[Smeggy]

I ordered some parts for modifying my amps etc. and opted for 3day select UPS delivery... and they want to make damn sure it takes 3 days to get to me.

Package Progress:
 
       
Date  Time  Location  Activity
       
Apr 21, 2004    6:12 P.M.    ONTARIO, CA, US    ARRIVAL SCAN
     9:51 A.M.    HONOLULU, HI, US    DEPARTURE SCAN
     8:55 A.M.    HONOLULU, HI, US    ROUTED INCORRECTLY AT UPS FACILITY;PKG HAS BEEN REROUTED TO DESTINATION
Apr 20, 2004    8:00 P.M.    PORTLAND, OR, US    ARRIVAL SCAN
     7:40 P.M.    PORTLAND, OR, US    DEPARTURE SCAN
     7:08 P.M.    PORTLAND, OR, US    ARRIVAL SCAN
     6:08 P.M.    SPOKANE, WA, US    DEPARTURE SCAN
     4:19 P.M.    SPOKANE, WA, US    ARRIVAL SCAN
     2:51 P.M.    DALLAS/FT. WORTH A/P, TX, US    DEPARTURE SCAN
Apr 19, 2004    10:48 P.M.    DALLAS/FT. WORTH A/P, TX, US    ARRIVAL SCAN
     10:15 P.M.    FORT WORTH, TX, US    DEPARTURE SCAN
     9:31 P.M.    US    BILLING INFORMATION RECEIVED
     9:19 P.M.    FORT WORTH, TX, US    ORIGIN SCAN

This may not seem all that unusual, until you know it's final destination: *Spokane WA*. See if you can spot the part where UPS appears to have a sense of humor  

Damn parts are getting to see more of the world than me.  

[rosconey]

that is unreal-how do they make any money doing stuff like that?

[mgalusha]

Too bad you couldn't the trip to Honolulu for the price of a three day select package.  

I suppose the incidence of things like this is farily low, but it's amazing how these folks stay in business. They delivered some transformers to a Walgreens drug store by mistake a few years ago. I called the shipper to check my order status (didn't have a tracking number) and they called back and said the transformers had been delivered. They were, but not to me. Then they asked me if I wanted to go pick them up at the friggin' Walgreens. Amazing.

mike g

[byteme]

I LOVE UPS!!  In a matter of 1 week they destroyed 3 pair of speakers.  One pair was mine, new Odyssey Lorelei's which were BOTH abused beyond belief.  The other pair were Energy C-7's.  Going the LONG distance from Chicago to NE Indiana they managed to break the "outriggers" and dent up the corners of both speakers.  So, return those and ship another pair.  SAME THING!  So I shipped them to him via common carrier semi truck.  They arrived perfect.  

[Carlman]

I was a 'Revenue Audit Clerk' at UPS for a couple of years.  My job was to track 'missorts'.  This was in a fairly small hub and there was never a day there weren't at least 20 of them.  I'm sure things have gotten a little better since then.  UPS strives to be as efficient as possible.  However, finding at least mildly intelligent manual labor was getting very difficult when I left UPS.  I would imagine the folks that are processing the packages are not people I would've hired.  (I was in HR before I left)

Damages occurred weekly but not daily.  The labor force at UPS at the package-handling level is where the problems are.  I get this mental image of angry stupid people bashing packages, showing up late, stoned, throwing packages in the wrong trailers, etc.  I don't know if that's the case but the quality of UPS package handling has gone down sharply in the past 10 years.  (this applies mainly to the ground service)

I highly recommend 2nd Air with UPS, though.  I think the air facilities get the best people, best handling, etc.  I'm sure they make mistakes and have damages as well but, I'd bet it's less than 1/3rd the amount as the ground stuff.  When I worked there, damages and missorts in air were shocking because they barely ever happened.

Anyway, that's my take on UPS.  FedEx bought RPS and has clearly done a great job getting them in shape.  RPS was like UPS is now 10 years ago for damages and missorts.  (if not worse)

[TheeeChosenOne]

The best way to get UPS packages unharmed is to have the shipper put "fragile" all over the box.

One of my latest bookshelf speakers came to me in pristine condition b/c the shipper put huge "fragile" stickers all over the box, including "this end up" stickers.

