Ups Trickery

[The fabulous Ian]

So, on the 27'th I put in an order from Social Smoke's website for five 50g packs of Layalina, a 100g bag of Irish Cream Starbuzz and a metal screen. They sent me an email the next day saying they'd shipped it, and since then I've been checking the UPS website like an excited little kid with ADHD. But, after the package has gotten into UPS's hands and I've been following their tracking site, I've noticed a little hornswaggling going on. Originally, the arrival date was set on the 31'st, a day later than what their standard should have been (2-3 days, the 31'st would have made it 4), but I just figured "Hey! It might have been shipped late, or it's just going to take an extra day, and it's no big deal.".

But!

Even though the status bar says "On Time" the expected delivery date has changed to the 1st. It's not the extra day that bothers me, although I -was- really looking forward to trying Layalina for the first time tonight, but the fact that the arrival date has changed and the site still maintains it's On Time.

I don't mind waiting, but I mind being taken advantage of.

So, am I just being cranky from a serious hookah starvation in the past month, and is this pretty standard to switch the date a day or two? Or, is this something I should go and complain about until they tell me to go away and it won't do anything at all but at least I'll feel better?

[ioannisds]

Business days dude. Business days...

[andreww]

Im like a little school girl waiting for my hookah from hookah-shisa I check it at least 5, 10 times a day with the same info ahha.

I feel for you though, waiting sucks.

[The fabulous Ian]

Business days dude. Business days...

Yeah, but even with sunday, that's still past their time. But, like I said. It's not the extra day or two of waiting that bothers me (lies. It does, but it's not what I'm complaining about (also lies, it's not what I'm complaining about -here-)), what's got me doing a double-take is the sudden switch of the arrival date without them admitting that it would be late. Or at least, late against the arrival date they've been giving me since the 27th, you know?

Edit:
As a seperate question, saturdays count as business days, right? I mean, they do deliver on saturdays, don't they? Edited August 1, 2007 by The fabulous Ian

[olooko]

Im like a little school girl waiting for my hookah from hookah-shisa I check it at least 5, 10 times a day with the same info ahha.

I feel for you though, waiting sucks.

I know how you feel. I'm order some stuff from HookahNut.com and I can't wait.

[Jarabe]

Business days dude. Business days...

Yeah, but even with sunday, that's still past their time. But, like I said. It's not the extra day or two of waiting that bothers me (lies. It does, but it's not what I'm complaining about (also lies, it's not what I'm complaining about -here-)), what's got me doing a double-take is the sudden switch of the arrival date without them admitting that it would be late. Or at least, late against the arrival date they've been giving me since the 27th, you know?

Edit:
As a seperate question, saturdays count as business days, right? I mean, they do deliver on saturdays, don't they?

Saturdays are not business days typically, although UPS does deliver Saturday mornings.

[ioannisds]

Business days dude. Business days...

Yeah, but even with sunday, that's still past their time. But, like I said. It's not the extra day or two of waiting that bothers me (lies. It does, but it's not what I'm complaining about (also lies, it's not what I'm complaining about -here-)), what's got me doing a double-take is the sudden switch of the arrival date without them admitting that it would be late. Or at least, late against the arrival date they've been giving me since the 27th, you know?

Edit:
As a seperate question, saturdays count as business days, right? I mean, they do deliver on saturdays, don't they?

Saturdays are not business days typically, although UPS does deliver Saturday mornings.

Yeah, what he said. Here, only FedEx delivers on Saturdays, not UPS. Business days are typically Mon - Fri, so their delivery estimate (though it has changed from the initial date) is still on target for that service.

[chinamon]

you guys should've seen how often i was checking my package on usps from AFonline.
it was dispatched internationally on july 17th and i finally get to pick it up from the post office tomorrow.
their site (usps) says they attempted delivery but thats all lies. we have one of those community mailboxes where everyone on the street goes to the same box and there are a few dozen little mailboxes there. the delivery notice card was left in the mail box (parcel wont fit in the tiny mail box). i was also home all day and doorbell never rang. meh. at least it has finally arrived.

