Subject: Re: OT: Rant about UPS...

From: chris <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat Jun 14 16:12:00 2003

>As others have mentioned, Fedex Ground is usually cheaper.

Just watch it on the FedEx Ground pick ups. They charge an $11 weekly fee 
for each week a pickup occurs in (one fee, as many pickups and packages 
in the week as you want). If you send rarely, this can very easily negate 
the price savings over other carriers like UPS since you can't spread the 
fee across multiple packages.

Of course, you can do what I do and just drop the package off at a FedEx 
depot and then they don't charge you the fee.

-chris
<http://www.mythtech.net>

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From: James Rice <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat Jun 14 16:38:00 2003

My wife, who sells a lot more on ebay than I do, has a daily pickup 
account with UPS.  Actually since I tend to overpack, I have had almost 
no trouble with UPS.  The only damaged stuff I have shipped UPS was 
packed by MBE and arrived totally crushed.  The only thing I have 
recieved the past two years that was damaged in shipment was a Daystar 
Genesis that was shipped via FedEx Ground.  It looked like it had been 
dropped at least 10-12 feet.  Every piece of plastic was totally 
crushed, the motherboard was actually cracked from the torsional forces 
and the frame of the case which is 14 guage steel was warped almost 
beyond recovery.  I had paid for insurance for a stated value of $450 
but FedEx Ground gave me the run around for three months.  I finally 
told them to shove it up their a** and I paid the $225 to replace all of 
the bezels and motherboard myself.

Ronda was using Priority Mail but the good ole USPS however has lost 2-3 
packages a week that she has shipped in this calender year.  She sends 
around 20-40  week so that is a large percentage of loss.  She would 
rather refund someone who didn't get the deliver rather than fight 
through the headache of tracing and insurance recovery. Since the USPS 
tracking system sucks so bad, we switched to UPS.  It's not only 
cheaper, it's been a lot more reliable.  As UPS makes a daily run by our 
house anyway, I just include my few boxes in with her's.  She sells kids 
party kits.  Since it's all paper we don't have to worry about breakage.

James

http://webpages.charter.net/jrice54/classiccomp2.html

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From: Chad Fernandez <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat Jun 14 20:47:01 2003

James Rice wrote:
>  The only thing I have
> received the past two years that was damaged in shipment was a Daystar 
> beyond recovery.

I received an old Intel PC based server that had been dropped by UPS.  I 
figure it must have fallen off one of there conveyors.  It wasn't as bad 
as your sounds, Though.  I ended up taking a few parts from it, and 
scrapping the rest.  The seller refunded my money.  Since he was the 
shipper, not the receiver, he was the one that had to fight with "Brown" :-)

I won out in the end, because the server ended up being only a similar 
model, not the exact model, that I expected.

I had a big rack mount Intel PPro bare bones server that got damaged on 
it's way too me, too.  UPS came and picked that one up.  I don't recall 
how that one was settled.  I only had the $100 included insurance on it, 
and I had paid more than that.  I think the seller.... a larger Ebay 
outfit, refunded the whole amount.  I think they ate the difference.

I like shipping USPS, but only on light things now.  I used them for 
most things until they raised there prices.

Chad Fernandez
Michigan, USA

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From: "Jerome H. Fine" <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat Jun 14 22:10:00 2003

> most things until they raised there prices.

Jerome Fine replies:

Just to confirm the USPS experience mentioned earlier,
I have send a number of packages of CDs to the US
from Canada.  I don't know exactly where they go
astray, but about 20% of them did not arrive.  These
are usually packages of less than 100 grams, so they
can be sent as "thick" letters.  Even the ones which
arrive usually take a few weeks - even though as
letters they are sent via AIRMAIL.

As mentioned earlier, the difficulty of collecting on
insurance PLUS the extra cost does not seem to
be worth while.  My suggestion is to increase the
funds received by about 20% to cover the extra
shipments.  OR ask the person receiving the package
if they want insurance and in that case it is usually
less expensive to send the packages without any
tracking/insurance for the 20% that do not arrive.

Usually, I am asked to send 3 Freeware CDs and
since the amount is only about $ US 12 to $ US 15,
anything but normal mail would increase the total
by more than 50% - not worth while at this level
with a missing rate of less than 20%.

What I don't understand is why such a low percentage
of letters go astray, but a much larger percentage of
packages?????????????

Sincerely yours,

Jerome Fine
--
If you attempted to send a reply and the original e-mail
address has been discontinued due a high volume of junk
e-mail, then the semi-permanent e-mail address can be
obtained by replacing the four characters preceding the
'at' with the four digits of the current year.

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From: jamesd <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat Jun 14 22:27:00 2003

pehaps it's because the USPS is commited to using freeware (linux) on some of 
there systems and this is how they stay up to date.... :) 

or the postal sorters think they are music or cool software and pocket a few 
packages...

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From: Vintage Computer Festival <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat Jun 14 23:47:00 2003

> packed by MBE and arrived totally crushed.  The only thing I have

MBE folks are a bunch of monkeys.  I've never received any packages that
were packed by them that didn't come crushed.  They don't pack enough foam
in the box, and they don't understand basic packing techniques, especially
for heavy stuff.

The next person that sends me something packed by MBE is going to receive
the package back marked "refused".

-- 

Sellam Ismail                                        Vintage Computer Festival
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
International Man of Intrigue and Danger                http://www.vintage.org

 * Old computing resources for business and academia at www.VintageTech.com *

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From: Chad Fernandez <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun Jun 15 00:18:00 2003

> there systems and this is how they stay up to date.... :)

They use Linux?  Or are you kidding?  The counters always have IBM or 
Unisys hardware, that I've seen.  I guess IBM is doing Linux now though.

Chad Fernandez
Michigan, USA