Me and UPS are back on not-speaking terms...

[Guvner]

Seems my address in no longer valid. They are insisting that my address which is delivered to all the time and hasn't changed isn't valid. It's been out for delivery for 2 days while UPS tries (But calls no one) to find out what the correct address is. Shipper reads back shipping information only to find out the address listed by them is correct. UPS has just decided to be as incompetant as they can. The other day they delivered my membership awards gift cards to a neighbor 4 houses down. I'm still in shock on that...

EARTH CITY, MO, US 01/12/2006 5:10 P.M. A CORRECT STREET NAME IS NEEDED FOR DELIVERY. UPS IS ATTEMPTING TO OBTAIN THIS INFORMATION
EARTH CITY, MO, US 01/11/2006 4:13 P.M. A CORRECT STREET NAME IS NEEDED FOR DELIVERY. UPS IS ATTEMPTING TO OBTAIN THIS INFORMATION
01/11/2006 1:00 A.M. OUT FOR DELIVERY
01/11/2006 12:57 A.M. OUT FOR DELIVERY
EARTH CITY, MO, US 01/10/2006 11:35 P.M. ARRIVAL SCAN
SALINA, KS, US 01/10/2006 4:07 P.M. DEPARTURE SCAN
01/10/2006 2:56 P.M. ARRIVAL SCAN
COMMERCE CITY, CO, US 01/10/2006 3:46 A.M. DEPARTURE SCAN
COMMERCE CITY, CO, US 01/09/2006 2:55 P.M. ARRIVAL SCAN
LAS VEGAS, NV, US 01/06/2006 10:43 P.M. DEPARTURE SCAN
01/06/2006 9:11 P.M. ORIGIN SCAN
US 01/06/2006 6:17 P.M. BILLING INFORMATION RECEIVED

 

[Jack(IN)]

former Whites/Garretts employees!

 

[Wirechief]

And I thought FedEx was bad !

John T., CET
John's Detectors

 

[Bill W.]

Guvner,

Now you know this would get a post from me... It does seem that you're a bit on the unlucky side with UPS. I am curious as to whether your an RD, RR or intown. There can be mutiple reasons why your address is now 'invalid'. The guy that loads the truck may not recongize the street name and put it in for a address correction before the driver even sees it. Or you may have a new driver that is not familiar with the area. That's just part of training new people for a job. Believe me there are jobs at UPS that require extensive knowledge of the areas. There are actually people that will put a dirt lane up through the woods, build a house, name the lane something with no sign... then order something and get mad because you don't know where they live. I have done routes in the past that I have to make a cardfile for because the package would just have their name and town that they live in on the package. There's alot more to it than meets the eye. Why don't move onto my route and I'll show you how it's done...

Don't feel bad as I have had both FedEx and FedEx Ground both send packages of mine back because they couldn't find my house. I also had one of my customers complain about FedEx Ground that the couldn't find their business. This customers business sets on main throughfare and is clearly marked. This went on for over 3 weeks. Any delivery company is 'guilty' of it. As always I am just trying to offer you some insight into the 'why' part of your problem. As always good luck!

-Bill

 

[Beachcomber]

I sent a Priority Mail Package from New Jersey on Dec 12th it arrived at it's destination in New York on Jan. 2nd. I could have walked the package to it's destination in less time None of the delivery services are much good anymore. I had the same thing as you with UPS saying my address was invalid back in November and holding up my package while they figured out the address was correct and that they were just plain stupid! When the package arrived the address that the shipper had put on the package was fine and I live in the middle of a regular town. Not out off a dirt road somewhere. I think sometimes they overlosd the drivers with too many deliveries so they do the invalid address thing so they can wait and deliver it on a day when they aren't as backed up. I don't like using either UPS or the USPS since neither one is very reliable these days.

HH

Beachcomber

 

[Guvner]

I just can't seem to buy a break with them. The gift cards really upset me as if the guy would have decided to open them they could have used them and I would have never been able to recover them to read the fine print on the gift card site. Just amazes me. No reason to bitch to Amercican Express at this point since they just announced the cards would go out USPS henceforth. (A really bad idea I might add..) No real tracking that I've ever noticed..)

I just don't get why they haven't called anyone asking where it was at during their supposed search. I called shipper to see what was up when it didn't show up. That's when we found out what was up.

