I recently had an issue shipping a package from my local UPS Store, and the saga that ensued seemed so incredible to me that I wanted to share it with you.
I had done some work for a colleague that was extremely time-sensitive — she needed to receive these materials on the morning of May 18th. I packaged up three binders of material and addressed them to her location at the Rio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. She sent me her UPS account number to ship the box with.
I finished packaging everything up on Sunday, May 15th, then left for the Think Tank blogger conference in Chicago that week. My husband took the box to the UPS Store in Huntley the next morning to ship it. He called me on his way to work and said that the UPS Store refused to allow him to ship it with my colleague’s UPS account number, saying “we don’t do that,” so he paid for the box — a whopping $176.53 charge for a 13-pound package with second-day AM delivery.
I returned home from my conference three days later on the evening of Wednesday, May 18th, and I learned that this very expensive package not only did not arrive on time — it hadn’t arrived at all. I left a message for my colleague apologizing profusely for missing the deadline — neither of us knew where the box had gone, as UPS had said it would arrive by 10:30am on Wednesday. The next morning, I went over to the UPS Store.
The manager, James, casually said ‘Yeah, that box didn’t get there. That address doesn’t exist.”
I assured him that the Rio Hotel and Casino absolutely exists at 3700 W. Flamingo Road in Las Vegas and has for close to 30 years now. I asked to see the shipping paperwork that the UPS Store prepared at the time of shipment.
As I looked at the paperwork, I saw the problem:
The recipient’s address was entered into UPS’ system as 2700 E. Flamingo Road instead of the 3700 W. Flamingo Road I’d written on the box.
Even when you hand-address a package, the UPS Store staff creates another label with a barcode for shipping. At the time of shipping, whoever created the label for my box typed the wrong address on it. This error prevented the package from being delivered.
I asked what could be done, as the error wasn’t mine — I had written the correct address on the package! James said “Oh, that’s not our problem.” I asked which employee had mistyped the address of my package, and James said that he, himself, had.
I was beginning to get irritated. I reminded James that we’d paid close to $200 to ship this box with two-day AM shipping. James said, “There is no guarantee that an item shipped two-day will actually arrive within two days.”
James pulled the paperwork out from Monday morning when my husband had originally shipped the box for me. He tapped the signature line and said that when my husband signed it, he was verifying that the address on the package was correct. The fine print above the signature line reads, “I acknowledge and accept terms & conditions in force for tendering shipments through this location and certify that address, contents and values provided for this shipment are accurate in all respects.”
I tracked the package (you can too at this link – enter 1Z8W5E200754657256) and interestingly, UPS’ tracking states “The company or receiver name is incorrect” instead of noting that the actual street address entered into their system was incorrect.
The box did arrive on Thursday morning at the Rio, and my colleague verified that both the business name and handwritten address were correct on the package we sent. She said there were now two labels on it, one stuck over the other, and she sent me photos of the first label with the mistyped 2700 E. Flamingo Road address, then peeled it back to reveal the second label UPS applied once the package reached Las Vegas with the correct 3700 W. Flamingo street address.
I asked James to follow up with UPS and ask if there was any way to refund even a portion of the $176.53 I paid, as again, it was not my fault he had misaddressed my package at the UPS Store causing the package to arrive a day late. He called me the next day to tell me that UPS declined to offer a refund, but the owner of this UPS Store location would offer me a $50 credit.
Honestly? I wish James simply would have said “I’m sorry.” At no point throughout this ordeal did he apologize for his mistake — in fact, he immediately threw blame back to me and my husband for not verifying that his label was correct before the box was shipped.
I’m sharing this story because I honestly had no idea that customers, not UPS, were liable for errors on the address labels created by the UPS Store. I found this situation frustrating for many reasons, especially since the correct address was hand-written on the box in Sharpie and remained visible and uncovered throughout the entire shipping process. (At what point does common sense kick in and say “Oops, the Rio is further down the street and hmm, that’s also the address actually written on the box…”?)
If you’re shipping something with UPS, read the entire label and the fine print — all of it — before signing the receipt. My husband said that when he shipped the box, James told him, “Sign here so we can get this shipped for you.” Perhaps the UPS Store should also point out to customers that the fine print essentially says, “Sign here so we won’t be liable for our own errors.”
