Package Delivery From Hell
Written: Aug 09 '01 (Updated Aug 12 '01)
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Pros: You can see your tracked packages every step of the process
Cons: Sometimes their tracking is inaccurate. Customer service isn't.
The Bottom Line: 2nd day air prices aren't worth the time and effort it takes to pay for them. Either pay 1-day express or wait for ground shipment.
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| Mrsfitts's Full Review: UPS 2nd Day Air |
Currently I am not able to walk without crutches. This makes shopping very difficult –if you use a brick and mortar store. I thought I found a way to buy what I wanted without assistance. I could make purchases online and have them delivered to where I’m staying during part of my recuperation! This plan almost worked. If it weren’t for UPS (United Parcel Service) I would’ve thought I was very clever indeed.
This Particular Sad Story
I placed a large order through Amazon.com. I ordered 4 items to be delivered at the same time at the same address. Amazon.com provides a link so that you can see the progress of your packages from ordering to doorstep. Because my time was limited at this particular address, I paid an extra $52.90 to get the items sooner via 2nd Day Air. The regular charge was “No Charge for Items over $99”. The next morning I received email from Amazon.com that they had shipped all 4 items, and I received a tracking number to use on the UPS website for each of the items.
Three items showed that they left LEXINGTON, KY, US and were on their way to GRADE LANE HUB, KY, US. The fourth item showed that a manifest had been picked up at my present location. Cool! One item was already here, I should get it quickly. Well, this is the sad story about that fourth item.
I ordered Libbey 16 Piece Summit Beverage Set. This set of glasses was given the tracking number of 1Z A41 W19 02 2239 881 6 by UPS. For four days this set showed that it was in my town already. I didn’t realize that Amazon.com didn’t have multiple shipping hubs. Now I know, but back to the story.
NOTE: 2-day air doesn’t include the time it takes for Amazon.com to get the ordered items to the UPS shipping hub. 2-day air does not include weekends. I ordered these four items late on a Thursday night. All were delivered to UPS on Friday. That meant that the $52.90 I spent on 2-day air was really for an order that would take FIVE days to get from time of placing order. Not a problem, just make a note of that.
When Will I See You Again?
Monday: I noticed that the three items that said they started in Kentucky are now in Ontario California on their way here. But what about the glasses? Wait! Why does that tracking site now show order 1ZA41W190222398816 in Kentucky! How did it get there? I called up UPS and got a very nice-sounding lady that apologized for the order still being in KY when it should’ve been on it’s way to me, but refused to check on the order or see that it was getting shipped. She stated that only Amazon.com could put a tracer on the glasses, and if the glasses didn’t get to me by Tuesday, only Amazon.com could apply for a refund of the money I paid for the 2-day air shipping.
Tuesday: The UPS tracking site showed that at 7:20am three of the items were scanned at my location and on their way. The glasses still said they were at the shipping hub in Kentucky! I sent a letter to Amazon.com stating that one of the items was still in Kentucky instead of on it’s way to me, and that they were the only contact that UPS would acknowledge to get any action done. I did receive a reply telling me how to track my packages. I already knew that! That’s how I knew where one of my packages was located to let them know that there was a problem. I was not having a warm fuzzy feeling at this point.
One package arrived just before lunch. I stopped the driver who rang the bell and was taking off, that I was expecting three packages to be delivered now, that I knew about the fourth being lost somewhere in KY. He said his truck was a mess but he would look. Three hours later he again rang the bell and stated that these packages were on another truck. The items were delivered on the promised date. The boxes did not look dropped or abused.
75% on time delivery is a quasi-reasonable time; If the shipping was free. But I paid extra to have the items delivered in a timely manner.
Wednesday: No sign of the missing package. No update on the UPS website. I kept checking until 11pm Pacific time. The package still showed it was in KY.
Thursday: I called the UPS 1-800 number because you can not complain via their website. Again I got someone (James) to apologize, but he told me that the package was on the way. The website was finally updated to show that I didn’t get a delivery yesterday because there wasn’t a complete address on the package. When I called again to complain about that, I was again apologized to, and told that the package was on the way.
