Warning about shipping from resorts...

[Whitegloves]

First, sorry this is so long....
Just thought I would share this about my experience shipping a small package from the resort to home. We bought something small we decided we probably couldn't take home via airplane. (I wasn't thinking at the time or would have had it shipped from the shop where I bought it.) I asked a CM in the gift shop of our resort later and he gave me a box, tape and told me to take it to the concierge when I had it ready. When I did I was told there would be a $5 charge from Disney ($10 for larger packages) and that the quoted price for UPS shipping would be $19 something. Although I thought this was high I figured lesson learned. He did say it could be different once UPS actually picked it up to ship it. On returning home I waited and checked my account daily for the charges...the day before the package came I was charged $33 something.(Disney had charged their $5 fee to my room fees.) Needless to say, I was upset. $33 for mailing a package less than 4 lbs. So the next day, after the package came, I weighed it here, then measured and checked the website...The total for ship was quoted as $19 something. So I called the 800 number for UPS (Located in Central America), they gave me a second number to call. Turns out that there was an additional charge of $8.50 for a package with straps or handles...this one has neither, it was a plain cardboard box with tape, normal size, nothing special about it at all. Then there were some other additional charges, for rural delivery, etc. After some waiting the girl I talked to did manage to knock off $13 something from the bill. Lesson learned...ship through the gift shop you purchase from if possible, question all charges and be sure to check your account when charged and look into bringing United States Postal Service Priority mail envelopes or boxes....I may be wrong but I bet you don't get Central America when you call their 800 number.

 

[wdwrich]

Good advice. Thanks for sharing that information.

 

[Ninja Mom]

Sorry to hear of your troubles. Thank you for sharing your experience though....

I have a situation where I mail down an iced tea maker before my trips. I use UPS and I have the shipping location pre-print a UPS shipping label that I use to send the box back home. UPS will only ship the box BACK to the UPS location in my town, where they will weigh it to make sure I didn't add items to the box and incur additional charges. I have to pick it up at the same UPS store I shipped it from.

This situation is totally different from yours but I just thought I'd share my shipping experience with my unique situation to try and help other folks like you did.

~NM

 

[kaytieeldr]

So I called the 800 number for UPS (Located in Central America),

I truly don't believe UPS outources. As recently as last month, I spoke with someone in the central U.S. "I've been home and awake all day and nobody ever rang my bell but I went downstairs and there was an InfoNotice claiming 'nobody home'". I call UPS a lot ("you stop delivery at 7, it's 9:30, where's my package?"; "UPS website says delivered, where's my package?"...) In all the years I've shopped online and through catalogs, I've never spoken with anyone outside this country.

 

[Whitegloves]

Good idea Ninja Mom!

 

[Whitegloves]

kaytieeldr,

When I could barely understand the person who answered the 800 number I asked where they were physically located, they said Central America.

 

[tiger4me2]

FYI when shipping even from the store you brought an item it is not by weight but by cost of the item on how much it will cost to ship anything back home. Unfair ? yes should be by weight etc not cost. I shipped a T shirt home the last day as I had no room in my luggage plus I wasn't in the mood to put it in my luggage. It cost me $17 for the Tshirt plus another $20 for shipping & that was ground. Go figure. Sorry for your experience.

 

[disnut8]

kaytieeldr,

When I could barely understand the person who answered the 800 number I asked where they were physically located, they said Central America.

As in maybe Missouri? There are quite a few people who don't speak English as a first language that live in America. My co-worker has a Mexican accent even though he was born and raised in California since he parents are from Mexico. He says our company name with an accent.

 

[Whitegloves]

disnut8,
LOL....pretty sure Missouri isn't in Central America.

 

[purple figment]

I'm sorry you had a terrible experience shipping your package. I've always been hesitant about the "we'll guesstimate the cost" so I've always opted for methods where I pay everything when I ship.

Besides the usual ship it from the store when we're purchasing things, we've also shipped from the store at our resort. However, rather than getting a box, etc and packing it ourselves, we have the store ship it as if we were purchasing things at that location. So while we're paying Disney shipping rates based on total value, there weren't any surprise charges.

We've also packed things ourselves and taken them to the Business Center at the resort and paid for shipping at that time. Resorts with a convention center will have a business center.

 

[Whitegloves]

Thanks KimT. A good idea using the business center. We were at POR this time but have stayed at Coronado in the past. =0)

 

[bumbershoot]

disnut8,
LOL....pretty sure Missouri isn't in Central America.

If the person was an immigrant and you couldn't understand them, they could very well have thought the words "central america" were the same as "midwest". I bet my MIL, who has been here over 40 years but has never become fluent in English, would say something like that.

Did you call Disney, too, to try to find someone to talk to about the weird charges they put on your bill?

 

[Angela72181]

We opted to ship a couple BIG boxes home via FedEx....there are quite a few close to Disney...ours was near Downtown Disney...

We shipped a Christmas Tree, some lights, and a few gifts down to the resort before we arrived via FedEx...

 

[Disneylvr]

disnut8,
LOL....pretty sure Missouri isn't in Central America.

Well Missouri is considered to be in the central part of the United States known to some as America. I think that is what the poster was trying to say. I don't know about the person on the phone. That could be what they meant too.

 

[disnut8]

Well Missouri is considered to be in the central part of the United States known to some as America. I think that is what the poster was trying to say. I don't know about the person on the phone. That could be what they meant too.

Yes, that's what I was trying to say. Central part of America. There are huge telecommunication centers in Omaha, Nebraska as well. I really wouldn't want to say *exactly* where I was located in case the phone conversation took a downward turn.

 

[Whitegloves]

Okay, just to be sure...I called UPS...I used their 800 number and got a really nice girl here in the states. I then asked her if there was a call center in Central America. After checking with her supervisor she returned to tell me yes, it is located in Guatemala.