What's wrong with UPS?

mike bustad

mike bustad said:

Answering worthless threads is a big waste of time and bandwidth I
know this is a Canon EOS forum but this is also a warning thread
for people wanting to know that there is a problem lately with UPS
at least in my neck of the woods.

--
Tanglefoot47
Tulalip Wa.

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I think that sometimes folks forget that when you're waiting for an item for which you paid a surcharge for specific delivery, there was a reason you paid the surcharge. The failure on the part of UPS to live up to it's contractual obligation has cost you money and frustration (if you needed it for a specific shoot, perhaps a lot of money). They cannot compensate you for your frustration, (nor the potential lost income) but you ought not be out the money for the quicker delivery if you didn't get the service. That's unjust enrichment.
I appreciate your frustration and your warning to others.

Larz
--

I paid for 2 day and it came it 3. I took it up with B&H and they refunded me the extra mony I paid for 2 day shipping. Try taking it up with the merchant you bought them from and see if they will refund a portion of the money you paid. I was very impressed with B&H's refund and customer service.

Bennett

I have filed 2 complaints with FedEx for 2nd day packages that took 10 days and 7 days to reach me. Actually, the only reason that the one package only took 10 days was that I went to the depot and demanded that they hand it over!

I have had a couple of mis-routes with UPS that extended the time by a day, but nothing like the the mistakes by FedEx.

DHL won't even deliver to me. They go to the postal center, rip off the label and drop it in the mail.

I never use fedex. I'm sure it all depends on where you are but I have only had one problem with UPS in all my years of dealing with them. FedEx on the other hand will leave a $1400 lens on my front step (the bottom step mind you where the roof doesn't cover) in the rain yet when someone sends me home made beef jerky they leave a note on the door saying they need a signature. meanwhile the beef jerky that needs to be in the fridge is sitting out in the florida summer heat. then when I try to order a new cell phone over the internet, they not only need me to sign for it, but they need me to sign for it in person. They are the most inconsistant bunch of fools I've ever delt with. I order tons of computer and camera parts from the internet and deal with UPS all the time. like I said I had one strange problem with them where they tried to deliver a package to another address.

Juli Valley said:

I'm lucky that I live in a low crime area because UPS frequently
just dumps and runs. I sometimes have to sign for packages but not
always. I don't know if B & H requires signatures on higher priced
items or what. If it's a new camera or expensive lens, I pay extra
to get FedEx with signature.
--
Juli
http://www.pbase.com/julivalley/galleries
Canon 2oD, Canon Gee3, and Canon S7o.

I keep trying to find an artist's eye in the B & H catalog

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B&H does not
Roberts does......on everything.
Amazon does
Calumet does not

those are all I know of. BTW; FedEx is no prize either, they've screwed up several shipments to me. DHL is an even worse nightmare. They delivered a package two blocks away once because someone transposed the street address, and weren't going to do anything about it until I threatened to dispute the charge with my credit card company and the shipper finally put some pressure on them to resolve the matter, but it took three extra days for it all to happen.....never again for them.

I blame it on all the cut-rate competition. Everyone's trying to out-cheap the other guy and we all know what goes the hell in that process, the quality. I feel sorry for the UPS guys, they work 12+ hour days almost every day, and if they don't leave packages that they are ablt to, it means a return trip which costs the company time and money. I also believe that there has been a recent change in the UPS computer system. The tracking info used to be literally up to the minute accurate, now you're lucky if its even correct for the entire day.

I've almost got to agree that USPS is looking better for a lot of stuff. Now if they could just train their carriers not to try and fold everything in half to cram it into the mailbox..........

mike bustad said:

--I get the package a day before the scheduled date whereas the UPS
will sit on it and deliver it on the due date. So far I am having
my best luck with believe it or not the USPS I hope I didn't jinx
myself LOL

Tanglefoot47
Tulalip Wa.

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So will FedEx. I've ordered stuff 3-day saver and its arrived at the local depot the next day......tracking shows it "on vehicle for delivery" and then "back at depot, not scheduled for delivery this day"......two days in a row. Go figure....they have the package, they put it on the delivery truck which goes right thru my neighborhood, but won't stop to deliver it because it's "not scheduled". That's happened to me three times with FedEx.

Usually UPS will deliver it when they have it, period. I've gotten "ground" shipments the next day if they're being sent from close enough.

No.. FedEx is the one who dumps and runs and jumps on the packages. I've gotten horrible looking packages from Fed one with a note "sorry for the package. Condition noted. Call for insurance claim".

A few months ago they cut staffing at all their FedEx stores in half to compete with UPS. It's UPS all the way. FedEx is junk.

In my area their drivers are liars and thieves....Claiming that they attempted delivery but no one was at home. Their supervisors and managers can't seem to do anything about it.

