Any members here with businesses that get UPS deliveries??

[mwilson]

Good Morning!!

I have a new issue with UPS. I get daily deliveries from Daimler Trucks North America, Mitsubishi Fuso and several other OEM's in addition to multitude of other vendors. They all have different agreements with UPS as far as damage and the reporting of said damage so that I can get credit for the product. Some of this product is expensive and damage can result in a financial loss if not properly handled at time of delivery.

So with that being said it is critical that any inbound UPS is visually inspected and signed for, with any damaged or open boxes noted on the little UPS etch a sketch that the drivers carry.

The new habit is for the drivers to dump the stuff in a pile on the floor, mark the shipment delivered and bolt for the door if my guys are not right there, and they are never far off. Could be just up an aisle pulling a part, on a forklift, etc. but they watch for delivery personnel...

So I am in the process of forcing UPS to get a signature on any delivery to my location..I'll let you know if this happens for me Monday.

This is just a heads up that there may be a fix if you are experiencing this all of a sudden...

 

[jgillott]

My work has an official central receiving. Any orders are delivered to the dock and then signed for and inventoried. The dock is right next to our business office so there is always someone there to sign off when the trucks come in. We then have an internal box truck that runs to any of the 5 buildings to deliver individual orders.

 

[mwilson]

We have been in business for 26 years and have never seen this before on a continual basis. We have reprogrammed many green drivers over the years but this is different.....

I'm sure they are trying to shave time and many online merchants don't put customers in this position where they have agreements in place with UPS and FedEx regarding damage and unattended deliveries.

But many large suppliers still require damage be noted at time of delivery.

 

[jgillott]

Do you have a secretary or someone who could be designated to do the signatures? If so, they could have someone paged and look over the boxes before signatures are made and the driver departs?

 

[brods]

Like everything else, UPS isn't the same company it once was. The original guy we had was awesome. He retired a couple years back and we had various drivers for about a year until the permanent guy was assigned the route. The permanent guy seems harried all the time. About a year ago or so he started plopping/tossing stuff on the floor and leaving. When we look at the tracking it shows it was signed for by the owner of the company! The owner complained, both about the guys attitude and the signature thing. The guy's attitude improved (the boxes have less hang time before hitting the floor), but he still doesn't get a signature when he delivers and the tracking still shows the owner signed for it. I guess it tough to a delivery guy now a days with their every move being tracked: https://www.npr.org/sections/money/...-productivity-ups-monitors-drivers-every-move

The FedEx delivery guys are subcontractors, but at least they still always come to get a signature.

Good luck with your quest!

 

[mwilson]

The local UPS hub is supposed to call me Monday to set this up. My account rep for UPS didn't sound surprised by my request to have a signature required so I'm willing to bet others have had the same issue lately..

My guys are always right there, but the UPS guys know if for whatever reason there is a low body count down back that they can come up the aisle and grab a counterman.....or me..

 

[TFucili]

Brods is on the money, UPS is a very different company today. My buddy's brother spent his whole career with UPS, starting with sorting, and ending up way up the food chain. Like most industries, they are dominated by management punks with an MBA who don't know their *&^%$#@ from their elbow. This guy had retired, and they had to hire him back as a consultant, because the whizz-kids couldn't think their way out of a paper bag. He finally got so fed up, he told them no more.

 

[brods]

Brods is on the money, UPS is a very different company today. My buddy's brother spent his whole career with UPS, starting with sorting, and ending uo way up the food chain. Like most industries, they are dominated by management punks with an MBA who don't know their *&^%$#@ from their elbow. This guy had retired, and they had to hire him back as a consultant, because the whizz-kids couldn't think their way out of a paper bag. He finally got so fed up, he told them no more.

Unfortunately that is the same story at way too many companies. It is way past due to put those with a passion for the product back in charge and have the MBAholes relegated back to a supporting/advising role.

 

[mwilson]

MBAholes

Brods, if you don't mind I'm keeping that!!

Got some of those in DTNA that no clue about how anything works....

 

[TFucili]

Brods, if you don't mind I'm keeping that!!

Got some of those in DTNA that no clue about how anything works....

Yes, I like it!!!

 

[jhenderson]

It’s just home delivery for my business but the quality of driver has dropped precipitously since our guy retired last year. Multiple drivers on our route now. We had one package we couldn’t find. Our email notification stated left buy the front door. We called and started an investigation. Another driver came the next day and while he was here he inquired about the problem because it was a fill in driver who supposedly delivered the previous day. He went to our mailbox and retrieved the package that was listed as placed at our door. Last I knew that was illegal. 2 weeks ago we had a 50lb delivery in a cardboard box. It was left outside in the pouring rain, 5 feet from our covered porch. Not your fathers UPS.

 

[BigPapa]

Yes, Mike, we have the same issue. In fact, we recently had a package that we couldn’t find that we tracked and when looking at proof of delivery, it had my name down as receiver. Problem was, I wasn’t there at that time that day. I, too, am in the process of trying to make a signature required.

-Scott

 

[Timd32]

Maybe 8months ago they changed their signature policy. We get daily deliveries, our driver is pretty awesome, but the fill ins can be really hit and miss.

You can refuse any package, but as you noted if you dont know you have it yet, how does that work it's a major issue.

We had a $15k order of meters come in, one box was short 5pc, UPS just dropped it as per the policy, shipper had no packing list so we did not know we were short for 2 weeks as more stuff was trickling in. Shipper said it was in box 3, we said how would anyone know that and UPS just dumped it we never signed for it.

Either way filed a claim with UPS and the shipper, shipper denied the claimed they had the UPS POD (proof of delivery) said it was in the box.

UPS had a weight discrepancy from the first scan in to the last scan, but since the shipper did not record what was in the box we were denied.

