[geeks] Why I hate UPS

[Dan Duncan]

On Tue, 2 Mar 2004, David L Kindred (Dave) wrote:
> I suspect that the individual is the key here, as with most things in
> life.

When I lived across town and had a different driver, it was the
same problem.  When I lived here but had a different driver a couple
of years ago, it was the same problem.  About half the time, UPS
can't get it right.  I dread coming home to find the yellow tag
because there's no way I'm getting my package that day and the only
way to get it the next day is to be home for it.  I can call UPS
to have them hold it at the depot, but that's only good for the THIRD
day because the packages are already on the truck for the second day,
and even then it's only 50/50 they'll actually hold it the third day,
so when I go by there at lunch to discover they sent it out for
delivery instead, it really pisses me off.

The yellow tags are filled out by HAND, which of course means the
driver is too lazy to bother filling in things like the tracking
number, who shipped it, whether it requires an adult signature[1],
etc, so I don't always even know WTF it is.  If I'm expecting 2
things around the same time, I don't want to sign to have the
cheap one left only to have the expensive one show up the next
day and also get left on the stoop.

If I show up at the UPS depot and my package is there, it's still
hard to get.  They don't leave the tracking number on the tag
and the shipper doesn't always provide it (although this is
improving) so they have to search for it.  I always make a
point of handing them the tag when I say they have a package
for me and saying I don't have the tracking number because
they didn't leave it.

FedEx, on the other hand is truly a joy.  I come home to find
the FedEx tag on my door, and it has been printed out by the
combination clipboard/label printer so ALL THE INFORMATION
IS THERE and if I can make it to their shipping depot before
7:30PM THAT SAME DAY I can go retrieve my package.  I simply
hand them the label they left and my ID.  They SCAN THE BARCODE
on the label and I don't even have to waste time spelling
my name or giving them my address.

-DanD

[1]  happened tons of times.  Box isn't checked, so I sign for
the package to be left if it isn't valuable only to find the
NEXT day that THIS TIME the adult signature box is checked and I
have to wait yet another day for my package.


-- 
#  Dan Duncan (kd4igw)  dand at pcisys.net  http://pcisys.net/~dand
# The difference between the right word and a similar word is the difference
# between lightning and a lightning bug.   --Mark Twain