Classic UPS
 

Is it just me? Or the more precautions you take, the more UPS tries to beat up your parcel? I truly believe that they deeply resent delivering boxes that contain words like "Fragile" and "Handle With Care". Either that, or their workforce is illiterate, and can't read English...

I don't understand that company's animosity towards people who simply want to receive packages with contents unbroken. In this particular case, they could not help but see the giant writing "FRAGILE". Yet they purposely poked a giant hole right smack through the wording itself. I don't know if it's their idea of a joke, or purely an act of defiance. To finish off the job, it appears they had their heaviest employee stomp on the box about a dozen times, just for good measure.

No surprise here... I just thought I would vent to others who might have shared similar experiences. Below is this fine example of their work... 3 framed pictures, all packaged with extreme care (and subsequently destroyed...)

That sucks...it's been my experience that UPS offers the absolute worst customer service...ring the doorbell and run like a kid playing ding dong ditch. Wasn't there a time when all UPS packages required a signature?

You didn't say "Do Not Bend". I've found that for anyone under 30 these days if you don't give absolutely specific instructions it doesn't get done.

A few months ago I received back a package from USPS. The label had some damage, it was obscured by a tire tread. Luckily my return address wasn't affected but the contents of course were flattened.

Thats a shame- sorry.

If the contents were destroyed by UPS, can't you make a claim? I thought that there is a certain amount of insurance that UPS puts on every package?

Yes, you do have the option to pay a lot extra, to insure the contents for amounts greater than the standard $100 that they provide.

But that is small consolation, given the fact that the items weren't replaceable. Not to mention the wasted time, anguish and hassle of making a claim and hoping/waiting to be compensated.

they simply ignore the writing on the box. they treat all packages the same.

fragile, this side up is simply ignored. they are on a time limit to unload, sort and load. some take a beating.

Too bad...sorry for your loss. I still would do everything possible to make UPS aware of this situation...and complain to a manager. They track everything and could have a pretty good idea who had hands on your package.

As a former UPS driver from 1994-2000, that's pretty much the only way to finish the job before midnight.

Otherwise they'd be out of a job, or being brutally harassed by management by the end of the week.

Packages only require a signature, when requested by the sender, or over a certain declared value, just like the P.O..

JimStinson
 

I've had some of the same experiences , UPS. used to be "not so bad" but now it appears they go out of their way to rough things up. I now ship ONLY via USPS priority mail or Fed X. And ship ALOT virtually drama free.

I share a similar experience to the initial post in this thread , the last UPS parcel I received had several large BOOT PRINTS on both sides,
As if they were "Curious" & "testing" it to see exactly how "fragile" it was.

As for insurance ??? forget about it. The claims process is so frustrating and time consuming you'll likely die of old age before you are compensated. The same applies to USPS on insurance although they are more adept at saying no, and do it in a more customer friendly manner.
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UPS drivers throwing a package

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxmR9cCpivo

USPS doesn't get a free pass though

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ChCQhJ6Utw

My favorite though is a FedEx man throwing a television over a fence

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5uIH0VTg_o

Funny stuff (in a sadistic sort of way, I guess). This is exactly why I never assume that anyone will read anything written on the package (except, hopefully, the mailing address). I try to pack things such that I can stand on them and hop up and down because, I have to assume, at some point somebody will do so. I do still put "DO NOT BEND" on most things, but that's more to satisfy customers who still think that such warnings have some effect. I've actually been chewed out for damage that clearly occurred during shipping, not because my packing was sub-par, but because I had not written anything on the package so as to invoke some sort of spell of protection over it.

Jim:
VERY well stated... and my experience exactly.

Dan:
Great links... 30% funny / 30% sad / 40% terrifying

I know they're not all this bad, but still makes you lose faith in our society's work ethic. Delivery Drivers (like those in the videos) probably represent the least of the problem. What goes on in the UPS warehouse and the shipping/handling/receiving behind the scenes is where the real abuse takes place.

I also worked in the warehouse for 5 years before I became a driver. If a driver delivers a damaged package to you, 99.9999999% of the time, it was damaged before he even touched it.

Boxes falling 25-30 feet from the over-loaded sorting belts to the concrete floor, especially during Christmas season, was a common occurrence.

It has nothing to do with work ethic. If you don't have a work ethic, you don't work at UPS. It's all about efficiency. Pounding numbers through the door as fast as possible.

It's the only reason they are able to stay profitable and competitive with FedEx and the Postal Service, despite having much higher wages and better benefits (then FedEx anyways, I don't know about the USPS).

Yup. Same here. For the record, I've used UPS, maybe 3 times in the last 5 years.

They've pretty much priced themselves out of the market for most of the stuff I ship. Rising fuel prices really hurt them (though they've converted quite a bit of their fleet to natural gas), and they can't afford to go into a hole like the USPS does.

I live like a 1/4 mile off the main road on a gravel drive. A while back when i order and get packages..i would always get that pink ticket to pick-up at post office. Knowing that someone is home most of the time..i wondered why i always got one.
One day i made a complaint to the postmaster...and he actually came to my residence.
And told me...there is no reason why they couldnt deliver it to the door.
Basically--- SHE WAS TOO DAMN LAZY!!!!
Till this day..she runs bad out of hell up & down the drive and honking like crazy..and still doesnt get out of the car to bring to the door....and gets bitchy when we dont.
Other times...my packages get crushed or squeezed into my regualr sized mailbox--knowing it wont fit...i order clothes and the bags gets holes in them and my magazines get crushed into it (like my auction books).
All my bigger boxes..look like someone tried to open them up and i do get the holes occasionally.
And the the cuts at the post office..the delivery times are array..i usually go it after 2pm.
the past years now its sporadically...i check it and seems more mail is delivered in the afternoon after i already got it...as if the mail lady goes home..eats supper...and delivers the rest after hours.

I been lucky-- i have only lost 1 item- (submission to Beckett)..yes i lost some cards sent in for grading..got lost halfway. I filed a claim online thru USPS...in which i had insurace...and it got processed quickly. I just hope to never happen to me again.


As for videos...my local news reported one what looks FedEx...throwing packages into the rear of the turck and a bystander comes in and helps out throwing them too.

Depending on what your shipping it pays to go to a franchise like a postal express or a postal connections UPS store etc.

You get included insurance through the store (most guarantee your item arrives undamaged) that you can actually be reimbursed quickly from. The store than deals with the mailer as far as insurance goes.

Ha! The Ding Dong Ditch reference is classic and true.