Laurie says a birthday present she ordered for her mom has been stuck in UPS shipping limbo for more than a week, even though the package has been in New Jersey since last week.

She writes:

I posted a version of this saga in the comments of your UPS story a few days ago, but now it’s taken a ridiculous turn.

I ordered my mother’s birthday present from Zazzle.com on Dec. 16th. As her birthday is Jan. 2, I ordered it in plenty of time. It was apparently scanned in by UPS in California on Dec. 18th, and arrived in New Jersey on Dec. 23rd. I am in New York, the next state over from New Jersey.

I contacted UPS and asked why it just sat there at the depot for two full delivery days (the 23rd and 24th) instead of being put on a truck for delivery at some point. This is the reply I received:

“I have checked the status of your shipment in our tracking system. Our records show that your shipper selected UPS Basic service for this shipment. It is scheduled for delivery on 01/04/2010.”

WTF?? It was shipped on 12/18, and has been sitting in New Jersey–yes, the next state over–since 12/23. Now they’re telling me it’s going to sit there another week? Just for the sake of it? So “UPS Basic” means “almost three weeks” and having a package sit in the depot for a week and a half “just because”?

I simply don’t understand why they are deliberately holding my package hostage in New Jersey from 12/23-1/4. Just because they can? At current writing (12/28), I have already waited 10 days, and now they’re telling me it will be another week, and my mother’s birthday present will be late.

UPDATE: the package arrived today. Laurie writes:

Lo and behold, the package arrived today! Two separate emails from UPS, including one this very morning, insisted that it would not be delivered until Jan. 4–even though it apparently left NJ last night, arrived in NY an hour later, and was on the truck for delivery several hours BEFORE the most recent “I’ve checked our system and it will be there on 1/4/2010” email was sent. I never bothered going back to the tracking information after yesterday’s “it’s scheduled for the 4th” missive. They could have saved a lot of stress had they simply been efficient and given accurate information. I know, I know, we’re talking UPS here… But on the bright side, at least I “only” had to wait 2 weeks AND my mom is also getting $60 worth of flowers for her birthday! (Oh, and contrary to what I saw in the Comments, it was not delivered by the Post Office, but by UPS.)

What’s the longest shipping delay you’ve had to suffer through?

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