UPS shipping vs. 100mm f/2.8L IS USM

Drove 40 minutes to UPS this morning (because I work 5 days a week and can't take a day off work to be home for their 12 hour delivery window).

The brown box looked good. Went in my car and opened up the box to find the box for my EF 100mm f/2.8L IS USM nice and soggy. The instruction booklet for it was soaked through and through. The lens itself seemed fine but I wasn't going to chance it. Plus I want a nice box and instruction booklet anyway so I called B&H and have to RMA it. B&H asked if I was able to see if the lens was working. I didn't have my camera with me but I don't care if it works today, I'm worried about it working 6 months from now.

The brown UPS box was undamaged; I noticed the shipping label had water stains on it though and had been re-attached to this nice new box.

So UPS, figuring I wouldn't want a damaged box, was nice enough to re-package the box for me. Guess they figured I'd be okay with the damaged contents and let it get to me anyway rather than returning it themselves and saying "we messed up".

How does a box get soaked anyway? From the boxes are picked up aren't they either on a truck or on an airplane or in a warehouse?

I usually pay an extra 3 or 4 dollars to get stuff shipped via FedEx simply because to pick stuff up after a missed delivery is only 20 minutes away from my house vs 40. From now on I'll always do FedEx even if UPS is free.

I realize that there are horror stories about every big company including FedEx and people who would say they're only doing UPS from now on; I guess I'll just keep going back and forth. I've never had a problem with DHL or FedEx though.

Sorry if this gets reposted... I tried once and didn't see it.

Called UPS to complain.

Apparently it isn't on me to complain, its on B&H Photo.

Nevermind the tolls I paid and 40 minutes out of my day that could have been prevented had UPS owned up to damaging my shipment and sending it back to B&H. Instead they tried their luck hoping I'd just take it and not do anything. Now, in a week after my new shipment goes out I'll have to drive another 40 minutes and pay tolls because they will inevitably deliver my package while I'm working.

This is one of the more interesting lens comparison threads. Did you do a comparison against FedEx and DHL as well?

There may be more corner sharpness in FedEx but I hear DHL's are built better...

Drew Conway said:

This is one of the more interesting lens comparison threads. Did you do a comparison against FedEx and DHL as well?

Click to expand...

No comparison. I'm sure they'll be sending UPS again. Hopefully I got a bad sample of the box because it was very soft and dull (soggy too) especially at the corners. I'm hoping my 2nd sample will be crisp and sharp at all corners. If it is, then I'm sure the manual will be sharp enough for a paper cut, the first one I didn't have time to ring out and blow dry.

I'd be very leery of mounting a lens that may have gotten wet on one of my own cameras. Let B&H try it on one of their camera bodies.

FunkyELF said:

Drew Conway said:

This is one of the more interesting lens comparison threads. Did you do a comparison against FedEx and DHL as well?

Click to expand...

No comparison. I'm sure they'll be sending UPS again. Hopefully I got a bad sample of the box because it was very soft and dull (soggy too) especially at the corners. I'm hoping my 2nd sample will be crisp and sharp at all corners. If it is, then I'm sure the manual will be sharp enough for a paper cut, the first one I didn't have time to ring out and blow dry.

Click to expand...

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FunkyELF said:

Called UPS to complain.

Apparently it isn't on me to complain, its on B&H Photo.

Nevermind the tolls I paid and 40 minutes out of my day that could have been prevented had UPS owned up to damaging my shipment and sending it back to B&H. Instead they tried their luck hoping I'd just take it and not do anything. Now, in a week after my new shipment goes out I'll have to drive another 40 minutes and pay tolls because they will inevitably deliver my package while I'm working.

Click to expand...

Why don't you have them ship it to your work?
--
The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of
comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and
controversy. MLK

I have always been able to get B&H to ship to my office without any problems.

Kevin

Where I live (Singapore) the local UPS will always allow an alternative shipping address once the shipment arrives in country (even though B&H) always insist on shipping to billing address) and will always arrange a time to suit when I'm at home which can be anytime up to 9:30 at night.

sacentre

curradob said:

FunkyELF said:

Called UPS to complain.

Apparently it isn't on me to complain, its on B&H Photo.

Nevermind the tolls I paid and 40 minutes out of my day that could have been prevented had UPS owned up to damaging my shipment and sending it back to B&H. Instead they tried their luck hoping I'd just take it and not do anything. Now, in a week after my new shipment goes out I'll have to drive another 40 minutes and pay tolls because they will inevitably deliver my package while I'm working.

Click to expand...

Why don't you have them ship it to your work?
--
The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of
comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and
controversy. MLK

Click to expand...

I guess many people have their stories to tell about UPS and similar services... my girlfriend once ordered a handbag. It arrived (not via UPS but via another national parcel service) with a horrible stench of cigarettes.

But aside from the sad story about UPS messing up the delivered item, their delivery times (well,the delivery times of any parcel service) are a real joke... after all, even in this economy a majority of the people still have the pleasure to work over day for their income.

