A hate letter to UPS

[ellen_datlow]

Here's the letter I'm actually sending:

April 24, 2008

UPS Corporate Headquarters
55 Glenlake Parkway, NE
Atlanta , GA 30328
United States

To whom it may concern:

I’ve used UPS pick up service for several years, but in the past year the service has become spectacularly bad. I always phoned in my pickups and although there were occasional bungles I was pretty happy with it. I decided to try your online service. A few weeks ago, I put through the order, received a tracking number and waited--I called at 7pm to find out where the driver was and was asked for my “request number.” As I had other received a tracking number, I was nonplussed, but the person on the phone managed to get some poor UPS guy out here around 9pm.

Yesterday, I was very careful when I created my online order and looked specifically for such a “request number” but no option for such a number ever came up as I filled in the online forms. So just to make sure everything was ok when the order was put through I phoned UPS to find out why I didn’t not receive an option for such a “request number” and see if I could get help for acquiring one. The person on the phone talked me through the online form --(which no place indicated that such a thing as “request number” exists) by clicking on some arcane part of the form that is a mystery…and voila! A request number was issued. So I was happy.

At least until today. At 5:08 I called UPS because guess what? NO PICKUP although I received email confirmation and online confirmation that today’s pick up (scheduled yesterday) would be by 5pm. I read my request number to the person on the phone and guess what? It’s NOT IN THE FRIGGING SYSTEM! She said she could reschedule a pickup for tomorrow and I calmly explained that it’s got to be today as I’ve been waiting ALL day for the pick up stuck in my apt and besides I was leaving town tomorrow. She said she’d call one of the drivers and have him pick the package up this evening (and that someone would call me back to confirm this).

6:05pm: After a discussion with yet another UPS minion, I discovered that there was still no record of the pick up in the system. I had to give the man on the phone my credit card info and for the privilege of the screw-up I was charged the $5+ pick up charge for same day pick rather than the $3+ charge for next day pick up ordered online. At the very least, I want that money back! This all despite the fact that I received confirmations yesterday via email and online for the initial missing pick up. Someone (supposedly) will pick up the carton by midnight. Lucky me. I’m switching over to the USPS for future pick-ups. Your service has been unbelievably awful. How do you stay in business?

A former customer


Finale: The very nice UPS man just came (8:50 pm).

Comments

[mtrimm1.livejournal.com]

Ya know, the good ol' USPS has at-home pickup now...;)

[ellen-datlow.livejournal.com]

They do? Their service can hardly be worse...Maybe I’ll switch. I worry though that they don’t take cartons with “advertising” on them and a lot of my cartons are reusables. But I think I may try them next time….
Thanks

[yendi]

The free pickup is only for Priority (or faster) service. For parcel post, they charge $14 or so (per pickup, although you can have as many packages as you'd like picked up for that price). Not sure about recycling boxes.

[ellen-datlow.livejournal.com]

Well that sucks. It's not worth sending the books at all then.

[ellen-datlow.livejournal.com]

Actually, priority might not be any more expensive than UPS --I just called the post office and it would be $28.30 for the box currently awaiting UPS....whihc is comparable... I have to set up a "click and ship" account, which I'm going to look into... there may be light at the end of the tunnel (although I'm still stuck with UPS this time)

[mtrimm1.livejournal.com]

All you need to do is mark out anything that doesn't pertain to what you're presently shipping. That should do it.

[mtrimm1.livejournal.com]

Er, as far as 'advertising' on the used boxes goes, that is...

[ellen-datlow.livejournal.com]

Thanks Wolf and Mikal!

[ravenelectrick.livejournal.com]

The online system does sound messed up, but I think the other half of the equation is that the drivers don't check to see what requests have come in online or by phone. I tried to reschedule a delivery that required a signature, thought I was all set for a few days after the original delivery, and the driver showed up the next day, leaving me a "once more and this goes back" message. I rescheduled again, but decided not to take a chance. Lo and behold, the driver showed up the following day (still not the scheduled delivery day), but I was waiting for him this time. I asked him what was up, why I needed to intercept the package on a day it wasn't supposed to be delivered, and he just smiled and shrugged.

