UPS Heads up

[W0UZR]

I've had it with UPS!

I had a computer sent through UPS and it came damaged, And

I just sent back a 220 Heathkit amp that came all mangled up.

And the guy that runs the group I belong to sent a radio back to Kenwood to get fixed, and he got it back all banged up., And is now trying to collect on the insurance.

Any more horror stories on UPS? And what is the outfit that handles packages with the most care?

The only thing that is safe to ship by UPS is an anvil as far as I'm concerned!


kb0uzr

[k9kjm]

I have heard horror stories about most all of the
major carriers........ # # Take the time to package
properly, Double box with lots of foam, etc.
(There was just a great article on proper packing
on Eham)
Basics are to package as though the box will be dropped
four feet on to concrete. (As it very well may be)
Soft "bubble wrap" around the article itself, Then a thin
layer of styrofoam "peanuts", Then depending on how
heavy the item is, Either soft or "harder" foam rubber
around that entire mass, Then another layer of styrofoam #Peanuts to fill in empty spaces in the box.
THEN put this box INSIDE another box and do the same thing over again........... # Leave at LEAST four inches
of "crush" area all around any item..........

[N2ACX]

http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif With regards to major carriers and the care that they use when carring our packages.
I would have to say that 30 years of using carriers such as FedX,UPS,AirEx, and recently USPost office 2nd day that FedX by far has far outperformed and with the US Post office 2nd day being second.
Example: we sent freshly made cakes with frosting etc via FedX several times and the Post Office once. All arrived in excellent condition, FedX next day and USPO 2nd day respectivley.
UPS, some packages have arrived damaged,some that had the contents damaged beyond repair.
So the answer, in my opinion, for who to use to ship our electronics devices is FED-X first and the USPO second, both of which arrived in the same condition as when sent.
Note: even when FEDX says "Second Day" if possible most arrive the next day and under 24 hours!.....FEDX Wins!
Ship Away folks, Gary, N2ACX

[wd0ct]

UPS just plain sucks. The Pony Express or wooden wheel donkey carts would be better.

Fedex all the way.

Interesting that the Pony Express quit their main east-west run the day after the telegraph line was completed. It had always lost money, so I think they welcomed the telegraph as a reason to quit. Some of the side feeder lines kept going for a while.

I have had good luck with the PO and UPS. Guess it just depends on where you are.

For heavy packages, FedX is usually much cheaper than UPS, yet don't think in my many dealings I have had a single request to use them to handle my shipment. Glad, since their office is fur out there.

TOM K8ERV

[N1XHF]

Fedex is okay, but the United States Postal Service Priority mail so far has been the best when it comes to the handling of packages. I sold a radio to a gentlemen in florida back a couple of years ago by UPS and even though I used packing peanuts and bubble rap the radio was still damaged, looked like some one used it has a football and was punting it all over the warehouse. Besides with UPS union which has ruined that company they don't deliver on weekends which is not something that helps their cause. That is why I went with USPS, they deliver on weekends and have never had a problem with their shipping. Sure it's taken a day or two more than they quoted at times but at least the packages got to their destinations in one piece.

Fedex is okay but where I live it's 15 miles to the nearest drop/shipping location and can't always get them to pick up. I agree though that Fedex is faster.

I think that UPS will do saturday delivery for an extra fee. My guess is that UPS and FedX do not have convenient offices is on purpose to discourage non-business use. http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/confused.gif http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/confused.gif

TOM K8ERV

[W7WV]

I have bought and sold a lot of equipment and used all services.

I really think that the packer needs to pay attention to how to pack items.

I have never had any damage to the equipment, even though the box was a bit worse for wear when it got here.

[K9STH]

I used UPS for over 30 years until just about 2 years ago. At that time, UPS was tearing up even wood crated items. Frankly, it didn't matter how well the item was packed, but anything that went through the Mesquite, Texas (Dallas distribution hub), had about a 90 percent chance of being damaged. I switched over to FedEx 2 years ago and haven't had a single problem including some incomming equipment that were definitely poorly packed.

