UPS Sucks. Throw mine in the mailbox, please. (1 Viewer)

[David Tallen]

How does UPS stay in business? I know that this is a holiday week, but UPS service in unacceptable.
Case in point: I had two different pre-orders with May 29 release dates from Amazon. The first order (three movies) was shipped via UPS. UPS received the "pickup manifest" on May 26. The order is apparently going from Reno, Nevada to Minneapolis, Minnesota by way of Illinois. It is scheduled to arrive on June 5. Yes, that is 10 days.
The second order (one movie) was sent by way of the United States Postal Service First Class mail on May 28. I received it on May 30.
I had requested the same level of shipping (cheapest) for both orders.
Amazon, please give us a choice between UPS and USPS.

 

[Matt Perkins]

Seriously. I'm with you on on this one, David!!

 

[SteveMc]

Oh man, don't get me started on UPS. First incident was about 6 years ago, I had a guitar amp and speaker cabinet delivered to me on a Saturday afternoon. They left both huge boxes sitting out IN FRONT of my parents garage door and didn't even bother ringing the doorbell or anything. There were 4 people home when they delivered it, then my brother got hoe about an hour after i did and said there was some boxes in front of the garage! Over 1000 bucks of stuff just sitting out in the open, good thing it wasn't there long. Another time was when 800.com had their 3 for 1$ deal, when they finally shipped it I was tacking it via their website. I missed then one day, so they left me the little yellow slipo saying they'd be back. I signed it and left in on the door in case i missed them, and then check the website again, and it says delivered! Nothing in the garage, or anywhere. Turns out the delivered it to a house down the road and around the corner...not even the same damn street!. AGRRR!! I hate those guys...and why do they need a signature for a package that I paid ONE DOLLAR for when they can leave $1000 worth of stuff laying out in my driveway! OK I'm done now....breathe....
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Crash
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[Randy_M]

One reason I always buy from Empire is that their default cheapest way is USPS - rarely takes more than 2 days to Minneapolis - God love the Post Office! (Just hope that Dubya doesn't find a way to screw that up, too )

 

[Ben Motley]

I physically cringe when the only option offerred is UPS. Not to go into it, but just one example I've been subjected to is them leaving a package of several hundred dollars worth of merchandise on my doorstep at my high occupancy apartment complex; while the office is just a block away! I have had nothing but excellent service from the post office, both shipping and receiving. I honestly don't know why UPS still exists.
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M. Hyde

 

[CaptDS9E]

I make sure if possible to get stuff via USPS. a year ago i ordered expensive poster frames which were supposed to arrive on a wed. I was home all day. Around 3:30 i checked the status and said it was on its way to being delivered.I check under my patio just in case they dropped em off while i was taking a shower or something. I checked the status again at 4 and it said it was delivered which is odd since i didnt hear a UPS truck and no one rang the bell. I go in my yard and there they are under the patio. I was so pissed i have only had 2 things delivered by them in the last year. Forget them
Capt

 

[Thomas D]

UPS totally sucks. Their customer service reps will lie to you over the phone. They will leave packages on doorsteps without checking to see if anyone is home. If you tell the customer service rep to have the final delivery attempted tomorrow, otherwise you'll have to go pick it up at the station sometime next week, they'll not deliver it because they know you'll come sometime next week. The local office has pick-up times between 10am and 3pm. Important shipments are delivered late or to the wrong address. UPS is proud of their shiny brown trucks, so they wash them every night. Sometimes, they don't unload packages at night. Sometimes the water leaks through the truck and your packages get water damage. If you have something insured, you must determine that UPS damaged the package before you open the box to be reimbursed for shipping damages. If you open the box, remove the computer monitor and find the screen is cracked, UPS will say that you did it after you openend the box.
UPS sucks.
Interesting quotes:
"Special non-thanks go to UPS, which once again managed to misplace a Saturday delivery package until Monday. Thus, the estimable Jonathan Woodward was NOT able to sign copies of GURPS Ogre. (Sigh. WE know better than to ship UPS when time matters, but our printers didn't. They do now. They worked very hard to make that date, and it went for nothing thanks to UPS.)"
"[UPS] once again blew a delivery to a convention, and once again told us fairy stories all day until it was too late to make other arrangements. We won't be using them for anything critical again; that will be going into our procedures manual. "Don't ever trust UPS if it has to get there on time.""
"...UPS' failing to deliver two boxes full of key game elements. Their service commitment said they'd be there Friday; Friday afternoon we called their tracking service and were assured the truck was on its way to the hotel [in Washington]; Friday evening we called and were told "They're in Oregon; one is in a warehouse and the other is on a truck; you'll have them Monday."...But it will be a cold day in Hispanolia before I trust UPS with anything that HAS to be there on time. FedEx may be expensive, but at least they deliver."
And there's this little cautionary tale: Link Removed
Oddly enough, one of my calls to customer service was cut off just as the customer service rep sounded like she was going to admit that the fuck-up was UPS's fault, just like in the "bonus track" on the spinnwebe page.
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[MickeS]

