Don’t you get annoyed when people complain about customer service issues on their blogs?
Well, then you might want to skip this entry. I’m writing about UPS, and I’m doing so on this blog because Google seems to like it, and I absolutely want it to come up when any googles “UPS” “Orange, CT” or “New Haven, CT.”
Without getting too specific, I live in a multiple unit apartment building in New Haven. UPS has a policy of not leaving packages at my building because of prior thefts. Sometimes they’re not that strict about it, sometimes they are. Right now they are. I ordered almost all of my books online this Fall. Unfortunately, the place where I ordered them from puts almost all of the books in separate packages, since they all come from different warehouses. I also ordered a pair of vegan boots from Zappos, and a few other things (can you tell I just got my student loan money?). One package was shipped through DHL, with which I had absolutely no problems. Yay for DHL!
There is one package in particular that I’m having problems with. It was supposed to be delivered on September 2, along with a couple of others. September 2 I’m home all afternoon. No package, no buzzer alerting me to its arrival, and no Infotrack Notice. Same deal September 3. Both times I check the online tracking, and it says “Delivery Attempted.” Um, no. September 4 I happen to luck out and come home at lunch, and the UPS truck is there. The driver hands me 3 packages. I can’t tell which ones are due to arrive that day, and he mentions to the building super who happens to be there that he can’t find a couple of packages for the building. I take the ones he handed me, go up to my apartment, check online and sure enough, one of the ones that was due to be delivered on the 2nd was not just delivered now. Three hours later, it shows up in the tracking system as “delivery attempted.” Again, no Infotrack Notice. Each of these times, I’ve called the 800 number and complained. The supervisor from Orange who calls back is very unhelpful and pretty much refuses to acknowledge that UPS has any responsability, and tells me that I’ll just have to have the package delivered somewhere else if I can’t be there to sign for it. FWIW, Yale does allow students to have packages delivered to Yale Station which is great when it’s one or two packages, but it’s not a practical option when you have multiple heavy packages. She points out that I can make 4 trips to pick them up. I point out that I shouldn’t have to make 4 trips because they screwed up. I ask if they can be left without a signature and just take my chances. She refuses. September 5th, the nice lady who is generally very helpful (but not a supervisor) calls and lets me know that the package I missed and the others that I’m expecting should be coming in the afternoon. I tell her I have an appointment at 3:30, but I should be home by 4:30, and that’s the only time I’ll be out all day. She says she’ll page the driver and see if he can stop either before or after.
Infotrack Notice is left that day. At 3:35.
Monday September 8, another attempt is made, but I’m at school. I call and schedule the 4 packages to be delivered on Friday September 12, when I can be home all day. In the meantime, one other package is in transit, with an expected delivery date of Thursday September 11. I can’t reschedule that one yet since no attempt has been made, but I figure I’ll get it with the other ones on the 12th. I happen to be home again for lunch when the Thursday driver stops by, and I do get that one. Yay for the Thursday driver!
Friday September 12. I get up about 8:30. I don’t even take a shower because I’m afraid I’ll miss the bell. I periodically check the tracking. A little after 3PM, it says a delivery was attempted at 2:45PM. Now, at 2:45 I was sitting about 4 feet from the intercom and watching Divorce Court on TV. There was no attempt. I immediately call the facility in Orange where mine gets routed from. I speak to unhelpful supervisor. I explain everything that has happened with this package and that I’ve been here all day, and there was NO attempt. She pages the driver, calls me back and says “He absolutely was there. If he has time, he’ll come back later.” No guarantees. Now I go downstairs to look for the Infotrack Notice. None. There’s two for other apartments dated on the 9th and the 10th. It’s not as if someone comes around and takes them down. There is no notice for any apartment dated for the 12th.
Now I’m angry. I call the 800 number. I got a very sympathetic representative and a sympathetic supervisor. Both say that all they can do is call the supervisor in Orange. I explain that she’s already been unhelpful on multiple occasions. They again can’t make any guarantees, but are much more positive. The 800 number supervisor tells me to expect a call within the hour from Orange updating me on the driver’s status.
Just about an hour later, helpful representative in Orange calls and tells me the driver is on his way. Almost as soon as I hang up, the buzzer rings. I tell him I’ll be right down. There’s only three packages. I tell him I’m expecting 4. He says three is all he has. I ask him if he was the one who was “here” earlier, and point out that it says “delivery attempted” for 4 packages. He says he’ll check the truck again. When he comes back, he says he knows what the problem was- the future delivery date label gave my next door neighbor’s apartment number and he must have rang the wrong bell. Plausible. I don’t point out that A) he didn’t leave an Infotrack Notice for my neighbor, and B) we have really thin walls and I know that he didn’t ring that bell either at 2:45. I’m just happy to have my packages at this point.
Since I don’t have a food picture for this post, here is a macro for your entertainment. I dedicate it to the Orange, CT package facility for UPS. Hear that, Google? Make sure that you index “Orange, CT” and “UPS sucks.”
On another note, I do realize how environmentally awful it is to be getting so many packages. I think I’ll try to buy more of my books at the bookstore instead next semester.
