What has brown done to you!

sixpack

sixpack

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I use UPS for about 25% of my shipping...and 90% of the shipments I have trouble with are UPS. (rough numbers). It seems like if anyone sends me anything UPS it gets all hosed up.

So I thought I'd start this thread where everyone can discuss interesting shipping situations where "brown" has messed up.

Currently, something shipped 2-day air from the midwest to CA. UPS kick out an exception saying they need apt # (Fedex, USPS, DHL all ship without it. There's a note on door clarifying that. It used to be a duplex, now converted back) Delivery rescheduled. I went to the tracking info and it said delivery rescheduled for last Thursday. No package. Driver stops in front of our house though, rustles around in the back, jumps back in the driver seat and takes off without delivering. I tried to get his attention but he never looked.

So I call and they said they located the package and it would be delivered Friday as it was already on the truck. No package. I call back and they say they haven't seen it since Thursday. I ask about previous conversation and they said they had no record of conversation or it being on the truck.

So I initiate and investigation and call today to see what's going on. They said they just started their investigation and had '5 more days' to look into it. I asked what happened after 5 days and where the 5 days came from. No answer. I asked to be transferred to the investigation team. No can do.

So now I'm in limbo with a very valuable (and urgent) package probably stolen or lost by the driver.

UPS Sucks IMO. I ask everyone I deal with NOT to use UPS, but like the shipper who just sent me something said "I didn't think they could really be that bad." Famous last words.

What has "brown" done to you?

RC
 
1. Brand new coffee table/end table set ordered on website 2 day shipping. Note on door says "Attempted delivery at 4:15pm" at 3:55pm same day. Two more notes on my door that claim delivery attempts while I was home before receiving tables smashed literally to bits with foot prints and tire prints on box.
2. Urgent plane tickets shipped to house one block over.
3. Shipped vintage coca-cola memorabilia to uncle in Alaska via UPS. Arrived FedEx lol.

That's all, because I stopped using them :)
 
We send and receive about ten packages a day, and the UPS driver delivers about 11:00 and picks up at 3:30.

With the exception of them breaking everything that can be broken a large percentage of the time, they rarely lose anything or show up late.
 
Broke

Gregg said:
We send and receive about ten packages a day, and the UPS driver delivers about 11:00 and picks up at 3:30.

With the exception of them breaking everything that can be broken a large percentage of the time, they rarely lose anything or show up late.
Click to expand...

I worked there for 7 long years. I saw things broke you wouldn't think possible. I attribute this to the starting wage being so low for the type of work that has to be done. Loading trucks is no picnic and when I worked there it was like $8.00/hour and had been since the 70s. This attracted mostly college kids or people in that age group who didn't care too much about anything. Loading those trucks in a 120 degree trailer will make a fat guy skinny quick. The boxes never slow down they just keep coming at you. The turnover is amazing.
 
They let my...

Back in 1989, they let someone steal my one of a kind, custom made Runde Schon off of their truck. They claimed they tried to deliver to the address I gave, no one was able to sign for it, put it back on the truck and it was never seen again. Back then it was probably worth at least $2k, it was one of the few flat faced wood to wood jointed cues Bob made when he was still a Schon partner. I am still po'd everytime I think about it. Brown is the appropriate color for the quality of their services.
 
Well you could have a complaint thread about any company, and it would like everyone is incompetent.

By the way, NPR forum?
 
Anything I have shipped from the U.S. to Canada I demand delivey by MAIL.

UPS is a horror show on transborder shipments: huge fees added, delivery delays.
 
Never had a problem with cues delivered to me. From what I've heard lately, though, I'd probably go with FedEx sending anything. I think Gulyassy uses FedEx now, instead of UPS.
 
Do not use UPS at all !!! They delivered a cue I ordered about 5 blocks from my address. It was not even close to my address. Luckily the person who lived there brought the package to my door. Very honest neighbor.
 
PKM said:
By the way, NPR forum?
Click to expand...

Yeah, probably so. But since it's here...

After 6 years of offering UPS services exclusively, I recently banned the use of Brown from my company. We now ship FedEx or USPS only. Mostly Priority Mail.

RE: UPS. Set aside for a second the notion that they break everything, they are also terribly SLOW. Shipping from my Mid-Atlantic warehouse, most Ground packages would arrive in 3 days. But after closing that Warehouse and shipping exclusively from my Cali warehouse, the shipping time became unbearably slow.

4-6 business days for most locales east of TX. Customer inquiries re: shipping went through the roof (which directly impacts Customer Sat) even though our turnaround time didn't change. Order on Mon, we ship on Tues. Package arrives later that week. But from Cali, same Order arrives Tues-Wed of the following week. Terrible.

Priority Mail offers the best value, and the fastest shipping times (other than premium services, i.e. Next Day or 2nd Day Air). 2-3 days anywhere in the country, lots of times next day. Problem is Tracking (nothing until it arrives --- too late then), and Claims (God forbid you file a claim with the USPS)

UPS is GREAT with Claims (domestic) and Tracking. But the hi number of upset customers was not worth it. So we booted them.

