UPS - Can’t Find Package

[johninderby]

Why does UPS make it so difficult to sort out a problem? 

Ordered from Telescope House and the item was shipped from Germany as usual by UPS and tracking showed it reached the UK Wednesday morning with delivery scheduled for Thursday morning and that’s it. Nothing received and tracking still showing delivery Thursday morning. Phoned UPS and they were no use. Just said the package is on it’s way and no details about where it actually is.  Only a 20 quid item so nothing major but still anoying. 🤬🤬🤬

Edited April 2, 2020 by johninderby

[Guest]

Could the Covid-19 lockdown be causing problems?

Edited April 1, 2020 by Guest

[Stu]

Highly likely that a global lockdown might be causing a few issues?

[johninderby]

Service as normal according to UPS. I get the impression they have lost the package as they have delivered other bits as normal to me this week.

Do wish the seller would use DPD. 🤔

Edited March 28, 2020 by johninderby

[Ships and Stars]

I think essential items are receiving shipping priority, plus I've seen RM here locally deliver items for other couriers, e.g. Hermes, so things are definitely unusual. I'm a little bit surprised shipping non-essential items is still on, though I've ordered a few bits myself to avoid going to shops. Suspect this may change in the next few weeks, but just a guess.

Edit - if they delivered the other items then it does sound like they've misplaced it but am sure it will be on its way.

I'll never use RM international again - they lost both of my last two parcels by sending them to the wrong country from the main sorting branch down near London - a £600 satellite phone that went to Australia instead of Austria, and a £250 NV tube that went to Greece instead of the Netherlands! They wouldn't cover the phone despite buying insurance, and only reimbursed the NV tube after three promises to send a cheque. It took me months and at least half a dozen emails and phone calls each to recover the money from that. In the UK, RM has been great, but never using them for international again.

DPD is rock solid in my book.

Edited March 28, 2020 by Ships and Stars

[johninderby]

What really annoys me though is the UPS so called customer service. Seems designed to make it virtually impossible to get info out of them.

Oh well at least it isn’t something important or urgent or valuable. 🙁

Edited March 28, 2020 by johninderby

[Ships and Stars]

Just now, johninderby said:

What really annoys me though is the UPS so called customer service. Seems designed to make it virtually impossible to get info out of them.

Oh well at least it isn’t somethingnimportant or urgent. 🙁

I've not had the pleasure of dealing with UPS customer service, but now you mention it, I had a £300 sleeping bag sent from the US to Scotland about five years ago, it went totally missing, but the shipper didn't buy insurance. 

Three months later, a knock on the door. It had been sitting in a hub in France! The trip from the US only took two days according to the info on their internal label.

I was glad to see it though.

[Stuart1971]

I use UPS all the time, as they are the best courier service out there....IMHO, I have never had an issue with them, and sent items up to £1500 in value, but I do always insure them, I have also had many items delivered from Germany to, from astroshop.eu and Teleskop Express and again never an issue...so to be honest this will probably be down to the current issues... and if you do not receive, then I am sure the supplier will  refund or send again... 👍😀

At the end of the day there will be someone out there that has had a bad experience with every courier...regardless of current conditions if you ask enough people.. 😉

[johninderby]

UPS is called Oops in the US due to the number of mistakes they make. I avoid UPS whenever possible. They aren’t as bad as Yodel or Hermes but have made too many cock ups with my packages to actually choose to use them.

Remember a few years ago had an urgent stock shipment overdue by several and eventually found out it hadn’t been delivered because the local depot were too busy to deliver. My supplier read the riot act to UPS and the depot manager brought it over in his own car.

DPD on the other hand is by miles the best courier I’ve ever used. Always on time and never lose anything plus that one hour delivery slot.

Edited March 28, 2020 by johninderby

[Stuart1971]

2 minutes ago, johninderby said:

UPS is called Oops in the US due to the number of mistakes they make. I avoid UPS whenever possible. They aren’t as bad as Yodel or Hermes but have made too many cock ups with my packages to actually choose to use them.

Remember a few years ago had a stock shipment overdue and eventually found out it hadn’t been delivered because they were too busy to deliver. My supplier read the riot act to UPS and the depot manager brought it over in his own car.

DPD on the other hand is by miles the best courier I’ve ever used. Always on time and never lose anything plus that one hour delivery slot.

Like I said, ask enough people and someone will have had a bad experience with every courier, and yours was with UPS, mine was with Parcel Force.. 👍

[johninderby]

Recent ranking survey of UK couriers from worst at the top to best at the bottom.

 

Edited March 28, 2020 by johninderby

[Stuart1971]

2 minutes ago, johninderby said:

Recent ranking survey of UK couriers from worst at the top to best at the bottom.

 

Well I don’t believe that for a minute as Hermes are not on there...... 🤔 😀

Edited March 28, 2020 by Stuart1971

[JamesF]

1 minute ago, Stuart1971 said:

Well I don’t believe that for a minute as Hermes are not on there...... 🤔 😀

They're probably in the top 5 :)

James

[John]

I've used Hermes dozens of times over the past few years with 100% success, even with international deliveries.

I'm not expecting much to be "normal" currently even if website info is optimistic. 

