do yoU know where my Parcel iS?
Written: Jan 29 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Fast and Reliable to major cities, good rates for larger packages
Cons: Some challenges with local deliveries, high prices
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| netKat's Full Review: UPS Ground |
They may be hunky hotties with their cute brown shorts and gleaming smiles, but when it comes to delivering packages in good condition and a timely manner, they are leaving me somewhat dissatisfied.
We recently ordered a new computer monitor from an Internet merchant. It was shipped UPS. One of the great features of www.ups.com is that you can track your package and watch its progress as it speeds (or crawls) its way right to your front door. We watched as it made its remarkable journey. On the estimated due date, a snowstorm struck, and we saw our package stalled in the twilight zone of "Exception: adverse conditions beyond UPS' control". And there it sat forlornly for days, even after all the roads were plowed.
I should point out that we do live in the middle of nowhere. Our driveway is a dirt lane that is .75 miles long. I had to get a guy with a backhoe to plow it. He looked like Mr. Greenjeans from Captain Kangaroo. A really sweet old guy with red suspenders, but that's beside the point. The roads were clear.
So, I called the UPS 800 number which is answered by their customer service area in South Carolina. I was told there was no way to call the distribution center in Delaware where my package was enjoying some R&R, but they'd be happy to send priority e-mail and someone would call me from Delaware within one hour. Fair enough, I waited 4 days, and no one called me back, and no package. The online tracking still said the same thing: "Exception: adverse conditions beyond UPS' control".
So, Friday after work I made it my personal goal to achieve the delivery of this package. I glanced up at wall over my computer at my souvenir license plate from Las Vegas: "H82LOSE". This was no longer a game, this was a mission. *queue Mission Impossible theme music*
*T minus 4 hours*
I call the 800 number in South Carolina again. I explain the situation. I reference the date of the first promise to call in one-hour e-mail. Based on the questions I was asked, my impression is that the representatives in this office have no more information on their screens than I have on mine as to the whereabouts of a package. Another even higher priority e-mail request for a phone call is sent. DefCon4.
*T minus 3 hours*
Still no call. I call the 800 number again. My tone of voice is polite and assertive with a simmering undertone of controlled anger. "No, you may not send another e-mail. No, I have not only been waiting 1 hour... I have waited 156 hours!" I demanded to speak with a supervisor. The supervisor immediately apologized and asked me to remain on hold while she tried to decode a high security clearance phone number for the Delaware distribution center. Force Fields down.
*T minus 2.5 hours*
A phone number for the Delaware distribution center is found. I am patched through to a supervisor there. She promises to locate my package and call me back. I take her full name, and I am now in possession of the secret phone number that no one in the main office knows! Yes!
*T minus 2 hours*
My controlled anger approach is working wonders. The supervisor is calling merely to tell me that she is still working on it but she doesn't want me to think that she has forgotten about me. She is inquiring as to the road conditions. I explain how Mr. Greenjeans plowed and that the coast was clear to transport the goods to home base. She inquires as to the condition of the lake nearby and offers that perhaps the driver found the area impenetrable. I explain that there is no lake, just a field, perhaps her reconnaissance personnel need some additional training.
*T minus 1.5 hours*
She calls again. She says that the driver who originally had my package on his truck had passed it off to another driver. She was not sure what truck it was on. She indicated that this was unusual.
*T minus 1 hour*
She calls to say they know what truck it is on, but they cannot find that truck. "I know", she says, "it seems ridiculous that we can be missing a truck". Things that make you go hmmmm.
*T minus .5 hour*
She found it! The truck and the package! "Keep it in your possession" I say, thrilled with my impending victory. "I will pick it up."
*Mission Achieved*
At 9:00pm, I pick up the package from the distribution center. Wow, the place is busy and everything is brown! The box has obviously been through some turmoil, but the contents are intact.
*Epilogue*
The monitor is now up and running in the safety of mission control.
Points of Interest about UPS
-Their website: www.ups.com
It provides a wealth of information both general and specific to your package. The site is fast and easy to navigate. Make sure you have the long package ID number if you want to track your package.
-Fast and Reliable to major cities
I have no trouble with UPS when I ship packages to my son at college in NYC. But when parcels are sent to folks in less populated areas, there seem to be issues sometimes. Also, UPS has been leaving packages at the delivery address without signatures lately, even outside in poor weather conditions where contents could be damaged.
-The Drivers
Especially in warm weather. Hey, I'm married but I'm not dead. :)
-The Price
It's a good deal for heavy packages. Small/light packages are much more cost effective when sent USPS parcel post.
-Big Business
UPS is the world's largest package distribution company. They delivered 3.14 BILLION packages and documents last year! UPS uses more than 500 aircraft, 157,000 vehicles (although for a while it was 156,999) and 1,700 facilities to provide service in more than 200 countries.
In summary, I will continue to use UPS when it is cost effective. I will also keep the secret phone number on file. You never know when another mission could arise. *queue closing Mission Impossible theme music*
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
netKat
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 - Top 200 |
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Member: Kat
Location: Maryland
Reviews written: 166
Trusted by: 885 members
About Me:
Analytically inclined mom, bank officer, freelance writer, and internet addict.
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