Has UPS ever lied about a delivery attempt? (1 Viewer)

[Len Cheong]

I was not sure where to post this but I was home yesterday expecting some shipped ht gear but UPS did not show up. I called their office and they said they made a delivery attempt which sounded impossible being that I was in total anticipation mode for my stuff. In fact they didn't leave any yellow tag mentioning any delivery attempt.
Has this ever happened to you? How is their complaints department?

 

[Pete Jennings]

I remember UPS pulling that one on me several years ago. I called to check on the status of an item I had paid for next day delivery on. UPS claimed that they needed a signature for it, and that the driver had knocked on my door but no one was home. I raised hell with them, because I had taken the day off from work, and NOBODY had knocked on my doggone door! I found out the next day that my regular driver had been off for the day when the delivery attempt was made. To top it off, the replacement driver had left a delivery attempt sticker on my screen door, right next to my doorbell button! The bozo never knocked or rang the doorbell, I was 5 feet from that door watching TV all morning long!!! My dog didn't even bark!
UPS works their drivers like dogs. They are always in a huge hurry to get back in their big brown truck to make their next stop. This can lead to damaged goods and missed deliveries.
Pete

 

[Dmitry]

They once claimed driver hasn't "found the address". It was a business address, he delivered something next door (Suite B) and "couldn't find" our office (Suite C). I don't know if it gets any lamer than this, so I wouldn't be surprised if they lied about a delivery attempt.

 

[Samuel Des]

Happened to me twice this year, within a two month span. Both times, the driver didn't leave a sticker on my door. I called, and of course, they said that "no one was home." Had to go get them myself.
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SAM

 

[Mike LS]

I don't know if they'd really lie about a delivery attempt. I'm sure that alot of the drivers don't do all they should to make sure there's nobody there.
My company ships a couple of hundred packages through UPS every day and we occasionally have customers that say they were home or at work and that UPS told them they had made attempts to deliver. I'm sure they stopped and got out, but may have not knocked because they "assumed" that no one was home.
Of course, you've got to understand the mentality of some of these UPS drivers. ****not trying to bash UPS....I think I give them more credit than anybody because I work with them every day. In fact, the driver that has our route at work is a great guy and a very good friend of mine****That said, there are a good majority of drivers that just have that infuriating "union mentality". If it's too much trouble, they're just not going to do it because it's not in their contract!
I've seen replacement drivers here that would come across a package that weighed more than 70lbs. 70lbs is the "magic" weight with UPS. Anything heavier than that has to have special markings and has to be packed and packaged differently than other boxes.
Anyhow, this one guy saw the yellow sticker on the box and refused to even pick the package up. He had to call into the hub and have them dispatch another driver out to help him pick the box up. The box weighed 71 pounds!!! And this guy was throwing around 50+lb boxes like they were empty. There was no reason other than that he could get a break by calling for help. He just sat there and waited until the other guy got there to help. He wouldn't take help from me or anybody else I work with...."against the 'rules'"
Whatever! Our regular driver lets me get in the truck and help him load or unload. I know his job better than alot of his driver friends.
All of that to say that alot of times you just get a dud driver that doesn't care if you get your package or not. If actually getting out of the truck and knocking on the door is too much trouble....don't expect the to do it. I know they're overworked alot of times, but alot of these guys need to get real.
Anyway, as long as they write on the package that they attempted delivery, that's all that matters to UPS.

 

[DaleB]

I was waiting anxiously for a B&K amp and it was Friday so I knew I was probably out of luck for the weekend.
Then came a knock on the door at 8:30PM!!! There was the amp!
OH, UPS can do no wrong!!!
Seriously, I have had few if any REAL problems with UPS. Nothing is perfect. I always liked Airborne Express which is how DELL used to ship all their PC's. I don't know if they do anymore. Plus they deliver on Saturday like FEDEX.
When you consider sheer volume of shipping everyday, nothing is going to be perfect. And no, no shipper ever 'lied' to me.
[Edited last by DaleB on September 07, 2001 at 12:10 PM]
[Edited last by DaleB on September 07, 2001 at 12:11 PM]

 

[Ranga]

