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

From: Doug Coward <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat Jun 14 13:21:00 2003

Vintage Computer Festival wrote:
> As others have mentioned, Fedex Ground is usually cheaper.

  And in a recent experience I found that having
FedEx ground deliver to your job instead of your
home is always cheaper and in my case for a heavy,
long crate was about 20% cheaper.
 Try leaving the 'Shipping to Residence' button 
unchecked when checking prices.
  --Doug
=========================================
Doug Coward                
@ home in Poulsbo, WA

Analog Computer Online Museum and History Center
http://dcoward.best.vwh.net/analog
=========================================

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From: chris <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat Jun 14 16:16:01 2003

>I have to take the box(es) to the FedEx folk, since
>one of the reasons Ground is cheap is that they don't provide pick-up
>service - but since FedEx locations are easy to find,

They do provide pickup to some areas. But they charge an $11 a week fee 
for any week in which pickups occur.

I do have them pickup from my office when I can charge the cost off to a 
client, or when the packages are just too damn big for me to bother 
taking to the depot (like Friday they picked up 5 50lb boxes full of 
laptops... too much for me to bother hauling to the depot, and I could 
charge the $11 directly to my client so I didn't care).

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

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From: chris <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat Jun 14 16:18:00 2003

>unchecked when checking prices.

On the other hand, they also offer a nice "scheduled delivery" feature 
for residential deliveries. You can tell them what time of day you want 
it delivered. But you do pay thru the nose for this (I think the one time 
I looked at it, it was an $8.00 surcharge on a $10 package).

-chris

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From: [email-masked]
Date: Mon Jun 16 12:28:00 2003

Remember that UPS stands for United Package Smashers
Ive heard that they require enough packing to survive a 6 foot drop which is 
what they probably do to every package just to make a point. I avoid using 
them. I've always had good results from the USPS. 

In a message dated 6/16/2003 10:21:45 AM Eastern Daylight Time, 
[email-masked] writes:

<<  It's all very dependent on the store.  I have one near me that I use, 
since 
 the nearest Fedex and UPS counters are miles away.  I have a good 
 relationship with the people there, and they understand how to pack most 
 items.  Generally, I'll give a specification how I want it packed, and 
 they'll do exactly as I ask.  They know to put tape over lables in case they 
 get wet (preventing running), triple taping bottoms, double taping edges, 
 etc.   >>