Excuse me for a moment while I climb up on my soapbox.
Today's rant involves the way UPS (United Parcel Service) handles the routing of packages after requests have been made for an address routing change.
Let me first give you the background for today's gripe. We are currently staying in a TT campground located near Clinton, IN. This is approximately 2 1/2 hours west of Indianapolis, IN. This is important because I am attempting to show the close proximity of these two points. On 5/22/14 I ordered an item from a business in Indianapolis to have shipped to our current location. In the email to the supplier, I highlighted in large bold red letters my address to have the package sent. The shipper emailed back and indicated that the package would be sent out shortly and I should have it by Saturday 5/24/14 or Tuesday 5/27/14 (because of the Memorial Day holiday on Monday) at the latest. Great, I thought!
Here's where the saga begins. I received a UPS tracking number from the shipper and checked it online the following day. Uh oh! The destination was Box Elder, SD and it should arrive in 3 working days. (Box Elder is the home of our mail forwarding company.) I immediately contacted the shipper and indicated that we were close by in IN (see the bolded letters above). The shipper indicated that he would contact UPS immediately and have the package re-routed.
I'm going to include the UPS tracking so that it's easier to follow along with the insane route this package is still taking to date.
As you can see, the shipper requested a change in delivery address on 5/23/12 at 8:09 AM when the package was in Hodgkins, IL (near Chicago). I thought, fine, it should be easy to turn it around and I'll probably get it the following day.
Wrong again! The packages continues west to the original addressed destination of Rapid City, SD and finally makes it there on 5/28/14. This was after I had re-contacted the shipper and he assured me that a "supervisor" at UPS indicated that the package would be re-routed and should get to me by 5/28/14.
So now the last indicated stop is in Terre Haute, IN on 5/30/14 at 10:41 PM. This is approximately 45 minutes south of our current location, but since it was Friday evening the package won't get to me until Monday 6/2/14 (hopefully).
Not bad. It will only take 11 days to make an original trip of 2 1/2 hours from the point of origin. There has to be a better way to intercept a package and re-route it. Gosh, I would have probably gotten better service from the USPS.
Ok, I'm stepping down off the soapbox now.
Thanks for stopping by to take a look!
I feel your pain, brother! Last year when I had that broken tailpipe issue, I had ordered a part to repair it from Chicago. I was just outside St. Louis. UPS sent to package to Colorado, I guess they didn't have anybody literate enough to tell the difference from MO vs CO.
ReplyDeleteI never received the part in time for my departure 5 days later and had to jury tig something on the tailpipe. 2 days later, the parts place called and said the part had arrived. Didn't do me any good because by that time I was 400 miles away.
I had even paid for overnight shipping. Because it was a special order part, no refund, either. Lost big time on that one.
Of course, USPS isn't much better. A few years ago I shipped a package of Christmas presents to my granddaughters in Oregon a month before Christmas. The Post Office delivered them three WEEKS after Christmas. Sometimes you just can't win. :c(
Thanks for posting your experience Paul. I recall the "tailpipe" incident. I'm just "venting" here because it seems as though no one pays attention to details anymore. In my prior line of work, I would have been fired had I not paid attention to the small details.
DeleteYou and me both!
DeleteI'm always concerned with the different billing and shipping addresses. I do trust Amazon at this point. But with Wilson Electronics I put the address at the TT here as the shipping and the billing address. Knowing of your experience might have had something to do with that. Wilson called the day after it was shipped for my correct billing address.
ReplyDeleteI hope you eventually get your package. Good luck!
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteCould UPS get any worse ? Yes they can and have. I have successfully ordered from a company several times before. UPS has delivered as requested to my back door. Last week I took a few extra days to add to the Holiday weekend. When I got home I saw the mailbox open at the bottom of the hill and a rubber band keeping the package from falling out. UPS will sometimes "turn over" the package to USPS to let USPS deliver.
It bothered me that the mailbox was hanging open as an open invitation for people driving down the road to see this person isn't picking up his mail. Maybe this is a good house to rob. The owner is away.
- Bert
Bert you give criminals too much credit. They would just pick your house to rob without even looking at the mailbox. LOL
DeleteEveryone needs a good rant once in awhile. Hard to believe they make any money if that happens very often.
ReplyDeleteThat was my thought also, but I guess they make it up on the next guy.
DeleteNo, it doesn't make sense ... but at least you'll get your package. I sent an envelope via USPS to my sister in Turkey ... and three months later it came back to us. Why? No one at the post office can answer the question ;-)
ReplyDelete