Has UPS followed the McDonalds road?- good at first but now populated by low paid rushed workers?
UPS tried to deliver a package but did not even knock on the door- just left the call tag. I called the 1-800 number. They knew absolutely nothing about it (no tracking number on the tag- just the invoice number) they gave me the local UPS station phone number. I called – they said, call the 800 number–
next day Sat- the 1 800 people said the box was at the USP station- I went there- they could not find it. They actually wrote the redeliver details down with a crayon on a torn off scratch pad – so they could write up a DSR form that night to get the re delivery to a different address!!!!!!
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my ups is great. He will leave the package in the unlock car in the drive way. dont have to worry about being at home. My guy is great. I think I will bake him some cookies for xmas.
Hell, my place looks like a cross between the Addams Family and the Munsters..my UPS guy RUNS after he drops the box off at the door step..back to the safe haven of the big truck..no kidding.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
I have irriatable Vowel syndrome.
Full court press for Christmas huh?
Tim
I'll be giving an I O U for christmas this year cause FedX or UPS didn't show up.
Whew! Fed Ex got here half an hour before DW left for the airport
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
I buy and sell lots of stuff on ebay, along with getting several other deliveries a month by UPS. I've had mixed results from UPS, but mainly positive. It helps when your route driver gets used to you. I have had a few incidents like you describe where a signiture is required and they can't just leave the box. I'll hear the doorbell ring, run down the stairs, and see the UPS truck driving away. There will be one of those little slips filled out. I know that the driver can't possibly write that fast. It is sort of like he just ran to the door just to leave the slip. I don't know why this happens. Usually when you really need something too. This has occurred for at least 10 years on occasion, so I don't think that there is anything new going on here.
Shipping stuff using their website to create, print and request the pickup has been flawless as far as the pickup. I just leave the stuff partly hidden on the porch, and they get it without me even knowing it. (hint on outbound shipping: only request pickup on one item, even with multiple pacakages- there is a $2 charge per item for pick up - our driver doesn't care how many things are there even if he only is expecting one.)
If UPS leaves the tag, you're screwed - they are clueless. Don't know where it is, if it's on a truck or in the building, and if it's in the building it can take - literally - 15 or 20 minutes of wandering around to find it. Fortunately for me for most things they just leave the package. This is not a new problem...
FedEx is light years ahead on their package tracking if you need to go to pick it up.
Seems to deoend on the UPS office you have, and whether there are any "odd" local conditions.
In my case, the day shift johnnies have got "don't care" down to an art. Now, in some fairness, they also mostly have commercial work during the day--residential work goes by the wayside.
The folks on swing shift, though, they tend to be outstanding. Now, in some fairness, they also get all the irate residential (office does not open until 1600) customers, and have to clean up after day shift, too.
Now, in the infinite wisdom of the master UPS delivery computer, my address is 725. That's peachy, 735 is in the middle of a "T" intersection and cannot exist. The real address; usually crossed out by book-following day shifters reads 735. If swing shift in delivering, I get packages; day shift--not so much.
Oh, and the sending office can screw this up, too. If they put a package on the plane to DFW, I don't get it. Packages to me have to be sent to IAH. Now, the people at the DFW UPS don't have a code for 'send to correct airport." The best they can do is put it in the returns bin, and hope that it's sorted at the hub aiport. Otherwise, it gets a "return to sender" label.
Go figure.
try dhl,i have been really happy with them on bigger stuff.larry
hand me the chainsaw, i need to trim the casing just a hair.
DHL, a German Co., is making every effort to be the Walmart of parcel delivery...as they spread out, they've taken to using temp agencies for contract staffing....average wages for drivers is about $9 per hour.
While their initial market penetration was in larger cities and staffing was paid moderate wages and benefits, they've gone el cheapo in the hinterlands.
UPS and FedEx won't be able to compete with that for long....I predict, over the long-term, degradation of service from all of them.
UPS has always been good to me.