All the best Bill... One of my buddies is a UPS driver and I give him much more grief then you so feel blessed...

Guvner..

 

[Bill W.]

Guvner,

Believe me I know your luck with UPS is not good at all. Your luck is... if it isn't a invalid address the package then the package wonders around Earth City hub for a couple of days. Being a UPS man I believe you never leave a package unless your sure you're at the right house. If you do get to talk to your driver I would question him on how the invalid address came about. Maybe he was on vacation or UPS took the section around your house off of him that day and the other driver didn't know the area. You can send messages from ups.com and you can also call the 800 number with directions to your house. Including your tracking will make locating the package alot easier. You also have the option of having the package held at the local building and you can pick it up. All of those message should go directly to the local UPS center. Which I know is not what you paid for but I just want to let you know your options...

I metal detect with a FedEx guy and his dad. Both companies have the same problems, etc. It's uncanny that both companies make rocket science out of delivering a package... As always email me if you think I can help.

-Bill

 

[Guvner]

UPS must have been the other side of a battle or something I was in during another life. It must have went bad and they still blame me...

Guvner..

 

[Ralph Bryant]

Here's what they managed to do to one of my Nautilus deliveries. "Lost" would have been alot easier......and this was before it was even opened.

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[cachenut]

Or all the time.

One winter I was waiting for a package I needed very badly. Well we had a light snow on the ground and I have a long driveway. It was only two inches but I went out and shoveled the whole driveway off anyway for the UPS guy. Then I got a chair and set out on the front porch waiting for him while I read a book. It wasn't very cold.

I saw his truck drive right by the end of my street without even coming down my street much less the driveway.

The day before I got a slip in the mailbox saying delivery had failed cause no one was home. But I was waiting in the living room and the door bell never rang.

I do not know if it was laziness or a schedule he could not meet. What I did notice was there was 4 UPS trucks stopped mid-morning at the local ChickFilet and the guys were in there drinking coffee and having a good time.

I was peod and called up and complained and the package arrived the next day.

I guess I had a defective driver and thats what caused the mess. As they say "its the people not the business".

 

[pruntyc]

I live in MS. I ordered something from CAL. and they sent it to NC. Then back to Cal, to the company that sent it to me, in the first place. I had called of course, and the company sent it again, and I got it that time. But another time, I was getting a box by FedEx, and gave my address around Oxford, and they sent it to University, MS. different zip, and about 5 miles away, so I didn't get it, till I called. Funny that they could change the address, and think they were right. So what I'm saying we have some dumb people working for all the company's, and not much we can do about it.

 

[Bill W.]

Ralph,

I bought a Nautilus and have to say it was packed EXTREMELY poorly. This was using a box that had a very low test strength. Definitely not high enough to 'help' such a poorly packed box.

-Bill

 

[Bill W.]

First, let me say don't take anything in this post personal. I am just trying to let you see 'the other side of the coin' because I am a UPS man. I have the opportunity to see both sides... the good and bad...

I agree sometimes it is the people. About your two inches of snow... I had a 5.0 Mustang that would get around better in the snow than my UPS truck! I've been stuck on level ground before in the snow. Now that's saying something. I agree that I would have been mad that he didn't even come down your street to eyeball your lane and see if it was passable. Also, a delivery notice in the mailbox would have also made me mad. In a case like that I would complain that the driver left a delivery notice in your mailbox and that you were home waiting. But, I actually called a lady about two years ago from the end of her lane. She told me her lane was fine... it wasn't. I informed her I was setting at the end of her lane and I wasn't coming down because I would get stuck. She got huffy about it but then she came up in a 4 wheel drive Explorer. I didn't even get a thanks for using my cell phone or taking the time to call her so she would have her package that day.

As far as ChickFilet you take a lunch when you're at work don't you? We're no different. The best thing you could do is make friends with your UPS man and tell him where to leave any packages if it's bad out. I'm lucky enough to do the same route everyday and know most of my customers and we're on a first name basis. That benefits both of us as I know where to leave their package when it's bad out or the package needs a signature. I do agree that your driver should have at least eyeballed your lane. Sometimes, it's the people... But, as I said becoming friends with your UPS man can help you tremendously. I know...