I FINALLY understand why they call themselves "BROWN"..... It's the most appropriate color :D

-von
 
I guess I'm lucky

I have bought/sold far more than 100 cues. Plus bought and sold many other misc. items. I have used mostly USPS, UPS and Fed Ex. I guess I'm just lucky, ;) so far (knock on wood) I have not had any damages or loses.

Charlie
 
I will not ship cues through UPS again. The last cue they delivered to me was left on the patio of my appartment wich is completely open to the rest of the complex. This was done during a Montana snow storm and it sat there for two days before I got home from a trip and found it. Luckily no one stold it but it was warped. It was a cheap cue and may have been warped to begin with but it would have been nice to know it wasn't the poor handling that did it.
 
I've had problems with all of the big 3 (UPS, FedEx, USPS) and never a problem with DHL.

I started doing what DHL does as a standard practice.....if you do this, I can almost gaurantee you will approach a 100% success rate:

1.) Pay a couple of extra bucks to over insure what you are sending (i put 250-500 on almost everything)...in the unlikely event you have to file a claim, when you file for the actual value of 150 or 200....they are happy to pay.

2.) Specify MANDATORY signature.....that is really it (thats what all DHL packages require)....if you do that, the thing wont get stolen or delivered to the wrong address, EVER. (unless the driver shows up at the wrong door, asks for a specific person, the theif says "yes thats me" then signs for it...thats great too because its a federal crime and UPS and your local DA will be happy to assist!)....

People always complain how packages went missing, while in the same sentence talk about stuff being left on doorsteps?????!?!?!?! WTF???
 
99.9% of the time UPS is good. But they did break a gun I sold for $11.5K. It was insured for the full amount, but they offered me about a Grand (I don't remember the exact amount?)

I ended up having to sue them. I won.

Since then, UPS has pretty much been trouble free. I do use Fedex a lot more now.
 
I have had UPS leave 2...TWO...laptop computers on my porch and a $2000 telescope...and then return a $8 bag of bolts to the sender because I wasnt there to sign for it. They are just inconsistent in thier practices. We did have UPS lose a $75,000 package once. They tried to deny payment. We found a friend in a management position and it turns out they had an employee on videotape stealing it in the warehouse. They tried to tell us theft wasnt covered...only if they lose it...lol. Once the lawyers got involved...they apologized and paid pretty quick. I think it was some low level person who told us theft wasnt covered. Probably just covering their own job....

All part of doing business these days I guess....:rolleyes:
 
Just recently (4 weeks ago or so) a laptop computer was being returned to our office from Santa Monica area. It was sent in the ORIGINAL shipping box and packing.

It arrived on time but had a nice hole in the box. I think that is kinda tough to do. Completely broke the screen.

We file a claim and they first say they are not responsible because it was not packaged properly. We state it was in the original packing. This issue was never resolved because we were told to ship the computer to them. We did that and now they have LOST it.

Now they wanted the original receipt. I know I should keep better records but we buy a LOT of computeres and other stuff. Finally found the credit card receipt and that has been sent - no idea when we will hear from them.

It is just a pain the the ass. They broke it and they lost it - but they want us to shown where/when it was purchased. Cuz the next question will be something like - we need that actual receipt from the store. Which means going back to the store and having them pull up a receipt for an item purchased over a year ago etc. etc. etc.

I preferred FedEx, but it seems all of these services just keep getting so expensive.

Mark Griffin
BCA Pool League
 
Okay, so I called them this morning and they said 5 days before I'd hear anything. The doorbell just rang and it was my package (yay) but check out the condition it arrived in!

Cheers,
RC
 

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MTfish said:
I will not ship cues through UPS again. The last cue they delivered to me was left on the patio of my appartment wich is completely open to the rest of the complex. This was done during a Montana snow storm and it sat there for two days before I got home from a trip and found it. Luckily no one stold it but it was warped. It was a cheap cue and may have been warped to begin with but it would have been nice to know it wasn't the poor handling that did it.
Click to expand...

MTfish, nice first post. Welcome to the site! I personally have never had a problem with any UPS shipment coming or going from my address. But, I started losing faith in ANY delivery company that rings the doorbell, then sets the package on the doorstep and proceeds to drive off. I liked it MUCH better when you had to sign for the package to get it or a neighbor had to sign for it if you weren't home. I will never like the idea of leaving something expensive on the doorstep in broad daylight. I am retired, so I am always waiting by the door when the deliveryman gets there. If it wasn't for the fact that I can be home when the package arrives, I would find another delivery system.

Maniac
 
I live on xx street and I have received about six or seven packages for xx terrace in the past four years. I have always taken the packages over to their house but one year they delivered three huge packages to our house during the Christmas holidays. Too bad I am not more of a criminal I might have scored some nice gifts, but I would have more than likely ruined some kids Christmas. Otherwise no lost cues but the majority of the cues I have sent and received over the years have been through FEDEX.
 
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