DHL can pack sand.
never heard of DHL. There was an RPS here for awhile.Living on an island, we feel lucky to get any kind of service at all, but most comes through fine except that the ferry ride ALWAYS means an extra day to arrive, no matter what.Funny deal - story - we have a freight delivery seervice here on truck. He gets the groceries to tyhe store here, and hauls furniture when folks move, delivers appliances I buy, etc.His regular run is three times a week and for twenty years he handled the UPS and the Fed Ex as a sub-contractor to them. A few years ago, both those sevices decided to enforce their own rules and require daily deliveries, which the freight guy was unwilling to do, so he lost the contracts.
Enter - a new subcontractor about every year or two. One will bid the run and do it for a year, then discover they can't do it for that low of money, and a new bidder takes over, which means we, the customers need to re-train the new driver where and when, introduce them to the dogs, etc...The break-in period for these new drivers is six weeks, during which we can have plenty of stories of mis-deliveries until things settle down.'nother story - My wife was sending gifts to her nephew and niece regularly for a while down in S Car, and when she called to check, they had never been recieved. Turns out there was a same street adress in the next town over down there, to which the packages had gone. SIL could see some of the toy stuff sent in the back yard, but the folks living there denied any packages ever came, tho the uPS driver admitted leaving them there. Finally got some sort of settlement.I often send packages to Jupiter Island in Florida because I have clients here with winter homes there. USPS and FedEx both add a day at each end even for overnight delivery because of the island thing. "overnight" only counts in the paperwork for "continental" USOverall, I am happy with UPS. There are times I've ordered something online Sat nite or Sunday and haad it in the shop by Tuesday lunch, and rarely takes more than 5-6 days without any special up-pricing on the shippment
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
One Winter, about five years ago, we had a pretty big blow right before Christmas. Our UPS guy scrambled over about a dozen trees down across the road in a driving rain to deliver an arm load of stuff to us.
Now we had a mail carrier for several years (who recently retired, thank God) who would find the smallest excuse to abort her route on our rural road...a herd of elk crossing in front of her one day was enough to turn her around....and she'd mis-deliver stuff on a regular basis.
when I first move from the trailer to the new house, I forgot to change my addtess on amazon. I ordered something and it said it was on the front porch. went out and wasnt there. So I sent email to UPS and they replyied within minutes asking my address. Before the end of day, they went back ,pick up the package and delievery to the house.The UPS here are truly good people, even Fedex is good. Now if I could figure out a way to get the postal people from bring "Resident" to my house.
"Now if I could figure out a way to get the postal people from bring "Resident" to my house."LOL, just WHO IS that guy named resident anyway? He really gets around!
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
You just HAD to get me started on postal carriers, didn't you?;)I'll let it pass tho since it has improved immesely locallly since we got rid of the last contract guy.
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
I was actually reluctant to start on the subject myself; the particular carrier I referred to became legendary for her laziness and, ironically, the effort she would exert sometimes to avoid doing her job.
I could sit here for over an hour relating her exploits....decided it wasn't worth the effort or recalling all my past rage. :-)
the particular carrier I referred to became legendary for her laziness and, ironically, the effort she would exert sometimes to avoid doing her job.
I think I know where she's at! I believe her, or maybe a relative of hers is down in San Marcos, Texas.
I had a carrier down there that would be on her cell for the intire time she was on her route. Sometimes I'd go out to my mailbox and find stuff laying on the ground that she had droped, not addressed to me but to others. Left me wondering how much of my stuff was laying next to someone elses box!
I'd call in or stop into the local post office and let them know that this was a regular thing, knowing full well that it was falling on deaf ears! But I never had to tell them my area, they always knew who which route I was talking about!
I had a package overnighted once and in my mailbox was a sticker that said to pick up at the local PO, I was there when she delivered, to damned lazy to get off the phone and out of her truck to bring it to my door.
The mail was always a crap shot!
Doug
I used to complain about the USPS but not after today. Sunday afternoon at 2:00pm the postman shows up with a PARCEL POST, not even Priority Mail package. It was marked "christmas presents" and they had deliveries in the area so it went on the truck. I guess it really depends on who delivers your mail and who loads the truck. Said thanks to the Postman, his response "Merry Christmas" and a smile.