UPS has a whole area of fall out pieces, filed that claim as well. We went round and round, how does a end user know whats not in a box if it physically weighs different and no packing list...

Was dealing with this shipper for 17 years, they escalated it, after 3mo gave me a gift card for $1,800. Which I will never use they are horrible, no way I can go back to them, UPS is horrible as well. Its a giant scam.

FedEx still does signature daily. Unless you check no signature required. We only use FedEx for outbound.

But refuse the package on the next pick up or drop off and they will take it back. They do the FO/Red by 10:30, then come back for the standard stuff, so we just hand it back. I think FO still gets signed for.

We now order parts and refuse the box if we no longer want it, and it goes back to the shippper, we wont take it and process it then pay for the return, we just let the driver know a day or so in advance, hey that next "xxx" box is being refused, and they check with us and just take it back.

But the dump and run is the norm now, they have dumped stuff at our neighbors business in the back of a pick up truck, it took 3 months to find that damn box, they claimed we signed for it.

 

[DonFitzwater]

I’m the service manager at a boat shop. We get drop offs daily from usps, ups, fedex and fedex ground. We deal with Honda, Yamaha, Evinrude and Mercury (junk). Ups and usps are decent to deal with and rarely do we have problems. Fedex is horrible! They haul all of Honda’s parts and every other box is damaged or destroyed. I’m not sure who is worse though, Honda or fedex in the process. They both suck.

 

[Timd32]

I’m the service manager at a boat shop. We get drop offs daily from usps, ups, fedex and fedex ground. We deal with Honda, Yamaha, Evinrude and Mercury (junk). Ups and usps are decent to deal with and rarely do we have problems. Fedex is horrible! They haul all of Honda’s parts and every other box is damaged or destroyed. I’m not sure who is worse though, Honda or fedex in the process. They both suck.

Agree 100%

We drop off our out bounds at a World Service Center, so that saves us 2 drops and a kick with FedEx. We can't use FedEx ground in our area those things are destroyed or delivered to the wrong building. I have slowly been upgrading our boxes, tape machine, now have a 5/8 stapler (which was a giant scam with 25,000 staples +40lb) i thought it was 2.5k box was 25M, was the only option on ULINE. Was $80 but we will never use these things, the stapler is pretty cool and the paper packing tape machine is also pretty neat.

As a outbound shipper you need to be prepared for the worse.

 

[mwilson]

Agree 100%

We drop off our out bounds at a World Service Center, so that saves us 2 drops and a kick with FedEx. We can't use FedEx ground in our area those things are destroyed or delivered to the wrong building. I have slowly been upgrading our boxes, tape machine, now have a 5/8 stapler (which was a giant scam with 25,000 staples +40lb) i thought it was 2.5k box was 25M, was the only option on ULINE. Was $80 but we will never use these things, the stapler is pretty cool and the paper packing tape machine is also pretty neat.

As a outbound shipper you need to be prepared for the worse.

We've been an outbound shipper with UPS for decades and have been nailed several times on damage. The excuse always is "Not properly packed".....I've won a few battles by arguing in some instances the item went right back out in the same UPS packaging that it arrived in.

But it's just another needless battle as a rule. We've upgraded our outbound packing arsenal with banding machines, high quality tape, packing, etc...the stapling machine is on the list along with a pallet wrapping machine for our outbound LTL which is another whole can of worms.....

For those that do a lot of LTL the rates have risen horribly, I've finally tried and changed to the "My YRC" online quote system and cut my outbound freight charges that I am required to pay in half at least.

 

[brods]

LTL, lol what a scam. We get a a 90+% discount with two different LTL companies. We don't ship all that much LTL maybe a couple times a month at most.

Mike have you tried YRC's online dimensional rate quote? Makes life much easier, no class or NMFC code to guess at, just dimensions and weight! And don't hesitate to ask for better rates, especially after they damage something.

 

[mwilson]

LTL, lol what a scam. We get a a 90+% discount with two different LTL companies. We don't ship all that much LTL maybe a couple times a month at most.

Mike have you tried YRC's online dimensional rate quote? Makes life much easier, no class or NMFC code to guess at, just dimensions and weight! And don't hesitate to ask for better rates, especially after they damage something.

Yes I have. YRC is not my favorite but is now the cheapest. After I got blistered over $400.00 bucks to send one pallet back to New Jersey this past fall with a carrier that offers a 75% discount I started shopping and discovered the YRC tool. The next time I shipped a pallet to the same place it was $150.00.

So I am a fan....

 

[jgillott]

Yes I have. YRC is not my favorite but is now the cheapest. After I got blistered over $400.00 bucks to send one pallet back to New Jersey this past fall with a carrier that offers a 75% discount I started shopping and discovered the YRC tool. The next time I shipped a pallet to the same place it was $150.00.

So I am a fan....

My YRC experience has not been as positive from the customer end. I ordered a large item that was delivered YRC on a pallet. I paid extra for lift gate service to the house. Sure enough, the driver showed up and couldn't move the pallet on the the lift gate with a hand truck. Refused to let me take it off with my loader due to "insurance policy".

He took the pallet back to their Pittsburgh terminal. I had to then drive there, have them load the pallet on my truck and drive it back home to unload with my loader. 3 hour unnecessary round trip. I contested the lift gate charge with YRC and my credit card company. Still haven't received a refund....almost 2 years later.

 

[TFucili]

LTL is a black hole of heartaches. Kymco shipped their units LTL. Imagine a crated SxS being handed off multiple times between SC and AZ. It started off as mostly rashed up body panels, and ended with one so abused the unit had come out of the crate and was torn up 360 degrees. They had tried numerous carriers, and it only got worse. Chasing freight claims and warranty claims took up too much of my time, so we ended up not ordering anymore.