A rant about UPS AKA Useless Postal Service

[Paul80]

Sorry about this but I have got to have a rant.

I placed a order with Cousins at the end of last week and because of the bottle of V106 in the order it couldn't go by Royal Mail and in a moment of weakness I selected UPS for delivery.

The order was shipped and UPS had the delivery listed for Monday.

Monday came and I waited in all day, then suddenly an email arrived from UPS to say they couldn't deliver because my address didn't exist WTF they had delivered here in the past, then Tuesday morning it was out for delivery again, and again I waited, untill another email from them to say the driver could not deliver it because I was not in again WTF, We have CCTv here so checked as no card had been left and sure enough no sign of a UPS driver anywhere. Then to Wednesday and again it's out for delivery, and surprise surprise I get the you were not in again message, and again no sign of the driver or his van on CCTv, but it's ok he had left it at a local parcel drop site, which was only a couple of hundred yards away, so off I pop down the road to the parcel drop site, the lady their goes away with my tracking number to look through the huge pile of parcels the UPS driver had left their that morning, so many she had had to decline to take some, she said it was like he was trying to empty his van, after a short while she came back empty handed, mine must have been with those she couldn't take, then as she was telling me this my phone pinged with another message from UPS to say as I had refused the parcel it was going back to the depot, again WTF, so back home I go to phone UPS to try and get this sorted, their call centre turned out to be in India and an ability to speak English was apparently not an employment requirement, but I eventually get them the change the address for the redelivery so the security office at our site, as that is maned 24/7 for the Thursday attempt, and sure enough Thursday brings another you where out message and again CCTv shows no sign of the driver or his van.

Now it's Friday and thinking I know what to do I change the delivery address to the parcel drop shop just up the road, and when the email came in I assumed it was to tell me it was waiting at the drop shop as set up, but no if only it was that easy, it was again to tell me I wasn't home, which I was and that it was not allowed to be left at the drop shop, the same shop he had tried to leave it at on Wednesday WTF again.

Back onto to phone to India where I try to get them to just hold it at the local depot for me to personally collect, simple, yes, nope that apparently is not an option with UPS, but they will get the branch to call me and discuss my issue's.

I thought I would find the depots number and call them myself but no it's not listed anywhere, only the billing office number is listed, anyone know a number for their Dartford Kent Depot.

So I thought I would contact Cousins to see if they could do something via their business contact with in UPS, but no, they don't have any way to contact them by phone or email the only way to contact Cousins is by snail mail WTF again. Anyone got an unlisted number for cousins?

So now got to wait till Monday when I am going to camp by the sites entrance just see if I can stop the UPS driver as he once again speeds past the site without stopping, or will have to place another order with Cousins for all the missing order minus the V106 just so it can be sent by Royal Mail and get a second set of parts I am waiting for a watch I am unlikely to ever see another one or if I don't it won't need the parts I will now have a spare set of, assuming they do actually ever deliver it, and not just send it back to cousins as undeliverable.

Anyone know what cousins do with returned in delivered orders, do they automatically provide a refund?

Sorry about the rant I just needed to vent a little.

I shall not be using Useless Postal Service's AKA UPS again after this debacle that's for sure, and can't believe even cousins have no way of contacting them other than by post.

Paul

[spectre6000]

Can totally relate. Here, it's the local FedEx contractor. They DESTROY EVERYTHING!!! I literally have not received anything shipped via FedEx Ground intact in many many months, likely all of 2022. And it's not fragile stuff either. Steel grille parts, steel poles (replacements for the other steel poles they destroyed), and even steel trailer wheels. Steel wheels. Those big heavy round things that can take a pothole at 80mph, and they destroyed them each individually. I literally have a pile of scrap metal beside my driveway that I need to take to the recycling center just waiting for me to get around to swapping some parts out. Nearly all of it is FedEx failure.

I called FedEx about it once, and they said that as the recipient I'm technically not their customer, so they couldn't deal with me. They suggested I contact the sender who was also unable to get anything to happen.

I snagged the delivery guy once before he left me a mangled cardboard box full of shrapnel, and he confirmed that the local contractor is staffed by angry methed up gorillas, and that was his last day. Next delivery guy I snagged confirmed the gorilla staffing policy. 

