Freight Forwarders

So, not only do we provide services to private aircraft, but we also currently hold the mail contract for ASA. Which means that we take the mail off of the plane, sort it and then deliver it to the post office. Fun. Fun.
We are also one of the few FBO's that pick up and deliver freight. Daily we turn ACE, and two Empire's. (a FedEx feeder)
People get on my nerves when it comes to freight. One reason being that they have NO IDEA where we are located! We are on an island in Alaska. Located at the airport, which is on a different island than the city of Ketchikan, where all the freight is going to be delivered to. I get phone calls daily of freight forwarders needing proof of deliveries for this, that, and the other... and they get all pissed off at ME if I don't have that information. Why don't I have it? I explain that the driver is still 'on the other side' and is waiting for the ferry to come back to the airport.

Here's where my fun starts.

FF: "what do you mean a ferry? My freight is going to Ketchikan"
ME: "yes, I understand that, but Ketchikan is not located at the airport"
FF: "yes it is. I sent it counter to counter to Ketchikan International Airport"
ME: "yes, but Ketchikan is located on Rivillagiggedo island, Ketchikan International Airport is located on Gravina island. They are separated by the Tongass Narrows, therefore we have to take a ferry which leaves every half hour to the other side."
FF: "well that isn't on any of my information, my customer is going to be very upset, maybe next time we will just have to call ASA and have them deliver it since it takes you so long"

At this point, I'm just like, Okay, have fun with that and hang up. Why? Because like I already said, ASA contracts US to deliver the freight. Plus, even if they delivered it themselves- they would still have to take the ferry. *insert evil laugh*

Another thing that irritates me is the FF's that know everything. Case in point; a lady calls me one day regarding her shipment that *has* to be delivered no later than 10am. She wants to know the status of said shipment. I politely tell her that due to the weather, I have not seen an aircraft land at our airport thus far.. she then calls me a liar. *dropped jaw in pure shock* Excuse me? She then proceeds to go into great detail about how she is looking at the weather report, and it says that KTN is 10mi and clear. I inform her that I am sitting at my desk which is 500ft to the runway, with a big huge orange barricade not more than 10ft from my window, and the fog is to thick and low, that I can't even see the barricade. The website lied to you lady...
She begins her tirade of trying to convince me that she is not stupid, and she knows how to read, and is looking at the website *right now while we speak* I ask her to tell me the time that it says.. starts with the date and then 4 numbers, ends with a Z. Yeah, 1443z would mean that *that* forecast was at 543am. It was now 943am. It hadn't been updated, and there were no pilot reports because NO ONE HAS EVEN ATTEMPTED TO LAND.
She hung up on me, because I was being rude.


Not all freight forwarders are rude and obnoxious... there are a few that I really enjoy talking to on a daily basis. Like the guy who calls me 'hunny buns'... yeah, he's a nice guy. Really sweet to talk to. (could do without the pet names though) Or another guy that tells me a joke just to make me laugh every time he calls, which of course, are ALWAYS off color, and crude, but I still laugh. There was also this one gal from a company in SEA who was hilarious! She would talk and talk and talk about her life and what was going on with her boy toy of the month. I really miss her, I always wondered why they fired her....

Well, that's Freight Forwarders in a nutshell.