Kara is a totally great daughter, which is why she sent her dad a box of Omaha Steaks for his last birthday. She isn’t as great at typing in his address, though, and the box had been delivered to a neighbor’s house. This neighbor quietly signed for and ate $70 worth of gift meats. While the good news is that Omaha Steaks went above and beyond, correcting Kara’s error and sending replacements, this still means that her dad has to live next to some jerk who ate his birthday present. Maybe this neighbor will invite him over for an incredibly awkward barbecue. [More]
ups
UPS And UPS Store Awaken Reader's Inner Groomzilla
By 5.8.12
Gus’s fiancée shipped the invitations for their upcoming wedding to him in Ohio from her current home in California. Only they needed to arrive before Gus leaves for a long trip today. Sending them 2nd Day Air from a UPS store, the future Mrs. Gus didn’t expect them to be held for a few days to a different city in California. It was finally on its way and… delivered to the wrong place yesterday. [More]
Who's To Blame For Broken Urn: UPS Or The Crematorium?
By 5.1.12
When a California woman went to unpack the urn containing her late brother’s ashes, she found it had been damaged in shipping and the ashes spilled onto her floor. The crematorium that sent the urn blames UPS, which points the finger right back at the crematorium, saying it violated UPS policy by shipping human remains. [More]
UPS MyChoice Feels More Like A Protection Racket
By 4.25.12
The UPS MyChoice program is supposed to be a good thing – it lets customers tell the company in advance whether to deliver packages without a signature or deliver them right ot a UPS store. But Holly ends up clicking in circles trying to find out how to sign up for the (free) program. The useful options, like redirecting packages to a UPS store or getting a delivery window, cost extra money. [More]
I Accidentally Receive Millionaire Stranger's Financial Documents, Not His Cash
By 4.19.12
If Avi had ever considered using Morgan Stanley to handle his imaginary millions, he’s probably reconsidering now. A UPS envelope showed up at his house with detailed financial statements from a complete stranger. It wasn’t a mixup, since Avi has no relationship with the firm. Why did this show up on his doorstep? [More]
UPS And My Dog Turn Cupcake Boxes Into Expensive Chew Toy
By 3.29.12 — Updated: 5.30.17
Crystal’s delivery from a third-party Amazon vendor was already more than a week late, and she lives in Hawaii. When UPS finally showed up with the box, the driver simply pitched it over the five-foot fence and into her yard. The good news is that there was nothing breakable in the box, so the act of hurling the package didn’t damage her purchase. The bad news is that her dog was chilling in the yard at the time, and thought that the box of boxes was for him. To chew. [More]
Worst Company In America Round One: UPS Vs. USPS
By 3.16.12
We hope these two parcel-punting pugilists know how to deliver the punches, because they both seem to have a problem delivering your packages. [More]
Here It Is, Your Lineup For Worst Company In America 2012!