Just the other day my daughter ordered an Ipod from Apple who offered free shipping via Fedex. She tracked it and waited patiently on the delivery day. Both my wife and I were there that day as well. The look on her face was so upsetting when she saw "A delivery attempt was made at....but no one was there...". Needless to say, a call to Fedex ended with me reading them the riot act for the umpteenth time. I made it absolutely clear that at every opportunity, whether it be verbally or by penmanship, whether it be in a public or private arena, they will reap what they have sown.

UPS has never ever tried that stunt and there is always a UPS sticker on the door for each failed delivery attempt. I've never seen a Fedex sticker and they've lied on delivery attempts about ten times, mainly when they were B&H's main carrier.

Yes, I know the roles could be reversed in your area. It probably all boils down to the integrity of the individuals and the clout of the managers and supervisors I guess.

UPS and Fedex don't even knock any more ...they just dump the packages on teh ground and leave. If I didn't live in a complex that is about 50% college students, I wouldn't care ... but I do. I've had to hunt down packages that students took off my door step before (and I DID find them).

Beyond that, the whole signature-required aspect is completely arbitrary ... it seems like the cheapest things have to be signed for while my $1500 DLP projector was just sitting on the front step (in it's retail box I might add).

Fedex is my least favorite. I've noticed that they let packages sit for huge periods of time in warehouses ... that's why their regular ground delivery will always take them the full allotted time to deliver (even if it is only a mile away). At least UPS makes an attempt to keep things moving.

All three shippers are worthelss when it comes to protecting your items. I've learned to seal EVERYTHING to protect from impact, crushing, and the elements (rain). I've had electronics left in the rain, fragile items crushed, etc. Despite attempts to make damage claims, they all make you jump through hoops and then don't honor it in the end. Their requirements are absurd. UPS required a new box packed inside of a new box with appropriate peanuts or foam between the two layers, etc. Even when I did that, I was screwed because their district manager claimed that they couldn't insure the safety of electronics? WHAT!?? Boy was I mad that day.

After hundreds of Ebay packages, I've learned that USPS is the best by far. They are surprisingly cheap (I was saving $200-500 per week at my Ebay peak compared to UPS), they always deliver on time, and not one item has been lost or damaged. I'm not saying it can't happen, but they are just better at it than UPS or Fedex for some reason.

If I had to rank them, it would go like this: 1.USPS 2.UPS 3.Fedex
Who knows, mabe DHL will figure things out and make everyone happy.

They are my first choice for smaller items (electronic components for example). Definitely cheaper and quicker than UPS (or Fedex) ground. I'll order something from Minnesota on Tuesday afternoon and it's here in New Jersey at my door by midday on Thursday. That's the equivalent of two day air service. Never had a problem with them.

1. Union operation.
2. Profits shared with driver/owners.
3. Not enough competition.

Waiting right now for scheduled delivery, shipped 5 days ago. UPS still insists that no trace can be done until past delivery date, though never scanned into their system. Shipper has documentation noting pick-up. Thank you AMEX; they will refund all monies to me as of tomorrow and then it will indeed be problem between UPS and shipper.

What I know from experience (and wife, previously married to UPS manager) but keep forgetting: 1. Never use UPS; good chance of receiving late or damaged goods. 2. Always use AmEx; they protect the consumer, not the retailer.

: ) no post

This story sounds like day to day operations at DHL (Airborne). Dell and a handful of other companies use DHL, and more often than not they "misplace", lose, or delay shipments coming to our company. Worse possible model for a company I've ever seen. We've never even seen a DHL driver that speaks English as their native language come in the door.

Comparing THAT to UPS, then UPS seems fine. But in my area (Atlanta) UPS has quite a few idiots in the receiving/distribution warehouses as well as a few "duh" drivers as well. I've had package make it to Atlanta in a speedy way, only to get held up for up to two days in the North Atlanta UPS distribution warehouse before they finally get around to putting it on a truck. I've been to that facility though - we're talking some people who are too dumb to flip burgers, given the responsibility of sorting boxes. Years ago one of our local news channels did a special where they did background checks on some UPS drivers and found many of them locally to have criminal records - makes you feel wonderful about the safety of your items, don't it?

One UPS rep from another state once told me however, that Atlanta is a "thorn in their side" as far as finding good employees, go. The idea of what he said was that of course in more urban areas like Atlanta, Baltimore, Detroit, etc., you're going to find much more in the way of delays, errors, theft. They have some other areas of the country where their track record is nearly perfect, so it really depends on the city/region you live in, and the labor force that's available in that area.

Fed Ex has a somewhat better track record here. They're a little stricter with their employees and put up with less crud, watch things a little more carefully, etc.

This past week I was waiting for two packages from two different places (not photography related.) They were both supposed to be delivered on Monday. Tracked them Monday morning and they were both on the truck. It gets to be 6:00, then 7:00 and no package. I look at the tracking information again and it says "Exception" for both and says they will be delivered the next day. Translation -- the driver decided he was through for the day and just didn't bring them to me.

