UPS sucks

Time to Karen up and ask for the manager. Then ask the manager to show you the written policy.

When I was having service parts shipped to UPS drops all over the region, I kept my own database of their hours for all our techs. Frustrating as hell to drive to Pendleton or Hermiston for a pickup and find a sign that they are only open M,W,F after 3PM or some such. Tech day wasted OOS assigned to a call, second trip required, etc.

As weird as it seems, every UPS customer center has policy leeway on a lot of things. They set their own hours, etc. Worse with Fedex.

Also true of their interpretation of the law. We had Fedex locations that would not ship or receive any package with the required label for Lithium batteries. The law said those "may not travel on any aircraft serving passengers." I used to go around with Fedex all the time on that one. "Just how many passengers do Fedex planes carry? NONE - Can you explain your policy?" Eventually you would get to " There doesn't have to be a reason for it, it's our policy. "

I do think some FedEx packages at times do end up on commercial flights with passengers. I had to take HazMat training to ship with FedEx and took two days of online reading then testing. Some items are no-go on passenger flights but others are okay in small quantities with sufficient packaging. Interestingly enough, UPS and FedEx interpretations of HazMat diverge significantly for items we ship in small quantities per parcel (adhesives, epoxies, lithium batteries). FedEx had more hurdles re labeling, declarations and available methods could ship the materials.
 
Think this is a symptom of a strained labor market. Companies have had to lower their employment standards to get any workers ...... much less competent ones!
 
Think this is a symptom of a strained labor market. Companies have had to lower their employment standards to get any workers ...... much less competent ones!
Apparently, USPS has gone with a contractor to do their hiring. No more drug test or detailed background checks like they used to have. A mail carrier told me this.
 
Escalate within UPS if did not find at a neighbor's porch.

UPS drivers are geo-tracked. I had a package delivered to a similar yet incorrect address such as should be 123 S Main Way and instead UPS dropped off at 123 S Main Loop. Anyway, I spend a lot with UPS for business and contacted my rep to explain the driver messed up but I needed to know where to go to see if my package was at the incorrect location. Driver was contacted and all ended well as the Porch Pirates were apparently sleeping in that day. As for UPS vs. FedEx, will take UPS any day. DHL does to do point to point within the U.S. though does bring me stuff from overseas and they are no better than FedEx much less UPS. USPS has done a great job for me though is not as convenient as having UPS coming by daily to pick up outbound items.
Thanks that is good to know.

The photos that these drivers take still baffles me though. Five feet directly above where my parcel was sitting yesterday is my neighbor's address number on the side of his house. Or how about instead of a blurry picture of the ground we get coordinates or a waypoint instead? We have the technology.
 
I do think some FedEx packages at times do end up on commercial flights with passengers. I had to take HazMat training to ship with FedEx and took two days of online reading then testing. Some items are no-go on passenger flights but others are okay in small quantities with sufficient packaging. Interestingly enough, UPS and FedEx interpretations of HazMat diverge significantly for items we ship in small quantities per parcel (adhesives, epoxies, lithium batteries). FedEx had more hurdles re labeling, declarations and available methods could ship the materials.
Since the regs for lithium batteries cover loose batteries, we would have to install them in throw away PCI cards to move them in Alaska. To get anything to the interior, its Alaska Air freight. They use 737 "Combi" planes. Freight in the front, passengers in the back. The first time I rode one to Bethel, it took a bit to get used to the big black wall two rows ahead of me. AK Air Frieght were always great to work with.
 
The only one worth anything anymore is FedEx. UPS is alright and the postal service is just sad. I remember shipping some ammo a couple years ago and I went to three UPS stores before I finally found someone who had a clue.
 
It seems to depend on where you are. UPS for me in Colorado is pretty pathetic. I'll get a delivery window notification and then they will change it two or three times in the course of a couple of days. The last time I got notified of a deliver window on Monday for a Wednesday delivery that then changed to Friday and then back to Wednesday and the package came on Thursday and then I got the delivered notification on Friday. I think all the shipping companies just need to focus on admitting that they can't get things to you as fast as they once could. I'd rather wait a few days longer but then actually get the delivery when they told me it was coming. With all the porch thieves I don't like packages to sit outside for more than a minute or two.
 
UPS store isn't necessarily UPS although I don't know how they're linked. That being said from best to lowest service my experience is UPS USPS SpeeDee FedEx. If you want something stolen, thrown in a ditch or lost in shipping use fedex..... just my experience
 
My intentions were clear. I was simply shipping a barrel. I never hid that fact. If UPS policy does not allow barrels. So be it. I won’t ship through them anymore. They opened the package after I told them it was gun parts.
I tried to ship a rifle scope through a UPS store a year or two ago and the guy acted like I'd presented him a severed human head to mail.
 
If you have the option, go to the UPS distribution center to ship items. Employees at the UPS stores aren’t knowledgable on the shipping rules but typically the workers at the center are pretty good.
I know the UPS stores near me won’t accept any packages gun or ammo related, I have to ship at the distribution center.
 
If you have the option, go to the UPS distribution center to ship items. Employees at the UPS stores aren’t knowledgable on the shipping rules but typically the workers at the center are pretty good.
I know the UPS stores near me won’t accept any packages gun or ammo related, I have to ship at the distribution center.
Exactly. The UPS stores are independently owned and operated and may have different regulations than a UPS hub. mtmuley
 
I am friends with the lady who use to own the UPS Stores in this area. To a lesser extent I am friends with her daughter who presently owns the Stores. I've seen these gals almost in teers when talking about trying to hire people who might have more than two working brain cells, to work in the stores. That's probably a big part of the problem.

I had a fishing rod delivered by UPS. The driver told me that he used to be a fishing guide, and he knew that about half of fishing rods shipped by UPS arrive broken. So, he waited for me to open the package and sure enough it was broken. He took it back on the spot. No hassle of me having to ship it back. I like that guy.
 
I actually worked at UPS in college. I watched in amazement as snow skis were snapped in half at the sorting facility. I also watched in a shrink wrapped European moose rack (huge) went by on the conveyer. I always wondered if it made it.
 
I actually worked at UPS in college. I watched in amazement as snow skis were snapped in half at the sorting facility. I also watched in a shrink wrapped European moose rack (huge) went by on the conveyer. I always wondered if it made it.
Apprenticed @airline luggage handlers.
 
UPS store isn't necessarily UPS although I don't know how they're linked. That being said from best to lowest service my experience is UPS USPS SpeeDee FedEx. If you want something stolen, thrown in a ditch or lost in shipping use fedex..... just my experience
Plus one on that. Ordered some parts to rebuild Moma’s 25 year old Maytag dryer this last winter. 150.00 bucks in parts an afternoon of my time, the thing keeps on running. Parts never arrived. Called supplier they checked on their end, Fed Ex shipping number showed delivered. Called local fed ex. Had that classic yes we did no you didn’t conversation. Called the parts company. Ordered more parts with the understanding no fed ex. Paid for USPS. Got my parts, fixed the dryer I”m a hero. About a week later the snow has melted. Wife comes in from yoga asks me to go clean a bunch of litter out of the ditch near our road. Yep, my parts.
 

Latest posts

Forum statistics

Threads
114,009
Messages
2,041,030
Members
36,429
Latest member
Dusky
Back
Top