Shipping by UPS without signature confirmation: are you still protected?

[jrichrds]

Seems most people don't pay the extra for signature confirmation. As a seller of something, are you still protected against loss if the package tracking says it was delivered but the buyer claims it was not received?

With auctions in particular, who's at fault for the lost package...buyer or seller?

 

[PsychoAndy]

Originally posted by: jrichrds
Seems most people don't pay the extra for signature confirmation. As a seller of something, are you still protected against loss if the package tracking says it was delivered but the buyer claims it was not received?

With auctions in particular, who's at fault for the lost package...buyer or seller?

UPS has the option to get a signature or driver release it on everything under $999. $1000 is the magic # that makes sig automatic.

If you get insurance, youre covered. If you pay the extra $2 IIRC, that just makes sure you get a sig. I just slap a sig required sticker on it and they get a sig anyways.

If I have to make a claim, the buyer waits for the $ as they accept title and risk of loss when I tender delivery to UPS.

-PAB

 

[jrichrds]

I just slap a sig required sticker on it and they get a sig anyways.

That's funny. Are these UPS stickers or just from some other place?

If I have to make a claim, the buyer waits for the $ as they accept title and risk of loss when I tender delivery to UPS.

That makes sense, thanks. Have you ever had to make a claim? I wonder how long it takes, and what they do about unscrupulous people who keep the package and claim it was stolen from their doorstep.

I like UPS. Their one-time pickup option makes it convenient for infrequent shippers like me. And I think that's the cheapest it's going to get as far as the rates are concerned (only UPS Letter drop boxes in my area, and all the other UPS shipping options like Mail Boxes, Etc. and Office Depot seem to be more expensive).

 

[murphy55d]

You're never protected when you use UPS.

The sig required sticker does not prevent them from running over your package with a truck then leaving it sit in the snow.

 

[jrichrds]

I guess all sig. does is make it so the recipient can't claim he/she never received the package. Although it wouldn't prevent someone from scrawling a signature and providing a fake name. UPS drivers aren't always all that picky about the sig.

 

[PsychoAndy]

Originally posted by: jrichrds

I just slap a sig required sticker on it and they get a sig anyways.

That's funny. Are these UPS stickers or just from some other place?

If I have to make a claim, the buyer waits for the $ as they accept title and risk of loss when I tender delivery to UPS.

That makes sense, thanks. Have you ever had to make a claim? I wonder how long it takes, and what they do about unscrupulous people who keep the package and claim it was stolen from their doorstep.

I like UPS. Their one-time pickup option makes it convenient for infrequent shippers like me. And I think that's the cheapest it's going to get as far as the rates are concerned (only UPS Letter drop boxes in my area, and all the other UPS shipping options like Mail Boxes, Etc. and Office Depot seem to be more expensive).

Stickers are from UPS. My teamsters are nice so they gave me a roll off the customer counter.

I have a provision in my sales agreement that stipulates that. It is not usually impled.

Yep. Took them 3 months to pay it out cause they couldnt get all the paperwork in order until my acct rep gave them a swift kick in the ass.

In that case, they do an audit and put a note on the truck that tells the driver NEVER to do a driver release ever again. (Says: NO DR STOP #X)

I lug to their center or I'll call them up and have them run an unscheduled for me (free!) if I get really really busy.

OD HAS to charge the UPS counter rate. IIRC its stipulated in their agreement. MBE is, and continues to be the biggest ripoff ever.

-PAB

 

[jrichrds]

Originally posted by: PsychoAndy

Yep. Took them 3 months to pay it out cause they couldnt get all the paperwork in order until my acct rep gave them a swift kick in the ass.

Sounds like it would suck even worse if someone like me had to make a claim (an infrequent shipper without a UPS account).

OD HAS to charge the UPS counter rate. IIRC its stipulated in their agreement. MBE is, and continues to be the biggest ripoff ever.

MBE was what caused me to think UPS was a total ripoff. Turned out it was MBE, not UPS!
I noticed that up to a certain weight level, the customer counter rates are actually lower than the one-time pickup rates. The only thing I'm wary of with places like OD and Staples is that if something happens to your package between the time you drop it off and the time UPS comes to pick it up, I hear you're pretty much screwed.

But then again, the UPS guy didn't scan my package either during one-time pickup. It was picked up at 10am, and the first scan that registered was at 10pm at night. Should I be asking them to scan upon pickup?

 

[PsychoAndy]

Originally posted by: jrichrds

Originally posted by: PsychoAndy

Yep. Took them 3 months to pay it out cause they couldnt get all the paperwork in order until my acct rep gave them a swift kick in the ass.

Sounds like it would suck even worse if someone like me had to make a claim (an infrequent shipper without a UPS account).

OD HAS to charge the UPS counter rate. IIRC its stipulated in their agreement. MBE is, and continues to be the biggest ripoff ever.

MBE was what caused me to think UPS was a total ripoff. Turned out it was MBE, not UPS!
I noticed that up to a certain weight level, the customer counter rates are actually lower than the one-time pickup rates. The only thing I'm wary of with places like OD and Staples is that if something happens to your package between the time you drop it off and the time UPS comes to pick it up, I hear you're pretty much screwed.

