Last year, the Loraxes at Greenpeace accused Apple of hating trees and raping the environment. In response, Apple announced that it was transitioning to L.E.D. screens, and that they would shrink their retail packaging. Clearly, it was all for show. Welcome, Apple, to the stupid shipping gang!

Earlier this week I ordered a part from Canon USA Service for one of my Canon cameras and it arrived today. I am impressed for the fast shipping but not so much by the efficiency of the packaging.

Canon USA is headquartered in a place called "Lake Success" in New York. Out of curiosity, we checked what UPS would charge to ship a one-pound package, roughly 12"x8"x6" from Lake Success to Los Angeles. Our reader said he was pleased with the fast shipping, so let's say Canon used UPS 3 Day shipping: that would be nearly $20. We then checked how much it would cost to throw the part in an envelope and drop it in the mailbox: that would be 41¢. Well done, Canon.
(Thanks to Dale!)

David writes:

Recently, my son Justin and I both ordered Kingston 2GB USB "thumb" drives from Dell after seeing it mentioned on slickdeals.net. My son's arrived a few days before mine, and he told me that when the delivery guy handed him the box, he asked if there was anything actually in the box because it was so light. I didn't see the packaging myself until my drive arrived the other day. I asked my other son Brett, a budding photographer, to document the "unboxing" this time.

I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

PREVIOUSLY: Dell: Let's Ship Tiny CDs In Massive Boxes!

Dear Xbox,
 
On Easter Sunday of all days my xbox elite died. (I wish it would rise from the dead) It would power on but never boot. No red ring stuff? just nothing. The green light in the middle turns for about 5 minutes then turns off. This is my second one, my first died 1 month before they announced the 3 year red ring warranty.
 
All I'm asking is for a little help to get a repair shipping box. I've called every few days for the past week and every time I call there's a issue and they have to recreate the order. I just want a shipping box. I not mad or a some crazy blogger (just sad) about this I just know overseas support is broken and I just need a little local help. I do have admit now I worried that if/when they get xbox to the repair depot it if I will ever see it again.
 
The worst part is I convinced all my friends four of them fresh out of school and poor to buy Vegas 2. (one friend just had his first child and the other just married I cant get them to buy anything, but I got them to buy this game so we can all "Jump in") I had to find the hard way that easter night when they were all playing together that I can't "Jump In" anymore.
 
Thank you
 
David

He writes:

Short history - Got DirecTV in July 2007, each month since, I've had to call customer service about them shutting off channels or receivers not working. I have the protection plan (about $6 a month) so other than time and hassle it hasn't cost me anything.

Current event - We had the floors redone in the living room of our home. To accomplish this we had to move the TV and DirecTV box out of the way. We did. We didn't plug it in a new location, simply moved it to another room while the work was being done on the floor. Skip forward, the floor work is done and I got to plug the TV and DirecTV box back into exactly the same spot as before. Turn it all on and the DirecTV box doesn't find the satellite. I check all the connections, even the box where the satellite line connects into the "signal distribution" box to the rest of the TV's in the home (btw - all the other TV's are working fine).

Reluctantly, I call DirecTV support. After going through every single trouble shooting step with a polite technician Marisela, she concludes I need to have a technician come to my house. Then she says because I made a change to the installation, I would have to pay $79.95 for the service call. Huh?

Fortunately for me, I had just been reading how cell phone companies technicians and reps sometimes get it wrong, so I started asking for details and specifics. First I got her name and ID number. Next I confirmed that simply unplugging the box and plugging it back into the same place in the same configuration was considered a "change of installation". She said yes. 3 times or so. I then asked if this was detailed in the protection plan, and she said "yes". I then asked if the protection plan explicitly defined what "change of installation" was and she said "no". Again, from reading about cell phone companies on Consumerist, I realized that without a legal definition of change of installation, was an arguable fact and that if all else failed some of the other hints from Consumerist such as contacting company executives or filing a complaint with the FCC were last ditch options if I needed them.

During the conversation, I asked the technician to please make a note on my account so that when I talked to other people about this issue, I would not have to explain it all again. She did.

The thought hit me though, that with all the problems I've been having with DirecTV service, this $79.95 service charge was the last straw. As much as I love the high def clear signals from DirecTV and all 5 of my receivers, I just didn't want to have to keep calling DirecTV each month. I was sad because I really don't like cable tv.

I asked Marisela about my options for canceling my account. She said she would have to transfer me to a different department. Thinking ahead and having experience with disconnects after being transfered, I asked for the name of the group I would be talking to and their phone number in case I get disconnected. Turns out there is no direct line to the retention department.

