UPS nightmare

[synop7]

Good morning

Any of you guys experimented problems with UPS?

I might have a story that could be used as a fair
warning

I wanna hear from ya to make sure my case is not an isolated incident

[ricochet]

I've had lots of things broken by UPS, including some you wouldn't expect could be broken. (Some of which were irreplaceable antiques, and I had to repair what I could and live with the rest.) I've never gotten any kind of compensation out of them, either. The claim has to be filed by the sender, BTW, not the recipient. Most sellers hate to deal with them. I get lots of stuff brought by them, though, and many sellers offer no shipping alternatives. Most things I've gotten from them have been fine. Anything shipped that way needs to be packaged anticipating violent impacts, as that's what it'll likely receive.

"A cheerful heart is good medicine."

[maxx england]

I have a serious suggestion about using any carrier.

Apart from crating (big strong heavy in-dee-structable box), try doing what I did with a motorcycle engine some years back.

Find out what maximum chemical hazard your carrier will tolerate & then cover the crate with all the labels & warnings you can. Trust me, the thing will be babied from door to door. Labels like Toxic, Corrosive, they're OK, but for best effect try Self Heating Solid or Organic Peroxide.

[bighollowtwang]

UPS - reads like "oops" for a good reason.

[ricochet]

There's a thread about this over on Guitar Noise. There are horror stories about Fedex and every other carrier, but the only one I've had problems with (and that repeatedly) is UPS.

"A cheerful heart is good medicine."

[maxx england]

Don't know what it's like anywhere else, but transport warehouses in the UK have a reputation for employing individuals blessed with the IQ of a plank & the caring behaviour of an autistic baboon. We used WPS & pronounced it "whoops". We tried various until we ended up with ANC. Even now we tend to think the W at the start is silent.

[alias]

The worst, bar none.
I've has packages lost, broken, left on the porch, etc.
They have double billed me numerous times. ( I wonder how often they are double paid. )
The worst though is their customs brokerage.
They charge a bundle for what U.S.P.S. or Fed Ex does for free.
I would rather have the plague than deal with them.

[drake]

It took the driver four days to get a package to me. They claimed each time that delivery was attempted, but no one was there. That was at my work and there were three of us there the whole time. The drivedr never actually came up to our floor!
Finally, I requested that they deliver to a street level business nearby and was able to get my package.
UPS just gets worse from year to year.

[ricochet]

[updated:LAST EDITED ON Aug-27-05 AT 12:43 PM (EST)]Our USPS postman routinely drives up to our mailbox on the street when my wife's at home looking out the kitchen window, sometimes out working in the yard, and leaves those "we tried to deliver your package" notices in the box. I doubt the packages ever make it into his jeep.

Lately I've ordered some jewelry for my wife and daughter on several occasions from: http://jegem.com/ They're in Bangkok. If I give my home address to ship it to, it comes by USPS, takes forever to arrive, and I have to take that infernal notice down to the post office to collect my package. But if I give 'em my business address, it goes Fedex and arrives two days later! Haven't had any handling complaints with Fedex.

"A cheerful heart is good medicine."

[mickeypainless]

I've had everything from cheap import tiki torches to expensive medical equip. shipped both UPS and FedEx and never had a problem yet! Knock wood! Both of the guitars I've ordered from MF have come well packed and nary a ding or dent in the shipping box! Hmmmmm.... good karma I reckon!

[maxx england]

Where I work, we sent 3 boxes to 3 different European addresses on the same day once, and yes, they all went to the wrong addresses. Perhaps Fedex and UPS should merge and call themselves "Fuxup".

[bosco]

Perhaps Fedex and UPS should merge and call themselves "Fuxup".

That's a popular joke on this side of the pond, but the standard answer is "Fed-Up."

[david iii]

Where I work, we ship over 1,000 packages every day, mostly by UPS. With those numbers, the majority make their way without any problem.... however(!) we've seen UPS break rifle stocks. We get packages returned that have tire tread marks on the flattened boxes.
At home, our UPS driver regularly reports that he tried delivering something when we know he didn't because he didn't want to drive out to the house.
Meanwhile, we just do not see problems here with Fed-Ex. Having said that, I'm waiting for a new guitar and it will now show up flat.

[ricochet]

I've got a Czech M98/22 Mauser that UPS broke badly right through the wrist. It was packed as well as most rifles I've seen shipped. Wasn't any point submitting a claim for something that couldn't be replaced, especially with their usual policy of taking possession of what they cover. I was able to glue it back so it's quite functional and takes a close inspection to recognize as having been broken, but it's still "damaged goods."

"A cheerful heart is good medicine."

[oh well]

i've seen UPS trucks in sf with the back doors open and packages falling out and getting run over. the only complaint i have with them, though, is that when i ordered a guitar the driver rang my doorbell and said, 'hey, kid, this your violin?'