UPS is driving me away from Amazon

actually my packages are coming more via usps now vs ups. has to do with their sunday delivery service contract, promise to give usps more business

 

I have the opposite experience in general. USPS refuses to leave packages and always leaves a little slip that must be signed and the package delivered 2 days later and most often they refuse to leave the package without a signature there. This makes me physically go down the PO who's package pickup times are only within working hours or lunch to get my stupid $5 box of chinese goods.

On the other hand I use amazon for everything and everything just arrives on my porch. I just took a quick look at my Amazon account and I have had 72 orders within the past 6 months. Every one of them arrived in 2 days without a hassle. And some orders are multiple boxes, most orders are 3-4 products. I remember at least 4 just over this summer that contained 20+ various items.

I get my household goods through Amazon pantry. So everything from apple juice to toilet paper shows up ground on the 1st of every month. I get all my everything else from Amazon with free 2 day. Sometimes splurging on the overnight if I need it. It is still cheaper to overnight something from Amazon than to go to the local store and buy it. And everytime I have tried to just buy it at the store, they have outrageous prices for things I don't really want but could make work. I just can't do it when I can get exactly what I want 24/7 and get it the next day.

Same day in places. Last time I was in NYC I brought my actual camera along, not just my cell phone. I realized I forgot my memory card. So I ordered one on Amazon around 8am and by 11am some guy on a bicycle dropped it off at my hotel. How friggin awesome is that?!?!

I hated UPS for a long time because they always destroyed my packages. I still use FedEx for my own business and UPS only when I absolutely have to or if the price delta is too large (for less than truck freight for example, UPS almost always wins out). But UPS must know that Amazon Prime tape and take special care of it or something, because it has been great at all the locations I have had it delivered to.

 

At least they're not as bad as myHerpes, sorry myHermes here in the UK;

'Stuck on roof – sorry!': Courier leaves package on top of house in Hove, East Sussex | Metro News

"Stuck on roof - sorry"

No explanation of why it ended up on the roof. I guess it was a safe place.

 

We have similar problems with "just in time" circuit pack deliveries for Big Bell.
We've installed drop boxes in all of the offices that "Brown" ignores assiduously.

I've resorted to signing the notice slip (on both sides....sometimes they don't check the back!) and taking the 24-hour penalty.
I sometimes will have to work a half-dozen locations and there are always yellow missed delivery slips fluttering in the breeze when I drive up.
Topside just adjusts their spreadsheets for the additional 24 hours and the occasional lost plug as a reasonable alternative to hiring more technicians.

For home delivery, I do the same thing.
When I lived in the county, I used to try to get a PO box delivery, and I will still pay a non-Amazon premium on occasion for time critical home deliveries IF this option is available, but lately??????
Amazon is cheaper than gas, sales taxes, and time......even at my somewhat humble hourly rate.

That reminds me......
I need to order a new low(er)-emissions edger.

 

I have no issues with UPS and Amazon. I signed up for the My UPS service. I either advise it to leave the package or hold it for will call at the local office. This service does NOT work for those which are to be delivered by USPS and once it is in USPS's hands you must follow their rules. There is a small fee to pay to have it delivered by UPS and not USPS which I sometimes will pay to have it handled by UPS instead of USPS.

Now FedEx is on my S list for sure. I've never had a good experience with them and have always had to fight with them to get a package that could be only worth a few dollars. Then of course if it's an expensive Item like a new iPhone they just leave it on the door step. So you won't leave a $3.00 item on my door step but you will leave a $700 phone on my door step? I've also had more items come in damaged via FedEx than USPS and UPS combined. In fact I'd say I'm dealing with an 80% damage rate with FedEx. It's like they put much heavier items on the box marked "Fragile." I've logged more complaints with FedEx than any of the other delivery services. FedEx is just pure crap in my opinion. Whenever I see something I purchased has been shipped by FedEx I feel utter dread.

 

fedex dropped my sneakers off at the elementary school across the street. even with tracking, it took them a week to find it. they go there everyday, think someone would tell them there's no one there by that name?

 

My hobby is RC sailing. I went to an event in Texas. I have a roadie case that I made up to to transport my boats. Shipped it Fedex to the hotel. no problem. going home. it took two weeks. it went from dallas, lost the label and ended up in salt lake city, as opposed to Washington DC

My thought.... someone saw the package, decided they wanted it. once they opened it, and realized it was nothing of real interest, they took the label off and it got directed to the "lost package" department to cover their tracks.

The only reason I got it back is that I had taken pictures of the box. Pretty unique.. A couple of customer service agents went well out of their way to help me. so what started as a failure turned out pretty good..

I guess if you think about the amount of packages that fed ex and UPS move, daily...a few packages are bound to get mishandled...

No one ever wants it to happen to them though...

 

FedEx isn't much better. I tracked my package online and three times, it was posted that there was a delivery attempt and a note was left all three times. The only problem was that I was at home all three times and there were never any notes. I called up FedEx after each attempt and wanted to know what the heck was going on. I was told the driver was new to the route. Never heard of GPS?

 

It sounds like everyone is having problems with the cheapest ground options of all the carriers. When a ground shipment can take 3-10 days, there is a lot of time it just sits there or a lot of time it is in other people's hands. I have had a UPS Ground package go from California by air to my hometown overnight. I could see on the tracking label it did that. I figured I got a sweet deal, overnight delivery for ground costs. Then the next day the tracking said something like "package not due for delivery" and that was the whole status update. I called the local UPS place, they said they have the package right there and don't know why it wasn't delivered. It would be the next day. Next day, same thing. So I go to the store, show my tracking and lady comes out with the box. She scans it like they do before you sign and leave and says it hasn't been attempted for delivery yet so she can't release it. Explaining it, she said oh well it was shipped ground so it has to wait a few days... Whaaaaa? I see my box, she has my box, my ID matches the name and address, but I can't have my box... Took over a week to arrive. In all that time it just sat there.

Whereas for 2-day and overnight delivery, it is a tight schedule to fly these things across the country and they don't just sit there. They will deliver a 2day box overnight if it arrives overnight. Amazon Prime is free 2-day which is maybe why the 100% success rate. And I have had lots of things shipped. One of the most fragile was a hand blown glass vase about 18inches high. It arrived in the free 2 day time period without issue. Perhaps those experiencing issues with carriers should just go for the 2-day or better delivery.

 

I purchased a new toilet from Amazon a few weeks ago, and it was delivered via UPS. Didn't require a signature ($540), was in great condition, and I was very happy.