Gateway OT/Crate and Freight/DeliveXy

Everyone knows that business runs in cycles. up then down, too much work than not enough work, from the phones have been ringing off the hook to I don't think this phone has rang all week! July and August are traditionally slow months in logistics, the calm before the storm of the logistics capacity crunch for retailers gearing up for the holidays. During our slow time I decided to shop our packing and shipping services on UShip, an online marketplace for shippers and carriers where carriers bid to ship items for less. You might have seen their show on TV called "Shipping Wars". I posted a number of bids on providing packaging and shipping services from the Phoenix Metro area to all parts of the country and internationally. We won two bids fairly quickly and have already started working on the packaging and shipping for a bookcase and for the other customer we are packing and shipping a desk. My observation so far is that most people who post on UShip have im...

As a logistics company we have to coordinate packing, warehousing, transportation and delivery for our customers. We rely on our partners around the world to service our customers in the same manner we would. In some situations this is not the case. We recently had a white glove delivery needed and we contracted with a company for the first time to make a delivery to a home in the upper mid-west. We performed our due diligence ensuring the company was financially sound, had been in business for over 20 years and had good references in the industry. The company assured us they could perform this service and "specialize in customer satisfaction". Gateway Crate and Freight then contracted with this company to deliver a heavy piece of furniture up a flight of stairs in the home. When the company arrived with the furniture, the purchaser asked for them to place it in the room up the stairs. The two delivery men stated they were too old and not strong enough to take it up the s...