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UPS Blues, or When Ground Doesn't Mean Overnight

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  • #1

    UPS Blues, or When Ground Doesn't Mean Overnight

    I work for a small-to-medium-sized company that sells surplus electronics. We get buyers from all over the world. We're located in Los Angeles County. One of our regular buyers is also located in Los Angeles County, no more than 50 miles away from us.

    Today, our sales staff got a call from the customer, bitching up a storm about not receiving a package that we shipped last night. He had received his daily deliveries, and it was not among them. As the Shipping Manager, I get this second-hand, from the sales clerk. The customer insists that Ground from our location to their location is only one day, and since the UPS website only shows, "Billing information Received," that means that we never actually shipped the package.

    Never mind that UPS doesn't guarantee next-day delivery for Ground shipments even if your customer is across the street. Never mind that every single one of our shipments from last night (except for the Reds and Internationals) shows the same status (which indicates, to me, that they probably reached their sorting facility, but haven't been sorted yet). None of that is important to the customer. Most of their shipments from us make it in one business day, therefore they should all make it in one day, in their eyes.

    I tried to explain to the salesperson that if they need it next-day, they need to pay for next-day service. UPS makes no guarantees about Ground service, just a general, "usually within 5 days," statement. But this salesperson has a hard time being firm with customers, so I don't think the message will be delivered in the firm, no-nonsense delivery that it needs. I'm betting that we'll be shipping their next shipment on our dime, as an "apology for the inconvenience."
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  • #2
    Hummph... He probably misses the "past performance doesn't guarantee future results" disclamer when investing, too.

    By chance, do you work at A-- Electronics? I buy from them once in awhile, and you'd think they hand-carried it to the local post office, they are so efficient.
    Suckiness is reinforced up OR down at every transaction. Accepting BS makes them worse for all of us; firm fairness trains them to suck less.

    Comment

    • #3
      UPS Blues? Coincidence, or stealth pun? YOU Decide

      Quoth Automan Empire View Post
      you'd think they hand-carried it to the local post office, they are so efficient.
      My car insurance place is like that. I don't think it's ever taken more than a day for my receipt to get to my house.
      "For a musician, the SNES sound engine is like using Crayola Crayons. Nobuo Uematsu used Crayola Crayons to paint the Sistine Chapel." - Jeremy Jahns (re: "Dancing Mad")
      "The difference between an amateur and a master is that the master has failed way more times." - JoCat
      "Thinking is difficult, therefore let the herd pronounce judgment!" ~ Carl Jung
      "There's burning bridges, and then there's the lake just to fill it with gasoline." - Wiccy, reddit
      "Retail is a cruel master, and could very well be the most educational time of many people's lives, in its own twisted way." - me
      "Love keeps her in the air when she oughta fall down...tell you she's hurtin' 'fore she keens...makes her a home." - Capt. Malcolm Reynolds, "Serenity" (2005)
      Acts of Gord – Read it, Learn it, Love it!
      "Our psychic powers only work if the customer has a mind to read." - me

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      • #4
        Quoth Automan Empire View Post
        By chance, do you work at A-- Electronics? I buy from them once in awhile, and you'd think they hand-carried it to the local post office, they are so efficient.
        No, that's not us. And I wouldn't compare anyone to our local post office here. I'm half-convinced that the local one is the LA County Omega Squad. Their efficiency is laughable.

        Surprisingly, the salesperson DID stand up to the customer, who huffed off and bitched at UPS, who said exactly the same thing. "You're getting what you're paying for." Sometimes, the SC's DO get put in their place. =^_^=

        Comment

        • #5
          Shoot, try to get UPS to guarantee even their Next Day Air service. I can guarantee you that they'll find any loophole they can to not make good on it. Or for that matter, have them explain how a package that is out for delivery suddenly disappears. If someone can explain that, I can calm a customer down who was waiting for some documents that never showed up.
          Random conversation:
          Me: Okay..so I think I get why Zoro wears a bandana
          DDD: Cuz it's cool
          So, by using the Doctor's reasoning, bow ties, fezzes and bandanas are cool.

          Comment

          • #6
            Quoth fma_fanatic View Post
            Shoot, try to get UPS to guarantee even their Next Day Air service. I can guarantee you that they'll find any loophole they can to not make good on it. Or for that matter, have them explain how a package that is out for delivery suddenly disappears. If someone can explain that, I can calm a customer down who was waiting for some documents that never showed up.
            Sounds like a good post for Sightings.

            Now back to the sucky customer.

            I'm very familiar with the phenomenon you've described. We have a reseller who constantly complains if she doesn't have her order in three days.

            Why?

            Because we are usually fast enough that shipping UPS ground gets it there in three days.

            Never mind that UPS Ground is NOT guaranteed.

            Never mind that we don't charge resellers for shipping to their own addresses, so she hasn't paid for shipping.

            Never mind that *we* aren't the idiots who promised her customers a guaranteed delivery by the middle of next week.

            Never mind that she blows us off if we bring up the availability of expedited shipping (for a fee, of course).

            Never mind that most of the time the holdup is because *she* forgot vital information on the purchase order meaning we can't fill the order until after several rounds of phone tag.

            She's been spoiled into thinking she's *entitled* to three day delivery because we and UPS do our jobs well and that's what usually happens. So gosh darnit we're going to hear about it.

            Quoth Automan Empire
            Hummph... He probably misses the "past performance doesn't guarantee future results" disclamer when investing, too.
            OMG! That is just perfect.

            I plan to use it on the next customer who whines "but it only took x days befoooore" when non-guaranteed delivery takes a little longer for whatever reason.

