries I ordered. As I type this, they still have "Very few left In Stock! Order soon -- product may sell out" on their site. Unlike Ritz however, they haven't said they have stopped carrying the product. So I will wait. Again, mainly posting just to let others know.
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Thanks for your thoughts, everyone. My friend's back, and she's just given me the five Ultralast batteries. They're cooling in the fridge to prolong their life now...
 
So what happens when the shutter freezes? Do you have to send the R-D1 back to Tokyo? Or does it resume normal operation when you change the battery?
 
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