That seems more than reasonable to me.

@pattiesmart: Also, I'd imagine it will also keep people from changing the address in-transit unless they *have* to.

I'm surprised they didn't have a fee for this already. I would not expect to be able to change the delivery address on a package in transit w/o being charged for it. Things are loaded on the trucks for specific areas only. Changing the delivery location after it's in transit is sometimes a huge PITA for the drivers and could really throw off their already tight schedules.

@I_have_something_to_say: Exactly. $4 and $6 is cheap-cheap, imo.

Why is Delivery Change ($4-6) so much cheaper than Delivery Intercept ($10)? It seems that intercept would save you the hassle of having to make two deliveries.

Delivery Intercept is for the Sender to use.. these are for the recipient to change the address instead of the shipper.

I work for a gift basket company and we spend quite a bit of time doing Delivery Intercepts, because people don't ever seem to update their address books.

@pattiesmart:

Yeah, I agree. It seems like a reasonable fee for what could turn into a headache from UPS.

Perhaps I don't understand the policy, but it seems bizarre. This post is timely because I have a package that didn't get delivered yesterday because no one was home to sign for it. They're supposed to try again this morning . . . oddly, the driver didn't leave one of those little delivery attempt stickers and I only found out from tracking online.

So, wait: Had he left the sticker and I requested on the sticker that they re-route it to my office address (nearby) would I have to pay extra? Or is it just if I want to change the delivery address before they attempt to deliver it?

I've paid this for some time with other carriers. Frequently purchased items like concert tickets from fan sites will only mail them to the billing address on my debit card and it is required that I sign for the package...during work hours. The only option is to pay or take a day off of work.

Did anyone else hear the "app for that" Apple guy's voice in their head as they read the headline?

@dragonfire81: Lol. I did. I think that's what Laura was going for though.

@pattiesmart: Depends on what you are shipping. But yeah, I kinda assumed there would be a fee for it depending on how far the package is, and how far the new destination is from the original destination.

@SeattleTed is proud to like Robert Zimmerman: Or you could just add your work address to your valid ship-to addresses on your debit card like everyone else does.

@dragonfire81: *raises hand*

I wonder if part of this is to reduce fraud, such as eBay customers requesting a change of address and then claiming it wasn't delivered, or Nigerian scammers rerouting stuff to a different drop address.

The fact that they are now requiring an infonotice number sounds like a good thing - wouldn't want people to randomly reroute other people's packages.

Personally, I don't know why these shipping companies don't either call you up and ask when they can deliver it or at the time of purchase, ask you for delivery time. I just got married and we got a lot of gifts delivered. Of course no one is home during the hours of 8-5 so it took 2 or 3 attempts to finally get the gift. That's wasted gas and time by the truck. if we could have specified somehow, it would have take 1 attempt at 6pm and everyone would have won

Umm... seems reasonable considering added cost to reroute the package to another place.

@thesadtomato: If your office is within the delivery range of the vehicle, and it is on that vehicle's designated route for the scheduled delivery time, they probably wouldn't charge you.

But it's like if I ordered something on Amazon and forgot that I had my previous home address still listed as shipping address. Well, now I live 15 miles away in a different city, and I need my package to go there - I'd probably get charged the money because the truck that delivers to my old address isn't the same truck that goes 15 miles to deliver to my new area.

I see, UPS offers you an innovative service that never existed before, and no other carrier (i.e. USPS/Fedex) offers to the general public, and you criticize that they have the gall to charge $4 for it?

And you actually wrote to them snidely asking if this was a way to extract more money from customers?

Way to encourage companies to provide useful features at a profit, Consumerist! I hope they don't waste a moment in replying to you!

@MostlyHarmless: I don't think it depends on what you are shipping. If you're shipping via UPS, it's likelty to cost you at least $10 or more per package. If you need to change the address en route, $4 or $6 isn't exactly expensive.

@SeattleTed is proud to like Robert Zimmerman: What Radi0logy said.

@bravo369: Because that's not their job? Do you reallye xpect the driver to call everyone they need to deliver too?? It's not their job to make sure someone is home/the address is correct.

