Quick UPS Story

[SweetPete]

So yesterday, I'm standing in line at The UPS Store to ship a guitar. Ahead of me is the UPS driver, who's actually shipping his own package prior to performing his regular pickup duty at the store. I notice he's paying cash for his shipment, so I strike up a conversation as the behind-the-counter clerk is doing his thing:

Me: "So, your employer makes you pay to ship small stuff, eh? I thought one of the perks would be free shipping for employees?"

Him: "Nah, no freebies. Actually, I normally ship via FedEx or USPS, but I'm pressed for time to get this package out."

Me: Laugh. "You mean you normally don't support your own employer's business??

Him: "Not after the shipping goons crushed one of my boxes last year. I had insurance and filed the claim, but in the end the insurance didn't reimburse me for my loss - they said it wasn't packed properly. It was double-boxed, a ton of popcorn, but they still denied me. And they fought me the whole way."

Me: Wondering if USPS is still open.

Damn - if an employee gets screwed like that, what chance do we customers have?

[åron]

They are most definitely the worst, it's in their corporate culture to absolutely abuse everything that they ship.

The last guitar I received from them was no different. I was waiting around watching the front of the house, because I had some work to attend to, but I didn't want to miss the delivery. I saw thew van pull up, so I made my way to the front door and answered the door the second the bell rang.

I opened the front door to find the driver balancing the long box on a severely smashed in corner. The whole box looked like they had some contest to see who could toss guitars the furthest. "Good thing it's packed well, or you fucks would've destroyed it, eh?" He sheepishly half smiled and handed me his digital clipboard for me to sign.

I'll only use Fedex when it really has to be there, and USPS when it doesn't.

[Rsmacker]

From all the posts I read about couriers over there and in particular UPS, I must say that there appears to be a problem. If I were you lot (that's ALL of you who have a tale of woe), I'd make sure I put it down in writing, bypass the complaints or damages dept, and go straight to the top. Address it direct to the head honcho, he's sitting in his office playing with his balls. (Those ones on strings, on his desk you sickos)

Now, it's not going to do anything for any of you who have already had guitars wrecked, but it might just spur them into doing something about it. If you tell him how many guitars get sold on E-bay etc and shipped, and just how scared the population is of using that company to send them, and how that will filter through to other goods shipping, maybe, just maybe he'll decide to have a little personal quest to sort things out.

Trust me, these top execs don't have any real work to do, they love these little crusades, even though most of them are pointless. Give him the idea, and he might do something. It might be that he is a guitarist, there's a lot of us about!

Maybe challenge him to send say 10 guitars cross-country, incognito, and see how many get there in one piece. He may never admit to any damage, but if there is any, he's going to do something about it to restore trust in his company.

Warning people on boards like this is great, but it won't change things with the monkeys who are lobbing stuff across warehouses. A well-directed letter and a couple of directives from the head man will get results though.

We don't have it any easier over in the UK, we have Parcel Farce.

[emperor_black]

Damn! I'm expecting a shipment via UPS!

[RobRR]

Thats why I almost always use and request USPS. Only had one headstock point snapped off, but it wasnt in a case and wasnt too terribly well packed, so I let it go.

[JetFixxxer]

I know this might piss a few people off here but I blame the unions...... They protect the "shipping goons" instead of reprimanding them. I feel the unions just breads laziness and the "Fuck it, I'm in the Union" attitude.

[MikeStrat]

From all the posts I read about couriers over there and in particular UPS, I must say that there appears to be a problem.

I've talked to a few of these guys in passing and the problem is they don't give a shit about anything. There is no accountability and no real penalty for destroying or losing things. Many of these drivers are working for UPS because they got laid off or fired from another job and they happen to be just lucky enough to have a clean driving record. Other than that ........nada.

[åron]

I know this might piss a few people off here but I blame the unions...... They protect the "shipping goons" instead of reprimanding them. I feel the unions just breads laziness and the "Fuck it, I'm in the Union" attitude.

