UPS Woes (1 Viewer)

[Mike Lenthol]

Here is a little rundown of what happened:
Sold a relatively new laptop computer on Ebay last December ($1k+). Received the money from buyer. Shipped laptop in original shipping box which was placed inside another larger box with foam peanuts all around, about 5-6” of protection all around. Shipped through a Staples UPS shipping center fully insured and all.

Buyer received the laptop, does not boot up all. Completely dead. Calls me. I send him money back in full. Call UPS. File claim. 2 weeks go by no one comes to inspect package. I call UPS again they are telling me a representative should of came out, they don’t know if he actually did. I tell them he didn’t. Another 2 weeks go by, the representative shows up. Denies claim as “insufficient packaging”. Another 2 weeks go by before they figure out that the item was shipped through Staples. They tell me to call Staples claims.

Call Staples. File claim with them. Weeks go by to do anything. Staples representative tells me they will do another inspection. The guy who has the laptop says nobody ever came out. Staples appeals the “insufficient packaging” twice, they do not budge. Staples doesn’t want to do anything with me now. UPS tells me to deal with Staples.

In the 6+ months, nobody EVER called me back, from either UPS or Staples. I’ve spent hours on the phone trying to get answers out of them. I have a dozen pictures from the auction showing the laptop was working fine.

What recourse do I have in such situations?

 

[Mike Lenthol]

Here is a little rundown of what happened:
Sold a relatively new laptop computer on Ebay last December ($1k+). Received the money from buyer. Shipped laptop in original shipping box which was placed inside another larger box with foam peanuts all around, about 5-6” of protection all around. Shipped through a Staples UPS shipping center fully insured and all.

Buyer received the laptop, does not boot up all. Completely dead. Calls me. I send him money back in full. Call UPS. File claim. 2 weeks go by no one comes to inspect package. I call UPS again they are telling me a representative should of came out, they don’t know if he actually did. I tell them he didn’t. Another 2 weeks go by, the representative shows up. Denies claim as “insufficient packaging”. Another 2 weeks go by before they figure out that the item was shipped through Staples. They tell me to call Staples claims.

Call Staples. File claim with them. Weeks go by to do anything. Staples representative tells me they will do another inspection. The guy who has the laptop says nobody ever came out. Staples appeals the “insufficient packaging” twice, they do not budge. Staples doesn’t want to do anything with me now. UPS tells me to deal with Staples.

In the 6+ months, nobody EVER called me back, from either UPS or Staples. I’ve spent hours on the phone trying to get answers out of them. I have a dozen pictures from the auction showing the laptop was working fine.

What recourse do I have in such situations?

 

[Kirk Gunn]

Seems like Staples took your money, so your beef is with them. Did they also package it for you ?

Have you gone to the store/location where you dropped it off and demanded to see a manager ? Make sure you bring all documentation including a record of the phone calls. Unfortunately with 6+ months gone by, your recourse is dwindling.

Another alternative is to call Staples Corporate HQ and demand to talk to a supervisor (in a respectful tone).

Good Luck. In my previous dealings with UPS, I never had any problems with claims, but I was working for a company that did a lot of shipping.

 

[Kirk Gunn]

Seems like Staples took your money, so your beef is with them. Did they also package it for you ?

Have you gone to the store/location where you dropped it off and demanded to see a manager ? Make sure you bring all documentation including a record of the phone calls. Unfortunately with 6+ months gone by, your recourse is dwindling.

Another alternative is to call Staples Corporate HQ and demand to talk to a supervisor (in a respectful tone).

Good Luck. In my previous dealings with UPS, I never had any problems with claims, but I was working for a company that did a lot of shipping.

 

[Craig]

Not quite. If you paid for insurance, then UPS got the insurance money and they're the one's liable. I don't know if you've got a real chance to get a refund (you really should), but if you do it's with UPS. They got the money for shipping, they got the insurance money, they're the one who damaged it. Responsibilty is on UPS.

UPS is just trying to scam you by pointing you to Staples.

 

[Craig]

Not quite. If you paid for insurance, then UPS got the insurance money and they're the one's liable. I don't know if you've got a real chance to get a refund (you really should), but if you do it's with UPS. They got the money for shipping, they got the insurance money, they're the one who damaged it. Responsibilty is on UPS.

UPS is just trying to scam you by pointing you to Staples.

 

[Philip_G]

sadly this is my experience ANY time I've had a problem with UPS, lots of finger pointing and zero action.

a few weeks ago I ordered a car part, it was backordered so they shipped it next day air. The next day it says it was delivered, but it's nowhere near my porch.
Of course the UPS driver "knows he left it right there!!"
Yeah, a few weeks later the sales office for my neighborhood calls wondering why UPS left my package on the doorstep of their office.

 

[Philip_G]

sadly this is my experience ANY time I've had a problem with UPS, lots of finger pointing and zero action.

a few weeks ago I ordered a car part, it was backordered so they shipped it next day air. The next day it says it was delivered, but it's nowhere near my porch.
Of course the UPS driver "knows he left it right there!!"
Yeah, a few weeks later the sales office for my neighborhood calls wondering why UPS left my package on the doorstep of their office.

 

[Kirk Gunn]

Didn't Staples recieve the initial payment from Mike, then Staples coordinated the sub-contact with UPS ?

Gotta admit I've never used a third-party like Staples for shipping. Is there some release statement that absolves Staples from any responsibility for a service they provide and presumably make a profit from ?