By 3.12.12
Welcome to Consumerist’s 7th Annual Worst Company In America tournament, where the businesses you nominated face off for a title that none of them will publicly admit to wanting — but which all of them try their hardest to earn. So it’s time to fill in the brackets and start another office pool. That is, unless you work at one of the 32 companies competing in the tournament. [More]
UPS Fails At Not Only Delivering Package On Time, But Also At Reading Comprehension
By 2.22.12
We’ve got to hand it to Nichole — when faced with a frustrating issue and three chat conversations with UPS customer service reps who don’t seem to understand the simplest of sentences, she remained cool as a cucumber. She says she attempted to resolve a situation wherein UPS failed to deliver an important package, but no one seemed to get what she was saying loud and clear. [More]
How I Lost $470 To A Vindictive, Abusive, Extortionist eBay Buyer
By 2.9.12
Justin used to sell on eBay until policy changes made it a more favorable marketplace for buyers than for sellers. But he still has his account and a good feedback rating, so he’s helping a friend sell off some gold coins worth a few hundred bucks each. They’re shipped UPS with signature confirmation and full insurance. The coin itself goes inside a plain envelope, placed inside a sealed cardboard UPS document mailer. This plan worked for 25 shipments, until the buyer from hell wandered into Justin’s life. [More]
UPS Plays Blame Game After $5,000 Package Gets Damaged
By 2.1.12
Mike owns a small business, and he ships a lot. He mostly used UPS, and says that he probably spends $12,000 on shipping annually. Of all of the company’s items to get damaged in transit, it had to be the one worth more than $5,000 that was insured, but not for the full value of the package. That’s just how the world works. UPS claims that the item was damaged due to improper packaging, which is interesting because the item had been packaged at a local UPS Store. But loyal Consumerist readers know that UPS Stores are franchises, not owned by UPS. This means that UPS can blame the damage on Mike, since he’s the one who paid someone else to package the item. [More]
Adidas Ships My Package To A Bar Instead Of My House & Expects Me To Be Okay With That
By 1.9.12
We’ve got to hand it to our reader Christopher — although he’s unemployed and says he spends his time filling out job applications, he’s got a pretty good sense of humor when it comes to the misadventures of his merchandise. In this case, it seems Adidas decided a delivered package means the job is done, no matter who it’s gone to. [More]
UPS: Pay Up And We Might Not Make The Same Delivery Error Twice In A Row
By 1.5.12
Keith’s brother gave him an old desktop computer as a Christmas gift, but this gift came with a catch. He had to ship it to himself, a few thousand miles away. Since packages can’t be delivered to his door at his apartment building, he sent the package to a nearby UPS store, flagged as “hold for pickup.” Naturally the UPS store refused the package and sent it back. Now UPS wants Keith to pay the shipping fee again. For that, they might actually deliver it to his house this time. Or they might send it back. Isn’t the suspense exciting? [More]
EECB Scores Hit On T-Mobile, Saves Customer $400 Charge For Phone UPS Lost
By 12.30.11
When Jeffrey received his replacement smartphone from T-Mobile, he packed up his old one, used the enclosed prepaid UPS label, and dispatched it using a UPS drop box. From there, the phone disappeared. One customer service rep after another assured him that the lost phone situation would be resolved…and then a $300 charge for the phone appeared on his bill. It was time to escalate. It was time to use a powerful tool he learned about from this very site: the executive e-mail carpet bomb. [More]
UPS Won't Budge On Refunds For Packages That Didn't Make Guaranteed Christmas Delivery In Colorado
By 12.28.11
There are several thousand irritated UPS customers in the Denver area this week. They paid for UPS’ guaranteed pre-Christmas delivery but Big Brown was unable to make good on its promise and 50,000 packages didn’t make it under the tree in time. Now UPS is saying these customers will not be getting refunds because the delay was snow-related. [More]
Couple Takes Advantage Of UPS Laziness, Steals Over 100 Packages From Doorsteps
By 12.21.11
We’ve certainly written enough pieces over the years about how some UPS, FedEx and USPS carriers would rather fling your package somewhere in the vicinity of your house rather than knock and wait to see if you’re home. Now the police in Somerville, MA, say a couple took advantage of drivers’ willingness to leave packages out in the open by swooping in to steal the deliveries right off folks’ doorsteps. [More]
It's About To Become 5% More Expensive To Ship With UPS
By 11.18.11
In news that must surely have folks at the Postal Service cackling with delight — or at least it would if it weren’t after 4 p.m. and they hadn’t all gone home for the day already — UPS announced that it will soon be raising its published rates almost 5% on all domestic ground, air and international shipments that originate in the good ol’ U.S.A. [More]
UPS Knows Where Misrouted Package Is, Shrugs
By 10.28.11
Claire, the manager of an apartment building, went above and beyond the scope of her job duties to attempt to re-route a package destined for a former tenant. UPS didn’t really do anything wrong in this case: the wrong address was the shipper’s fault, or maybe the former tenant’s. But since too many days have passed since the box showed up on the wrong person’s doorstep, it’s no longer UPS’s problem. The package, we assume, will just be written off as “lost.” [More]