And now comes one of the best inventions in recent years:

In my country DHL has installed so-called "Packstationen", essentially large vending-machine-like self-service terminals. In every major city they have several of these machins. Each Packstation has its own address, and you can have the package delivered to the packstation instead of your home adress. You receive a short message and/or email once your shipment arrives and then you can pick it up whenever you like 24/7, so you can get your shipment delivered close to where you live and you can pick it up independently of the usually rather restricted office hours. You can even pay per cash on delivery if you like, and you can even send parcels from there.

I don't know if DHL has something similar in the US or other countries, because I think preferring self-service is a typical German habit...

The only real downside of the Packstation system is that you have to register with DHL to make full use of it.

I agree, I have the same problem, and just have them ship it to my work. Of course you have to trust your coworkers to make sure a package gets to you.
--
~K

Even in large companies like UPS/FedEx.

Reason,an employee who doesn't want to risk getting fired cos he spilled a glass of water on a $1000 package,just covers it up.You can't really say that it is the company's fault,idiot employees like that exist everywhere.So sh_ t happens......

Whats important is if the company will take its share of responsibility and compensate a potential damage.
--
Artificial intelligence can't beat natural stupidity......

curradob said:

FunkyELF said:

Called UPS to complain.

Apparently it isn't on me to complain, its on B&H Photo.

Nevermind the tolls I paid and 40 minutes out of my day that could have been prevented had UPS owned up to damaging my shipment and sending it back to B&H. Instead they tried their luck hoping I'd just take it and not do anything. Now, in a week after my new shipment goes out I'll have to drive another 40 minutes and pay tolls because they will inevitably deliver my package while I'm working.

Click to expand...

Why don't you have them ship it to your work?

Click to expand...

We used to be allowed to do this. I don't work in a small place with 100 employees. We have 3 buildings with about 3,000 people and with that come a big mailroom with rules / bureaucracy.

I think its dumb and so do the people in the mailroom. Oh well.

klphotos said:

I have always been able to get B&H to ship to my office without any problems.

Kevin

Click to expand...

see http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1029&message=34702086

LeonXTR said:

Even in large companies like UPS/FedEx.

Reason,an employee who doesn't want to risk getting fired cos he spilled a glass of water on a $1000 package,just covers it up.You can't really say that it is the company's fault,idiot employees like that exist everywhere.So sh_ t happens......

Whats important is if the company will take its share of responsibility and compensate a potential damage.

Click to expand...

I hope B&H goes after UPS and gets some compensation.
They can use the lens as a demo or something.
I'll be upset if I get back the same lens with a new box / instruction booklet.

I took a picture of the number on the back of the lens... I'm assuming thats the serial number.

Got my replacement today.

The one I returned had a serial number of 19xxxxx but the one I just got now has a serial number of 17xxxxx

Anything to be concerned about?

It didn't look bad. Any way to tell if it was a floor model? Can you find out how many pictures were taken?

I got mine yesterday from B&H. The serial number is 18xxxxx. Not sure if that has any significance. There is a date code, UX1200 = Dec. 2009.

Mine looked unopened, the packaging was neat and tight in the box. So far, so good. Sharpness seems close to the non-is version, but that's what I was expecting from the reviews. I bought it for the IS, which I'll have to check out more when the weather is nicer around here.

FunkyELF said:

Got my replacement today.

The one I returned had a serial number of 19xxxxx but the one I just got now has a serial number of 17xxxxx

Anything to be concerned about?

It didn't look bad. Any way to tell if it was a floor model? Can you find out how many pictures were taken?

Click to expand...

--
http://www.ronhartman.net

What you describe sounds like fraud; if UPS changed the box a shipment was sent in to hide water damage they've caused I don't know how else to describe it. Of course this is taking you at your word, but, given my dealings with UPS, I have no doubt. Their drivers have dropped boxes lenses were shipped in, deliberately, to free their hands. They'll (sometimes) decide, at the driver's discretion, to require a signature, or not to, regardless of what's in their work order. I've ordered gear (not photographic) which has been delivered to my neighbors.

Call B&H, and have them get a refund from UPS for whatever you paid for shipping, on top of whatever else you're doing to make this right.

I must say the UPS stands for OOPS,,,I have seen many issues over the years with damage to packages..Thank god for insurance..

And, ,B and H is a great store,, I have used them for over a year now and they are top notch,,,especially with returns...and exchanges,,they are very fair!!!

I happen to know that in some parts of the country FedEx and UPS share shipping channels. Most of the time when you ship via FedEx your shipment is being handled by UPS employees anyway. I'd say go with DHL, I'm pretty sure they are self-contained.

I had thought about it and really, it could have been B&H or UPS. With the snow up in New York who knows what could have happened in the back if my box was sitting at the bottom of a pile. So I realized I shouldn't be so quick to assume it was UPS.

Then I thought some more and I was probably right.

If B&H repackaged my box, they have other 100mm 2.8L's in stock and could have easily swapped it out.

And.... here's the key....

When I got this new shipment from FedEx I noticed that the outside brown box had some kind of brown B&H tape. The box I got from UPS didn't. Pretty sure it was UPS.