Five days ago I wrote a few posts about UPS and the fact that we just kept waiting for and waiting for a package that just wasn’t arriving. You’ll note the package did arrive. We had it sent 2 Day Air, but it took 9 days. That’s right. Nine Days. Why, you ask? Well, it’s due in no small part to this enormous snow storm that hit Arkansas. Oh and a little thing I like to call the complete incompetency of some, not all, UPS workers. Here’s, briefly, what happened.
Christmas Eve (Dec. 24): We noticed on the UPS Online Tracking that our package wasn’t going to make it to us, so I called them. I told them I understand about the weather and all, can they just get it to me in Colorado. They said they didn’t know why I didn’t get it, but, basically, sure. For whatever reason, someone requested that it be delayed till the 3rd.
Dec 27: We are in Colorado and notice that it’s not getting anywhere and Anna calls them. They say ok, not sure what happened, but we’ll get it to you, in Englewood, on the 28th, no problem. Great, we say.
Dec 28: No package. Someone tried delivering it in Little Rock. I call and the guy suggests Friday to get it to us in Englewood. I suggest tomorrow. He says he’ll ask his supervisor and call me back. But he doesn’t. A couple hours later, Reese from UPS called us. He says he noticed that our package was sitting there and not making it to us in Colorado. He had no idea that other people there were supposed to call us. So he talked to his supervisor, and his supervisor got it upgraded to Next Day Delivery.
Today, Dec 29: Hooray, it arrived!
I’m including a screenshot from the UPS Online Tracking, so you can see the crazy stuff it shows on the activity column. All this to say that lots of people at UPS, or their systems, are completely incompetent. On the other hand, Reese at UPS Little Rock, is the man. He got me my Christmas present about 12-14 hours after we talked to him. You da man, Reese.
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Be Good Not Bad is all about really good web design, based on the utmost respect for web standards, accessibility and respect for the user. Based in Denver, Colorado, Be Good Not Bad is run by Brian Warren, freelance designer, blogger, homebrewer and coffee nut.
That is totally insane! I HATE incompetence. I am the customer. SERVE ME! Good gracious. Were it not for the customer there would be no business at all!
Love the screen shot. That pretty much sums it all up, eh?
§ #1 By Aaron at 2:31am on December 30 2004
I actually used to work at UPS center 8013 in Englewood, CO and I would have been one of the supervisors in charge of locating your package. It looks like something definately went wrong with your particular situation. I know your frustration and I want to point out 3 things. 1. There was a weather delay 2. It was Christmas time 3. sometimes UPS is too good at moving packages and its virtually impossible to physically locate a package. Many people don’t understand that while a scan shows that a package is in a particular location it may be on a trailor with 20,000 other packages. We do our best to find missing packages, because believe me the last thing that we want to deal with is an irate customer in addition to all the other resposibilites that we have. I’m happy that you did get your package. Give your UPS driver/ representative a break. You’ll never understand what they have to go through until you experience Christmas time for yourself. I’m sure that they have some jerks working for them like every other company, but the majority of the people there are good people trying to make an honest living. Thanks!
§ #2 By Rich at 2:31am on December 30 2004
Rich: Well, I didn’t say anybody was a jerk, just that some people (they were in the arkansas office) didn’t do their job well—someone saying they would call me back and not, people saying it would be routed to Englewood while the package just sits in LIttle Rock, etc. And indeed, the first place I put blame, in the first paragraph, was on the weather. I do appreciate that this may be an isolated incident and the Christmas-time snowstorm in the south just made things more insane for you guys. Note that the story ends happily, with me getting my package and UPS coming through for me by providing the overnight shipping.
§ #3 By Brian Warren at 2:31am on December 30 2004
I am actaully in the same boat.. my package has been sitting in the Englewood Co facility since the 22nd and NO one can help me.. I just sitting there.. what is wrong at that place?
§ #4 By sharon at 2:31am on December 30 2004
I am going through this same thing as well. But I don’t want to waste my time driving over there. Does anyone have a number for the Englewood Office?
§ #5 By kel at 2:31am on December 30 2004