I too hate it when the US Postal Service is not an option on websites. Why is it not? It's cheap and they put it in my mailbox!
A little while ago, UPS delivered my stuff to a neighbor, and we got the neighbors packages...! Fortunately, we could exchange it, because I went over to the neighbor, and then she told me she had ours. If I hadn't received her shipment, I might never have received my package!
/Mike

 

[Steve T]

I like to roast my own coffee at home, and I buy the green coffee beans from someone in Ohio (check out www.sweetmarias.com if you love coffee and think you might want to do this yourself). For awhile UPS was the only shipping option available, they used to offer USPS Priority mail which was the only shipping method I used. Anyway, during this period that only UPS was offered, I had three coffee shipments get lost! I live in the Sacramento area in California, and the UPS tracking showed the packages made it to Reno, NV. then were sent to the East Coast. Boy was I glad when USPS was offered as a shipping method again.

 

[Doug Pyle]

Agreed. Only the USPS seems to understand that Hawaii is a state of the USA. Same exact mailing price to Hawaii as any other USA location, whether it's 1st class, Priority or Express. But UPS and other courier services tack on an extra $5-10 to ship to Hawaii.
I too hate it when USPS is not a shipping option. Those web sites (read: Buy.com !) that don't ship USPS don't get my business. (Buy.com doesn't even warn you about the premium rate to Hawaii until you're done loading your cart. Uggh!)
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• May you be happy and well!

 

[David Tallen]

As much as I despise UPS, it is not fair to criticize them for charging more to ship to Hawaii. It costs more to ship to Hawaii from the US mainland whether you are the US Postal Service, Federal Express or UPS. The difference in pricing between public and private shippers is due to public policy considerations, not cost. Specifically, it is considered necessary public policy for the Postal Service to charge the same across the entire country so that everyone can have reasonably priced mail service. This even-handed pricing is accomplished by charging everyone on the mainland slightly more than cost for mail service and charging you islanders slightly less than your true cost. The fact that a private company has decided to try and make each customer pay his or her actual cost does not bother me. Everyone in the country must weigh all the cost factors against the benefits in choosing a home. Instead of whining about paying more for private shipping, you should thank your lucky stars that the rest of America is willing to subsidize your mail.

 

[William Ward]

USPS Priority is even faster than FedEx 2nd day. I got my package from retailers on release day with FedEx. I usually get my packages from retailers on Monday with Priority mail. The Saturday operating day really gives USPS an advantage. Post Edited by Administrator
Of course if my courier puts my package in a parcel box that won't lock and it gets stolen I immediately wish for UPS...

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William
Go Bucs!!
MyDVDs

 

[Bryan Toth]

I've got to add my 2 cents here too..... I don't get it with UPS. I ordered a portable MP3 player from Amazon and went with the standard shipping option (3-7 days). It took almost 2 weeks for my package to arrive. I was following the tracking on the UPS web site and my package sat in some warehouse in IL for 5 days ... why??? I don't know how UPS stays in business. They charge more for less service (no Saturday delivery, longer delivery time, etc....) I much prefer USPS Priority Mail. Come on, Amazon, get with the program.....

 

[David Tallen]

prefer USPS Priority Mail.

I've never been able to figure out the advantage of USPS Priority Mail over regular USPS First Class mail. As far as I can tell, for slightly more money (Priority Mail) you are guaranteed absolutely nothing. Both services usually take one or two days.

 

[Ben Motley]

You all do know that the USPS does process mail on Sunday, right? They don't deliver or pick up, but most all their other processes, internal and transit, are in progress. I don't know if that's true of UP ack S.
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M. Hyde

 

[Brian Alan]

My wife and I have had more trouble with UPS and FedEx than we ever had with USPS. I won't bore you with the horror stories, one of which involved my surround speakers that I ordered online.

