For the last year, I've been getting many of my UPS statements with "corrections". They say that the customer entered weight is X lbs, the real weight is Y lbs. It is always larger than the customer entered amount. I've called them on this in the past and they always assure me that they have nothing but the finest of scales. I point out to them that if Bob has his fat foot on the scale along with my package, that doesn't really matter.
Today the bill got here with one 60" package to GA that left here at 19 lbs being weighed by them as 48 lbs. Many times, I send out the same package that I got and can see the weight that the shipper entered for it to get here, My weight matches that one, but UPS changes it up.
I'm seriously considering going strictly to Fed Ex and USPS. Anyone have an issue with that? I'm tired of being robbed.

FedEx Chris. I switched to them when UPS started their fuel surcharge. Haven't looked back. Faster delivery, and friendly.

It has been suggested via private message that taking the packages to the UPS drop would fix the issue. Once I retire from teaching, that is a real possibility. Still, Fed Ex may be the way to go.

Whichever works best for you. I don't want you to get screwed in the shipping if you are sending something to me. I appreciate the service you provide anything to make your life a bit easier is OK with me.

Boy that is a great attitude! Thanks! If there are pitfalls though, using someone else would not make life easier.

I switched to FedEx for my company and personal packages several years ago. Much faster, same price or cheaper than UPS and I love the tracking. I also know from their maps how many days it will take to get delivered and if they miss the date they give refunds.

Go FedEx!!

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"He had delusions of adequacy."

Law of Mechanical Repair - After your hands become coated with grease, your nose will begin to itch and you'll have to pee.

I only use US Postal Service....Priority Mail or International First Class.

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1968 MGC - 1969 MGC - 1972 MGB - 1974&1/2 MGB/GT V8 conversion - 1978 MGB

mowog1@aol.com

UPS can't even deliver them right!

More than once I've watched them drop something for me onto a neighbor's step and drive away.

One time I caught him and asked if that was for me, he saw me walking from the next house. He said first, no....errr, looked at his tablet, then said yes. Err sorry about that!

Yep. I had a lost package they said was delivered. I never got it. They refuse my claim and Amazon says it was delivered.

FedEx ground drops and runs as well, but so far they at least look at the 12" high contrasting colors house numbers on my attached garage instead of the incomplete 6" numbers on the Mexicans' next door.

I try hard to NOT use vendors that ship UPS. I ranted at Moss my last order and it came priority mail.

Oh, tracking IS available and free if you use online priority mail. It costs a little more at the post office. And PO will pick it up if you call them (even an online way to summon them). Now it might be a bit different out where you are, I can't say.

I just saw an order lost on trader because the Canadian asked for shipping cost via USPS and the vendor went ahead and costed it UPS. Which, as most know, rapes the chanucks for shipping and border fees. Which came out nearly as much as the product not counting the collected on-site border fees--Abarth Exhaust system. USPS would have been cheaper for both parties. But the guy didn't read his mail right and lost the order.

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1973 Roadster. A nice 50-footer!
SUs, Datsun 5-speed
MGB Tips and Tricks: www.mgrescue.com

That seems to be a large difference in weight percentage wise. Your scale should not be 1/3rd of their scale. Not sure what type of scale you use. Can you get it certified? Or can you take yours in somewhere to be compared to a scale that is certified? At least then you have confidence of what your shipping is accurate. Alsyour would suggest you ad a step to your can shipping process and weigh the item take your cell phone or digital camera and take a photo of the item with weight showing from the scale. Track it for a month or couple of weeks and when the discrepancy occurs call your salesperson and ask to meet them and their boss at your shop, review your concerns and ask for the credits plus better pricing for your troubles.

Another thing is ask if UPS will supply you a scale. They partner with Mettler Toledo and sell them. Here is the site....... www.mt.upsscales.com .

You make a good point about switching to FedEx. Call them up and see what they will do for you. They may give you the items to cure all your pains.

On a side note, if you are on the computer around 2 am eastern look at a website that shows current airline radar. I I believe you can do it in Google Earth with an add on in Earth Gallery called flight wise . You can watch Memphis airport and watch FedEx's fleet landing to their hub. The same goes for Louisville,KY where UPS lands. DHL has their own airport in Wilmington,OH that used to bea air force base. It is amazing how many planes are flying late at night.

Good luck!

I prefer to receive and send packages by the US Postal Service. If it "fits it ships" and I have never been disappointed.
And it's several days faster then UPS. If a vendor I buy from does not offer a choice, only UPS, I try and find one that does. I guess I am bias towards the US Postal Service because it's a whole lot cheaper for small stuff or patriotic.
I wanted to buy a $2.25 item today from a vendor and the UPS shipping was $16.00. Needless to say I didn't buy it.
Have you considered switching to the USPS? I'm sure your customers would like the opportunity to choose.

maybe it feels heavier to pick it up and throw it over fences and gates? I think Americans have one of the best postal systems around and its suffering by being under rated.

