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Is there something that could be particular to your situation with UPS? I've not had to go pick up a package in basically ever, in a low population county in t

Is there something that could be particular to your situation with UPS? I've not had to go pick up a package in basically ever, in a low population county in the US. I remember 20+ years ago my brother and I went and drove to get something, but I think it was Fedex. As far as online shipping, vendors seem to split between UPS and USPS for me. There's a Fedex distribution center like 6 miles away, so not sure why they don't seem to be in the mix.

thewebcount 4y ago
I think it’s even more granular than that. I’m in Los Angeles and we have pretty good UPS delivery where I am. Not perfect, but not too bad. But a few weeks ago, Staples sent us the wrong item, and instead sent us like 25 pounds of industrial soap that was clearly intended for an office to our home, and didn’t send us something they were supposed to. So we contacted them, they sent us a UPS label, I printed it out, went to the UPS website and told them to pick it up. It was pre-paid, and they agreed to pick it up between 9:30AM and 5:00PM that day. But they never did. So I figured they’d come the next day. Nope. So I called and they said it had been picked up. I had to explain that, no, I was looking at it right now. It’s definitely still in my home. So they set up pickup for the next day and said, “But we’re going to have to charge you for it.” I said, “Well, I’m not the one paying for it, Staples is, so go nuts.” They never showed up. In the end, I drove to the local Staples (not the one it was supposed to be sent to), which also does UPS shipping and just had them take it for UPS. So where I am delivery is pretty good, but pickup is complete trash. I think it’s just the luck of the draw and the number of packages they have to deliver on a given day vs. the number of drivers available.
michaelt 4y ago
> I've not had to go pick up a package in basically ever, Back In The Day, couriers treated every parcel as if it contained a high-end laptop worth several weeks' wages - it either gets signed for by someone in the right building or it goes back to the depot. And if you want to collect from the depot, you'd better have government-issued photo ID matching the name on the package. Leaving such a valuable item just sitting on someone's porch? Without a signature? Unthinkable! And as the deliveries were conducted 9-5 Monday-Friday, if you were in work those hours every parcel would end up at the depot, no matter how many redelivery attempts they made. Of course in the modern age, where a courier knows they might be delivering a $2 tube of toothpaste instead of a $2000 laptop, things are different.
- jamincan 4y ago
  The shipper can still specify signature required for those higher value items, but it does come at a slightly higher cost.

thewebcount 4y ago

I think it’s even more granular than that. I’m in Los Angeles and we have pretty good UPS delivery where I am. Not perfect, but not too bad. But a few weeks ago, Staples sent us the wrong item, and instead sent us like 25 pounds of industrial soap that was clearly intended for an office to our home, and didn’t send us something they were supposed to. So we contacted them, they sent us a UPS label, I printed it out, went to the UPS website and told them to pick it up. It was pre-paid, and they agreed to pick it up between 9:30AM and 5:00PM that day. But they never did. So I figured they’d come the next day. Nope. So I called and they said it had been picked up. I had to explain that, no, I was looking at it right now. It’s definitely still in my home. So they set up pickup for the next day and said, “But we’re going to have to charge you for it.” I said, “Well, I’m not the one paying for it, Staples is, so go nuts.” They never showed up. In the end, I drove to the local Staples (not the one it was supposed to be sent to), which also does UPS shipping and just had them take it for UPS. So where I am delivery is pretty good, but pickup is complete trash. I think it’s just the luck of the draw and the number of packages they have to deliver on a given day vs. the number of drivers available.

michaelt 4y ago

> I've not had to go pick up a package in basically ever, Back In The Day, couriers treated every parcel as if it contained a high-end laptop worth several weeks' wages - it either gets signed for by someone in the right building or it goes back to the depot. And if you want to collect from the depot, you'd better have government-issued photo ID matching the name on the package. Leaving such a valuable item just sitting on someone's porch? Without a signature? Unthinkable! And as the deliveries were conducted 9-5 Monday-Friday, if you were in work those hours every parcel would end up at the depot, no matter how many redelivery attempts they made. Of course in the modern age, where a courier knows they might be delivering a $2 tube of toothpaste instead of a $2000 laptop, things are different.

jamincan 4y ago
The shipper can still specify signature required for those higher value items, but it does come at a slightly higher cost.