I HATE UPS with a passion.

--
Todd Walker...Canon TenD, Canon GThree, Canon Ess410, and Panasonic Eff Zee 30

My favorite gallery --> http://www.pbase.com/twalker294/gctrip

http://www.toddwalker.net
http://www.twphotography.net
http://www.pbase.com/twalker294

Todd Walker said:

This past week I was waiting for two packages from two different
places (not photography related.) They were both supposed to be
delivered on Monday. Tracked them Monday morning and they were both
on the truck. It gets to be 6:00, then 7:00 and no package. I look
at the tracking information again and it says "Exception" for both
and says they will be delivered the next day. Translation -- the
driver decided he was through for the day and just didn't bring
them to me.

I HATE UPS with a passion.

Click to expand...

I have no complaint with my driver he is the best and goes out of his way for his customers. He has even given my packages when I see his truck out on the road. I know he to is very frustrated with what's going on.

Todd Walker said:

--
Todd Walker...Canon TenD, Canon GThree, Canon Ess410, and Panasonic
Eff Zee 30

My favorite gallery --> http://www.pbase.com/twalker294/gctrip

http://www.toddwalker.net
http://www.twphotography.net
http://www.pbase.com/twalker294

Click to expand...

--
Tanglefoot47
Tulalip Wa.

mike bustad said:

I have no complaint with my driver he is the best and goes out of
his way for his customers. He has even given my packages when I see
his truck out on the road. I know he to is very frustrated with
what's going on.

Click to expand...

You think your driver might want to move to Louisiana? ;-)

--
Todd Walker...Canon TenD, Canon GThree, Canon Ess410, and Panasonic Eff Zee 30

My favorite gallery --> http://www.pbase.com/twalker294/gctrip

http://www.toddwalker.net
http://www.twphotography.net
http://www.pbase.com/twalker294

...literally THREW my box on my front porch. They probably thought nobody was home. My daughter is home sick with me today and I was sitting on the couch and BLAM! I hear a huge noise at the front door. I shoot up to investigate and see the UPS truck pulling out of my driveway. Thank god it wasn't camera gear but c'mon...why can't they be a little more thoughtful when delivering stuff?

But to be fair, many of our packages have been through the ringer with any of the delivery services. They all have issues. Its just the way the world is today. Customer service is just going downhill big time, in all industries.
--
Lou

http://www.naynlou.smugmug.com/
http://www.steadfastdesigns.com

However they schedule things, if I miss the UPS delivery attempt, or if they run behind, the package just stays on the truck and the truck NEVER gets back to the depot before they run off everyone waiting there. So it automatically adds another day because they don't pull the package off the truck until the next morning, and I can't get it until the following eveing.

Todd Walker said:

This past week I was waiting for two packages from two different
places (not photography related.) They were both supposed to be
delivered on Monday. Tracked them Monday morning and they were both
on the truck. It gets to be 6:00, then 7:00 and no package. I look
at the tracking information again and it says "Exception" for both
and says they will be delivered the next day. Translation -- the
driver decided he was through for the day and just didn't bring
them to me.

I HATE UPS with a passion.

--
Todd Walker...Canon TenD, Canon GThree, Canon Ess410, and Panasonic
Eff Zee 30

My favorite gallery --> http://www.pbase.com/twalker294/gctrip

http://www.toddwalker.net
http://www.twphotography.net
http://www.pbase.com/twalker294

Click to expand...

--

This space reserved for a clever phrase, as soon as I find one that hasn't already been taken.

General photos: http://galleries.defenbaugh.net
Expedition photos: http://expeditions.defenbaugh.net
Equipment list in profile

While I've had my issues with most carriers, I just had a good experience with UPS. I had ordered a tripod at B&H. I picked UPS ground shipping, which was supposed to be 5-7 days. It was picked up in NY early on 1/10, and was just delivered to my door in CA today, 1/13, in the morning. That's 3 days for cross country ground shipping.

That said, I don't like packages being thrown over the gate, expensive gear left on the patio without signature, etc., etc.

--
'Great meal. What pots did you use?' -- Petteri

Wolfgang Bluhm
http://www.wbluhm.com/

tdhg566 said:

However they schedule things, if I miss the UPS delivery attempt,

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Oh there was no delivery attempt. First of all I work from home so I was here all day. Second, my driver drops the package on the doorstep and goes back to his truck -- no attempt at a signature at all. Many times he doesn't even ring the bell...

--
Todd Walker...Canon TenD, Canon GThree, Canon Ess410, and Panasonic Eff Zee 30

My favorite gallery --> http://www.pbase.com/twalker294/gctrip

http://www.toddwalker.net
http://www.twphotography.net
http://www.pbase.com/twalker294