It would be much better if they got paid less, got fewer benefits and had no bargaining power, right? As a reporter who did a lot of NLRB hearings, I find your comment completely biased and unreasonable, but not personally offensive or indefensible. Corporations tend to focus their negotiations on financial aspects of their business. They will bring up quality of service issues, but it's mostly to gain leverage on the only thing that matters: the bottom line.

[MikeStrat]

It would be much better if they got paid less, got fewer benefits and had no bargaining power, right? As a reporter who did a lot of NLRB hearings, I find your comment completely biased and unreasonable, but not personally offensive or indefensible. Corporations tend to focus their negotiations on financial aspects of their business. They will bring up quality of service issues, but it's mostly to gain leverage on the only thing that matters: the bottom line.

I find their abusive treatment of other peoples property completely unreasonable and offensive. Although not out of the question, I don't think it has much to do with the union. I think it's more about the overall piss poor attitude/work ethic of people in general. It doesn't matter how much you pay them. You could double their salary and you will still get the same results. Been there done that.

[Cygnus X1]

It would be much better if they got paid less, got fewer benefits and had no bargaining power, right? As a reporter who did a lot of NLRB hearings, I find your comment completely biased and unreasonable, but not personally offensive or indefensible. Corporations tend to focus their negotiations on financial aspects of their business. They will bring up quality of service issues, but it's mostly to gain leverage on the only thing that matters: the bottom line.

Unions: Point is, they tend to destroy the will to achieve in a company, and frequently reward things like "years of service", and rush to the defense of the dolt who is doing subpar work. Life in the real world: I can walk into a nonunion shop, do a damn good job, and get promoted on merit. This is simply not possible in most union shops.
Unions helped kill the steel industry in the United States. But, there are now an incredible number of nonunion steelmakers doing just fine, giving great benefits and pay, and have much better profitability, production, and safety records. Ever heard of Bethlehem Steel? Union.
Non-Union: Nucor, CMC Steel, Geardau Ameristeel, Mittal Americas, and a host of other very strong companies. Some have bought out union shops, at great risk. My company won't touch them, and I wouldn't want them to.

I work with a guy who works part time with UPS. He will not ship with them. FedEx, or USPS. But not UPS.
He calls them "Ultimate Parcel Shredders". He blames the don't give a shit attitude on the unions, and their defense of unaccounatility on the employees.

[RobRR]

I know this might piss a few people off here but I blame the unions...... They protect the "shipping goons" instead of reprimanding them. I feel the unions just breads laziness and the "Fuck it, I'm in the Union" attitude.

Youre 100% right. I worked at Lockheed Martin for almost 6 years. Busted my ass, did better than anyone. What happenned when it came time to downsize? Out the door I went, yet LAZY FUCKS, who hated me because I actually did my job, got to stay. All because they had more time than me... I did more work in 5 years than they did in the 20+ that they were there.

Unions had their place in the first half of the 20th century, but not here, not now. They simply breed laziness and yet have the balls to keep asking for more and more money. If I wasnt union, Id still have a job, possibly even a better one, and wouldnt be struggling to provide a roof over my families head.

So yeah, take offense to that if you want... but I TAKE OFFENSE TO UNIONS. FUCK THEM.

[Cygnus X1]

Unions had their place in the first half of the 20th century, but not here, not now. They simply breed laziness and yet have the balls to keep asking for more and more money. If I wasnt union, Id still have a job, possibly even a better one, and wouldnt be struggling to provide a roof over my families head.

So yeah, take offense to that if you want... but I TAKE OFFENSE TO UNIONS. FUCK THEM.

+1...
Unions are a great analogy of socialist governments..."We gave you this, the benefits, the pay, this and that", and eventually have to justify their very existance, by further polarization between the management, and the workforce.

[Flametop]

I had a UPS driver drop my POD and longboard 6ft.+ right in front of me when it was delivered. When I said WTF? he said, "Don't worry, it's insured". I told him insurance + UPS = SHIT!

[åron]

I guess two things come to mind. The road to hell is paved with good intentions. Everything moves to entropy.

[thetroy]

Unions were created before things like OSHA and whatnot existed - they're unnecessary now

In my experience UPS has not been any worse than its competitors