FedEx ground is cheaper, they do not damage equipment anywhere near like what UPS does, and, starting at Thanksgiving each year FedEx ground delivers to residential addresses on Saturday with no extra charge for the remainder of the year.

UPS has a policy, in at least this part of the country, that every box presented at a UPS counter has to be opened and inspected for proper packing. Failure to do this is grounds for immediate dismissal of an employee. This policy of opening every box is on a very large sign over the UPS counter. Of course they can't take time to open every package but you also will not find an employee who will admit this. I shipped a Johnson Challenger from Richardson, Texas, to Bosier City, Louisiana (about 200 miles). UPS lost the item. Frankly, their bar coded label had come off the package but my label was still there. UPS finally located the transmitter at their equivalent of the "dead letter" office. They opened the box and told me what was in it. At that time the box was still intact.

When the box got delivered the transmitter was in shambles! When I applied for the insurance UPS's national customer service people tried to tell me that this was due to "improper" packing. At first I just pointed out that it was till intact when they telephoned me. However, this fell on "deaf ears". Then I pointed out that the package had been opened by their Richardson counter personnel and that by doing such UPS had accepted full responsibility for the package. The line went silent for a few seconds and then the representative told me that the regional office would have to handle the claim. I hung up the telephone and about 15 minutes later the UPS office in Fort Worth called to tell me that the claim forms were already in the mail! It took about 3 weeks to get the cheque, but UPS refunded not only the insurance claim amount but also the shipping charges!

UPS will do everything possible to keep from paying claims. Although the insurance company is supposedly a separate entity, it is actually a division of UPS. They try to "buffalo" anyone who is trying to get paid for damaged items. But, when you show them that you know the law and that they take full responsibility for the packing whenever they open the box, they get very helpful very fast!

The only item that I have gotten in that was shipped by FedEx that arrived with any damage at all was a Collins "A" line receiver. The plastic fuse holder on the back of the chassis had been broken. However, it was not broken by FedEx but by the person who packed the unit. That person had used a solid sheet of styrofoam and had not cut out a piece to allow for the fuse holder. They had broken the fuse holder when the styrofoam was pushed into place.

UPS's problem is not with the drivers in my area. Frankly, those people go out of their way to handle the shipment properly. But, anything that goes through Mesquite is vibrated so badly that screws come loose, components are shaken to pieces, etc., even if the box doesn't show any outward damage.

Mouser (the electronic parts outlet) ships by UPS from the south side of Fort Worth to me on the north side of Dallas (less than 60 miles) and they pack their boxes very well. However, well over half of the shipments that I receive from Mouser (average one every 2 to 3 weeks) arrives with all sorts of damage. These boxes usually weigh in the 1 to 5 pound range. Usually, due to the packing and the nature of the shipment the contents arrive OK. However, several months ago, the shipment arrived that had been obviously retaped by UPS, the box had been opened, the internal plastic bag had been opened, and about 100 dollars worth of capacitors had been removed. The rest of the parts were still in the bag! The inside bag had been resealed with UPS tape.

I have also received boxes that were torn open and the entire contents removed!

So far, I haven't had a single problem with FedEx. I am "lucky" in the fact that the UPS and FedEx offices are about 2 miles from my house and are located about 2 blocks from each other.

FedEx bought out RPS about 3 years ago to get the basis for their ground operations. So far, this operation has been going very well.

Glen, K9STH

[ai4ep]

http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif There was a thread some time back in which I made a similar post of which is : The problem with these folks is NOT the smiling face behind the counter that TAKES your package, nor is it the smiling face od the DELIVERY person....it is those who you do not see in between point A and point B. The minimum wage paid folks who are in the warehouses, airports, delivery rooms, etc that are there for their 8 - 12 hour shift and really dont care if your box has an antique radio in it or fisher price toys or new china plates. It is just another box in the line. http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/confused.gif

[W0UZR]

Wow, thank you for the imformation.

I forgot to add in my original post. Way back this spring I semt an external vfo for a Kenwood 830s to CT., and the fellow didn't pick it up and I got it back and it looked like someone was throwing it across the warehouse and the other guy was catching it by spearing it with a broom handle.