But then again, the UPS guy didn't scan my package either during one-time pickup. It was picked up at 10am, and the first scan that registered was at 10pm at night. Should I be asking them to scan upon pickup?

The MBE numbers are juiced about 50% as far as I've seen. Go to staples or OD and read the fine print on the back of the sheet. They use the same system I do. If they tender 40 packages for delivery and theyre short one, thats Staples/OD's problem. If UPS picks up 39 and signs off on 40, then the driver gets chewed out for not counting properly.

Origin scans arent done until late. Driver diads are designed to scan pickup barcodes and delivery barcodes. They have different handheld units that process origin, unload, et al.

-PAB

 

[jrichrds]

Origin scans arent done until late. Driver diads are designed to scan pickup barcodes and delivery barcodes. They have different handheld units that process origin, unload, et al.

PAB - You sure know your UPS shipping! Thanks for clearing that up. So my package is scanned and entered into the UPS system during pickup...it just isn't shown as part of the online tracking info.

Now all I have to figure out is whether I can do a One-Time Pickup of UPS Ground packages online. I'd rather do it online than have to read all the info over the phone, but ups.com seems to indicate you can only schedule one-time pickups of air packages and not ground. Is this correct?

 

[ElFenix]

MBE sucks. $250 for air and insurance and a new box (can't use a used box) for a $1000 computer.

fedex wanted $53 for 3 day air + insurance. didn't need a new box either. they just slapped a new label over the old one. and i drop it at a fedex depot between home and work.

 

[PsychoAndy]

Originally posted by: jrichrds

Origin scans arent done until late. Driver diads are designed to scan pickup barcodes and delivery barcodes. They have different handheld units that process origin, unload, et al.

PAB - You sure know your UPS shipping! Thanks for clearing that up. So my package is scanned and entered into the UPS system during pickup...it just isn't shown as part of the online tracking info.

Now all I have to figure out is whether I can do a One-Time Pickup of UPS Ground packages online. I'd rather do it online than have to read all the info over the phone, but ups.com seems to indicate you can only schedule one-time pickups of air packages and not ground. Is this correct?

I know stuff that no sane man should ever know. But then again, I spend enough money there every year to justify knowing everyone that works in the center.

Besides, its simple math. Pay full time unionized teamster $20/hr + tons of bennies to scan packages or subcontract the menial labor to part timers getting $8.50? Its just better business that way.

I use their software and after I transmit info to their servers, I get a generated barcode that the driver scans at pickup and signs off on.

You can use their internet shipping to generate labels, but I'm not sure if you can drop them off at the center.

On call air as the call it is one time, and UBER expensive at $4/package.

From what I'm told, their margins are much lower on ground stuff so they dont even do written shipping documents for them. When I'm really busy, I call the center and get a driver to do an unscheduled pickup (free) and they've done it as a professional courtesy to me even though they dont have to.

-PAB

 

[jrichrds]

From what I'm told, their margins are much lower on ground stuff so they dont even do written shipping documents for them. When I'm really busy, I call the center and get a driver to do an unscheduled pickup (free) and they've done it as a professional courtesy to me even though they dont have to.

-PAB

I'm a few hundred packages short of getting free, courtesy pickups.

I attempted a UPS Ground shipment through UPS.com, where I print out the label and bring it to Staples, Office Depot, etc., or get lucky and find a UPS driver that I can hand it to.
The price ended up being $9 higher than if I just scheduled a one-time Ground pickup through the phone. So I guess no online shipping for me.

 

[crypticlogin]

I attempted a UPS Ground shipment through UPS.com, where I print out the label and bring it to Staples, Office Depot, etc., or get lucky and find a UPS driver that I can hand it to.
The price ended up being $9 higher than if I just scheduled a one-time Ground pickup through the phone. So I guess no online shipping for me.

Huh, internet shipping prices end up being really close to the counter prices for me. And I'm really surprised a one-time pickup costs you less! How heavy / large, and where are you shipping to? My packages are like 3-5 pounds and the internet shipping is really close (if not exact) to the counter charge quote. Plus, I can drop them off at any MBE or other authorized shipper for the UPS driver to grab while doing their daily pick up... no "brown truck hunting" for me!

 

[jrichrds]

Counter prices start off cheaper than one-time pickup. But the heavier you go, the cheaper one-time pickup becomes. I think even for an 12 pound package, the counter rates were slightly cheaper than one-time pickup.

The thing I don't like about dropping it off at an MBE, etc. is that they're not accountable for the package from the time you drop it off to the time the UPS truck comes by. If someone were to take it in that time, then you're out of luck.

If I wanted counter rates, I'd probably just go to a place like Staples or Office Depot and do it through their system. At least I'd get a receipt as proof that I dropped off a package for delivery. I don't know if it'd stand up for anything if the package were to get lost before the UPS guy came by, but better than nothing i figure.

So UPS' online shipping system doesn't seem all that useful for most infrequent Ground shippers.