 

[Stuart1971]

well here is another survey from the money saving expert, so slightly different, but he’s DPD at the top..but some of the others are in completly different places to the survey you posted....so which is correct...it’s all subjective... 👍

The results of the MoneySavingExpert poll can be found in the table below: 

Major Delivery Companies	‘Great’ Score
DPD	63%
Collect +	61%
DPD Local	56%
Royal Mail	55%
Amazon Logistics	52%
UPS	42%
Parcelforce	41%
Fed Ex	41%
DHL	41%
UK Mail	29%
Hermes	29%
TNT	23%
Yodel	21%

 

Edited March 28, 2020 by Stuart1971

[johninderby]

9 minutes ago, John said:

I've used Hermes dozens of times over the past few years with 100% success, even with international deliveries.

I'm not expecting much to be "normal" currently even if website info is optimistic. 

 

Hermes have never lost one of my packages but delivery is sometimes a bit erratic but does show up eventualy.. 

Edited March 28, 2020 by johninderby

[johninderby]

15 minutes ago, JamesF said:

They're probably in the top 5

James

Which rates Hermes as one of the best and DPD one of the worst. 🙄

Always thought Which is from an alternate reality. 😁😁😁

Edited March 28, 2020 by johninderby

[Stu]

I used UPS to send a £2.5k Sumerian telescope to Sweden recently. Got there safely and on time, no damage and they were the only carrier which would take it. DPD refused. I read the reviews and was worried but my experience was very good.

[Stuart1971]

15 minutes ago, Stu said:

I used UPS to send a £2.5k Sumerian telescope to Sweden recently. Got there safely and on time, no damage and they were the only carrier which would take it. DPD refused. I read the reviews and was worried but my experience was very good.

Actually that is a good point, I have had telescopes and certain accessories refused by DPD and other couriers, but how many people actually state exactly what is in the package, as telescope equipment is one of the things on many couriers prohibited list...they will sometimes ship it, but it won’t be insured... 🤔

[johninderby]

From the UPS at your own risk items list

 

No Protection items:

The following items (or any item similar in description or content) can only be carried on a no protection basis on any service.

Any person sending such an item does so at their own risk:

Amber 

Antique 

Beswick Figure 

Bottles 

Bulbs 

Camera 

Canvas Print 

Car Panel 

Ceramics 

Chandelier 

China 

Chocolate 

Clock 

Computer Monitor 

Concrete 

Confectionery 

Crockery 

Crystal 

Delicate Items 

Detergent 

Diamonds 

Dinner Service 

Documents 

Fiberglass 

Figurine 

Fish Tank 

Fishing Rods 

Food Domestic Parcels Only

Fragile Items (all)

Framed Painting 

Framed Photograph 

Gems or gemstones

Glass 

Glassware 

Gold 

Hamper 

Headlight 

Lamp 

Lampshades 

Lenses 

Lighting 

Lights 

Marble 

Microscope 

Microwave 

Mirror 

Monitor (including Imacs)

Ornament 

Over Head Projector 

Packaging/Media Packaging 

Painting 

Pewter Figures 

Picture 

Picture Frames 

Plates 

Porcelain 

Poster 

Pot 

Pottery 

Precious Metals 

Print 

Projector 

Real Fur 

Resin 

Scanner 

Sewing/Knitting Machines 

Shower Screen 

Silver 

SIM Cards 

Spectacles 

Stoneware 

Suitcases/ Flightcases (Not acceptable as packaging) 

Tail Lights 

Telescope 

Television 

Tickets 

Tiles 

Torches 

Turntables 

Vase 

Velux 

Vermiculite Board 

Watch 

Window 

Window Frame 

 

[Stuart1971]

3 minutes ago, johninderby said:

From the UPS at your own risk items list

 

No Protection items:

The following items (or any item similar in description or content) can only be carried on a no protection basis on any service.

Any person sending such an item does so at their own risk:

yes exactly, hence asking whether people actually are honest about what is in the package....as if it’s get lost, then it does not matter what is in it... 😉 and your can still claim.... assuming you had it insured....if you get my drift.... 

In saying that I had a scope go missing, with Hermes once, and got a full refund from Hermes, after one month, then the scope turned up, and got to the intended recipient, and Hermes said, “no problem keep the refund as a goodwill gesture” well you can’t to better than that, especially when telescopes were on there prohibited list..... 

So for smaller less valuable items I use Hermes collection every time.. and UPS for bigger more valuable....

[johninderby]

What was the name of that French company that offered insurance for telescopes etc shipped by any courier? 🤔

Edited March 28, 2020 by johninderby

[Second Time Around]

Having done some business consultancy for a branch of a parcels company I can tell you that quality of service varies not only from company to company but also branch to branch.

It also varies from driver to driver.  We had a problem with our local Hermes driver at first but now he's brilliant.

The biggest problem for us is that, being stuck out in East Kent with the sea on two sides and also being very rural, we're a long way from any depot.  It means that we're at the end of each company's route.  The result is that on busy days we get missed out for both pickups and deliveries.

On the other hand, our Royal Mail postal service is excellent.

I agree with others that, of the courier companies, DPD has been the most reliable for us.  Given a choice of retailer we always give preference to those who use DPD.  I twice emailed DPD a couple of years ago suggesting that publishing a list of companies using them would both help recipients and also help them get more business, but didn't get a reply.

Edited March 28, 2020 by Second Time Around

[Skyline]

I sold an item to a person,  5 days later they have asked for a refund as it has not arrived. Even though the tracking number indicates is still processing through their system.

I did insist that delays are more likely to Covid-19 and for them to wait a little longer before IU grant them a refund.

[Dave1]

I get the frustration. When it comes to couriers though, I think which courier is better in that area largely depends on the staff. Royal Mail, and Parcel Force are very good around here. The worse tends to be DPD. UPS tends to be very good.

David