VERAULT
Veteran Member
I ship constantly. Large boxes with computer systems packed to go all over the world. I am not new to shipping at all. But something happened today that boiled my blood and led me to start this post.
Like many sellers I try to use the best service at the best price. Most of my packages are 50lbs to 70lbs and I pay anywhere from $50 to $80 in shipping fees. I have been going back and forth with UPS and Fedex as thier rates fluctuate to and fro with one being slightly cheaper than the other. USPS unfortunately is doing everything to shoot iself in the leg with rates; for instance I just got a quote for a 51lb box and these were the rates I received {FedEx $67.00 UPS $57.00 and USPS $166.00]. I went with UPS. Now a few years back I used to be able to just contact UPS or FedEx for a pickup once I purchased the shipping bill. They charge for that now,, they charge alot for that. I live somewhat rural so I dont know if its area based but someting tells me they do this for everyone now. So when it comes time to drop off my ready to ship item fedex is easy. There is a center in town and I can just leave it there with all the other outgoing items and its usually picked up mid afternoon. UPS unfortunately makes me goto a UPS store and wait in line behind all the folks who are returning things they bought from Amazon and didnt have the forward thinking to keep the packaging, and are now aggressively complaing to the cleark to wrap it up and ship it as if they were the ones who wronged them.. Yeah I really cant abide the seemingly commonplace event of people berating clerks in the hopes they get something out of it.. I see it all the time. So Im waiting in a line with my 50+ lb box and I need to go to the counter so it gets weighed and I get my check in bill. Been doing it that way for some years now.. Its a pain but what can you do.
Well today was different. As soon as I got to the counter the clerk started with a barage of questions of which I had to let out a small laugh... "Who packed this?" "How was it packed" "what was it packed with" My answer was simple "I did, been doing this alont time. Its packed WELL, with lotsof stuff." What am I going to go into great detail of what a CRT is and my methodology of shipping antiquated picture tubes in plastic bezels? I got a reply back of "Your using the wrong kind of box, UPS will not honor a claim from you. You are not adhering to UPS packing Guidelines"
I said This is a double corrugated box. Its the thickest walled box I can find and I have been using them specifically for a while. "they dont have a UPS guranteed freight testing stamp on them" "and again you did not pack it correctly!"
These are boxes I use: https://www.homedepot.com/p/The-Home...oduct-overview
Now the clerk doesnt know me. Nor doe they know how often I pack shipments, how I pack them, etc. So this was pretty off putting to me. The box is sealed and without touching or opening the box they are claiming its badly packed. And again UPS will not honor any claim I submit. Now keep in mind up until this point the clerks have been relatively the same in regards to checking in a package, simple greetings and pleasantries and they weigh the box and print my receipt. I always offer to move the larger boxes anywhere they would like to make it easier for them. Today was the only time this type of incident has happend. After they regurgitate those lines a few times I stare at them awkwardly as if encountering a mechanic who is obviously trying to rif me off. I reply back with "you keep mentioning UPS guidelines. May I please see these guidelines so I actaully know what specific things you are talking about?" They walk away at this point and dont come back.
Now I was polite, I always was. My wife was waiting and I just wanted to drop it off and leave as I normally do. This whole thing was strange, and frustrating. I was unprovokingly getting accused of things out of the blue with no real answers to anything. The only thing I can get out of this is the obvious. UPS wants you to pay them to pack your package. They want you to buy thier packing material. They want you to buy thier boxes. Doing anything outside of this will in fact lead to a denied claim if one is submitted.
Now there is no way in hell I would trust these people to pack the types of things I am mailing. They will ALWAYS arrive damaged if that was the case.
I pride myself on my packing. I pack better then most and It costs me. Extra time, materials, etc costs more but my items arrive safe and sound if unmollested.
Now FedEX has never lost/damaged a package from me yet. UPS has. And they denied my claim. I had a package going to Maryland which isnt far and it arrived horribly smashed. Unfortunately the buyer didnt have the wherewithall to have it take back or refused delivery... so that was a process.
Anyway what I got out of this was simple. I am now done with UPS forever when it comes to my shipping needs. I will just pay slightly more to deal with FedEx.
This unfortunately is just another example of capitalism trends today where it becomes a self defeating cycle. Im sure more than a few of you notice my bitterness towards societal changes as time moves forward. I just cant accept change for the worse in situations and just "accepting it". I have never been able to do that. It feels wrong and cowardly and, well ,very unmasculine to do that. I am sure that isnt the best way of describing it but the gist is accepting a bad situation and dealing with it never EVER helps anyone. So I dont. I have always had a problem solving mind. There is always a solution if you just weigh the options and think about it. Doing nothing is the worst solution to a problem.
Customer service is gone. Now all we have is automated phone lines with various dead ends like a simplistic and un-fun choose your own adventure book. And if you can get a human being on the line they barely meet that criteria as a foreigner with a weak grasp on English language, regurgitating a script and somehow offers less help than that dead end phone system. We pay real money for services and we get less and less in return with the rates going up and up.
I hate to sound like an old man.. But things before were in fact better. They can be again. It just takes change... We so desperately need to fix this horrible trend.