 

[Kirk Gunn]

Didn't Staples recieve the initial payment from Mike, then Staples coordinated the sub-contact with UPS ?

Gotta admit I've never used a third-party like Staples for shipping. Is there some release statement that absolves Staples from any responsibility for a service they provide and presumably make a profit from ?

 

[Mike Lenthol]

I did not have them pack, just ship it. I did pay for it at the Staples counter and have a Staples receipt.

Doing a quick search on the web turns up that UPS does pretty much run a SCAM as far as insurance goes.
http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/ripoff5949.htm

I just want some of my money back. Or at least something. As it is right now, I'm out of what I paid for shipping AND I didn't even get back the broken laptop!

 

[Mike Lenthol]

I did not have them pack, just ship it. I did pay for it at the Staples counter and have a Staples receipt.

Doing a quick search on the web turns up that UPS does pretty much run a SCAM as far as insurance goes.
http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/ripoff5949.htm

I just want some of my money back. Or at least something. As it is right now, I'm out of what I paid for shipping AND I didn't even get back the broken laptop!

 

[Mike Lenthol]

Any idea if I can go after Staples in this matter? (I filed a complaint with their president's office). From what I read about UPS even a small claims case against them is useless.

 

[Mike Lenthol]

Any idea if I can go after Staples in this matter? (I filed a complaint with their president's office). From what I read about UPS even a small claims case against them is useless.

 

[alan halvorson]

I've been thinking about this matter - I don't know why, but it just sticks in my mind.

I have been in this situation, fortunately, only a couple times in my four years on Ebay. First, I would have required the buyer to return the laptop (at my expense) so that I could verify its working condition. There are a lot of frauds and scams going on in the Ebay laptop section and this could well be one of them. So long as you hold the money, you are in control. I know you were trying to the right thing, and I commend you for it, but I'm not so willing to take a buyers word at that price point. If the buyer refuses, then you must firmly state that that is your policy (something we all should mention in our auction descriptions). Returning something for status verification before issuing a refund is SOP at every business I am aware of and it should be yours too. If he still refuses, then nuts to him - keep the money, accept the potential negative feedback (but respond - politely - to it) and move on.

If he does return the laptop and you verify that it is, indeed, faulty, then refund his money.

If, however, you verify that the laptop is in the condition you stated in your auction and is not faulty, then I would have inquired further as to why the buyer believed it was. He may be an idiot, you know, or there may be something he doesn't understand about it. Then you'll have a decision to make; return his money and be done with him, or ship the laptop back to the buyer. I guess I would do the former, just to not have to deal with him anymore.

On the other hand - an insurance claim mucks everything up. The buyer cannot return the laptop until the insurance claim is settled, one way or the other. I would have kept the money until the claim was settled.

(My personal opinion): I hate to take UPS's side, but were I an claim adjuster, I would have a very hard time allowing this claim. The laptop was in its original packing and then placed in another box with more packing material. If the outer box showed no sign of mistreatment, how could UPS be blamed for the damage to the laptop? We all know how all shippers treat packages. Items must be packed (and designed) with the knowledge that they will be abused, sometimes severely, during shipping. If the original packaging, or the laptop itself, is not up to the stress of normal or expected shipping practices, then any damage the laptop sustains could hardly be UPS's fault. Excessive abuse, of course, an exception to this.

I certainly don't mean to apologize for UPS's or Staples incredibly poor handling of these sorts of situations.

 

[alan halvorson]

I've been thinking about this matter - I don't know why, but it just sticks in my mind.

I have been in this situation, fortunately, only a couple times in my four years on Ebay. First, I would have required the buyer to return the laptop (at my expense) so that I could verify its working condition. There are a lot of frauds and scams going on in the Ebay laptop section and this could well be one of them. So long as you hold the money, you are in control. I know you were trying to the right thing, and I commend you for it, but I'm not so willing to take a buyers word at that price point. If the buyer refuses, then you must firmly state that that is your policy (something we all should mention in our auction descriptions). Returning something for status verification before issuing a refund is SOP at every business I am aware of and it should be yours too. If he still refuses, then nuts to him - keep the money, accept the potential negative feedback (but respond - politely - to it) and move on.

If he does return the laptop and you verify that it is, indeed, faulty, then refund his money.

If, however, you verify that the laptop is in the condition you stated in your auction and is not faulty, then I would have inquired further as to why the buyer believed it was. He may be an idiot, you know, or there may be something he doesn't understand about it. Then you'll have a decision to make; return his money and be done with him, or ship the laptop back to the buyer. I guess I would do the former, just to not have to deal with him anymore.

On the other hand - an insurance claim mucks everything up. The buyer cannot return the laptop until the insurance claim is settled, one way or the other. I would have kept the money until the claim was settled.

(My personal opinion): I hate to take UPS's side, but were I an claim adjuster, I would have a very hard time allowing this claim. The laptop was in its original packing and then placed in another box with more packing material. If the outer box showed no sign of mistreatment, how could UPS be blamed for the damage to the laptop? We all know how all shippers treat packages. Items must be packed (and designed) with the knowledge that they will be abused, sometimes severely, during shipping. If the original packaging, or the laptop itself, is not up to the stress of normal or expected shipping practices, then any damage the laptop sustains could hardly be UPS's fault. Excessive abuse, of course, an exception to this.

I certainly don't mean to apologize for UPS's or Staples incredibly poor handling of these sorts of situations.