If she's in San Marcos now, she must have moved down there from here...I changed my mailing address to a PO box in Index, because of the mail carrier from Gold Bar.She constantly puts things in the wrong boxes. When she does, it disappears, because whoever gets it either keeps it or throws it away instead of making the effort to return it.She takes mini-vacations all the time.I was sent an overnight letter from Montana one time. A letter. Not even a package. Guaranteed overnight delivery.Because I knew it was coming, I was out there at that mailbox every day. For two weeks, there was nothing at all in my mailbox. Every day...At the end of two weeks, that mailbox was crammed so full, I swear the lady had to have gotten out of her car and used her foot to stomp everything into the box... And there was the overnight letter. Two weeks and a couple days later than guaranteed...She does this all the time. Doesn't deliver for several days, then crams everything in, mutilating it.They have the same deaf ears in that Gold Bar post office, as well. The postmaster there actually told me there was nothing he could do about it...The lost packages, letters and cards are the biggest reason I switched, though. Now if I get a package via USPS, it is held in the office until I can pick it up. I am pretty sure that a letter or two has ended up in the wrong box there in Index as well, and hasn't been returned to me by the person who recieved it. But it is nothing like the scale of errors that went with the Gold Bar address...
Get over it....... The angry going eat you up. ~Brownbagg '06
UPS is best where I am, for getting packages. As far as deliveries to the door. BUt USPS to my index PO box is the most secure, out here. They keep the package in the office, of course, and I have to go during the business hours to pick it up.The postman there is totally honest. But if he makes a mistake, or a package or letter is mis-addressed by a number or two, then something addressed to me can end up in someone else's hands. And so far, I seem to be probably the only person here who actually returns a mis-addressed package or letter.~~~DHL doesn't even TRY to deliver packages out here. They do not deliver outside any municipalities here. David Doud sent me a box of apples a couple years ago. DHL sent them as far as Everett, then handed them over to the regular post office.They were soft by the time they got here.They would have gotten here faster if the USPS had handled it the entire way. UPS would have been best.There was a time when UPS was worse than USPS though. In the first couple years, I had a driver that would literally stop the truck, and THROW whatever package he had, as far up the muddy driveway as he could. After a while he didn't even have the enthusiasm for a throw, he would literally set the package on the step of the truck and kick it out.I have always wondered how many packages I have lost because of that crap. I have neighbors up here who would have stopped and picked those up, if they saw them before I did.They did finally get rid of that driver, and since then, the deliveries here have been pretty good.I think I still lose an occassional package that one of the meth heads sees before I do, but I think that is few and far between, now.
Get over it....... The angry going eat you up. ~Brownbagg '06
Notch,
In my opinion UPS does not have anything to worry about from DHL. We have a couple of suppliers that use them and you never know when you are going to get something. One time it takes a day, another time 3 :( UPS is more expensive, but very predictable. I cannot remember the last time that something was damaged or lost by UPS.Bill Koustenis
Advanced Automotive Machine
Waldorf Md
I do not have a lot of contact with UPS but I can relate this experience.<p>
I was awaiting a required part and had literally "tracked" it across the country. On the day it was to arrive I dutifully waited for that brown truck. I jumped in the shower and sure enough when I got out that dreaded ticket was stuck on my door.<p>
I immediately called the 800 number and they listened to my tale of woe. They told me they would call me right back. They called back almost immediately and told me exactly where the truck would be and at what time. Please understand that I live in the NYC metropolitan area and it was Christmas time to boot. They had to be up to their eyeballs in packages, yet they took the time.
JohnG
My last experience with UPS was a disaster - took a week to do a delivery. We've also ben through the episodes where the driver doesn't even bring the package to the door, they just bring the not-home slip (my wife actually had one handed to her at the door).
Phill Giles
The Unionville Woodwright
I had one UPS jerk deliver a package and he put it on a side porch instead of the front porch which is enclosed, I didn't find it until a month later. I've also gotten slips and called them and said I would pick it up only to find another slip the next day while Im at their office trying to find my package,DUH!!