UPS Sucks

[Stein]

This fits in "Other Adventures" and I need a place to vent.

I bought a hunting bow and it has been somewhere between Ogden and Salt Lake City for four days due to "extreme weather."  It looks to be about 40 degrees and partly cloudy, Google says it's a 45 minute drive.  UPS says it's not lost, just floating somewhere on a truck between Ogden and SLC.  I suggested they send out the Highway Patrol as the driver is probably dead in a ditch by now.

Called back an hour later and was told it left SLC and all is well.  Just called back a third time (not counting the half dozen other calls in the previous 4 days) and they told me to file a claim, it hasn't made it to SLC and hasn't been seen in four days.  UPS attributes this to the extreme weather back east that somehow impacted the truck that left Ogden.

Meanwhile, I have two unrelated packages from Amazon that left NY state and made it to Kent on time, somehow making it through the real bad weather and passing my bow along the way.

[TVHunts]

Well, good luck.  Most of the time they are pretty decent but, when they aren’t they don’t seem to give a damn.

[Mfowl]

"It hasn't been seen in 4 days" and "file a claim," does that mean you won't be getting your bow? Sorry the hear! Hope it all works out!

[jay.sharkbait]

I'd keep calling. Set your alarm for like every two hours and call!

[Jolten]

Having to deal with UPS all the time for work, I highly recommend filling the lost package claim.

[Stein]

 

Having to deal with UPS all the time for work, I highly recommend filling the lost package claim.

Thanks, I just did.  Now the status is "We're attempting to verify the package location."

The most frustrating thing is they just aren't honest.  I screw up like the next guy, just give the people in the call center the ability to tell the truth.  If you don't know where it is, tell me that.  If it is lost, tell me as soon as you know, not 10 days later after I call a dozen times.  Update your online tracking tool and I won't have to call in.  Don't lie about weather, don't lie about where it is and don't give me the canned answer that doesn't even apply to my situation.  It seems that if a package doesn't move for four days and is overdue they should be doing something proactive.

[yorketransport]

Thanks, I just did.  Now the status is "We're attempting to verify the package location."

The most frustrating thing is they just aren't honest.  I screw up like the next guy, just give the people in the call center the ability to tell the truth.  If you don't know where it is, tell me that.  If it is lost, tell me as soon as you know, not 10 days later after I call a dozen times.  Update your online tracking tool and I won't have to call in.  Don't lie about weather, don't lie about where it is and don't give me the canned answer that doesn't even apply to my situation.  It seems that if a package doesn't move for four days and is overdue they should be doing something proactive.

Having spent nearly 15 years in the shipping industry, I'll throw a little bit of relevant info into the mix here. They aren't lying to you, they're trying to give you all the information that they have, which is limited to pretty much what you see when you track the package. There isn't some super secret tracking system that the general public can't access. What they can see is a bunch of internal information which the general public has no use for. Knowing the time that the package passed through the SWAK station or which sort tower it went through won't make a difference to the package recipient.

The reason they aren't telling you that your package is missing is because they can't confirm that your package is missing. I'd be willing to bet that the shipping label, not necessarily the package, was damaged at some point in transit. That happens very often when weather conditions are bad. Trailers leak, packages get wet, and labels get damaged. Without a label there's no way to know where the package is which is why the tracking info can't be updated. This also means that the package is likely sitting "over goods" which is just what they call items in the system without a tracking number associated with them.

They need to do their due diligence in trying to locate the package before telling the recipient that it's "lost". It's very common for a package to come out of a trailer with a damaged or missing barcode. These packages will get sent to a locked cage where they'll sit for a certain amount of time, waiting for a report to come in regarding a missing item. With millions of packages passing through the network every day, it's a relatively small percentage that have any sort of issue. That doesn't make it any less frustrating when it's your package though.

Just file a claim with both the shipper and the company you bought it from and it will all work out.

[Seahawk12]

All I saw was blah, blah, new bow.
What kind of bow is it?

This is just the universe extending the delight of anticipation.
 

[Stein]

Hoyt Pro Defiant.

Thanks for the info Yorke.  I guess my point is that it can't simultaneously be lost, on track for delivery, in Salt Lake and not yet to Salt Lake.  I get mutually exclusive answers to questions every time I call.  Hopefully you are right on the label although the extreme weather was hundreds of miles away from my package at any given time.

[Stein]

Situation just turned a bit more awesome.  Apparently, once you submit a claim, UPS will no longer talk with the receiver.  Every time I call in or use the live chat, they simply tell me to contact the sender as they cannot provide me an update other than the investigation will take 10 business days.

Anyone ever make it through the claims process?  How likely am I to see a payment of the full price?  I'm not going to push it back on the seller, it wasn't his fault.

[Boss .300 winmag]

Hopefully it was insured.

[Pnwrider]

Situation just turned a bit more awesome.  Apparently, once you submit a claim, UPS will no longer talk with the receiver.  Every time I call in or use the live chat, they simply tell me to contact the sender as they cannot provide me an update other than the investigation will take 10 business days.

Anyone ever make it through the claims process?  How likely am I to see a payment of the full price?  I'm not going to push it back on the seller, it wasn't his fault.

Is the seller a business or individual? If it’s a business I might let them know. It gives them the opportunity to provide great customer service by sending you another bow and they deal with the lost item and the insurance claim going forward.