I think if it falls out of their "drop and run" routine, your chances for success diminish significantly.

[ellen-datlow.livejournal.com]

My "regular" UPS man tries to help advise but whatever he tells me to do gets screwed up anyway (by the office). He told me to say I was a business and that someone HAD to come by 5pm ...they ignored me.
I hate them I hate them I hate them. I'm prepping my letter (slightly editing but not much) from the above...

[wolfsilveroak.livejournal.com]

USPS will take recycled boxes as long as you take a black marker to any possible addresses, etc on them.

That's how I send most of my packages when I us USPS.

And Fed Ex isn't much better than UPS.}:/

[lagilman]

FedEx is worse -- I paid for overnight shipping on an envelope and they decided, without contacting me or the delivery address, that since they were running behind on deliveries and the office would be closed on Christmas eve anyway, they didn't have to deliver it that day.

My lawyer (who was waiting for the letter to arrive) was Not Amused.



(edited, as usual, for typos)

[wolfsilveroak.livejournal.com]

I can imagine. Sheesh.

[julia-sevin.livejournal.com]

I was so delighted to enroll with FedEx last month. We live out in the boonies - only $4 for pickups? FANTASTIC!

Until I look over the invoices (yesterday) and see that it's $12 for each ground pickup. Niiiice.

There's no way to win. Best choice for a small bookseller, IMO, is just hitting the P.O. twice a week with Media Mail and dropping non-mediamailable business things at FedEx. (I'm assuming, of course, that you have a FedEx within forty minutes of you, as I don't.)

[ellen-datlow.livejournal.com]

Living in NYC I don't have a car, so lugging a 30-40 pound carton around the city is NOT an option.

[julia-sevin.livejournal.com]

Well, you're just screwed then, arentcha?

Seriously, best of luck in finding the least of all evil solutions.

[ellen-datlow.livejournal.com]

We'll see how USPO does next time.

[bevlovesbooks.livejournal.com]

I've used USPS tons of times. You just print the proper postage on your computer, request a pickup online, and tape the postage to the box. It is so easy. I can't remember the last time I went to the post office.

I'm not sure about media mail, but I re-use old boxes all the time.

[ellen-datlow.livejournal.com]

This wouldn't be considered media mail but priority mail so I'm not sure that makes a difference. You mean you don't have to cover the advertising on the boxes?

[bevlovesbooks.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure what the rules are on that. I have covered boxes with wrapping paper (for birthdays and so on), brown craft paper, and a few times left the boxes untouched. I have a toddler, so we go through a ton of boxes of disposable diapers (I know... environment, but...). I've sent Pampers boxes with just the postage taped to the outside, and it was never refused. I think you have to take a black permanent marker and scribble out anything that looks like a barcode or old address, so as not to confuse the USPS scanners.

I don't remember if there are time constraints on how much lead-time you must give the carrier. I have packaged and printed postage late at night, and it was picked up the next day.

Did I mention that their pickup service is free? This ends the public service announcement for the USPS.

[k-dunlap.livejournal.com]

"A former customer"

A signature used by many, many businesses lately... We have a tri-state carrier [speed-ee or something like that] that work uses for local, and they suck up the expense for FedEx for shipments going further out. And from the way they all talk, most of the businesses in our town are doing that.

And while the USPS may have home delivery, I don't trust them any more than UPS. UPS will never pick it up, give you crap customer service, and tell you it's not in the system. USPS will do this...



[yes, THEY mutilated it and then shrink wrapped it back together out of the kindness of their hearts. Yah, media mail!]

[ellen-datlow.livejournal.com]

Oh boy. Well, the USPO did manage to lose at least one large carton that was sent from one of their stations but I still think it's worth trying again...
and I don't really expect a response from UPS about my complaints.

[apexdigest.livejournal.com]

Oh Ellen, sounds like we could share many wonderful stories.

I've spent the last four years of my life fighting with the USPS and UPS.