There were so many holes in that thing, I couldn't hardly believe it. I don't know what condition the 230 vfo was in because it had to go to SD. right away and didn't have time to look at it.

When I was at the main ship and receive office to pick up another item, I asked them if they just toss the boxes on the floor or pitch them out of the truck and let them land on the concrete, and the gal at the desk said that they do a 3' or so drop at the end of the conveyer and told me to go to the wall so I could see in there for myself looking through the door, and I did, and sure enough I saw for myself. Boxes were dropping like hail off the comveyer about 3 1/2'.

I told the gal, "sholdn't they try to make sure they don't drop like that, and she said that the boxes are packed so well that they are designed for a DROP like that, and nothing "shouldn't" get damaged.


kb0uzr

[WB2WIK]

As a response to the original post, UPS damaged my anvil. http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

Truth be told, I've actually never had anything damaged by UPS, FedEx or any of the major common carriers...but then, if it's heavier than a toaster I usually crate it and strap it to a pallet, so they cannot pick it up without a forklift or pallet jack. That does seem to make shipments go a lot more smoothly, and pallets are very cheap.

WB2WIK/6

[XV2PS]

Problems would arise with any company. Guess how many different people handle your goods. You just need one idiot that could not sleep last night. And everyone knows how the world full of idiots is....

A good company would be a company that follows up problems.

A good sender would be somebody that packs very carefully.

[K9STH]

AMG:

Unfortunately, it isn't minimum wage employees in the warehouse and distribution points at UPS. They are fairly high paid union employees! Those people just think that they need more money for less work!

Glen, K9STH

[n5tjd]

Geez, talk about luck. I ordered an item from AES last week and the tracking code indicated the arrival date to be today...

I also ordered it COD, has anyone done this also? Anyhow, I was at my neighbors house, showing them how to work their frs radios when I saw the UPS truck drive by like the devil was on its heels. My mother was at the house with my money (told her that the UPS person was coming).

As I saw it come around the corner, it didn't seem to be slowing down. I thought, surely it will stop... It didn't. It rambled by my house at about 35-40mph on the bumpy country road I live on. Didn't even slow down. They have delivered to my house before... so I figure they know where I am... but man, I'm aggrivated. My father and I spent hours in the shop cutting and welding to get everything ready for it to arrive today, but it just flew past...

I like fedex, though I imagine problems happen to all carriers.. I've Fedex Saver'ed 5 things, and overnighted one. I only had one of those show up DOA, but I fixed it with the help of the sender (sent me extra parts to fix it)...

[n5tjd]

Well, according to UPS's tracking page, I or the shipper gave them the incorrect street address.... Um.. I guess they think I do not know where I live... http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/confused.gif What may be giving them trouble is that our address was changed over to a supposedly more 911 friendly address... unfortunatly, that is the only thing it is friendly towards...

Then again, I had them deliver to the exact same address last March....and they did. hmmm. Maybe an honest mistake. I hope so, and I hope it is not damaged

[XV2PS]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">They are fairly high paid union employees! Those people just think that they need more money for less work!
[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>

Yep, and then you understand why so many business move to asia. There is a european country where they tend to work 35 hours a week!!! http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wow.gif That would still be acceptable, but they also strike all the time. When they will wake up and open their eyes, it will be too late. Asian countries at that time already develop charity programms to support Europe. http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/confused.gif

[W0UZR]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (KD5WZB @ Dec. 15 2003,20:38)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Well, according to UPS's tracking page, I or the shipper gave them the incorrect street address.... Um.. I guess they think I do not know where I live... http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/confused.gif What may be giving them trouble is that our address was changed over to a supposedly more 911 friendly address... unfortunatly, that is the only thing it is friendly towards...

Then again, I had them deliver to the exact same address last March....and they did. hmmm. Maybe an honest mistake. I hope so, and I hope it is not damaged[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>
Let me know what condition the box is in and whatever is in there is, would you?

kb0uzr

[kd7zd]

We receive 2-4 packages a day from UPS at work and send 1 or 2. I can’t ever recall any damaged items from UPS. I see an occasional box that’s torn slightly or a corner kind of bent but no damage to the items.

