Surprise! We charge hidden fees.
Written: Feb 07 '01
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Pros: Looks cheap on paper. Great web-based package tracking. Would make a good prank.
Cons: Insane brokerage fees, indifferent customer service.
The Bottom Line: If you are planning to ship anything from the US to Canada, do not be fooled by the low initial price of this service.
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| trohricht's Full Review: UPS Standard to Canada |
This opinion is based on three separate shipments made from various suppliers in the US to myself in Toronto, Canada. Each time, something a little bit different happened. Unfortunately two of those three surprises were less than pleasant.
The first time I had something (an eBay auction item) sent from Florida. After discussing the shipping options with the seller we couldn't find anything cheaper than UPS Standard to Canada, so he agreed to package everything up and send it off. Three days later it arrived in perfect condition. I couldn't have been happier, and I assumed that this was how this UPS service functioned.
The second time, I get a phone call before the shipment arrives ... "Hello, this is UPS. We are holding your package at the international border for customs processing and need to know how you will pay for brokerage fees." It turns out that on an item worth less than $20, with zero duty or taxes owed to the government, UPS was charging me $28-something in order to "do the paperwork" on my behalf. There weren't really a lot of options at that point besides refusing the package (and creating problems for the otherwise-innocent shipper) or swallowing the $28.
The third time, I at least knew the brokerage charge was coming, but the value of the package was such that UPS Standard to Canada still worked out cheapest. When the phone call came, I gave UPS a credit card number (same as the time before) to cover brokerage. A day or two later, the delivery driver showed up and told me UPS expected COD to cover brokerage. No amount of explaining that I had already paid by CC would convince him, so I had to pay again in cash and then file a claim with UPS to have my card reimbursed. To accomplish this, I had to make five or six separate calls to UPS. They always seem to want you to call them. Perhaps their telephones have no dialpad. I eventually did get the charge credited back to my CC, but not before investing some serious time on hold with UPS.
Friends and relative have told me similar tales of being outraged at surprise brokerage fees on shipments from the US. Last news I heard, these fees had increased to somewhere in the range of $50, though I haven't bothered checking or confirming the increase with UPS.
In defense of UPS, I have never had (or even seen) a package damaged by them, and shipments do seem to get here within a week at most. As for the brokerage fees, I have heard of people going directly down to the UPS customs facility (I guess this would depend on where you are physically located in relation to them), clearing the package themselves (at about 1/6th the cost), and simply handing the paperwork over to UPS.
In my opinion the nastiest aspect of these brokerage fees is the surprise element. I have made a point of searching the UPS website to look for some reference to brokerage charges, but never seem to find anything. The second nastiest thing would probably be the fact these fees are charged even on zero duty. You can owe the government nothing and still be out-of-pocket with UPS.
I would strongly recommend that UPS Standard to Canada service be restricted to two situations:
1) where you have done the math and still know it works out cheapest, or
2) when you want to play a prank on a hated inlaw or something. Ship them a $10 item and watch their blood boil.
Recommended:
No
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Epinions.com ID:
trohricht
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Member: Thomas Rohricht
Reviews written: 26
Trusted by: 6 members
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