I hate UPS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

They have many times failed to deliver items, even though their website tracking system says they will. Then when you call them to complain, they don't care. Not even an apology. Everytime I have a choice, I go Fedex or just regular USPS.

Aha! A raw nerve here !!

In a previous life I shipped hundreds, no, thousands of things every year, from two pound boxes to large wooden crates and I always expected problems when I had to use UPS. The company structure is very adversarial internally, with management constantly butting heads with the union (drivers). The only reason that I allow UPS to get to me now is because of the good guys who are actually running the routes.

Most of my vendors now use UPS and I can't control that, but if I have to ship something it goes by FedEx or USPS.

BTW: After all of my experience with UPS I found that any claim, damage or lose, is automatically refused and that you have to get out of character nasty with them in order to get your money. The problem gets even worse if the claim is over a hundred dollars because the liability will have been laid off to a separate company, based in eastern Virginia as I recall. This building full of sociopaths is the absolute pits. It was started by some UPS brass many years ago as a lucrative separate entity and the first and most iron clad rule is that ALL claims are refused until the complainer becomes irrational and indicates that he or she might be considering physical retaliation. They will wear you down until you just can't stand it any more and you flat out give up.

EDIT: Take the time once or twice to completely ready the shipment and take it to a Postal Service counter for weighing. Use a ball point pen to jot the exact weight down on the box in an inconspicuous place, jot the number down on a sticky note and keep it with your freight records and check that against your own scales before sending it out VIA UPS. If they give you the old nonsense about it weighing more than what you have establish, have them bring the thing back to your place along with a set of scales that show to be state certified and weigh it in front of you.

Jack

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---------------------------------------------------- Services to Interesting British Automobiles-- www.jackscars.net ----------------------------------------------------------------
-------------I like to think that I don't service automobiles so much as I provide entertainment, fulfill dreams and revive wonderful memories --------------

I am in the northwestern North Carolina mountains, right up against the Blue Ridge Parkway. Lawn chairs are in the shop and always time to talk. Drop in any time.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/22/2012 11:14PM by twigworker.

FEDEX or UPS is good for me. Don't care for USPS for packages, because the mailbox is down on the highway.

Prime territory for tweekers looking for some quick bucks. People around here find piles of mail in the garbage up at the rest stop two miles up the road.

And if it won't fit in the USPS mailbox, they take it back to Otis. Unless they happen to send it back to Lincoln City. And it's my job to go chase it down.

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Wayne Sanders
Rose Lodge, OR

"I don't care to belong to any club that accepts people like me"-joined Willamette Valley Club in 2011

77 MGB - Four tone paint - some kind of electronic ignition - hood props - cheap tires - new springs all around - mixture of poly and rubber bushings - original exhaust - fuzzy seatcovers - stereo out of old F150 pickup - virtually no rust - right front wrecked and semi well repaired - just about right for me!

78 MGB - Done right by a good PO, and I only bought it. Tell Jim how nice it is. But I did put in a Datsun 5 speed.

79/65 MGB - Tubby - Carmine Red - V-6 - T-5
Going to do this one more right, less rat rod!

Having bought off you Chris and knowing your service i would say whatever works for you - I doubt there would be more than a few cents difference either way. I ship the odd bits and pieces I sell on ebay and find USPS or fedex best. I have to say though the UPS driver on my rural route is a good guy as Twigworker says though the corporate structure seems even more rotten than most - makes you feel you have to come out of the hills with the AK47 blazing just to get their attention.
cheers
barri

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in the MGB forum its a 1971 MGB - pretty standard unless the PO screwed it up. if I'm posting in the 1100 & 1300 forum its a 1965 MG 1100

Now isn't this interesting. I've had about 40 UPS deliveries in the past two years with not one issue. Perhaps international works different to Stateside deliveries. Mine all come from the UK - I've had them in 3 days from ordering up to 7. They've all been delivered to my home address (unless I wasn't home in which case they're usually at my local PO). Mind you once they hit our shores sub-contractors deliver them. I've never had a 'weight' issue. But I guess using UPS Stateside is a bit like getting something trucked from Sydney to Brisbane in which case I wouldn't bother unless there was no other option.

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CKD 11/66 first registered 8/5/67 owned since 3/77. Undergoing nut and bolt restoration. Tartan Red (now). 18GB +40 balanced with almost all new internals. Peter Burgess big valve fast road head. Piper 285. TT exhaust. ARP everywhere. 123 ign. Needham 4synchro c/r box. Stock rebuilt/replaced suspension. Superpro bushes. New brakes all round including all pipes in SS flex. Interior redone. CAMS approved roll bar and side bars. Lots more. Hybrid of o/e and show/fast road car. Not for sale - it's my toy!