No fee for return to sender? I know it's a different situation, but I had an ebay buyer miss all 3 delivery attempts and I was charged $10 when the package was automatically sent back to me... I didn't know until I got my cc statement.

I will be paying cash for UPS shipments from now on.

There are two reasons for this: One, it's a service and UPS can make money off it, so why not.

The other involves fraud. I'm not sure on the exact reasoning, but over the past few years some fraud purchases were made and then using this service to change the package location. Since having different shipping/billing info is a flag to a fraudulent order, being able to place the order and then change the shipped to address was a way to get past more auto-checks in store's online systems.

We use UPS at the company I work for and actually stopped offereing package intercepts last year for this reason. While I will never defend UPS (I hate them, especially around Christmas time) but this is an understandable nuisence.

The key is to make sure you have the correct shipping info at the beginning.

@pattiesmart: well its 40-60% of the original price...

@dragonfire81: Yep, and it won't stop. My mind: "I need more coffee" My mind's Apple guy: "There's an app for that." My mind: "What do I want for lunch?" My mind's Apple guy: "There's an app for that."

@JayDeEm: So charge the buyer. Thats what we do as a major UPS shipper. We also make the buyer pay for the second shipment, even if they got free shipping the first time around.

@thesadtomato: The package is for you? If so, it would be considered a "Delivery Change Request" and is exactly what's outlined in this post. It's $4 or 6 and an additional fee if it's out of the area.

Details:
[www.ups.com]

This is a totally reasonable fee. I worked for UPS when I was in college, and it costs them money to do this and is a big hassle. When you have thousands of centers/hubs moving tens of thousands of packages through each day, it is basically finding a needle in a haystack if you want to go find a specific package. A few years ago before they introduced PAS (the system that generates those secondary little labels you see with colors and numbers on them), it would have been impossible. Now when they apply a PAS label it can be marked as an exception and sent to a clerk during the normal routing process to be relabeled. The other option they have is to catch it at one of the auto-sort facilities (where packages are sorted by machines instead of humans [which I used to do], of which there are few). Usually these re-routes can only happen once a package arrives at its destination facility, though. Intercepting it, relabeling it, and then perhaps having to ship it to another facility (even in the same city there are often more than one buildings servicing it -- Seattle is serviced by two facilities, for example) -- $4 is pretty cheap, all things considered.

@bravo369: Because these people have lives as well and most businesses are open 9 to 5, and deliveries can't be expected to be made 24 hours a day?

@thesadtomato: For your second question- changing the address before they deliver it if you are the sender is considered "Delivery Intercept" and comes with a $10 price tag as well as additional fees if it is not local. In the description it specifically says shipper, so I don't know if the rules are different for recipients.

Either way you're better off just picking it up at UPS if it's local. I've never had a problem just showing ID and maybe a tracking number if they didn't leave a tag.

@milkcake: Not really. It requires changing the tracking information, possibly switching the package to a different truck, possibly changing a route entirely...

Given how UPS loves to show how automated their system is, I'm seeing this like a $25 overdraft protection fee. I once asked the bank to justify how a computer watching my account dip below 0.00 and doing a computer transfer legitimately cost $25.00 The lady tried to explain that it costs money to keep computers going and to pay tech guys, but I tried to explain that I shouldn't have to pay for a computer waiting to pop into action, and instead for the 5 seconds(overestimating) that it takes to initiate an INTERNAL transfer between accounts. Her eyes glazed over.

Until it reaches the smaller delivery hubs, it's almost all automated and based on the info associated with the tracking number. Hell, if I mail a UPS package down the road, it still travels to a ditro-hub until it gets routed back to my delivery hub and onto a truck.

@pattiesmart: They could easily give an estimated time though based on routes, but they refuse to even do that (except for one time a few years ago I got UPS to). They make you wait at home all day

@pecan 3.14159265: Hmmm sorry. I misread your post entirely, and thought you were disagreeing.