I was sitting in the house, waiting for the UPS package to arrive. All day I didn’t leave the door unattended. Around 4pm I notice that there’s a box sitting on a plastic chair on the porch. I go out to the porch, and the obviously damaged box is just sitting there. No doorbell, no knock, the UPS driver dumped off the obviously damaged package and got out of there as fast as possible. I just had to lift one corner of the tire-marked, crumpled box to hear the tinkling of more than 16 pieces of glassware. I got the box inside, and opened the UPS carton. The package of glasses was only protected on three of six sides with bubble wrap. The lid was partially opened and I could see without removing anything that many of the glasses were shattered. One glass only had the bottom left to discern it ever was a drinking glass. I went to the Amazon.com website, and all that could offer me was an address label and instructions to take the package to the United States Post Office. If I could carry packages around, I wouldn’t need to order items online right now! There had to be a better way.
The website showed that the delivery was made at 3:35pm. At 4:10 I again was on the phone to UPS. Again I got an apology. This time I was not nice, and I did not accept the apology. I said “I got an apology when you scanned the package wrong and left it on a shelf for 4 days. I got an apology when I didn’t get the package as promised on Tuesday. I got an apology when I didn’t get the package on Wednesday because your people couldn’t read a clearly typed address label, and now I’m getting an apology for having a crushed box with shattered contents. I do NOT want an apology. I want ACTION!" The lady on the phone said that she couldn’t handle that, and I was transferred to a Larry.
Larry apologized. I again told him that I was tired of apologies. I’ve had lots of apologies from the various UPS clerks, and it was time for some action, not meaningless words. I also explained that I am currently handicapped, and could not take this box of shattered glass anywhere.
Larry kept me on the phone for 20 minutes, taking down all the pertinent information. The original price of the glasses, the tracking number, just the fact, ma’am. He did not want to know about the driver that dumped off the package and ran off without knocking or using a doorbell. He did not want to know how the package was to arrive two days ago. He is a very straightforward type that keeps mad customers cool. I really wanted someone to complain to about my package from heck. But getting that box of glass pieces back to Amazon.com was important too. So I played along. Larry arranged for a driver to show up at my house the next day to pick the package up. He even gave me the option to leave the package where I found it so I wouldn’t have to spend another day waiting all day for an UPS driver.
Friday: A nice man who looked like Don Knotts, arrived at 10am and picked up the crushed box with shattered glass. He informed me that if I ever had a problem again, UPS is always glad to help me out.
Friday afternoon I received the following e-mail from UPS Customer Support in response to my complaint about the crushed box and shattered glass:
Dear UPS Customer:
Thank you for your inquiry. Our system indicates that the package
was delivered to XXXX ELM CREEK DRIVE XXX Xxxxx, XX
on 0X/XX/01 at 3:35 p.m. The package was driver released onto
the porch.
We hope this information is helpful. If we may assist you in
future, please feel free to contact us.
Thank you for using UPS Internet Services.
Linda
My Final Answer
I am one unhappy customer. They wouldn’t listen when I tried to tell them there was a problem early on. After the problem escalated, all I got were auto-apologies. No promise of action, just an “I apologize for your inconvenience”. I have not yet received reimbursement for the 2-day shipping charges, since they will only deal with Amazon.com. I haven’t gotten another response to my last two emails to Amazon.com so I don’t know what they plan to do.
Christmas season is coming soon. I definitely won’t be using UPS for shipping any of my Christmas packages unless something changes between now and December. The same could be said of Amazon.com, but that’s another review.
***Here is the Copy and Paste from the UPS website (http://wwwapps.ups.com/etracking/tracking.cgi )
Status: Delivered
Delivered on: Xxx x, 2001 3:35 P.M.
Location: PORCH
Delivered to: XXX XXXXX, XX US
Shipped or Billed on: Xxx x, 2001
Tracking Number: 1Z A41 W19 02 2239 881 6
Service Type: 2ND DAY AIR
Weight: 23.00 Lbs
This Truly was the Package Delivery From Hell Experience
Recommended:
No
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Epinions.com ID:
Mrsfitts
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Member: Pam Fitts
Location: SF Bay Area, CA
Reviews written: 203
Trusted by: 442 members
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