A new f@ck UPS thread

[Hellbat]

Shipped my model 5 to Mike Learn to have some stuff done to it. Was going to go to purolator but the retail location I took it to was no longer there. I was on time constraints and knew where there was a UPS store (Run by Mailboxes Etc. in Canada) so I ran it there to ship it and get it on the road.

Fast forward to today and the bastards are trying to charge the receiver $85 in brokerage fees to deliver it. WTF?!?! I call the UPS store and ask why they didn't mention brokerage fees when I was paying for the shipment and they say "we don't know how much the fees will be for items going to the US."

More like "If people found out we are charging you more than the shipping fees just to broker the item, you wouldn't use us."

What a scam. Now watch it show up and be busted or something...

[BayRocker]

I don't know why the UPS store couldn't tell you the rates in advance, they are published here. This is for US into Canada, but on your end I'm sure you can find the same info for the other direction. You're gonna end up with the same thing when he ships it back to you. Uck!

In looking at the chart on that page, I'd imagine there gets to be a point at which it's worth it to send it via air since all of those charges are included with air service. Instead of the money going towards brokerage, it goes towards getting the package quicker.

[Hellbat]

Yeah, it won't be coming back to me UPS for sure because I know they will try to double ding me again. I should have sent it Canada Post but unfortunately I was in a rush on the day of sending.

[RacerX]

Haste makes waste!

[neilli]

Surely there should be no brokerage fees going into the US? EDIT: Oh, actually, thinking about it again - Did you state that it was a Japanese made guitar?

UPS are cunts - I didn't realise until recently that they won't honour insurance claims for damage unless you take it to a UPS Store and pay them to pack it. I can understand it to a point, but they should state that when you pay for the insurance.

[emperor_black]

Drew, you're getting some work done by Mike? Me too! I removed the neck and shipped neck and body of my DK2T with USPS. Sorry, you can't do that on Model 5. They always try to come up with some way to screw us! Hopefully this will the end of your troubles. Good luck!

[Hellbat]

Yeah, assuming the guitar is sound when it gets there I'm basically having the Model 5 turned into a supercharged metal beast. It's going to come out of his shop essentially as a custom SL2H equivalent. Floyd conversion, unfinished neck (hopefully assuming it isn't half bondo under the finish! ) a full refret and custom finish. I'm going to name it the "Slaadocaster". If there's any D&D nerds here, they may get the reference.

I just feel bad for the inconvenience for Mike having a courier show up on a customer shipment asking for money. I'm like WTF I didn't ask to ship the fuckin thing COD. We've hopefully got things worked out and they should re-deliver it Monday.

And yeah Ian, they only cover total loss if they don't pack it. I packed it in a Jackson DK2 box with a bunch of packing material inside the chainsaw case with the latches and hinges in pretty good shape still so I hope nothing untoward has happened.

[lerxstcat]

You didn't sell it to him. You are having work done on it and then getting it back. Should brokerage fees even apply in that situation? I don';t know exactly who you'd take that question to, but that seems wrong on many levels. Maybe you have already asked but this is not a sale shipment and should be in a different category IMO.

[Trussrod]

You didn't sell it to him. You are having work done on it and then getting it back. Should brokerage fees even apply in that situation? I don';t know exactly who you'd take that question to, but that seems wrong on many levels. Maybe you have already asked but this is not a sale shipment and should be in a different category IMO.

Good point. Try calling UPS's customer service dept.

I took an item to a local UPS store and the workers told me they over charge to avoid losing money if UPS ended up charging them more to send it. It was an irregular pkg and wasn't easy to measure. I took it to a USPS subcontractor and paid about 40 percent less. It pays to shop around.

[Trem]

Surely there should be no brokerage fees going into the US? EDIT: Oh, actually, thinking about it again - Did you state that it was a Japanese made guitar?

UPS are cunts - I didn't realise until recently that they won't honour insurance claims for damage unless you take it to a UPS Store and pay them to pack it. I can understand it to a point, but they should state that when you pay for the insurance.

yep.

i actually had taken a packed guitar to ups to be shipped and i added insurance as always. the charge was huge, so i was kinda complaining about it to the lady, and then thought and said something like. i bet they give grief about honoring claims if they are not packed by you guys huh? she's like well,.. yeah pretty much. I was like, that's great, i've always purchased insurance out of pocket - i damn near always pay 20 to 30 dollars out of pocket on shipping anyway, and that stuff probably would never have been honored if damaged.
and people always complain about the shipping price like on ebay. but it does cost an ass load to ship a huge guitar and insure it from one coast to another zone wise probably less if your in the middle of the country, but it's 70 - 80 bucks at least with insurance. But yes it's basically throwing money away.

The shit thing about it is, you know your packing the item better than the ups store is, having experience with certain items and what to watch for.
i've gotten items shipped to me that were packed by them that made it ok, felt well at least it made it, but i would have done better.

So i always try to use US Post if i am able.

[lerxstcat]

UPS pretty much denies every claim for insufficient packing as a matter of policy, but you can fight that and sometimes win. A video recording of the packing process would probably do the trick. Seems ridiculous but better than losing a $2500 guitar because you didn't care to buy insurance figuring you'd be denied.

I like Fedex Ground better and they are considerably cheaper, though it is kind of a pain in the ass to put signature service on the package. The location in Gulfport would chronically fail to put it on even though I asked for it. I had to resort to checking my receipt and making them do it over until it would come out on the receipt. But they are 25-30% cheaper and get there a day faster compared to UPS.

My current problem with UPS as a recipient, since I don't use them to ship myself, is that they ALWAYS leave the stuff in the carport without EVER knocking on the door. I'm disabled so I'm always here and they never knock. Luckily I am in a small town and a quiet neighborhood, but they are supposed to get a signature or not leave the parcel and they never do that. You can't always get people to use a different shipper to you just because you don't prefer them, either.

[Jayster]

Surely there should be no brokerage fees going into the US? EDIT: Oh, actually, thinking about it again - Did you state that it was a Japanese made guitar?

UPS are cunts - I didn't realise until recently that they won't honour insurance claims for damage unless you take it to a UPS Store and pay them to pack it. I can understand it to a point, but they should state that when you pay for the insurance.

Think again, I shipped a 'nice' guitar(Jackson custom shop) via UPS store and had them pack it. Bought insurance and hoped for the best, my bad... months of wasted time disputing it, countless hours even after their assesor saw the damage and admitted to it.......



FUCK UPS :think: