UPS :-(

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Posted By: Mark Steinberg

Does anyone else here have continual problems with UPS? 8 of the last 10 shipments I've received from them are either crushed, flattened, or look more like an accordian than a cube. This, despite the word "Fragile" being stamped all over the boxes (which obviously has no bearing on the way they're handled). I really think they have some inferior, or at least rougher method for processing their shipments.

Everytime I receive a package from them, I am reminded of the old Samsonite commercial with the Gorilla abusing the suitcase. I would rank UPS at the very bottom of delivery services, behind DHL, FedEx, and even the Post Office. I know this is a rather inane topic for this board, but need to vent my frustration somehow. It's gotten to the point where I will request shippers to use any delivery method other than UPS.

Has anyone else experienced this issue with "Brown" (as they like to call themselves?)

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Posted By: leon

I used to use "Brown" all of the time and didn't have too many problems. Now my company I work for makes it almost impossible to ship from, so I routinely go to the USPS. I didn't ever have too many problems when I did use them. I have heard horror stories though....and my guess is that the specific employees on specific routes treat things differently. With any multi-billion dollar business you will have good and bad.....Sounds like your employees you use with "brown" aren't doing a good job...

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Posted By: George Dreher

Mark,

Funny you should mention this. I just received an framed original 18th century copy of the Bill of Rights printed in 1791, damaged by UPS! The frame was cracked and cut into the parchment. It was protected very well. Someone must have seen the "fragile glass" stickers all over it and decided to have some fun by throwing it up against a wall as hard as they could and then jumping up and down on it?
My lawyer is already preparing for a court case in case there is a problem with recouping the insured value.

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Posted By: barrysloate

UPS is typically rough on packages. They do a lot of throwing, so boxes will get dinged. That's why you have to pack extra carefully when you use them.

But the service is pretty good, no complaints.

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Posted By: howard

I've dealt w/thousands of UPS packages at my job over the last few years and only a couple showed serious damage to the boxes themselves. I don't know about the contents of the boxes but if they were properly packaged the contents should have been fine. If you are continually receiving damaged goods I think there may be a disgruntled employee somewhere along the line involved in shipping, sorting or delivery that is intentionally damaging the packages. You should report this to your local UPS office. An eighty percent damage rate will surely grab their attention.

Howard

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Posted By: Mark Steinberg

Well, maybe it is a less-than-attentive driver. I also have to think UPS' handling methods and/or equipment is somehow inferior to what their competition is doing. I know UPS probably moves a lot more boxes than anyone, so maybe something in their "automated system" causes less attention to detail given to each individual parcel.

Just my 2 cents worth.... Similar to what George stated, some of the stuff I've received almost looks intentionally damaged (and goes well beyond a driver dropping or mishandling boxes).

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Posted By: Dan Bretta

Most of my packages come through USPS, but I did get a package last month from UPS and yes it did have the corner crushed in....Nothing was damaged, but still.

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Posted By: Tom Boblitt

for over 23 years and owning a UPS store, visited BOTH the main DHL hub in Wilmington, OH and the main FedEx hub in Memphis, I can tell you there's little difference between all the services. The most advanced hub of any of them is the Air Hub here in Louisville. About a $2B building where packages RARELY even touch each other due to singulated flow......(will explain in another heavily more boring thread....okay, maybe not). Anyway, I'd agree that if you're having 8/10 packages damaged you have (a) problems with who's packing them or (b) a disgruntled employee at your local facility. Either a pre-loader....the dude that loads the truck....OR your driver. I would call 1-800-PICK-UPS and report the issues. If you are reporting the claims and seeking reimbursement through insurance, they will FOR SURE be working on the issue. We ship about 1000 packages a month from my ups store and our claims rate is about 1/500 packages. Of those, RARELY was one packed by our store.

Remember some stuff about packing.......newspaper does NOT work. It's okay for moving between two houses, but not for shipping. WHY? It doesn't have 'memory'. Memory is where the packing material is pushed but returns back to it's original shape/size. If newspaper is pushed, it does not push back. Peanuts and bubble wrap are the best items for shipping. They have 'memory'. Also....to PROPERLY pack an item for UPS/FedEx/DHL or other carriers, you should bubble wrap it and leave 2 inches all around for peanuts. These are procedures more for three-dimensional items, not cards specifically.

Pictures and picture frames are MUCH more difficult items to pack. Properly packing a picture frame is an expensive proposition too. Most people don't want to pay to properly pack them. It's best to put glassmask on them first. Kind of like a masking tape that's about a foot wide and should be put over the whole glass surface for just the situation that George outlined. Then foam planking over the glass surface, then bubble wrapped around whole frame/picture, then peanutted with 2 inches all around. When you follow those rules, using boxes that have not been used before, you should be okay.

Boxes.....everyone tries to go to Krogers or wherever to pickup 'free' boxes but they've been used before and often already have weakened sides and corners. To pimp my own service, the UPS Stores carry about 60 sizes of boxes. They are not cheap but they are SPECIFICALLY made for UPS and other carrier services. They have the best burst test strength. And.....pack the packages correctly but DON'T use fragile stickers. They're notes to the idiots moving the boxes that something's in them.

As Dennis Miller used to say, 'that's just my opinion.....I could be wrong'

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Posted By: Mark

Tom... Thanks for your well thought out reply and your big contribution here. It is much appreciated. There is indeed a big variance in how well the parcels received have been packed. It has ranged from "professionally done" to "thoughtless".

It is very rare for me to receive pictures in glass frames that have been packaged the "correct" way you described. I believe I got one from Robert Edward Auctions, and one from Mastro (who both seem to spare no expense in their top-notch packaging). Otherwise, the glass protection has been marginal at best.

I started this thread because I was frustrated about the percentage of UPS boxes that were arriving dented or crushed (regardless of damage to the piece(s) inside). I suppose the inner packaging is a separate issue, but I know you've done a good service here by sharing your packaging expertise.... thanks!

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Posted By: Tom Boblitt

I get things under my crawl from time to time about UPS. Like any job, it's kind of a love/hate relationship anyway. I think, owning the store, some people have unrealistic expectations on how packages move. Like someone is hand walking everything through the whole system for the $8.00 they pay to ship something. Packaging is a huge issue because at all the shippers these things get tossed around not only by the humans but just on inclined belts or chutes or they come down a huge slide and a 40 pound package is coming down the same slide a 2 pound package is and unfortunately that law of gravity just inflicts some damage that a human never did at any point through the whole system. It's unfortunate but it does happen that way. As for items that never show up, that's another story!

Another shippng tip of the day...........include an address label on the INSIDE of the package if you don't put an invoice in it. If the outer one comes off or the packaging gets damaged but the contents are fine, someone has to know WHERE to send the stuff. Happens every day at UPS and I'm sure DHL/USPS and FedEx as well. Won't solve all the problems of the world but might prevent a couple........

I hate hearing about the problems and I've worked with a number of people on the card side about problems. I have access to some more sophisticated tracking software internally that might not show as much as the tracking at UPS.com so if anyone has specific TRACKING issues, let me know...............

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Posted By: Chris Counts

I once took UPS to small claims court after they rejected my insurance claim that they destroyed a couple thousand dollars worth of video recording equipment (about 50 pounds of stuff was literally smashed to bits!). Thankfully, I used about $30 worth of brand new packing materials and saved my receipts. UPS sent a guy in a suit to argue their case, but the judge ordered them to pay the full amount of the insurance claim ...