Reader Chris and his girlfriend were spared a long rush-hour drive through hideous Boston traffic because a FedEx driver making a large delivery to a single location had the good sense to load up his spare truck space with packages bound for nearby addresses. [More]
packages
Cheap Package Design Tricks People Into Dropping Motorola Droid On Floor
By 11.23.09 — Updated: 10.25.12
The Motorola Droid is a sweet phone, but the box it comes in is a case study in bad package design. Where every other gadget these days comes in boxes with lids, or boxes designed to be opened in a specific manner, the Droid box can easily be opened so that the brand new phone falls to the floor.
Vonage Sends 14 New Modems To Replace Customer's Broken One
By 10.21.09
My Linh’s Vonage modem stopped working, so she called to request a replacement under the terms of her service agreement. Vonage was happy to oblige. So happy, in fact, that they sent her 14 modems instead of one via UPS—but then couldn’t figure out how to get UPS to come pick them up again. Hey, they do VOIP, not logistics.
UPS Shipment Takes Gap Year, Hides In Indiana For 14 Months
By 10.4.09
After yesterday’s article about a package’s 14-year UPS odyssey, Matt wrote in to share a misdelivery of his own. This package only spent 14 months astray—sort of a gap year. However, the item was shipped after the advent of online tracking, so he has a record of its travels. Or utter lack of travels.
UPS Now Delivers Bonus Junk Mail Packages
By 9.25.09
What does the United States Postal Service do for you that UPS doesn’t? Deliver junk mail, you say? Not anymore! Next week, UPS will test market delivering solicitations along with your packages in a few lucky, lucky markets.
UPDATE: USPS Agrees To Pay Insurance Claim On Lost Laptops
By 5.8.09
After our story about USPS losing a reader’s five insured computers then only valuing them at $74 generated a lot of response (and turned into a vowel-less debate on health care), a couple readers sent us the contact info for the insurance agent who denied our reader’s request.
New Baseball Season, Same Bad Service From MLB.TV
By 4.8.09
For fans who don’t live in the same area as their favorite team, the glorious beginning of a new baseball season is tarnished by the flawed methods for keeping up with games. And once again MLB.TV, the official package from Major League Baseball, is making its case for the worst option.
Ben Popken On NBC Nightly News Tonight, Still Pimping That Grocery Shrink Ray
By 1.27.09
Yours truly Ben Popken was featured ever so briefly in a NBC Nightly News report tonight about the Grocery Shrink Ray.
Eventually, If This Trend Continues, Bags Of Chips Are Just Going To Be Empty
By 1.23.09
Everyone knows that bags of chips are sold by weight and they look big, but are only half full, yadda yadda — but these photos from reader Taylor made us laugh anyway. The bag of chips is only 1/4 full.
Sprint's 'Unlimited' Messaging Package Charges You Per Message
By 1.17.09
Sprint offers an “Everything Messaging Family” package that promises “unlimited nationwide, text, picture and video messaging to anyone on any network.” The catch? Unlimited seems to mean “you have the capability to send messages, but you’ll still have to pay for each message you send.” Erica has called in twice to clear up the mistake, but the CSRs are telling her it’s not a mistake. Oh. Well then, is it a lie?
Amazon Replaces And Expedites Order That USPS Lost
By 12.28.08
Our reader ordered some gifts from Amazon in early December, only to have the post office lose them right before Christmas. Amazon saved his Christmas by overnighting a new package at no charge.
Postal Employees Ordered To Stop Offering First-Class Mail
By 9.21.08
Postal employees have been ordered to upsell pricey express or priority mail services to anyone sending anything more than a letter, according to an anonymous tipster. The directive comes straight from Washington to help combat the Post Office’s $1.1 billion operating deficit. To avoid the upsell, specifically ask if there is a cheaper way to ship your package. The anonymous tipster’s letter, inside…
My Mail Carrier Likes Throwing Our Packages Up Several Flights Of Stairs
By 8.21.08
Reader Misha would like to know what can be done about a mail carrier who seems to enjoy throwing packages up several flights of stairs, and supervisors at the post office who don’t mind that she does this.
UPS Tells Customer To Pick Up His Package At A Construction Site
By 5.24.08
UPS told reader Jason to meet their delivery truck at a construction site to pick up a $600 microphone he spent $40 overnighting from New York. Bad Brown aborted its first delivery attempt after being scared off by a menacing buzzer at Jason’s office guarded by five smiling receptionists. When Jason called to find out how he could retrieve his package that night, he was told he could meet the truck en route. He didn’t realize that UPS was about to send him to a construction site. Try to guess if the driver showed up…
Amazon: Let's Ship The Flat Wrist Rest In A Giant Box
By 1.26.08
“I wonder if other readers have experienced the wasteful excessive packaging used by Amazon.com. I recently ordered a Gel Wrist Rest and a hardcover book (to qualify for free shipping). The two items were shipped to me separately, probably because they were coming from different warehouses. Though that itself is wasteful, I can understand why it may be necessary. But when the Wrist Rest arrived, it came in a GIANT box filled with paper stuffing (see photo). The box measured 24″ x 12″ x 18″. The wrist rest is about 20″ long, but flat. Is it possible that a company that sells all of its various products by mail doesn’t have a long flat box that could have been used instead?”
Post Office Offers Refund In Stamps After Delivering Priority Mail Package Five Weeks Late
By 1.26.08
“I wanted to let you and my fellow readers know about the agonizing experience I had with the US postal service recently. They didn’t quite lose my “2 to 3 day” Priority Mail package, but inexplicably shipped it back and forth across the country for over 5 weeks, missing Christmas by over a week, and then told me I did not deserve a refund!”
What Part Of "Must Obtain Signature" Did FedEx Misunderstand?
By 12.29.07
Frank told FedEx to require a signature before delivering his skis, instructions FedEx found vague and confusing. When Frank complained, FedEx said that in order to deliver the increased volume of goods over the holidays, they reserve the right to essentially chuck your delicate gifts from a speeding truck.