-Bill

 

[Ralph Bryant]

The Nautilus did not survive totally unscathed, but was in surprisingly good physical shape considering the damage done to the packing. A lesser quality machine would have not stood a chance. Still, I think it a poor excuse to try and blame the box for the incompetence it took to do this kind of damage to any shipment. Problem is , this is far from the only such incident of this kind I've experienced with UPS. I have received several packages that were literally "skewered" through and through as if they were impaled during some kind of internal ritual or sporting event. USPS is much more reliable in our area, both in timely delivery, convenience, and lack of shipment damage. I understand this may be a localized problem, but nevertheless still a concern, especially when shipping electronic equipment.

Ralph

 

[cachenut]

Except my lane is an asphalted flat 2 lane road the UPS guy didn't even bother to come down. First time he left a note in the box saying no one was home. He didn't walk up to the house cause he left no prints. Next day he just drove past the end of the lane cause I saw him and he said on the slip my driveway was unpassable after I shoveled it. And my driveway way is only 50 foot long.

Basically it was the lazy lies I resented. No one was home when he did not knock and the driveway was unpassable after it was shoveled. They were at Chick filet at 10am on a coffee break not lunch.

Sometimes they do poorly and sometimes good.

There is no defense for not doing your job.

My ups delivery guy just needs to do better.

 

[Bill W.]

As I said, I don't blame you for getting mad. Geez, you're lane is only 50 foot long? I walk plenty of lanes longer than that to deliver packages when it's bad out. I definitely don't defend anyone for being lazy. In delivery alot of times the only 'UPS' you know is your driver. That's unfortunate because there's alot of UPS drivers that go the extra mile without being asked. I agree your driver needs to do better. As I said to Guvner... I hope you get a good driver... soon... BTW, UPS drivers get a 20 minute morning break.

-Bill

 

[Bill W.]

Ralph,

As you said...

"I think it a poor excuse to try and blame the box for the incompetence it took to do this kind of damage to any shipment"

You're totally wrong. Realize that the package is stacked in a trailer with other packages. Some heavier, some lighter. The box and it's strength and inside packing are it's only protection. When a packages is poorly packed and doesn't have the proper burst strength it will end up alot like the package in your image. The heavier packages will literally crush the poorly packed box below it and blow open the ends. I received a detector directly from Nautilus and it was very poorly packed and in a box I would never dream of sending anything in. Did they use newspapers in your package? I've been at UPS 20 years so I've seen it all and know full well what is poor packing and what is poor handling. I've seen stuff that was broken that should have never been broken. I've also delivered packages that were so poorly packed I wondered how they made it. There is no excuse for something that you value being poorly packed then complaining when it is damaged. BTW, I've shipped ALOT of packages through UPS and not even one has ever been damaged. Do you know why? Because I know what to do when I am packing up my item and know to get a box with the proper burst strength.

-Bill

 

[Ralph Bryant]

Opinions are opinions Bill. I saw the damage done first hand, and it just doesn't jive with your analysis. Maybe I should have also mentioned it ended up being a two week trip from North Carolina to Arkansas. This package was MISHANDLED.....Period. I've received other Nautilus machines that suffered no shipping damage whatsoever. Of course I wouldn't expect any less of a company man than excuses. "Pass the buck" seems to be the new motto of UPS these days. That is very unfortunate.

Ralph

 

[Charles (Upstate NY)]

I'd blow a gasket over the poor service some of you are reporting. But in all fairness I have to say UPS in my area runs like a well oiled machine and my UPS driver is "the man". He parks in the street and carries everything to my front porch and some of my stuff is heavy. A few days ago he had to huff an 80 pound iron KURT milling machine vise up my icy driveway. Never a complaint, he always rings the bell to say hello even when he doesn't need a signature. I have probably had 80 UPS shipments in a row with zero issues. I cannot recall one that was late.

USPS? 1-2 day shipments have taken the 10 day scenic route to their destination.

Common Carrier Freight? So far 100% of my frieght shipments have arrived damaged, most of which are packed in wood crates.

Charles

 

[cachenut]

At my old house I once saw a UPS guy try to fit a book sized package in a mailbox. When it would not fit he tried to bend it. When that failed he actually put it on the ground and stomped sideways on it to get it to bend. That worked and it went in the box.

Boy was I surprised and he is lucky it was not my package. I had no idea they would do that.