UPS delivery - does anyone know?

[ORMom2Four]

Anybody work for them or know what I can do in this situation?

Dh's "big" present (a GPS system) was suppose to arrive on Friday via 2 day shipping. It did not because of a weather delay in California. Saturday, the tracking info had it in town on the truck for delivery.

Monday came, but it did not get delivered. I thought they would bring it Tuesday. Nope. For sure today, I thought, since I saw the UPS truck only blocks from my house delivering to my neighbor. Can you believe they still have not delivered it!

I called the 800 number tonight, and they gave me the run-around about not being able to get the trucks out due to the snow we have recently had. I asked them why the truck was only blocks from my house then? She had no answer.

I asked if I could go to the main hub (Tualatin, if anyone is in Oregon or knows the area) and intercept the package before the driver leaves in the morning (if he does leave, that is). She did not give me a straight answer regarding that.

I really, really want to get this package. If I show up at the hub first thing in the morning, will they be able to give it to me? It is so, so frustrating that Dh's present is so close, and yet no one will give it to me or give me a straight answer. Now the tracking update says "ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS / THE MOVEMENT OF THE PACKAGE WILL RESUME AS SOON AS THE WEATHER CONDITIONS ALLOW" They were just out here this afternoon with Dh's present in their truck. ARGH!!

Any suggestions? I really appreciate it!

 

[bicker]

Unfortunately, today (Christmas Eve) is just about the only day you cannot do something about it (other than wait, and hope).

Generally, around here, you cannot intercept packages at the hub in the morning. Rather, you can intercept packages after they come off the truck each evening. We have a 30-45 minute window, around 8:00 PM, during which we can pick up a package for which there was a delivery attempt that day.

I suspect why you didn't get a straight answer at 11:51 PM last night was that it was long past the time you could pick up the package. And too late to pre-empt the delivery attempt for today. So the next time you'd be able to pick the package up yourself would normally be tonight, but UPS is probably closing early tonight, so there will be no customer pick-up tonight.

The weather almost surely has caused substantial delivery backlog. A truck that you may see in your neighborhood is perhaps delivering other packages -- packages due to be delivered prior to yours and/or packages shipped at a higher priority. However, even that may not be the case, when operations are significantly disrupted by weather; disruption could cause operations to switch to LIFO (last in; first out). (I think we should have a separate thread to discuss how weather more generally impacts various services in our society... I think I'll start one.)

This time of year, figure, it is all package delivery services' heaviest time of year -- in other words, they each build their operations so that they are running at 100% of capacity during the few days before Christmas. So a weather disruption, during this time of year, pushes them beyond operational capacity.

Do keep in mind that, when operations are disrupted like this, the CSRs you talk to on the telephone generally have no control over which packages get on the truck versus which don't fit, on any specific day. They sometimes even have no more information available to them, regarding your specific package, than you do.

Best of luck. Remember, it is the thought that counts. A wrapped package which contains a picture of the gift-in-transit is an appropriate and suitable substitute, especially for a DH.

 

[Green Tea]

I have had this happen in the day before Christmas before. I couldn't understand why it said out for delivery but it wasn't coming to my door. I saw the man down the road and I intercepted him. He was actually coming to my door that day but was more than happy to unload my boxes into my car right then. He said they are just so busy they unload what they can each day.

I just know they won't leave boxes on the truck today.. They will get all the gifts out

 

[BelleBoo&AmisMum]

The weather out here has been so bad that things just aren't moving. USPS, Fedex, and UPS are all having a hard time getting things delivered. Unfortunately we can't control the weather, much to my dismay right now because I want out of this snow!

I have a package coming from Fedex, it was supposed to be delivered yesterday but it finally checked into Portland last night and hasn't moved since.

If push comes to shove print out a picture of the GPS unit put it in a box and wrap it. I'm sure your DH will understand. I'm not getting a Christmas present tomorrow from DH since we've been snowed in for over a week now and he hasn't been able to go shopping, it's not his fault, I'm cool - he'll just get to take me shopping as soon as this crap thaws out!

 

[4greatboys]

If it is not out on the truck for delivery you should be able to pick it up at the hub. If it is on the truck and the guy can't get to your house you can call and arrange to meet him somewhere to get it.

 

[corndog]

I've been in similar circumstances in the past. The only times I have any luck is by talking (pleading) to people at the local hub. They're the ones that can pull something off for you outside of "procedure".