Beware of UPS

[NickTrop]

Never liked UPS. Don't see the advantage of it over USPS, costs more. Never had an item damaged but the condition of the boxes are better when I receive USPS parcels vs. UPS, which you can count on being smashed, gouged... what have you.

I worked at UPS for a spell in college years ago. Back then (80's) that was a hard but plum job. Benefits, and about $8.00 an hour... unheard of money for a part-time job. I unloaded. Today, I know some kids who work there. The pay is still about the same... and is not much more than minimum wage now. If I was being paid essentially minimum wage to work that hard, I'd have walked off the job in an hour. My guess is that turnover is greater, lower caliber of worker is there who just don't care. It's the difference between paying a decent wage for working like a doq, and being paid minimum wage for it.

That's my take on USP and their deteriorating service...

 

[andredossantos]

I've had bad experiences with UPS as well.

I used to live in an rowhouse in NYC that was converted to apartments. So we had 3 small mailboxes outside but whomever was delivering couldn't get inside to leave packages unless you happened to be home.

My UPS man would simply ring the doorbell and if you weren't home HE WOULD LEAVE THE PACKAGE RIGHT OUTSIDE THE DOOR, essentially on the sidewalk, in NEW YORK CITY!!!! And we did not have a stoop or a basement where the box could he hidden. Just right there in front of the door on the sidewalk.

I had two boxes disappear due to this inexplicable practice. Why the boxes weren't brought to the depot for pickup is beyond me. It always took weeks for them to investigate and refund
me, too. It was annoying as hell.

 

[bolohead]

Someone called my office a few weeks back saying that they found some boxes in the middle of the road that had been shipped from our offices. Come to find out, the UPS driver had left the boxes on the back ledge of his truck and driven off. This was the second time that this had happened with the same driver.

I called the local office and talked to the supervisor. They sent a claim specialist out to our office, examined the boxes and gave us a settlement.

On the other hand, I purchased a Hexar AF three weeks ago here on the classifieds. The seller sent it via Priority Mail, which normally takes 3 days max to Hawaii. It still hasn't arrived.

 

[sepiareverb]

UPS around here is absolutely stellar. I've had three drivers over the last ten years- every one knew me by name when I ran into them in the grocery store or somewhere while they were not at work- one who hasn't been on my route for five years still says hello. Packages have come with some damage from time to time, never anything terrible- never with contents damaged. I've had drivers stop if I was at the gas station when they've got a package for me on the truck and it is going to be all day before they get up to my place. No matter where I've lived I've always had excellent service from UPS.

Until our current Fed-Ex Ground driver I could not get a package delivered to me by Fed-Ex Ground. I'd have to drive to Littleton NH to pick every one up (50 minutes away)- no matter what the weather, no matter what the package. I'd track the thing till it was on the truck and "out for delivery", then there would be a 'Delivery Exception' and I'd have to go get it the next day. Finally we've got a driver who will do his job- actually introduced himself the first time he came up here- even asked where we'd like him to leave something if we were not home.

 

[jpa66]

I never use UPS to ship. I used to work there, at one of the largest hubs in the world, package-wise. I unloaded, loaded and sorted packages. The problem stems from the management - they encourage ( actually tell ) people to simply throw the packages out of the truck as fast as possible, regardless of whether or not they get damaged. Volume is all they seem to care about. I've witnessed supervisors firsthand telling unloaders to literally tear down walls of carefully placed packages on trucks so that they could get them out fast. The entire corporate philosophy stinks. A terrible place to work, and they'll never get my business.

 

[astrosecret]

Please, please, trust me, do not switch to USPS. Suffer through the privatized delivery industry.

All I can say, besides the fact that boxes come to me damaged consistently, is that a little while ago I bought a nikkor 1.4, shipped usps. It had been over three weeks without receiving it, so i went to the store with my "delivery confirmation number". Of course they said that meant nothing, only that 'it tells you whether or not the package was delivered', and there's no way to find out where my package was. Delivery confirmation IS NOT TRACKING. Apparently it is completely useless, because whether or not the package gets there you would know!

Flash forward another 5 weeks.

It's now been 2 months since I ordered the lens and considered it gone. I get a package in the mail that had been ripped to shreds and taped back together again. there were tire marks on it. inside was a plastic bag with a used epson printer cartridge. Cyan. And it didn't even have any ink left in it.

Of course i decided to look up the delivery confirmation number, and yes, just as I had expected, I actually did receive a package that day. Thanks delivery confirmation!

 

[ChrisPlatt]

USPS does have Tracking...it's called Delivery Confirmation...it may cost extra but they do have it...🙄

Delivery Confirmation costs 70-80¢ extra.

Chris

 

[shyoon]

I've had no problems with UPS here in Australia. Drivers are friendly and delivery is quick. In some cases, packages were delivered in under a week from the US.

 

[SimonSawSunlight]

Please, please, trust me, do not switch to USPS. Suffer through the privatized delivery industry.

All I can say, besides the fact that boxes come to me damaged consistently, is that a little while ago I bought a nikkor 1.4, shipped usps. It had been over three weeks without receiving it, so i went to the store with my "delivery confirmation number". Of course they said that meant nothing, only that 'it tells you whether or not the package was delivered', and there's no way to find out where my package was. Delivery confirmation IS NOT TRACKING. Apparently it is completely useless, because whether or not the package gets there you would know!

Flash forward another 5 weeks.

It's now been 2 months since I ordered the lens and considered it gone. I get a package in the mail that had been ripped to shreds and taped back together again. there were tire marks on it. inside was a plastic bag with a used epson printer cartridge. Cyan. And it didn't even have any ink left in it.

