Some may consider this off-topic, but many here have dealt with and will deal with common carriers in the future to receive large items...

I have ordered a Middle Atlantic rack and am having problems getting it delivered. Payment was via credit card.

Per mutual agreement, I was going to accept the shipment on Monday March 24th. I worked from home that entire day so that I could be present to accept shipment.

The shipment never arrived. On Tuesday March 25th, I received a call from the common carrier to set a delivery date. I explained to the representative that I had taken off the previous day to accept shipment. She explained that they did not pick the rack up until late Monday. I offered that the rack could be delivered between 6 pm and 9 am and any time on a weekend. She stated that they did not deliver during those times (9-5 Mon-Fri). The call ended without being able to set a mutually agreeable time.

On Wednesday, I spoke with my sales representative and conveyed what I had said to the common carrier representative. The Sales rep then initiated a dialog with the common carrier to come to some sort of resolution of this matter.

Latter on the day on Friday, I was informed by my sales representative that if the rack was not delivered on Monday that the common carrier would start imposing a daily warehousing charge.

I made a couple of compromise offers that I would either stick around to 10 am or my father/mother could accept shipment if the carrier was willing to place the rack into my garage (weather forecast is poor here in my area for Monday and Tuesday). My sales rep thought this was reasonable and was going to try and make things happen for Monday. I didn't hear back from him by COB Friday which I take as a bad sign. I will stick around a little later tomorrow so that I can call my sales rep and until my Dad arrives (just in case my Sales rep was able to pull this off).

Is it reasonable for the shipping company (or my rack supplier) to basically demand that one must take off multiple days from work to take a shipment? My supervisor is not keen on me working another day from home.

I really don't want to place this credit card charge in protest.

Anyone have 2c on this?

here is my nickles worth.

1) Freight company delivery estimates are just that. What vendors think they know about delivery schedules doesn't often match the reality of what the freight company knows. It is common to get a phone call the night before the delivery from the carrier to be sure someone will be home the next day And to get a phone call from the driver when he has left the previous delivery location.
2) Many company's charge extra to deliver to a residential address because of the hassle factor.
3) It is not unusual for them to only deliver 9-5
4) Who ever accepts delivery should note any damage to the boxes on the delivery paperwork that you sign.
5) If you can't take off the time, have your parents sign.
6) It might just show up Monday before they get back to you so have your parents ready.
7) You really should be dealing directly with the carrier rather then your sales rep to coordinate delivery times. The vendor may not have that much more influence over the freight company then you do. They will just call on your behalf.
8) Expecting something to be delivered before a set time like 10AM is a pipe dream, depending on the loading sequence, delivery locations and traffic you have just become a PIA for the driver who could care less.
8) In the future, If you have difficulty arranging for someone to accept deliveries with 24-48 hour notice you shouldn't be ordering items that need to be delivered via freight companies.

I've had about a dozen items delivered over the past few years and generally things go smoothly. I've leaned not to rely to heavily on a notice from the vendors but rather expect a phone call from the fright companies.

Many items have been delivered without signature and simply left sitting by my garage door. Surprise!

The scaliest moment was a FedEx freight shipment from Stewart screens. I was sitting in my home office most of the day and the computer said the screen was out for delivery. In the middle of the afternoon I wondered where is that screen and I went to the website and it said that it had been delivered and sitting outside the garage door. I went outside and when I picked up the box, it was limp because it was soaking wet. Keep in mind that it had not rained that day. When I opened it up everything was wrapped in plastic so no damage was done.

I guess the driver didn't want to face me so he dropped it and ran without ringing the bell.

I've had both good and bad experiences with common carriers.

The good one was with the delivery of the Berklines. Those guys were great and took pride in there work. (One of)The bad experiences came when I ordered our granite bathroom vanity. They called asking if I had help to get this thing off the truck (it weighs 220 pounds in total). I replied by asking why couldn't we just use the hydraulic lift on the rear of the truck? They lady on the phone seemed irritated that I just couldn't lift it off. She got even more irritated when I asked her if her or anyone she knows can lift a palate weighing 220 pounds. So they schedule it for the next day on the truck with the lift. The guy who shows up was crabby but was happy to see that my driveway had a slight downhill trend to it. He wheels it into the garage and I begin to unpack it so I can see the granite bowl (the most likely part to fracture during transport according to the manufacturer). He noted that he was not going to wait around while I inspect it and I replied that perhaps he should since it might save him a trip back here to pick it up if it's broken. This did not improve his attitude.

Turns out that the vanity was fine but did nothing to strengthin my faith in these people. Be as flexible as you can with these people when setting up a time for delivery. It's not worth raising your blood pressure over. I was also told to write on the bill of laden "acceptance of merchandise subject to inspection". This will help cover you against concealed damage that you don't notice immediatly. This will give you 48 hours to report it.

2) Many company's charge extra to deliver to a residential address because of the hassle factor.

Indeed. If you have a friend and a truck/van you can borrow, one way to solve the problem is to go pick up the item at the warehouse. I've done this a couple times for server racks, for example. You still have to do it during working hours, but at least you can plan the time rather than sitting around waiting all day.

When buying from a local reseller, they might also be willing to ship to their office for pick up. You still have to go out and fetch it, but they may be easier to work with than a delivery company.