It has happened to me. I checked out the UPS website which was updated to reflect that the package was delivered. When I came home - no package. I called UPS and they tell me that the package was delivered. Since I had no reason to believe someone stole the package after delivery, I suspect the driver. Sure enough, the package arrives the following day. The driver has updated the system to show that he had delivered the package when it wasn't. Probably to meet some quota.
My Airborne Express story was worse. I had my credit card replacement airborned to me and I spent a whole day waiting for it. I started calling them at 4:30PM and I was on hold for 2 hours before someone picks up the phone and tells me that due to heavy volumes they cannot deliver it today (Friday) and only on Monday. I was scheduled to travel on Saturday and that was my only credit card. They agree to deliver it on Saturday - I wait .. and wait.. call them again - apparently the driver cannot find the place. So we find a common meeting spot where I go and collect the package.
I guess all companies have similar issues.

 

[Samuel Des]

That's the thing. I was sitting at my computer with my front door open the entire day. (It's the way my house is arranged; can't really explain.) I didn't get a sticker on my door, precisely because he didn't put a sticker on my door. He never showed, but remarked on the record "Not Home."
I know there are a lot of problems with delivery and such; and I am willing to accept late deliveries. Most of my packages are not time sensitive. Anger in this case may not be a rational response, but it really bothers me when someone lies *about* me, even for as trivial a lie as "Not Being Home."
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Best, Sam

 

[John H]

...tells me that due to heavy volumes they cannot deliver it today

I have heard that line before from Airborne Express. My package was delivered 2 days late.
John
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Looking through a glass onion

 

[Thomas F]

I worked for UPS for 17 years in a large metropolitin Hub and I was one of those people that refused to lift anything over 70 lbs. I was subjected to threats, harassment, and ridicule, but I steadfastly quoted the Teamster agreement with UPS which stated that I had the right to request assistance for any package over 70 lbs. I've seen many people ruin their backs and required surgury later by trying to lift heavy parcels. I've seen back injuries from packages weighing less than 70 lbs by young strong guys that were trying to make it through their probationary period without getting fired for "lack of production". Granted they were probably using a poor lifting technique, but when a supervisor is standing over you and yelling at you to work faster, there is intense proessure to work harder. I refused to become another casualty because some 20 y/o supervisor needed to make his production quotas. Personally, I would never ship anything with UPS since I've seen the way the packages are abused in the name of production.

 

[ChristianT]

My bad experience was with Fedex.
I had won a series of about 8 different bids on Ubid, always getting a steal since I was willing to sit up all night to win at the best price.
The first three packages show up no problem. The fourth and fifth don't show up, so I log into their website to track them. They show up as address not found. While I spend a couple of days trying to call their 800 number and give directions per the postcard they sent me, packages six through eight are dilivered fine. I asked the driver about the other two packages and she commented that they weren't on her truck that week. I have received probably 80 deliveries from the same girl. Meanwhile, no attempt is made to deliver these shipments and they are returned to Ubid. Ubid does not try to re-ship. They will only give you a credit. In the long run Fedex cost me over $300 dollars since the items that were returned are now going for 3X the price I was able to win the bid for.
What a crock.
Christian

 

[Scott_E]

Yeah one of my friends worked for UPS for a short time and said that in his place of business ( this may not reflect all ) that if you cant drop it from 10ft, smash it into a wall, or jump up and down on it, to not ship it through his terminal. My SVS was shipped today through UPS, so at first I was a bit iffy, but then upon reading how well ron and tod and erik package the hell out of the things, I think I'll be ok.

 

[Marc S Kessler]

Ubid uses FEDEX ground. I believe they are contract workers who get paid by the piece and not delivered by the the "normal" FEDEX drivers. Ubid also over charges for shipping.
UPS usually is reliable unless your regular driver is on vacation. Last month they left a box in front of my electric garage door. Just by luck I didn't get in my vehicle and run it over when driving out.

 

[David Baird]

They haven't lied to me that I know of. BUT, they sure screwed up on delivery about 2 years ago. I ordered an antenna (I'm a ham radio operator in East-Central Illinois) from a Milwaukee firm. All deliveries from them have been here overnight for years. Not so with the antenna. It first went to a loading dock in Lousiana and sat there for three days. After being assured by UPS that it would be here in two days, it ended up in Washington state and sat there for tthree more days before being delivered here 10 days late!! UPS said the errors originated at the Chicago hub. Since then, I've refused to take delivery from any company using UPS. Only Fed-Ex.