UPDATE: On 5/27, I received the following email from UPS:
Response By Email ( April P. ) ( 05/27/2016 04:14 PM )
U.S. Eastern Standard Time (US EST)
Dear Jill, Thank you for bringing this issue to our attention. I’m very sorry for the level of unprofessionalism that this store has displayed regarding your concerns. The UPS Stores are individually owned franchises. As such, I’ve escalated your concern to their Corporate Offices. I’ve asked that they call you back by the end of business day Tuesday, 05/31/16.
I hope that this is helpful for you. Please let me know if you need any further assistance.
Sincerely, April P.
UPS Social Media Team
UPDATE: It is now June 2nd. I have not yet heard from the UPS Stores corporate office.
UPDATE: It is now June 8th. The UPS Store’s corporate office has reached out and is looking into this matter.
UPDATE: Today, August 1st, I received a full refund for this shipment. My local UPS Store staff apologized for the matter, though it was not the fault of the staff members currently working when I came in today. I was informed that James is no longer working at this location. A very nice employee, Mike, assisted me with the refund, and the manager has given me a $25 shipping credit toward a future shipment. I’m satisfied with this resolution.
Carla says
This was the MANAGER????!!!
I think you need to go over his head & fight this with UPS because I see some more problems with your receipt. Not only did he somehow mash 3700 West into 2700 East, the second photo you posted should concern you.
Look under shipping info on the right. It says you were billed for a 27 pound package, but your package’s actual weight was 13.9 pounds. It should not have cost you this much even for 2-day.
Look under Billing, it says this was paid by a Company Account (Prepaid) so the account you shipped the box to probably also was charged for it. I have sent things with UPS Store from our company account many times, they definitely can charge it to your UPS account.
Was there a full moon this week or something? Fedex next time? =)
Andrew F. says
Out of curiosity, I ran the numbers through the UPS website for a generic origin of Chicago to the hotel, using actual weight and dimension on the receipts. 2nd Day Air AM is quoted at 174.53, just $2 less than what Jill paid, so I’d say it was billed properly. The estimator also lists the “Billable Weight” as 27 lbs. This is likely similar to USPS’s “dimensional weight” concept, whereas the cost is somewhat related to weight, but if the box is too big or an awkward shape, you actually pay according to a formula that takes into account the shape of the box.
Coupon Maven says
Carla and Andrew, thanks for pointing this out. I didn’t even catch that weight discrepancy when I looked at it, but I agree that it was probably due to the size of the box too — it wasn’t a huge box, but perhaps it was large enough to get bumped up to a higher price category.
My colleague is checking to see if her account was also billed for this shipment.
Wendy says
$175! You could have flown it out there yourself round trip for that. Something is not right!
naisula says
THAT was an outrageous story! I agree that you should go higher up and dispute. The fact that you paid so much to have it delivered, told it was going to arrive a certain time, and then told “sorry, no guarantee.” Maybe under the disclaimer of weather that is out of one’s control, but not because someone mistyped an address. For him to nonchalantly feel that he has no accountability in the matter just because a customer “signed on the dotted line” is preposterous. It is interesting that the actual weight is 13.9 lbs and billed for 27.0 lbs for “dim/wt” but I don’t know if that’s normal procedure. I would absolutely seek a refund and not accept $50 credit for future shipment. Sorry, but after this, I don’t think I would ship through UPS, and certainly not from that location!
Coupon Maven says
“Nonchalant” is unfortunately the perfect way to describe his attitude. (I had to hold myself back from using “smarmy” in my post, but it came to mind numerous times while I was writing this post.) He did not seem concerned in the least and had a “not my problem” attitude the entire time we were talking — even when he admitted he was the one who typed my label.
I do like the post upthread that said I could have flown it out there myself for $176. Had I not been tied up with a conference, I probably should have. Crazy, isn’t it?
I’ve definitely learned an expensive lesson — check and double-check those labels someone else makes for you.
naisula says
I also have to wonder about the common sense part of it like you mentioned. This isn’t a small residence. It’s the Rio Hotel. How does someone miss this monstrosity? https://tinyurl.com/riovegas
Coupon Maven says
Exactly. It is not like the location of the Rio would have been unknown to a Las Vegas UPS driver.