After buying anything, I always ask the shipper to do this.  In this manner, the college kid working for UPS won't toss it into the van like a sack of potatos.

[TheChairGuy]

This post and subsequent discussion is NOT giving me that warm and tingly feeling about my BPT-2 due to arrive today.  

In all the time I've used UPS (both as shipper and receiver) the incidence of problems has been amazingly low.  Ditto for USPS.  Not so with Airborne Express....they totally blew.

Maybe the odds and Gods have aligned against me today...... we'll see  

[Carlman]

The best way to get UPS packages unharmed is to have the shipper put "fragile" all over the box.
...............

When I worked there, you weren't allowed to throw a package.  If you did you were reprimanded, and if caught again, fired.  Most of the damages occur if there is a jam on a belt.  That's when someone will 'get creative' to avoid stopping the belt.  This was also extremely wrong but happened frequently.

When you're hammering at a jam with a truck bumper, I wouldn't expect the contents of those packages to maintain their structural rigidity.     I never did it but I had to write up a few people who did.  BTW, the belt system at UPS is nearly identical to the ones that handle luggage at airports.

However if the 'Fragile' sticker works, by all means, do it!

[hometheaterdoc]

My most recent DHL/Airborne experience with two pairs of Usher X-719 speakers:

1)Order shipped on March 25 from distributor in Texas.

2)Tuesday, March 30 packages scan as having arrived at depot in Raleigh at 7am.  Delivery date set for March 30.

3)Wednesday, March 31 distributor in Texas gets a phone call from another Usher dealer in Virginia Beach saying two pairs of Usher speakers have arrived labelled for me and he didn't order them.  Without ever having a departure scan from the Raleigh depot, an arrival scan in Virginia, or a delivery scan to the dealer up there, boxes that were clearly labelled to be delivered to me in Raleigh were delivered to them in a different state.  To this day, they have no idea how they knew to deliver them there, or why they delivered them there.

4) Dealer up there schedules a pickup that evening to have them come back and return the clearly labelled packages to me in Raleigh.

5) *Friday* afternoon, April 2, they finally come back to pick up the speakers.  They are flagged for special Saturday delivery.  Pfffffft!!!  

6) Sunday afternoon, April 4, the speakers are scanned in at their sort hub in Ohio!  No one can explain why they were sent all the way back there instead of local next day delivery to me in NC.

7) Friday, April 9, the speakers are still sitting in the depot in Ohio, despite repeated promises that they would be delivered to me in Raleigh on Monday, then on Tuesday, then on Wednesday, definitely on Thursday, and without question on Friday.

8 ) Monday, April 12, one pair of speakers is delivered to the distributor in Texas.  It is mutilated and smashed.  The second pair arrives unharmed the next day......


Guess who is an advocate for never shipping anything through DHL again???  You get 3 guesses and the first two don't count.  The scary thing is that I can tell you many similar stories about the other shipping companies.  I once had a UPS package cross the country 7 times before finally being sent back to the original sender.  It was 6 weeks late being delivered and the tracking history was absolutely hilarious to look at.  This is the first time that a package was delivered to the wrong person in a completely different state though....

[sunshinedawg]

I'm surprised anyone still uses UPS for audio gear.  They damaged a speaker of mine 4 years ago and I haven't used them since.  I worked one summer loading and unloading UPS trucks 15 years ago when I was in school.  Your mental image of people throwing around packages etc. is exactly what goes on.

[TheChairGuy]

sunshinedawg,

What alternative is there to ups on most things that are absolutely better?

I have used FEDEX Ground a lot, too, and have found no discernable difference.  That is, they have both mostly been good.  I use FEDEX (only Priority service available overseas) almost exclusively on samples from China...and nearly without fail, they get go 8000 miles in 4 days to California.

I know it sucks when something you are anxiously waiting for gets damaged, but I think it's minor miracle of the 21st century that 20x as often something DOES make it to you inside of a week and unharmed.

Call me the plucky optimist (not Optometrist   ) perhaps....

