Backlog at Bay Area FedEx hub causes delays before holiday rush
NEWARK, Calif. (KGO) -- Residents in the South Bay are already openly expressing fears their holiday packages won't get to their destinations on time.
This as frustrations mount about a FedEx hub where many say packages "go to die."
Reviews on Yelp give the FedEx facility in Newark just one and a half stars. A thread on NextDoor generated some 200 comments from people blaming this same facility for their packages being delayed several weeks.
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"The Newark location is kind of a black hole right now," said Alice Park of Mountain View.
"My package got stuck there for another two or three weeks," said Christoffe Testi, also of Mountain View.
"It was just really annoying and time consuming," added Mark Kay of Los Altos.
FedEx blames the delays on both a labor shortage and high volume due to the pandemic and is asking for patience.
"Yes, nice!" Testi proclaims as he snaps a photo of a couple. He is a professional photographer.
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Testi said a camera flash he ordered arrived in Newark and did not leave the facility for his home in Mountain View for one full week.
"The expected delivery day is the following day, but the following day the status will still say 'arrive at Newark facility' and nothing will change," he said.
Mark Kay is a professor at Stanford, but shoots photographs as a hobby. He used FedEx to send $1,400 worth of camera gear he sold.
Two weeks after arriving at Newark, the package had not yet left the facility.
"They basically admitted to me they hadn't even started to look for it," said Kay.
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Alice Park had only a few diapers left while her shipment of diapers sat at the Newark facility for two weeks.
"I need them to come on town. Other wise there will be poo everywhere," she only half-jokingly said.
FedEx says it is going on a hiring binge.
"We're accelerating our efforts to bolster capacity, which includes a laser-like focus on people, facilities and technology," it told 7 On Your Side.
RELATED: Holiday prep: USPS looks to hire thousands of seasonal workers across Bay Area
It says the last day to ship package in time for Christmas is December 22 for two-day service and December 23 for overnight service.
"Whatever the problem is, I just hope they fix it. I hope they get their act together," Kay said.
FedEx encourages everyone to shop early and get their packages out in plenty of time.
Take a look at more stories and videos by Michael Finney and 7 On Your Side.
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