            Love it.
            Last edited by Dips; 06-17-2010, 05:30 AM.
            The best karma is letting a jerk bash himself senseless on the wall of your polite indifference.

            The stupid is strong with this one.

            Comment

            • #7
              It's actually right on UPS's website if I"m correct, plus it's on all the shipping maps UPS provides to their accounts.

              UPS should correct their maps though, while the behavior is sucky.. the complaint isn't IMO. The onus is on UPS.

              Comment

              • #8
                Quoth Sandman View Post
                UPS should correct their maps though, while the behavior is sucky.. the complaint isn't IMO. The onus is on UPS.
                Not really. UPS has to prioritize incoming shipments. The Reds and Internationals get priority, and if there's any problems (unusually high traffic volume, understaffed, equipment failure, etc.), the ones that get pushed back are the ones that have been implicitly declared to be "non-urgent."

                Most of the time, yes, you can rely on Ground travelling 25 miles within 1 day. But if it's truly something urgent, where you need it the next day? Pay for the expediting.

                Comment

                • #9
                  As a former USPS letter carrier, I feel the need to add my two cents here -- if it absolutely must be delivered on the expected date, there's only one service that will get it there 99.999% of the time -- FedEx.

                  [This comment was not paid for by Federal Express, nor by any of its employees or assigns.]
                  I will not be pushed, stamped, filed, indexed, briefed, debriefed, or numbered. My life is my own. --#6

                  Comment

                  • #10
                    Quoth Captain Trips View Post
                    As a former USPS letter carrier, I feel the need to add my two cents here -- if it absolutely must be delivered on the expected date, there's only one service that will get it there 99.999% of the time -- FedEx.

                    [This comment was not paid for by Federal Express, nor by any of its employees or assigns.]
                    I don't know, I've always had the worst experiences with FedEx. Setting up a depo pickup with them* was like dealing with a toddler who just learned the word "No!" They have also claimed our office was closed when they attempted delivery, when we have two receptionists. But I'm willing to accept that might be the local branch.



                    *Because I wouldn't be home for their delivery times, but it's just a quick lunch drive to their depo from work
                    The Rich keep getting richer because they keep doing what it was that made them rich. Ditto the Poor.
                    "Hy kan tell dey is schmot qvestions, dey is makink my head hurt."
                    Hoc spatio locantur.

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                    • #11
                      What an annoying cheapskate. If the timing was so important, you'd pay for the expediting shipping.

                      I haven't had any problems with UPS aside from one driver who actually got better after I made a complaint. They've got my loyalty after getting a box from my place to my parents on time last Christmas despite the ice storm and me procrastinating to the last minute. I'm also smart enough to pay for the speed I need, not what I hope it will be.

                      Comment

                      • #12
                        Oddly enough...

                        When I PAY for UPS to send to my home, it's a crapshoot regarding how long it will take. They never pay attention to the part where it says RING THE BELL (note that they're supposed to get my sig on all packages...NEVER have done so), etc etc.

                        When I get FREE "it'll get there when it damn well gets there" UPS shipping from Newegg, it arrives lickety-split (provided I had them deliver to the office)...I once placed such an order at half past whythehellamistillawake o'clock on a Sunday night/Monday morning and got it Wednesday AM. From half way across the damn country Worst ever on the "3-8 days shipping" on these was 4 days.
                        "For a musician, the SNES sound engine is like using Crayola Crayons. Nobuo Uematsu used Crayola Crayons to paint the Sistine Chapel." - Jeremy Jahns (re: "Dancing Mad")
                        "The difference between an amateur and a master is that the master has failed way more times." - JoCat
                        "Thinking is difficult, therefore let the herd pronounce judgment!" ~ Carl Jung
                        "There's burning bridges, and then there's the lake just to fill it with gasoline." - Wiccy, reddit
                        "Retail is a cruel master, and could very well be the most educational time of many people's lives, in its own twisted way." - me
                        "Love keeps her in the air when she oughta fall down...tell you she's hurtin' 'fore she keens...makes her a home." - Capt. Malcolm Reynolds, "Serenity" (2005)
                        Acts of Gord – Read it, Learn it, Love it!
                        "Our psychic powers only work if the customer has a mind to read." - me

                        Comment

                        • #13
                          Quoth Captain Trips View Post
                          As a former USPS letter carrier, I feel the need to add my two cents here -- if it absolutely must be delivered on the expected date, there's only one service that will get it there 99.999% of the time -- FedEx.

                          [This comment was not paid for by Federal Express, nor by any of its employees or assigns.]
                          actually you read my mind.

                          i was thinking of the time i mailed something to my family and used the "next day by noon" service.

                          the USPS gave me a full refund because it was late.

                          Comment

                          • #14
                            I used to work in IT for UPS. It's a nightmare with the way they run things sometimes. As Nekojin pointed out, their parcels are prioritized. The driver picks up the package and takes them to the local hub to be dropped off at the end of his route. From there, they get sorted to their supposed destinations. The packages sit there from the time the driver returns to the hub until the pre-load Sort is done at midnight. They're then loaded up and ready to go out at 6am if they're not put on a plane or trailer for distribution elsewhere. If a particular truck is filled with priority shipping, the normal grounds will be set aside and either put on another truck or go out the next day.

                            CH
                            Some People Are Alive Only Because It Is Illegal To Kill Them

                            Comment

                            • #15
                              Add me to the group who hates dealing with overnight shipping. I can't count the times my boss has given me shit because an "important" package has arrived late.
                              Aerodynamics are for people who can't build engines. --Enzo Ferrari

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