Theresa says
How hard is it to refund all of the money and say I am sorry to make a customer happy. This is why people do NOT use certain stores or businesses and the businesses never know why they go out of business. I noticed recently a couple of the UPS stores near me are no more. Is it a customer service issue that closed them too? I would go higher because I doubt he even called UPS for you. I never thought to look at the address when I have shipped UPS. Now I will.
bigmoney says
The UPS Store is an independently owned franchise. We love our Geneva location! The location owner should be more helpful. With attitude and service like that, I certainly hope James is not the owner! If so, you can probably contact the franchise office to file your complaint.
sara says
You seem surprised?? That is actually VERY normal for the UPS store. Have had it happen more than once and gave up on them. You were billed for an oversize box. What was the size of the box? Next time drive it to a UPS hub not a UPS store. You acre paying them a hidden surcharge that is not so hidden.
Coupon Maven says
The only reason I went to this UPS Store is that my colleague had given me her UPS # to use, and it was the closest one to me. Had they accepted her number, I would not have had to pay a thing. My eyes certainly have been opened by this whole experience.
I am trying to remember what size the box was — it was just an old box we had in the garage. Two three-ring binders fit side-by side in it, and I had a third binder on top. It wasn’t a terribly large box.
Carole says
The UPS Store in Algonquin always says, “Please check that the address I entered is correct, and if everything looks ok then sign here”
Coupon Maven says
I wish they had said that — that’s a much better way of handling the issue than “sign here.”
Carole says
I agree! That’s why I posted that comment. Every UPS store is different. It’s all in the management!!
Cheryl says
File a corporate complaint. Someone from ups will respond to you and most likely you will getva refund. I know i handled them for 20 years.
marketa says
Cheryl,
I could use your advice on how to deal with UPS right now. It is a nightmare that I’m experiencing with them regarding my package they lost.
Mark M. says
Thank you for sharing this with your readers. I would encourage you to pursue this matter directly with UPS. And if your husband charged it, you can dispute it through your credit card company.
Karen Boylan says
Complete lazyness on so many…UPS employees part. I ship daily with my job (although mostly Fed Ex). You were shipping to a well known location, the Rio Hotel, which is noted on the package the route driver or anyone at the Las Vegas sorting facility should have caught that mistake and been able to correct the address on their own. At the very least somebody should have called you the day of delivery to attempt to correct the address. I have made errors myself on labels and Fed Ex packages still arrive either because it was a well known location or because they contacted either myself or the recipient to verify the address. Call UPS directly and explain the problem.
Heather says
UPS is my preferred service for shipping, but they have many systemic issues that they need to address as a company.
Recently my husband had to return a package that he received. Unfortunately, the company’s return address is a P.O. Box. UPS does not deliver to P.O. Boxes, but their online service to print labels allows the creation of the label. They shipped the box all the way to the nearest service center, noticed the issue, shipped it back to my husband, and charged him for shipping in both directions.
Would it have been that outrageous of a cost to have the programmers of the system throw an error message and stop generating the label if a P.O. Box is entered?
cAROLcOHEN says
Should of chose FedEx- my company. You know me from the pool and neighborhood Jill. Also don’t ever take it to a Authorized Shipping Center. Always take it directly to the shipping company. Next time take it to FedEx Office on Randall. If you have a problem in the future with FedEx ever text me at [NUMBER WITHHELD]. I’ll take care of you. That is a classic error. If I had a dime for every time this error occured…..By the way I agree that store handled it all wrong. Delivered 0 customer service. I hope you paid by credit card to dispute it. Regards, Carol Cohen
J.R. says
I’ve had way too many bad experiences with UPS. I’ll NEVER use one of the UPS stores to ship. I either go to the Post Office, or to a FedEx store.
Just for comparison, I went to the USPS site.
Priority 2 day $41.05
Priority 1 day, money back guarantee $94.40
You’ve been ripped off!
J.R. says
BTW, when I worked at places with mailrooms, they had computers with shipping software that would verify the address as legitimate. No way they should have been able to ship a package to an address that didn’t exist.
And as others have said, you were lied to when they said they couldn’t ship using the account number.
Total incompetence.
JoAnn says
UPS is awful. They delivered a package, valued at $100, to the wrong address. Driver error, he was a seasonal hire. When I called UPS, they somehow knew where it had been wrongly delivered(?) and suggested that I go pick it up myself. Yes, a female suggested to another female to go to a stranger’s house, at night, knock on their door and ask for my own package back that THEY messed up on. I was floored. Ultimately, the person who got my package was an angel, and gave the package to my small-town post office who made sure I got it. But my goodness, what could have been…. I never really got an apology, said female actually hung up on me, but I did file a complaint. Big whoop. At least I got my package–the one and only thing my daughter asked for for Christmas.