[rosconey]

the numbers are unreal, to move so much so fast  to so many places .

my god i'm sticking up for ups-its the end of the world or dam close

[Smeggy]

You'll all be happy to know my parts arrived safe and sound this morning after their marathon trip around the globe   I wish all the other parts would get here so I can get on and build thiings. So many bits from  so many places. Hopefully everything will be here by the end of next week and I can get this puppy cooking.

[DVV]

I used DHL and UPS several times, however for smaller packages than loudspeakers. And this was in international traffic, getting them there from me here.

DHL took 11 days to deliver, way longer than regular post office takes, and they are hardly stunning in speed. Also, DHL was darn expensive.

UPS started operating locally about three years ago. I test used them for several paperwork deliveries (schematics, drawings, etc, in envelopes) and noticed that they took about two days to move the packages all over the place, mostly from Vienna to Cologne, then back again, etc. But they delivered on the third, or worst case, fourth day.

I also sent a few packages weighing 6-12 lbs. Two were to USA. All were delivered within four days, the rates were not small but not unreasonable either, and certainly lower than DHL, and each and every package arrived in perfect order.

So, all in all, I am fairly happy with UPS, but I am not a heavy user, maybe twice a year or so.

Cheers,
DVV

[TheChairGuy]

The BPT BP-2 made it here at 4 PM via my friendly (truly) UPS guy...perfectly unscathed. Chalk a 'W' up for Big Brown.  

Wow - this box sounds  a whole lot better than my previous conditioning set-up, too....the PS Audio Ultimate Outlet (on the amps) and Power Plant 300 (on the rest).  

It probably needs a whole lotta' breakin' in still, too. Ah, but this is all another post....

[zybar]

Congrats on the BPT...

My 3.5 Signature took around a week before it was really sounding good and a few weeks before it reached its peak.

Enjoy.

George

[TheChairGuy]

Thanks George....

I got the 'Almost' Signature....cryo silver wire, Auric caps, ZSleeve, upgraded cord to L-9 and got the hi current filter, too (I can ERS and damp it myself).

I've bought cryo'ed silver wire before in IC's...it does indeed take a long time to break-in.  Thanks for the heads up...I'm not at all displeased now; looking forward to 168 hours down the road, tho.

 

[sunshinedawg]

sunshinedawg,

What alternative is there to ups on most things that are absolutely better?

I have used FEDEX Ground a lot, too, and have found no discernable difference.  That is, they have both mostly been good.  I use FEDEX (only Priority service available overseas) almost exclusively on samples from China...and nearly without fail, they get go 8000 miles in 4 days to California.

I know it sucks when something you are anxiously waiting for gets damaged, but I think it's minor miracle of the 21st ...

The fundamental difference is that the UPS loaders and unloaders are union and can pretty much do what ever they want.  I've found that if you double box items and send them fedex ground you are a lot better off.

[maxwalrath]

I bought some GR paradox 3's on audiogon. The seller was SUPPOSED to address the speakers to the shipping facility with my name and phone number at the top (as I was instructed by UPS, and as I passed on to the seller) to make sure the packages went straight to the main Philly facility and didn't spend all day on the truck. I just got home to see the shippment notice from YESTERDAY'S delivery attempt, and now they are back out on the truck for try two. I won't be here for that, so now I have to pick them up on Monday. After two delivery attempts.

[maxwalrath]

I got back from my weekend trip yesterday and made my way to UPS after work. I called them Friday to make sure they held the speakers at the facility, there's no way I can be home during the day. Some illiterate a-hole or   high kid must have missed the notice the seller put on the package saying to hold the boxes at the facility.

Tonight I gave them my delivery attempt notice and spent 30 minutes standing there while at least 20 other people presented their notices and walked off with their packages. The manager finally came out and said they went out on the truck by mistake AGAIN, but that they'd be back very soon and definitely wouldn't go back out again, unlike last time they told me this. Now I don't have a car, and my girlfriend, who was nice enough to drive me across the city, had been sitting in the parking lot waiting for me this whole time to go to dinner. I feel bad enough about her waiting so long already I take off. Maybe I'll get them tomorrow...after three delivery attemps. The seller had them professionally packed to avoid damage, but I'm sure this wonderful company will figure some way to fuck this up too.

Hey UPS... Thanks for half an hour on the phone Friday and an hour today down the drain.