At this point, I obviously always select any shipper other than FedEx. If there are no options for shipper, I make sure to contact the seller to confirm they absolutely will not ship anything via FedEx. If they can't confirm or refuse to use another shipper, I find another seller or just don't buy the product. Things obviously still sneak through from time to time (looking at you, Amazon...).

[GuyMontag]

I've had some really bad experiences with both of those carriers, but yeah, I can't top either one of those stories If it was me I'd be putting that on their twitter feed, that might get some traction

[JohnFrum]

Cousins shipped me an order via UPS on the 1st.  It has sat in the UPS warehouse at the airport  in the UK for 11 days.  On its way to the Caribbean? No. Today it seems my package is heading back to Cousins.... 

11/08/2022
20:30On the Way 
Warehouse Scan 
Stansted, United Kingdom

11/08/2022
19:41Returning to Sender 
The package will be returned to the sender. 

10/08/2022
20:31Warehouse Scan 
Stansted, United Kingdom

09/08/2022
20:20Warehouse Scan 
Stansted, United Kingdom

05/08/2022
16:22Warehouse Scan 
Stansted, United Kingdom

05/08/2022
9:43Your parcel is on the way 

04/08/2022
20:57Warehouse Scan 
Stansted, United Kingdom

04/08/2022
9:43Your parcel is on the way 

03/08/2022
19:13Warehouse Scan 
Stansted, United Kingdom

03/08/2022
9:05Your parcel is on the way 

02/08/2022
18:10Warehouse Scan 
Stansted, United Kingdom

02/08/2022
9:13Your parcel is on the way 

01/08/2022
23:23Warehouse Scan 
Stansted, United Kingdom

01/08/2022
20:34Arrived at Facility 
Stansted, United Kingdom

01/08/2022
19:41Departed from Facility 
Stanford Le Hope, United Kingdom

01/08/2022
17:55Origin Scan 
Stanford Le Hope, United Kingdom

01/08/2022
16:45Collection Scan 
Stanford Le Hope, United Kingdom

01/08/2022
14:42Shipper created a label, UPS has not received the package yet. 
United Kingdom

[Neverenoughwatches]

7 minutes ago, JohnFrum said:

Cousins shipped me an order via UPS on the 1st.  It has sat in the UPS warehouse at the airport  in the UK for 11 days.  On its way to the Caribbean? No. Today it seems my package is heading back to Cousins.... 

11/08/2022
20:30On the Way 
Warehouse Scan 
Stansted, United Kingdom

11/08/2022
19:41Returning to Sender 
The package will be returned to the sender. 

10/08/2022
20:31Warehouse Scan 
Stansted, United Kingdom

09/08/2022
20:20Warehouse Scan 
Stansted, United Kingdom

05/08/2022
16:22Warehouse Scan 
Stansted, United Kingdom

05/08/2022
9:43Your parcel is on the way 

04/08/2022
20:57Warehouse Scan 
Stansted, United Kingdom

04/08/2022
9:43Your parcel is on the way 

03/08/2022
19:13Warehouse Scan 
Stansted, United Kingdom

03/08/2022
9:05Your parcel is on the way 

02/08/2022
18:10Warehouse Scan 
Stansted, United Kingdom

02/08/2022
9:13Your parcel is on the way 

01/08/2022
23:23Warehouse Scan 
Stansted, United Kingdom

01/08/2022
20:34Arrived at Facility 
Stansted, United Kingdom

01/08/2022
19:41Departed from Facility 
Stanford Le Hope, United Kingdom

01/08/2022
17:55Origin Scan 
Stanford Le Hope, United Kingdom

01/08/2022
16:45Collection Scan 
Stanford Le Hope, United Kingdom

01/08/2022
14:42Shipper created a label, UPS has not received the package yet. 
United Kingdom

Wow. I thought UK's Hermes was bad. My parcels get delivered to every house on my street except mine occasionally undamaged.

[Paul80]

I finally got mine.

I had to camp out at the entrance to our site eating for the big brown van to drive by. Fortunately he stopped quite close so I didn't have to jump out in front of him to stop him.

