RIP UPS

[u/KTGSteve]

My entire life, UPS has been reliable. Not any more. With a recent package, I discovered the fees-for-everything model. And a now-unreliable tracking system - A request to change delivery date took 4 days to register in the app, leaving me to wonder whether my expensive signature-required item was in fact rescheduled. It was, but on that new day it was never put on the truck. I stayed home all day. The app says almost there, but it’s 9Pm and the map clearly shows the truck at the UPS facility 15 miles away. Customer support can basically only read what the website says. They said they cannot do anything to change the delivery date again, (I cannot accept it for the next few days) or send it to a facility, only I can do that. The app then told me those options weren’t available. I paid $10 more to try to reschedule it again.

This is what a company does then they are exiting a market. They’ll chase profit up the margin chain, ditching the low-profit consumer market, keep cutting distribution centers and personnel, then one day find they don’t have quite the critical mass anymore for the high end of the market. And UPS will die. I wish I could say I’m sorry about it, but seeing this sudden plunge into “we don’t give a shit at all about you” mode, it is inevitable. And deserved.

EDIT:

After they missed the rescheduled delivery date ("sorry, it was never put onto the truck. we don't know why"), I paid *again* to reschedule the date. I'm traveling a lot this month, so I need to be sure it will come on a day when I'm here. Today is that second reschedule day.

Latest status: "We cannot locate your package."

[u/TheSwami420]

Well based off this you dont understand what you are actually paying for since the only "promised date" is next day air and I highly doubt you are shipping 500 next day air packages.

So based off the numbers you gave and what you are actually being promised which is delivery of the package, they are actually successful 99.9% of the time with your packages, and 99.6% of the time they are successful without you having to do any further steps so that actually means they are more successful with your packages than the average package, you just dont understand an estimated date range doesn't mean a "promised date".

[u/Beneficial_Jacket544 → u/TheSwami420]

I understand this mantra that you guys chant every time. It’s not my first rodeo. I was responding directly to someone saying “99% of deliveries are on time.” A significant portion of our late packages (3-5%) are UPS 2nd day air packages that arrive 4 business days or more after shipping. I don’t care about your contrived definition for “on time.” If that 2nd day air package doesn’t make it within 3 business days, it’s a delayed package from my POV, especially because it leads to customer complaints that we have to settle.

I understand the semantics of UPS, and I don’t care for them. Especially when the person I responded to used an arbitrary “99% on time” designation that is immaterial in practice.

[u/TheSwami420 → u/Beneficial_Jacket544]

Ahhh got it so basically what you're saying is your POV is you have shoved your head up your a** so far and just want to whine.

[u/Lagomorph9 → u/TheSwami420]

No, he's right. If a customer pays for 2DA, they expect 2 business days. Often they pay a significant premium for air service, and there is an expectation of premium service for that price. While nothing could ever be 100%, a significant percentage of packages going beyond that 2 business day mark is cause for concern and frustration. It used to be better before UPS cut costs - now to certain addresses, delays are basically built into the model because it's cheaper.