Phil
KD7ZD

These days I only ship using UPS. I had tried using others, but I found there were too many delays (F*&amp;X - lost payroll checks, ABE- lost packages, D%L- I am not going there) and a real lack of customer care. UPS has only trashed a few items in all the years I have been shipping and receiving products. I have found that when UPS makes a mistake they do all they can to fix it in a timely manner - including insurance claims.

When a truck broke down with a package I had to have (it was a regular delivery), the UPS local station actually took another truck (empty) and brought me my package. The guy was nice and was not angry he had to drive to my business with just one package on his truck. Overtime or not, they did not have to do it because it was not a priority delivery and could have waited until Monday.

I even stuck by UPS through the strike and had no major problems then either.

I just had to through out a positive for UPS...

[n5tjd]

My package is currently in Sulphur Springs.. btw, its a new 2m/440 FM rig, christmas present for myself if you will, lol.

I e-mailed them, and got a fairly quick responce. They said they forewarded my &quot;correct&quot; address info I gave them to the center in Sulphur Springs. I checked my tracking number and now it says...
&quot;DIRECTIONS NEEDED, NOT DELIVERED;ADDRESS CORRECTED, DELIVERY RESCHEDULED.&quot;

So... it seems I fixed one problem.... the previous message was..
&quot;DIRECTIONS NEEDED, NOT DELIVERED;POSTCARD HAS BEEN SENT.&quot;

Postcard? It will take at least one day to get the postcard. I wonder if they have a number I can call to give them my tracking number and give them directions instead of waiting on snail mail?

Better yet, I wish I could drive to Sulphur Springs,Tx and pick the dang thing up myself. Its only 30 minutes away.

C'est la vie...

[W0UZR]

And that reminds me of another thing I don't like about UPS. I wasn't home when they came with my package, and of course it was a Friday, so I called them with the number on the stick-um's slip they stick on the window on the door to tell they attempted dilivery. And I told them I wanted to go and pick up the package so I didn't have to wait until Monday.

And they said that the number at the UPS headquarters for my area was unlisted. And that's why I couldn't find it in the phone book. And only other UPS sites and affiliates could have that number. I said, &quot;How do you expect anyone to get anywhere with anything and your business to run smoothly if I have to bother you and 2 or 3 other numbers I have to call way in the h, across the contry so you can contact the UPS outfit just 20mi away from me so I can tell them I want to come and pick up my package? ( puff ) ( puff )

Of course they didn't have any answer. Well, they finally gave my the number, and I said I want to pick up my package, and I did. So, call them and they will give you another number to call, and you call them, and they will give you another number to call, and then you might be able to call the UPS 30mi away and tell them you want to pick up your package.....


kb0uzr

[kd5sdi]

I love the United States Post Office. When I want something there in one piece I use USPS. Sorry to sound like a commercial, but they have never done me wrong, are economical, and they will replace any insured item without any hassle.

[n5tjd]

SDI, try to sell that as a commercial, you might be able to pick up some money.

As far as the 1-800 number goes, I didn't hear anything that seemed to be of any help to me, so I e-mail them again, asking if I could pick the package up at the UPS center in Sulphur Springs, Tx. I got a fairly quick responce the last time I e-mailed them.... We'll see how it turns out.

[KC2LNB]

if you think UPS is bad deal with Fedex may as well throw it in a trash masher . a good packing company can not compeate with any of them it;s like gambling . http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mad.gif

[ae4fa]

So far, I have not had any &quot;horror story&quot; experiences with UPS.

Recently sent a package to a friend - went to the local place &amp; let that guy package it for me. He did a great job &amp; the thing arrived in perfect condition, glass &amp; all.

Also, our VE team has been using UPS 2nd Day Air to ship session results to ARRL VEC. I usually drop the package off on Monday, and it is received on Thursday morning. This week, I did the normal Monday drop-off &amp; it got to Newington this morning - with licenses being issued this afternoon. Guess they put on extra help for the holidays.