After a few moments, I was transfered to the polite retention technician Jamie. I explained my situation and desire to cancel due to the continuing string of problems and now this $79.95 fee because unplugging and replugging my box was considered a "change of installation". Jamie immediately responded that simply unplugging and replugging the box would not qualify as a "change of installation". She also explained it was within the terms of the protection plan that you could move your DirecTV out of the way for remodeling, esp for cosmetic reasons and that if you plug it back into the same spot without triggering the "change of installation" issue. She was very helpful and I'm really glad I decided to speak to someone about canceling (something I only do if I really intend to cancel). Without speaking with Jamie, I would have been stuck paying $79.95 just to get the DirecTV box to work.

Following on tips from the Consumerist, I asked that the fact there would be no fee for the service call be noted in my account. She did so and included her ID number so if a fee did show up, I could easily get it removed.

Total phone time about 40 minutes. 20 minutes trying to trouble shoot, 20 mins on hold and discussing the situation. Unfortunate that I had to go through the situation, but thanks to the Consumerist, it turned out better than it could have.

Thanks again for your great work at the Consumerist.

(Photo: grendelkhan)

My wife and I signed up for Dish Network service last summer '06 and were fairly happy with it. Come this August we moved into a new house where another service was available and decided to switch. I called and canceled our service approximately 2-3 weeks before we were set to move (paying a prorated disconnect fee in the process), scheduling the last day of service to be the last day of the month. I was told by the Customer Service rep that I would receive pre-paid 'courtesy' UPS boxes to return the equipment. We expected the boxes to arrive before we moved, considering we'd given ample notice.

However, come moving day, no boxes had arrived. "No problem" we thought. After all, we had a forwarding address set up and if junk mail can find its way from the old address to the new, surely something as large as this will too.

Come next month I happen to look at my bank account and there's a $300 charge to Dish Network. I received no bill, no phone call, my bank account is simply $300 poorer. I immediately called them back and requested an explanation. It seems that the boxes were sent to our old address and not forwarded. They'll resend the boxes which should arrive in 3-5 business daysand as soon as we have a UPS tracking number, the money will be refunded. Case closed. Or so I thought.

Fast forward two weeks and the boxes haven't arrived. I called customer service again. Guess what? They sent the boxes to our old apartment address... again. I asked if there was a location near where I lived so that I could drop the equipment off myself and get my money back. I'm given a number to a local distributer. I'm told to leave a message and they'll get back to me. While waiting to hear back from the distributer I received a bill for $24.75 from none other than Dish Network. But I canceled the service! Ah, but I owe $25 in sales tax for the $300 worth of equipment I don't want. And here's the kicker: it's addressed correctly at our new house.

I, for a fourth time, call up customer service on Monday Nov 5th. In a rather irritated tone I skip the niceties and ask for the boxes to be sent to the address that I now know is quite firmly in their computer system. I'm assured that they'll be resent and that I'd have them by Friday. That was yesterday. Calling again this morning I'm told that the boxes have been mailed to my old apartment complex for a THIRD TIME. Supposedly they've sent a fourth set to my house this time, (which apparently will take 7-10 business days to arrive, contrary to the 3-5 it's always taken before) and I can finally get my money back.

I'm hoping that the inept CS reps can connect the addresses long enough to get these mailed correctly, but I expect in about 2 weeks I'll call back and yet again be told that they were sent swiftly to my old address along with a $24.75 charge going to collections (assuming it isn't withdrawn from my account without my permission again). Any advice (and publicity) is appreciated.

(Photo: diaper)

You have to register to post, and as Kevin Kelly points out on his blog, it's no CraigsList in terms of size or reach, but moving boxes are so expensive that "it's worth having another resource in your arsenal."

U-Haul Box Exchange [Kevin Kelly's Cool Tools]

RELATED
U-Haul Box Exchange Forum
(Photo: Getty)

Rather than use the mostly-blank side of the box for this strip, they printed the perforations straight through the nutritional info. You can still read the daily percentages afterwards, but once the box is opened, all the calories and fat measurements get torn off.

You can always read this data before opening the box, but it just seems like an unnecessarily sneaky trick for an already not-so-good-for-you dessert, especially with that blank space available on the opposite end of the box."

The suggestion to place nutritional information on the tear-off strip should have caused a chuckle at a product design meeting before being dismissed as patently absurd. Just as Reader Stephen recommends, there is an alternate location for the delicious information:
Jell-O Pudding Pops Nutritional Information [PeerTrainer]

Really, you have no idea how irritating it is to get one package of crackers in a huge box. It fills us with rage, and we know it doesn't have to be this way because Peapod (which we used in Chicago, and enjoyed) has no problem using plastic bags like any sane person. (Also, back in Chicago, Peapod was cheaper than our local grocery store, which was obviously run by people from some time in the distant future where milk costs $25.00 plus tax. We called that grocery store, "The Thirty," because no matter what you bought there, if it included more than one item, your bill was $30. ) But we digress.