Given UPS' performance the few times I've actually tried to do this, I hope they're a hell of a lot better at it after they start charging for it. The last time I went through this, they started by claiming they'd attempted to deliver a "signature-required" package, knocking off one of the 3 delivery attempts. Sadly, they hadn't, I took the day off work to be home when it got there, and nobody showed up. After changing the delivery address for the next day to my work, they attempted to deliver it to my home again. At least this time, they actually did attempt it, I had a note on the door. I called again, they once again claimed they had changed the delivery address, and once again they tried to deliver it to my home, claiming that was the full three delivery attempts (despite it being two).

I'd say that was just one bad experience, but it's been something like that every time I or my wife has tried to change the delivery address. I guess if they're still this bad at it, at least being charged for it allows me the righteous indignation I'll have when they screw it up again.

The addition of fees make sense. I'm sure its guys like me that constantly call in for their employers to get shipments pushed through at break-neck speeds that are driving their operating expenses through the roof.

Sorry folks!

@MostlyHarmless: So? This is a special service that costs UPS extra and could cause the drivers to change their route. This is a *special service* that should only be used when absolutely needed. And most packages send for more than $10, anyway.

@kepler11: Fedex definitely does this as well. I don't know if they have a fancy name for it, but I work with a lot of construction companies that have temporary offices or switch the employees between office locations and I use this feature on the regular. Fedex will call me or the recipient if there is a problem with the address (this is why they make you include phone numbers for both parties) or I'll call them and they will quickly re-route it. As far as I know they don't charge for this.

@psm321: But they DO. Most ground comes by end-of-business day. 3rd day and overnight give you more options: you can get early AM deliveries (by 8:30am I believe) and deliveries by 10am (or 10:30, I can't remember), if you pay extra.

If you want your packaged by a certain time, pay for it. Otherwise, the "estimated" time is "by end of business day".

@pattiesmart: I REALLY doubt they'll re-route a driver, vs just bringing the package back to the distribution center and sending it out on the proper truck the next day.

I tried doing this a few years back with a shipment from Newegg ... they (UPS) wouldn't let me because Newegg had a no-forwarding, no-changing clause in their UPS contract. *shrug*

@pattiesmart: I'm not saying its unjustified. As I said earlier, I am surprised there was no fee for it already, but at the same time it is not always "meh, cheap", depending on the package. For a $10 shipping cost, you could be paying as much as 60% extra.

Now ofcourse, it does not matter if its a one time thing. Having to do it a lot could hurt your calculations. But then again, if you keep on doing it over and over again, you probably had it coming.

@psm321: Also, if they gave you an estimated time "based on routes" and that estimated time didn't happen, you'd be pissed, no? This is why they don't give estimated times.

You are guaranteed delivery by a certain time, depending on what delivery service you paid for. That is reasonable.

If you're worried about not being home, pay extra to get it there in the AM. That's why those options are there.

@kepler11:

I can say from experience that this is not a new service. A couple years ago I had a package shipped via UPS to my home address, thinking my wife would be home on the day of delivery. When she missed the package, I had it rerouted to my parent's house. (They're semi-retired, and said they would be home.) At the time, there was no fee for this change.

That said, I'm not greatly disturbed by a fee. You're generating added work, and paying $4 may be a better alternative than picking up the package yourself.

I don't see a problem...

I work at UPS. I'm glad to see that most of the comments are positive. We're a business offering services. Why would people not expect to pay for the services we offer/they want to use?? These delivery changes require an employee(s) time to effect the changes. I, for one, expect to get paid for that time.

As far as I'm aware, it's still free to have a package rerouted after the fist delivery attempt.

@MostlyHarmless: There was a fee for it already... we have a UPS account at my work and they've always charged us $10 to do an "intercept"

@Steeb2er: Yep, that's what they do. It's not a same day re-route and you can't change it online until you get the info tag. If you changed the delivery address, they take the item back and put it on a different truck. I used to do this occasionally if they wouldn't leave something at my apartment and I had to sign for it, I'd sometime re-route it to work. Since they started charging, I just do the will-call and pick it up on my home.

I don't think the change should be a flat rate, though. If it's still within the same UPS center, it should be cheaper.