I realize I post this at my own peril, since the next transaction might not go so smoothly. But, that's true in any business dealng

[K9STH]

LNB:

My personal experience has just been the opposite. I used UPS for literally 30 years. Then a little over 2 years ago they started tearing up almost everything that I shipped and that I received! I switched over to FedEx ground (which was within its first 6 months of operation FedEx having bought out RPS for their ground operations) and haven't had a single problem since! Although I know how to pack properly, not everything that I get in is packed properly. Frankly, I have gotten in some &quot;boat anchor&quot; equipment that has basically been thrown in a box without any packing and the item arrived in great shape when shipped by FedEx. On the other hand, items that were definitely properly packed haven't made it by UPS!

UPS has been tearing up even items in wood crates! If the box survives (which is somewhat &quot;iffy&quot;) the contents have been shaken so hard that components are loose, long screws have vibrated out, etc. Now, everything that I receive comes through the Mesquite, Texas (Dallas area) hub as well as everything that I ship out. The Mesquite hub is definitely a problem area with UPS. It doesn't matter if the item weighs 1 pound or 100 pounds, it gets torn up at Mesquite! On the other hand, the drivers who deliver to me are super. They are careful, helpful, etc. Unfortunately, I cannot say the same about the people who work in the UPS hubs!

Glen, K9STH

[n5tjd]

You all got me worried. My package weighed 5.80lbs and it went through the Mesquite hub... Oh yeah... it came today. The driver was confused over the new address system (road signs can't even agree on which road is which), so when I sent in the old address, he knew where I was. I sat out with my truck by the road and when I saw him come over the hill, I put my flashers on.

I'll install it tomorrow night. Unfortunatly, I'll have to drill more holes in the dash. That thing is starting to look like swiss cheese. http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[W0UZR]

Well,,,I've been waiting. How's the radio?


kb0uzr

[n5tjd]

Managed to have time to install it today (Sunday). As many times as I've done it, you'd think I wouldn't shudder when it came time to drill holes, or shave parts of my truck to put a radio in.... not so.

I need to put on a connector on the antenna's feedline in the morning... meanwhile, the radio does work. I turned it on and explored a few of its settings and such.

[KD5TKR]

I've heard some very bad things about the UPS facility in Mesuite, Texas. Apparently they have some labor problems there and that causes alot of packages that go through there to get damaged. Anything that is labled as Fragile gets drop kicked across the docks.

73,
KD5TKR
Charles Blythe

[K0RGR]

I don't know what's wrong with our local UPS or some center everything goes through to get here. I think we're a regional hub here,so it's probably happening here.

Packages just don't seem to survive the UPS trip. Two years ago, we went to New Mexico and spent a small fortune on Indian art. First was a beautiful $100 figurine that was my daughter's birthday present. It was first wrapped in bubble wrap, then taped inside a large box surrounded in plastic peanuts, which were in turn inside a huge box also loaded with peanuts all around. This item arrived smashed. I couldn't believe it, until I saw item #2.

Next was a copper sculture done on a thick, heavy copper plate, about the thickness of a penny and about 2 feet in diameter. This was wrapped in bubble wrap in a huge box. It arrived with the bottom 6 inches of the plate curled up on itself! This must have been dropped from 10,000 feet to get that effect! Talk about bending an anvil!

UPS refused both these claims, but fortunately, the shipper made good on it.

Next, I bought an FT-817 from AES. You know how they box their stuff, and it didn't have to go far to get here from Milwaukee. Something had sliced through the outer carton, neatly slicing the shipping papers in two. It had penetrated the heavy outer box, the platic peanuts and the front of the FT-817 inner box! It stopped a millimeter from the front panel!

We've had a few boxes arrive just crushed and leaking plastic peanuts. I had a small loop yagi wiped out this way a year ago.

This week, we received a Christmas package from California. Looks OK, except that someone appears to have run a saber trough the left side and out the top of the box.

So, when you use &quot;Brown&quot; as the advertisements say, you can think about all this carnage, and then think about what else is brown. I bet UPS floats, too. As for them being well paid, I have known a couple career UPS guys and I would not trade places with them. Even with a union, I don't think they're treated well. Most are part-timers who often wait many years to get on full time, while they work two jobs to be able to earn a living.