It turns our we're not alone in this feeling about Fresh Direct, as one of our readers (Janine) has sent in a link to her blog. On said blog she has photos of this strange wasteful behavior, complete with complaint letter to Fresh Direct.

Janine got a box with one package of butter in it. This is not the exception to the rule, people. This is how they package things. It's nuts.

Janine writes to Fresh Direct:

"I just received my order and was really disturbed by the fact that one large box contained only one 1/2 gallon of milk, and another small box only contained a bag of rice. This is really wasteful packaging and hardly see a need for it. I know I'm not obligated to tip, but i do. so as a way of saying "thank you" to your workers for politely carrying my boxes up three flights of stairs...but now it really just seems ridiculous to have two guys carry four boxes up three flights of stairs when two of the boxes are practically empty. i'd really appreciate some better planning on the packing end of your process.thanks for your consideration,"

And Fresh Direct writes back:

"Thank you for contacting FreshDirect. I appreciate your feedback regarding our packaging. I'm sorry about the inefficient packaging of your order. This issue occurs from time to time because items repackaged according to the department they originate from. Due to the volume and variety of the products and orders we handle each day, it is difficult to set up a system that eliminates all waste and allows for the most efficient and economical packaging possible without some experimentation to reach that state. Going forward, we will continue to try to minimize packaging and find more efficient ways to package orders that are also economical for our customers.If you have any other questions or concerns, kindly respond to this e-mail. To reach us via phone, please review the 'Get Help' section of our website. Sincerely,"

Seriously, Fresh Direct...WTF [Wastes of Space]
(Photo: Janine)

Go Small
You might think you need a large unit to store a bedroom worth of furniture. But, you can probably store everything in a unit 25% of the size of the room (give or take). Not sure it will fit? One trick is to rent two smaller units near each other, and cancel the second one if everything ends up fitting in the first. Put beds and couches on their sides. Stack boxes and small furniture on top of dressers and desks. Stack to the ceiling. You're paying for the whole unit, so use it.

Get Rid Of Your Crap
If you don't need it: sell it, donate it, or toss it. Many people spend a ton of money storing cheap stuff that's easily replaceable. Remember, a $200/mo. storage unit costs $2,400 per year. Don't waste that money hanging onto an entertainment center you found at a garage sale for $40.

(Photo: fabbio)

Be Realistic
Everyone thinks they'll have their new storage unit for a month or two. A year or two is more like it. Figure the cost of the unit over a couple of years, and ask yourself: "Is it worth paying hundreds or thousands to store this stuff?" Only about a third of customers (if that many) empty their unit within the first few months. Self-storage facilities know this, and they bank on it. So don't be fooled by "first month $1" deals or introductory rates. Make sure you get the lowest long-term rate.

Stay Organized
Pack all the small stuff in clearly labeled boxes. Make sure you can get to them without having to move a dresser and a large freezer. After a few visits and some hasty re-arranging, an unorganized storage unit can become a total mess.

Be Safe
If you're storing something expensive (and thus worth stealing), put it in the back of the unit inside a mislabeled box. When you sign your storage lease, the rep will try to up-sell you on insurance and a secure padlock. Buy them both. In the event of fire, theft, etc., the storage facility will not replace your belongings. The insurance is cheap. Don't decline it unless you've spoken with your homeowners insurance agent and confirmed existing coverage. You might think your stuff isn't valuable enough for insurance. If so, why are you paying to store it? As for the lock, buy the most secure-looking one they sell. You could pick one up at the hardware store, but you won't save much and - let's face it - you won't get around to it.

Be Nice
As always, the rep is more likely to help you if you're nice to them. Perks may include lower rates, discounted packing supplies, free use of the dumpster, and waived late fees. If you find them helpful, tell them. And fill out a comment card. Those are like gold to any low-level employee.

Be Savvy
Shop around. Even if you've decided to use the facility down the street, get their competitors' prices. Be ready to haggle. Every dollar per month you save adds up over a year. The cheaper facilities might be scummy, and worth avoiding. But you can use the comps as leverage. The rep often has a minimum monthly price for each unit size, so start by negotiating that. When you're satisfied it won't get any lower, move on to the introductory offers. Common deals include one or two months free, several months at half price, or a reduced rate for the first 6-12 months. Always tell them you're planning on a long stay (but make sure it's a month-to-month lease). Let the rep get creative in order to earn your business. You may need a calculator. When that's done, go for the free padlock and flat discount on boxes and/or supplies (5-10% is realistic). Ask them to waive the admin (sign up) fee. You might even try for a discounted truck rental. Don't agree to the unit until you've gotten everything you can.