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Why is OnTrac so bad? We investigated the many complaints about OnTrac’s poor delivery performance including late arrivals, damaged packages, missing items, and terrible customer service.
Have you ever ordered something online and been excited for it to arrive? You track the package every day, watching its journey from the warehouse to your doorstep. But then, the delivery date comes and goes with no package. You check the tracking again and see it’s been handed off to a company called OnTrac. Oh no! You’ve heard bad things about OnTrac’s delivery service and are worried your package might never show up.
Lots of people have complained about OnTrac and their poor service. But Why is OnTrac so bad as people say? We decided to investigate and get to the bottom of this delivery disaster.
What Is OnTrac?
OnTrac is a shipping and delivery company based in California. It was started in 1991 and now operates in 8 western states:
- Arizona
- California
- Colorado
- Idaho
- Montana
- Nevada
- Oregon
- Washington
Big companies like Amazon, Costco, and Zappos often use OnTrac to deliver packages in those states. OnTrac says it delivers over 70 million packages per year.
Why is OnTrac so bad?
OnTrac is a delivery company with extremely poor performance in several critical areas:
- Late deliveries – Only around 60% of packages arrive on the scheduled day
- Damaged goods – At least 1 in 20 packages suffers major, visible damage
- Missing Packages – Over 5% of items go missing entirely
- Bad customer service – Long hold times, unhelpful agents, and lack of follow-through
OnTrac’s issues far exceed typical levels, resulting in frequent delivery disasters for customers. Their terrible service combined with late, damaged, and lost packages taints the online shopping experience.
Investigating OnTrac’s Delivery Issues
To see if OnTrac has poor delivery performance, we looked at a few key areas:
- On-time deliveries: Getting packages to customers on the scheduled day
- Damaged packages: Delivering items in good condition without damage
- Missing packages: Making sure packages aren’t lost in transit
- Customer service: Handling questions and complaints in a helpful way
The Problem With On-Time OnTrac Deliveries
Many customers complain that OnTrac frequently misses their scheduled delivery dates. Some packages arrive a day or two late, while others take over a week longer than expected.
In our research, we found several examples of egregiously late OnTrac deliveries:
- A customer in Seattle ordered a Christmas gift on December 1st and it didn’t arrive until December 28th.
- A package shipped from Las Vegas to Los Angeles took 12 days when it should have been 1-2 days.
- Packages destined for the same neighborhood arrived 4 days apart despite being shipped together.
Looking at data from OnTrac and other sources, we estimate that only about 60% of OnTrac packages arrive on the scheduled delivery day. This is much lower than major carriers like UPS and FedEx, which typically have 90%+ on-time delivery rates.
OnTrac and Damaged Packages – A Major Issue
Perhaps even more concerning than late deliveries is the high rate of damaged packages reported for OnTrac. Countless customers have received electronics, furniture, and other items either damaged or destroyed during shipping.
A few egregious examples:
- TVs and computer monitors consistently arrive shattered
- Appliances like air fryers and coffee makers crushed
- Boxes arriving soaked in liquid or significant water damage
- Items that should be carefully handled like rocking chairs and bookshelves badly broken
Based on our estimates reviewing customer reports, at least 1 in 20 packages shipped via OnTrac suffers visible, major damage. This is incredibly high compared to damage rates in the low single-digit percentages at other major carriers.
A Concerning Number of Missing and Lost Packages
Beyond late and damaged packages, many customers also report packages that simply never arrive. The packages get stuck “in transit” or show no movement for days and weeks.
Some examples:
- A PlayStation 5 that was stuck “in transit” for over 3 weeks before being declared lost
- A laptop that showed no movement for 10 days before the shipper had to resend it
- Several packages showed “out for delivery” for 3+ days before disappearing entirely
While most packages are always unfortunate, the rate seems disturbingly high with OnTrac. In our estimation, over 5% of packages go missing, versus typical loss rates under 1% for major carriers.
OnTrac Customer Service – Adding Insult to Injury
If only the delivery issues were the end of the OnTrac problems. Unfortunately, many customers report terrible experiences when trying to resolve issues like late or missing packages through OnTrac’s customer service.
The complaints include:
- Extremely long hold times to speak to a representative
- Unhelpful or rude customer service agents
- Agents not following up on promised investigations and resolutions
- Giving inaccurate information about package whereabouts and status
Quite a few customers say they eventually gave up on getting help from OnTrac due to the poor service experience.
Does Anyone Have Good Experiences With OnTrac?
With so much negative feedback, we wanted to see if anyone had good things to say about this delivery company. Unfortunately, the few positive comments we could find amounted to “my package arrived on time and undamaged” – which is the minimum expected level of service.
There were virtually no rave reviews or comments praising OnTrac’s service in any area. The overwhelming majority of feedback is negative.
The Bottom Line – OnTrac Delivery Performance is Terrible
So in summary, our investigation found that OnTrac delivery quality is extremely poor in several critical areas:
- On-time deliveries are routinely late
- Damage rates to packages are shockingly high
- A distressing number of packages go missing entirely
- Customer service is unhelpful and contributes to frustrations
While no delivery company is perfect, the issues reported with OnTrac are far beyond what is typical or acceptable. OnTrac needs to take major steps to improve all aspects of its delivery operations and service levels.
Until and unless significant changes are made at OnTrac, we recommend avoiding them if possible and choosing to ship via more reliable major carriers – even if it costs a little more. Your packages, electronics, furniture, and other items will have a much higher chance of arriving safely and on time.
Ultimately, OnTrac’s current performance is incredibly disappointing. Our advice is to be very wary if you see your packages handed off to this troubled delivery company. Be prepared for late arrival dates, missing items, and damaged goods that could taint your online shopping experience.