Mick
Like many sellers I try to use the best service at the best price. Most of my packages are 50lbs to 70lbs and I pay anywhere from $50 to $80 in shipping fees. I have been going back and forth with UPS and Fedex as thier rates fluctuate to and fro with one being slightly cheaper than the other. USPS unfortunately is doing everything to shoot iself in the leg with rates; for instance I just got a quote for a 51lb box and these were the rates I received {FedEx $67.00 UPS $57.00 and USPS $166.00]. I went with UPS. Now a few years back I used to be able to just contact UPS or FedEx for a pickup once I purchased the shipping bill. They charge for that now,, they charge alot for that. I live somewhat rural so I dont know if its area based but someting tells me they do this for everyone now. So when it comes time to drop off my ready to ship item fedex is easy. There is a center in town and I can just leave it there with all the other outgoing items and its usually picked up mid afternoon. UPS unfortunately makes me goto a UPS store and wait in line behind all the folks who are returning things they bought from Amazon and didnt have the forward thinking to keep the packaging, and are now aggressively complaing to the cleark to wrap it up and ship it as if they were the ones who wronged them.. Yeah I really cant abide the seemingly commonplace event of people berating clerks in the hopes they get something out of it.. I see it all the time. So Im waiting in a line with my 50+ lb box and I need to go to the counter so it gets weighed and I get my check in bill. Been doing it that way for some years now.. Its a pain but what can you do.
Well today was different. As soon as I got to the counter the clerk started with a barage of questions of which I had to let out a small laugh... "Who packed this?" "How was it packed" "what was it packed with" My answer was simple "I did, been doing this alont time. Its packed WELL, with lotsof stuff." What am I going to go into great detail of what a CRT is and my methodology of shipping antiquated picture tubes in plastic bezels? I got a reply back of "Your using the wrong kind of box, UPS will not honor a claim from you. You are not adhering to UPS packing Guidelines"
I said This is a double corrugated box. Its the thickest walled box I can find and I have been using them specifically for a while. "they dont have a UPS guranteed freight testing stamp on them" "and again you did not pack it correctly!"
These are boxes I use: https://www.homedepot.com/p/The-Home...oduct-overview
Now the clerk doesnt know me. Nor doe they know how often I pack shipments, how I pack them, etc. So this was pretty off putting to me. The box is sealed and without touching or opening the box they are claiming its badly packed. And again UPS will not honor any claim I submit. Now keep in mind up until this point the clerks have been relatively the same in regards to checking in a package, simple greetings and pleasantries and they weigh the box and print my receipt. I always offer to move the larger boxes anywhere they would like to make it easier for them. Today was the only time this type of incident has happend. After they regurgitate those lines a few times I stare at them awkwardly as if encountering a mechanic who is obviously trying to rif me off. I reply back with "you keep mentioning UPS guidelines. May I please see these guidelines so I actaully know what specific things you are talking about?" They walk away at this point and dont come back.
Now I was polite, I always was. My wife was waiting and I just wanted to drop it off and leave as I normally do. This whole thing was strange, and frustrating. I was unprovokingly getting accused of things out of the blue with no real answers to anything. The only thing I can get out of this is the obvious. UPS wants you to pay them to pack your package. They want you to buy thier packing material. They want you to buy thier boxes. Doing anything outside of this will in fact lead to a denied claim if one is submitted.
Now there is no way in hell I would trust these people to pack the types of things I am mailing. They will ALWAYS arrive damaged if that was the case.
I pride myself on my packing. I pack better then most and It costs me. Extra time, materials, etc costs more but my items arrive safe and sound if unmollested.
Now FedEX has never lost/damaged a package from me yet. UPS has. And they denied my claim. I had a package going to Maryland which isnt far and it arrived horribly smashed. Unfortunately the buyer didnt have the wherewithall to have it take back or refused delivery... so that was a process.
Anyway what I got out of this was simple. I am now done with UPS forever when it comes to my shipping needs. I will just pay slightly more to deal with FedEx.
This unfortunately is just another example of capitalism trends today where it becomes a self defeating cycle. Im sure more than a few of you notice my bitterness towards societal changes as time moves forward. I just cant accept change for the worse in situations and just "accepting it". I have never been able to do that. It feels wrong and cowardly and, well ,very unmasculine to do that. I am sure that isnt the best way of describing it but the gist is accepting a bad situation and dealing with it never EVER helps anyone. So I dont. I have always had a problem solving mind. There is always a solution if you just weigh the options and think about it. Doing nothing is the worst solution to a problem.
Customer service is gone. Now all we have is automated phone lines with various dead ends like a simplistic and un-fun choose your own adventure book. And if you can get a human being on the line they barely meet that criteria as a foreigner with a weak grasp on English language, regurgitating a script and somehow offers less help than that dead end phone system. We pay real money for services and we get less and less in return with the rates going up and up.
I hate to sound like an old man.. But things before were in fact better. They can be again. It just takes change... We so desperately need to fix this horrible trend.
Mick
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. "Ok" I'm not confident I'll ever see any of that money either.
