... Or "UPS is Kind of Stupid"
My address changed at the beginning of February. In the number portion, only one number changed, and it was just left off, not really changed. I think this is useful knowledge for the story to follow.
Last week I ordered some things from timbuk2, they are a bag company. I have had my bag for about two years and I had lost a part of a clip and I decided that I would like a shoulder pad and the replacement clip. So, I ordered them and input all of my data for shipping and billing. Soon after submitting my order, I recieved a comfirmation email telling me what my order number was. 2 days later I recieved a second email comfirming that the package had been shipped, this email included the tracking number and the address that it was shipped to...
But it wasn't my address, it wasn't my current address or my previous address, it was a combination of the two. Immediately upon finding this out, I called UPS and asked them to change the destination so that this would not be delivered to an incorrect address. It was at this point that I was informed that it was UPS policy to not change the address until a delivery attempt had been made. This means that I would have to wait 4-5 days prior to re-routing the package. I still don't believe this is the policy as I had re-routed numerous packages while working for the UPS Store and Mail Boxes Etc. and Pak Mail prior to any delivery attempt being made. But, this was told to me by several people and told to my roommate in regards to a package he was waiting for.
I waited for the package to arrive in Denver, then I awaited a delivery attempt so that I could call UPS to re-route the package. In the early hours of Tuesay, March 22, 2005 the UPS site is updated to inform me that my package has been delivered. Delivered? They were only supposed to attempt to deliver it, why did they leave it?
Immediatley dialing UPS becoming incredibly pissed off, "I tried to stop this, they wouldn't let me do anything about it, why did they deliver it, does the address on the package even exist?" The first guy I talk to tells me that, "UPS has done its job. We delivered the package to the address that is on the box, there is nothing more we can do, nor is there anything thing else we are obligated to do. If you have an issue with this contact the people that shipped it to you." I tell him I need to talk with UPS to figure this out and that I know they can help me, I did work at shipping stores for around 7 years and know that he is allowed to help. It is at this point that I am hung up on.
I guess that having to deal with a customer that knows a little about the system was a little too hard for this guy. Maybe he was new and didn't know how to handle it, so he hung up. Maybe he prefers to deal with stupid people who can't hold a conversation. What I know is I wish I had written his name down so that when I called back I could let the company know he was an asshole.
My second call is picked up by a nice woman who helps me through the process of contacting the Commerce City facility. I am called back just after 6 pm. Adam tells me that the package was delivered to my old address, that UPS had interpreted the address rather than taking it back the facility as they should have. The address on the package was non-existant. They are picking it up today and I can pick it up in Commerce City tonight.
*Some time frames were exagerated in this story for affect. The information is all factual and I had one other conversation with UPS that I have ommited because it was irrelevant.