 

[Marianne]

I ordered some stuff from Amazon which was shipped on May 30th by UPS Ground. When I tracked it on the UPS website the delivery date was June 1. The package came from Lexington, KY and arrived in Jacksonville, FL on May 31. I live near Daytona Beach (2hrs from JAX).
It didn't arrive on June 1 (Fri) so I checked the site and it was still in JAX. I checked again on Monday (4th) - still there and hadn't been scanned since May 31. I call UPS and they said it would be delivered Monday. It wasn't so I called again and they said tell Amazon to trace it.
Emailed Amazon and asked them to trace it. Then I checked the UPS site and the package was in Phoenix, AZ. I then complained to Amazon and they told me they will refund my shipping charge.
The package is back in JAX today! Maybe I'll get it on Monday.
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Marianne
"Gentlemen, you can't fight in here,
this is the War Room Home Theater Forum!"

 

[David Tallen]

Maybe I'll get it on Monday.

Don't plan your day around it.

 

[EricCr]

I have even had a $2500 computer that I ordered a few years ago left on my doorstep that was supposed to only be left if signed for. Good thing nobody took it with the nice big Dell writing on the box. My parents several years back had a painting they had ordered left at another house, nice to know they take such good care of expensive items. Just to ask a question, does Buy.com only use UPS for shipping to Hawaii? I always have stuff shipped by USPS through them and the site lists it as an option for everything but really large items like computers.

 

[Doug Pyle]

David Tallon,
I'm not "whining," which is not really a kind thing to accuse. Also, my comments were directed not to you but to UPS and the businesses that use it. You and they may be interested to learn more about why so many in Hawaii believe rates are jacked up for Hawaii residents. It cannot be distance, or the same would be true for Maine to California shipping, but it is not. To be fair, compare the same method of shipping - i.e. UPS-air and USPS-air, and then contrast the UPS air rate over land with the UPS air rate at an equivalent distance over water to Hawaii. EVEN then, Hawaii pays much more when companies ship by UPS compared to cross-country UPS-air shipping.
Hawaii residents - including well-paid middle class - often must work work two or more jobs to meet the exorbitant cost of living. But we are a very culturally and ethnically diverse state which local folk are proud of. We value a harmony of living together reflected in the idea of 'aloha,' which is far more than a tourist's greeting.
UPS shipping seems to be yet another business taking advantage of the image of an 'exotic' destination to justify exorbitant rates. At least, UPS doesn't ignorantly service Hawaii from its international desk, like United Airlines and others recently had done. Our high cost of living has little to do with being an island, but everything to do with the shipping and the real estate near-monopolies. Our exploitive plantation and near-slave labor history is very recent, and residual exploitation via pricing continues, i.e. a few major post-plantation businesses and USA's wealthiest land-owning non-profit dominate the economy here, including, in particular, the shipping industry. It is not expensive because fuel costs more to fly over water than over land.
It is not economically natural for air shipping to be higher to Hawaii than coast-to-coast on the mainland. Flying a jet from Hawaii to Los Angeles is roughly equivalent to flying from Los Angeles to the Northeast. Yet UPS tacks on a premium to Hawaii from Los Angeles, that it does not add between Los Angeles and New York.
Why they do it to Hawaii but not Los Angeles? Or not to San Diego, for that matter (a comparison where population is not so much an issue)? A major reason is they can get away with it, I suspect -- because surface shipping rates are artificially propped up. Air shipping's 'surface' competition is Matson, which is protected from competition by federal law - which protection they lobby to keep - and so of course it has no incentive to lower rates. High surface rates in turn give air shippers room to keep its rates high, without fear of losing the speed-versus-price advantage to Matson. So, I have good reason to resent UPS price structures (although Matson and its lobbying power is probably the initial culprit). And I have good reason to appreciate the USPS for not making a killing off of Matson's protected price-gouging for surface shipping. (Hawaii USPS rates are no more tax supported than Minnesota to California or Florida. US mail must serve all markets fairly, and spreads its user costs - postage - equally. Check out the actual role taxes play in its budget before complaining about mail service to Hawaii.)
I appreciate and will choose a business that uses USPS Priority or Express to Hawaii rather than UPS. This is not whining, it's good consumer sense to prefer a business that offers the best shipping rates available.
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• May you be happy and well!