Ted L says
I paid for UPS shipping, insurance and UPS store professional packaging. The item was ruined during shipment. UPS denied the insurance claim due to “insufficient packaging, not per UPS standards” UPS Store not honoring their “packaging guarantee” because I printed my label on line not in their store. UPS and UPS store have found a clever way to collect money for insurance, offer “packaging guarantees” and then deny any claims filed….all while saving money on inexpensive, inappropriate packaging materials.
ingrid says
Can you give me the name and address of the UPS corporate office you are dealing with? i need that so i can write a letter for a client. thanks!!!
Pat says
What a horrible experience. I actually googled UPS because I wanted to see if I was the only one who has had bad experiences with UPS, and this was the first one that showed up. I am so happy to hear that you got a full refund and James is no longer there. I hope that he no longer works for UPS and was not just transferred to another location. I had shipped two big boxes to Amazon from my local UPS store in Kailua Hawaii on July 19, 2017. Amazon received only one box. I called UPS and they said the other box was lost. I’m still waiting to hear back from them because I want to know who is responsible for this because the lost box had over $100 of trade in items that I was going to receive credit for. I always have such bad experiences when it comes to shipping and receiving packages from UPS. I absolutely hate it. I have no problems with FED EX or USPS. But Amazon said UPS is there shipping partner so I can only ship the items through them.
J.R. says
Amazon may only ship UPS, but YOU can ship with any carrier you choose *unless AMAZON is paying the return shipping.
Since the original post I purchased a very expensive electronic item, and the shipper sent it UPS. Since it was signature required, the driver couldn’t just toss it at the porch and dash off. He carefully held the box while I signed for it, totally hiding the baseball sized hole on the side of the box that he kept hidden from me. Since I took the box the way he handed it to me and set it down, I didn’t notice the hole until he was long gone.
Fortunately the shipper TRIPLE boxed the item. They must know how UPS treats packages.
ryan says
Just to add to this drama. Although not entirely the same. But my google search for a similar problem with FEDEX brought me to this page.
I had hand delivered a package to FEDEX for my business account with Amazon FBA (Fulfillment by Amazon) for my products. Labels are provided by Amazon. Although before I left that day, the same label that I had requested to be printed from a USB file by the FEDEX store which they generously offered to do. Ended up with an entirely different label. Within Amazon, your products may take 2 weeks to finally show checked in, or to see delivered, but sometimes (this time) they sit in Amazon Reserve-status, so you’re not exactly sure where they landed.
Needless to say the box was shipped with a previously used return label for an unrelated package. Ultimately this box was shipped to an unrelated business and never caught our attention due to Amazon’s many Fulfillment Centers. 6 months later we’re finally figuring the Reserve-status has disappeared and the landed count of our products inside that box are ZERO.
FEDEX employee sent our products to the wrong location and they were ultimately destroyed because they could not be located until now. 6 months later. Who bears responsibility? Bottomline: always double check the exact label matches the correct address before you leave the store, because once you walk out. There is no recourse.
I feel very stupid because I never thought dropping off a package and printing a label for a package would be so difficult.
GW says
I work at a UPS Store. I’m sorry you were lied to like that. In case you ever go back to a UPS Store, you should know that anything that goes out next day or second day via UPS is covered by a money-back guarantee if it doesn’t arrive on time, the only exception being severe weather. If it left on time and didn’t arrive on time, then as soon as it actually does arrive, whenever that is, the store can put in for what is called a guaranteed service refund, which takes a week or two to process but you end up getting a check for the full shipping cost in the mail. An important thing to note is that if you had the item packed as well, it doesn’t cover the packaging, and you would want to go into the store to get that refunded separately. But anyone at a UPS Store who ever tells you that a next or second day air package that was delayed for a reason not having to do with severe weather can’t be refunded is almost definitely either lying or just not well informed.
Lori says
Can’t believe you got corporate to communicate with you. UPS lost a HUGE footlocker we mailed to ourselves for a military move and refuse to talk to us. They say each store is independently operated and we can only speak to the store we shipped from. They store that stole our stuff. UPS hides behind their stores. I will NEVER ship with them again.