Of course i decided to look up the delivery confirmation number, and yes, just as I had expected, I actually did receive a package that day. Thanks delivery confirmation!

this is so sad I had to laugh.
😡

 

[astrosecret]

this is so sad I had to laugh.
😡

I laughed too when I got it! I had already written it off as a loss long before the package came. it was actually the original package the seller sent, addressed to me and everything. I took it to USPS but they said the package wasn't insured.

 

[LeicaFoReVer]

USPS or CanadaPost's tracking system does not work out of country. So DHL, UPS or Fedex are the only options for best tracking and damage/lost insurance. Canadapost does not insure the item against damage just for lost...So consider it carefully...

 

[Tim Gray]

I've had much better experience with USPS and Fedex.

I once took an item to a UPS authorized shipping center and paid for them to pack it and paid insurance on it. When the item arrived with the buyer, it didn't work. UPS never covered it.

 

[divewizard]

It depends

It depends

My local UPS driver is the best. Everything is always delivered in good shape and he leaves things where I ask him to.

I have had nothing but problems with FedEx. The damaged magnets I ordered from them and it took me multiple phone calls and hours on the phone to get it corrected.

USPS often delivers packages to the wrong house. Mine are delivered to others. I have neighbors packages delivered to me.

My local UPS store is the best place to drop-off packages for shipping, it is fast and they always give me a receipt. The local post office and Fed-Ex stores are both CFs.

 

[Neare]

When ordering stuff the the US I always get it sent my way by USPS, never once had a problem. No crushed packages, no broken bits and it is always tracked as well. Even when an item sent to me was sent to Australia by mistake, the seller contacted USPS and had it rerouted to me - it arrived only two days later, that's really good service IMO.

 

[NickTrop]

I never use UPS to ship. I used to work there, at one of the largest hubs in the world, package-wise. I unloaded, loaded and sorted packages. The problem stems from the management - they encourage ( actually tell ) people to simply throw the packages out of the truck as fast as possible, regardless of whether or not they get damaged. Volume is all they seem to care about. I've witnessed supervisors firsthand telling unloaders to literally tear down walls of carefully placed packages on trucks so that they could get them out fast. The entire corporate philosophy stinks. A terrible place to work, and they'll never get my business.

Yep... that was my recollection of my stint at UPS. Volume, cared not a lick about the condition of the parcels. Volume, volume, volume... Faster, faster, faster...

 

[atlcruiser]

UPS is horrible, wait....no Fed Ex is worse....no I am wrong; USPS is even worse. Maybe UPS is not all that bad. But UPS is horrible 🙂

Just based on the few comments above it is obvious that all delivery/shipping places have issues. It is equally obvious that the vast, I mean vast, majority of pakages shipped from all three vendors arrive on time and arrive in good conidition.

 

[Rob-F]

Look at this:
http://www.liveleak.com/view?c=1&i=660_1187359791

 

[LeicaFan]

I have packages sent to me via UPS, FedEx, and USPS and I never have any problems. I guess I'm just one of the lucky ones.

You should always have your items insured for full value, though.

 

[Steve Fines]

Hi,

Everyone has had a bad experience with some shipper.

Until there are real statistics, these n=1 examples really aren't meaningful. They might be to you, but not generally.


Secondly, USPS only offers tracking on their overnight service and their registered service. All the other names for things they sell for $0.80 are not tracking. Once you've had them lose a package you'll understand this.

The USPS high value registered service is likely the most reliable in the US. You need the package sealed with nylon reinforced, tamper proof paper tape. The package is tracked and at each handoff there is a signature collected, such that there is a trail of real people responsible for it. As well these packages are kept in locked cages when not actively being transported. Downside is that unless you use their overnight service, there is no guaranteed delivery date.

That being said I often use UPS. Reason is is that I have a deal with the local driver and most neighbors that I will accept their signature packages as I am usually at home when he comes through my neighborhood. He doesn't have a whole bunch of slips and re-delivery attempts, and consequently is much happier. I have not had a problem with a UPS package, but knowing that I'm on his good side I feel confident that if a package arrived very dinged up he would do the right thing.

Waiting on Leica and UPS to get me back my M9 and lenses from focus calibration........

 

[Argenticien]

Right, but...

Right, but...

Just based on the few comments above it is obvious that all delivery/shipping places have issues. It is equally obvious that the vast, I mean vast, majority of pakages shipped from all three vendors arrive on time and arrive in good conidition.

Agreed on that, and I would be understanding of the occasional unavoidable damage due to circumstances beyond their control and/or that are not down to negligence or stupidity. However, both negligence and stupidity are rife. Our local USPS person has started leaving parcels perched precariously atop my mailbox (a rural-delivery one at curb-side) where easily stolen by passing drivers or knocked off by passing kids who think that would be fun. One time when I had an item requiring signature, she left a failed delivery notice stating "no safe place to dismount." I rang the post office to say "Dismount?! WHAT?! Is she on a horse?!"; I was then told this meant that due to my location on a curve on a busy street, she has nowhere to pull over her car and park so as to walk up to my door and seek signature. "How about parking in my 75-foot driveway," I asked. "Oh no, we can't come onto private property." That's stupidity and/or some kind of union buLL$h!t excuse to not do one's job. Obviously the walking postmen cross private property all the time when delivering in neighborhoods where the mailboxes are up on the houses!

Meanwhile, UPS leave things marked "signature required" without gathering a signature! Negligence there. I don't know how to solve either of these cases, especially so long as any wanker can work there for life even if incompetent, with no fear of being sacked unless they kill someone. (Maybe not even then.)

--Dave