USPS flat rate is inexpensive but their insurance rates are very high - and never ship USPS without insurance! Basil

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Basil C. Adams
1956 MGA Coupe (Show Car)
1957 MGA Roadster (Driver)
1958 MGA Coupe (Racecar)
1959 MGA Coupe (unrestored)
1960 MGA Coupe (unrestored)
1960 MGA Roadster (Driver)
MKIII Elva Courier (E1056)
1967 427 Cobra
1972 Alfa Romeo Montreal
A coupla late MGBs
1960 Austin Healy BN7
More Cars than Brains

Oh you hit a nerve on me too.

Let me just cut and paste JUST last Friday's UPS issues...

March 16,2012
Seth 6kt4xjc,
FX # 877-807-0833
Wednesday I get a Consignee memo from a client that noted a change in the shipping information...
I sent 298 identical 36 pound cases to addresses in MT, MN, WI, PA, ME, NH, VT, CT, RI, NY, MA, NJ.
291 of them delivered ok.
The 8 cases that went to Norwalk CT were "REweighed" and UPS claims them to be 1070 pounds.
That is close to 4 times the actual weight.
Freight Bill number is 024-881-920
Delivering Trailer 460354-UPGF


Hello Jay,
954-327-7016
Original shipper says a total of 16 packages were shipped on 2-28.
The following tracking numbers were attached to the original shipments:

1Z3841E90361067624
Shipped to Ft Lauderdale, FL 33312 but should have gone to Brattleboro, VT 05301.
This shows 16 packages with 10 delivered.
No information on the other 6.
I believe these are the ten that arrived in Ft Lauderdale and were reshipped to Brattleboro via FedEx
The boxes sent from Ft Lauderdale via FedEx arrived in Vermont.
Fed Ex says it was 14 boxes.
FedEx's tracking number 064491260653507

Other tracking numbers associated with these are:
1Z3841E90363317476
1Z3841E90361864889
1Z3841E90363960093
1Z3841E90363327107
1Z3841E90361609913
1Z3841E90362972528
1Z3841E90362698932
1Z3841E90362793141
1Z3841E90363579158
1Z3841E90361300960
1Z3841E90363722573
1Z3841E90363727989
1Z3841E90363921198
1Z3841E90362226209
1Z3841E90361487019



1Z3841E90361006421
These were part of the original shipment but your records show 8 associated packages as delivered here in Massachusetts except for 1815 and 0785 which show delivery to Chattanooga, TN. I have not seen either 0785 or 1815 boxes here in Massachusetts.
The labels on the boxes here say "1 of 8" and so on but only 6 boxes have arrived.
I believe these are the ones that were "returned to sender" but ended up with the non existent 115 Freedom Street, Athol, MA 01331 address on them.
The 6 were delivered on March 13 to 399 Exchange Street Athol, MA 01331.
Other tracking numbers on or associated with these boxes are:
1Z3841E90361006421
1Z3841E90361641815
1Z3841E90362850785
1Z3841E90361267999
1Z3841E90362717009
1Z3841E90363894834
1Z3841E90362111047
1Z3841E90363779058

The boxes have no markings on them that indicate 399 Exchange Street except for the box that came from 1-800-FLOWERS which was addressed to a "Doreen Brooke," who is unknown to us. The flower company directed me to keep the flowers.

Photos of the six boxes and the box from the flower company are shown below:
One damaged (opened) in shipment:

(I won't paste the photos in this thread)

The next day I got a "replacement" set of flowers sent to the same person with the address corrected... to my address...

Then when I called them again they got upset with me for having the flowers...
UPS wanted them back.
I said "No."

Don't they look nice on my sideboard? I found the lady they were supposed to go to and got the second arrangement to her.

I loaded the 6 cases that went to Florida, then to the wrong address here in Athol, and eventually to me, into my work vehicle and DROVE THEM TO VERMONT MYSELF!

Look at all the stickers that correct the address on this box and some are very carefully aligned on the ones you see so you cannot tell how many there really are, I think seven on this box. We are still looking for the two that were delivered to Shelbyville Tennessee.

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Michael J. Caputo
'79 RBB and '73 CBB owner with extensive experience in 12v Audio System design and installation.
Vendor of Regalia and Promotional Products. Forum Member with a warped sense of humor.

There must be an real issue with American UPS service. Moss Europe sends out packages UPS from England to Norway I get it delivered at home always with in 2 days. The best bit is they pay the Norsk import VAT and send a bill (cost amount)with documentation later to my address. That way the item is not held up in customs awaiting for me to collect and pay customs. Same with US Postal System it arrives at my local post office I go and collect and pay the post office for the import VAT. All other shippers I have to go to inconvient efforts to retrieve my package.

I gave up on UPS years ago because of the poor claims process and never looked back.

I'm not"in the business" like Chris is but I ship a fair amount of bits and pieces (and receive my fair share), enough so that my FedEx rep called me and offered a shipping discount. That aside, and not to excuse UPS's deplorable service, Chris stated the the package was 60" (unless that was a typo). Regardless of the circumference, I believe that it would be charged at "dim" (dimensional) weight, rather than its actual weight no matter what it was.

This doesn't excuse "Big Brown" from consistently poor customer service (going and coming), but it would explain why the cost was "adjusted".