blast from the past

While I’ve had pretty decent luck with UPS recently, Shawn just got a minor screw’age from them, so I thought I’d dredge this little rant up from days gone by.

U.P.S.
12 April 1999

I have just gotten off the phone with about the 20th U.P.S. representative that I’ve spoken to since moving to this house in DC I never had problems with them before, though now that I think of it, I never really used them before. Very simply, I make purchases and arrange to use U.P.S. as the shipper.. In MY mind, they then deliver the packages to my door. But that’s not the case of late. Now the driver likes to check that little "Signature required" box. Which means that I get to call UPS and have their representatives tell me everything from "Can you stay home from work [tomorrow]?" to "Is there a neighbor you can have it delivered to?" to even asking me if there’s a relative that I can have come to my house to receive the package. All of which, in my mind seem to indicate that I as the customer am being inconvenienced, when it should be out of my hands. I’ve paid the shipper money to then pay UPS to deliver my package, yet they persist in holding my packages.

Everytime I call I get a different answer, a different comment from each representative. Some are polite and try to help, others are just downright rude. Yet everytime it comes back "There’s nothing more I can do for you sir." I think they teach their customer service rep’s this during training. I’m sitting here now, awaiting a call from the "local service center" to let me know what they can do for me. Now I live in Washington DC and the local service center is in Landover MD, another option given was that I could go there and get my package.

And if there are any UPS service reps (not drivers) out there that have any rebuttal to this, I welcome the comments. I’d just like SOMETHING to assure me that they aren’t staffed with idiots.

Now, since this I have chosen them as the shipper ‘cos they seem to be able to properly deliver packages where I live now, I just dislike the situation, where they know they have you by the balls and you have to dance to their little tune.