He claimed he had the parcel every day but it was marked return to depot ! No mention of all the shenanigans that had gone on during the previous week.

I for one will not be selecting UPS for my Cousin's deliveries again.

Quite surprised in this day and age that cousins have no method of contact other than by letter. 

[HectorLooi]

Yikes! UPS used to be quite reliable. 

I usually get my stuff from Cousins using Royal Mail. Never had any problems. (Touch wood) And I'm in Singapore.

[Paul80]

Yep I always use the Royal Mail but they cannot use them to send some items, mainly chemicals, if it does then a courier has to be used, all this agro just for a bottle of v106.

[grsnovi]

7 hours ago, Paul80 said:

Quite surprised in this day and age that cousins have no method of contact other than by letter.

Even by letter I never got a response from Cousins.

When I was employed, I always had parcels delivered to work since there was always somebody there to sign for delivery. Now that I'm retired I always worry about pending deliveries. One the one hand I'm grateful that some vendors require a signature on the other hand it's a shame that some many packages left on a door step seem to disappear.

[JohnFrum]

At least no courier or mailman here will leave packages outside. Any package in the mail larger than a mailbox opening size has to be collected at the local post office. Couriers require signature from the occupant.  Collection at a post/fedex/ups/dhl office requires photo id to be provided. 

[JohnFrum]

Still in the UPS airport warehouse:

16/08/2022
9:28On the Way 
Your parcel is on the way 

16/08/2022
8:56UPS initiated contact with the sender to obtain clearance information. Once received, UPS will submit for clearance. 
Stansted, United Kingdom

15/08/2022
19:57Warehouse Scan 
Stansted, United Kingdom

[Shane]

Don't get me wrong when I say the following as I do not work for any of the package or letter handling companies that frustrate us all so much.

I, do my job to the best of my abilities and will openly admit that I am not 100% infallible.  If we can accept even a small amount of imperfection within ourselves why are we not able to accept it in others?  There is an old saying, "Cheap, Fast and Accurate, pick any two".  The people who are cheap and fast don't care enough to be accurate and to go pick this stuff up ourselves wouldn't be cheap or fast.

For most of us this is gust a hobby, try not to let things detract from your enjoyment.  For those of us making a living at this, let your customers decide whether to use economy or priority freight.  Either way it goes they get what they pay for and you still did your job.

All that being said, I purchased a TV for the family last Christmas.  FIVE, five TVs later we just sat and watched our first movie on it last night.  All of the time and frustration my wife and I had didn't change how much fun my Grandson got sitting and watching Jurassic Park with the whole family on the big screen.  It was his first time seeing it and he loves dinosaurs.  He wouldn't have been mature enough for that movie eight months ago and the bigger screen wouldn't have been as new and exciting if everything went as originally planned.

I try to see the world through his eyes once in a while.

Shane 

[spectre6000]

Untrue! You say no one is 100% infallible, but my local FedEx contractor (previously discussed above) defies this! They are absolutely 100% infallible (at being flawlessly fallible)! They also defy the good/fast/cheap 2/3, as they allow you to pick all three (to fail at)!

They've continued their perfect track record this week with some plumbing parts. They somehow pulled off the hat trick of costing more than USPS, delaying delivery, AND destroying the package and everything in it! Marvelous display of perfect imperfection. It shouldn't be possible, but they pull it off flawlessly with a perfect track record. (The seller was told in no uncertain terms to not ship FedEx because exactly this would happen, they agreed to ship USPS, and it was even printed on the receipt... Now they get to deal with insurance and agreed to reimburse me to just go buy it locally... pretty much defeating the purpose of every aspect of the transaction for both parties.)

Edited August 18, 2022 by spectre6000

[JohnFrum]

Would you believe that UPS has yet to return my package to CousinsUK for them to resend?

An entire month in a UPS warehouse 

04/09/2022
23:35On the Way 
Your parcel is prepared for clearance. 

01/09/2022
2:40Origin Scan 
Stansted, United Kingdom

31/08/2022
19:32Returning to Sender 
We have returned the package to the sender using the package return label. 
Stansted, United Kingdom