-Electronic Shipping Info Received, July 16, 2007
-International Dispatch, July 17, 2007, 5:15 pm, LOS ANGELES AMC
-Out of Foreign Customs, July 29, 2007, 2:41 pm, CANADA
-At Foreign Delivery Unit, July 31, 2007, 7:34 am, CANADA
-Attempted Delivery Abroad, July 31, 2007, 12:59 pm, CANADA

so it took a little over two weeks to arrive but then it was shipped regular parcel post, not priority so thats pretty normal.
review will be written tomorrow.

[stryet]

you guys should've seen how often i was checking my package on usps from AFonline.
it was dispatched internationally on july 17th and i finally get to pick it up from the post office tomorrow.
their site (usps) says they attempted delivery but thats all lies. we have one of those community mailboxes where everyone on the street goes to the same box and there are a few dozen little mailboxes there. the delivery notice card was left in the mail box (parcel wont fit in the tiny mail box). i was also home all day and doorbell never rang. meh. at least it has finally arrived.

-Electronic Shipping Info Received, July 16, 2007
-International Dispatch, July 17, 2007, 5:15 pm, LOS ANGELES AMC
-Out of Foreign Customs, July 29, 2007, 2:41 pm, CANADA
-At Foreign Delivery Unit, July 31, 2007, 7:34 am, CANADA
-Attempted Delivery Abroad, July 31, 2007, 12:59 pm, CANADA

so it took a little over two weeks to arrive but then it was shipped regular parcel post, not priority so thats pretty normal.
review will be written tomorrow.

I hate it when I'm home waiting only to find at the end of the day that I have one of those "delivery attempted" cards. Now, i've started hanging out on my balcony when I know they arrive, and run out when I see the truck. It's sad, but it works.

[chinamon]

you guys should've seen how often i was checking my package on usps from AFonline.
it was dispatched internationally on july 17th and i finally get to pick it up from the post office tomorrow.
their site (usps) says they attempted delivery but thats all lies. we have one of those community mailboxes where everyone on the street goes to the same box and there are a few dozen little mailboxes there. the delivery notice card was left in the mail box (parcel wont fit in the tiny mail box). i was also home all day and doorbell never rang. meh. at least it has finally arrived.

-Electronic Shipping Info Received, July 16, 2007
-International Dispatch, July 17, 2007, 5:15 pm, LOS ANGELES AMC
-Out of Foreign Customs, July 29, 2007, 2:41 pm, CANADA
-At Foreign Delivery Unit, July 31, 2007, 7:34 am, CANADA
-Attempted Delivery Abroad, July 31, 2007, 12:59 pm, CANADA

so it took a little over two weeks to arrive but then it was shipped regular parcel post, not priority so thats pretty normal.
review will be written tomorrow.

I hate it when I'm home waiting only to find at the end of the day that I have one of those "delivery attempted" cards. Now, i've started hanging out on my balcony when I know they arrive, and run out when I see the truck. It's sad, but it works.

i know. but with regular parcel post, there is no delivery attempt whatsoever. only with priority/xpresspost is there ever a delivery attempt.

[Big Boss]

FedEx has done that to me. The pick up dates and times would change on me.

[arik]

Talk about waiting. i placed an order of 10boxes(250gr) of nakhla on the 12th. only on july29 i have received an e-mail from usps saying

'The U.S. Postal Service was electronically notified by the shipper on July 29, 2007 to expect your package for mailing. This does not indicate receipt by the USPS or the actual mailing date.'

I am getting really frustrated.

[The fabulous Ian]

Talk about waiting. i placed an order of 10boxes(250gr) of nakhla on the 12th. only on july29 i have received an e-mail from usps saying

'The U.S. Postal Service was electronically notified by the shipper on July 29, 2007 to expect your package for mailing. This does not indicate receipt by the USPS or the actual mailing date.'

I am getting really frustrated.

Jesus, where did you order from?

[quakerotis]

I used to work for UPS, so I've learned much information about parcel service and how it works. If it was sent ground, tons of junk can happen to delay packages. And since ground service doesn't have a "guaranteed" delivery date, unlike 2nd Day Air, Next Day, 3 Day, etc., the date you actually get the package can be different from the "estimated delivery date." This means you could get it sooner than the date too though. UPS tries very hard to get packages (even ground) to their destinations on time. After all, its what their business is. But many things happen to delay packages (trucks break down, weather, etc.) But I'm sure it wasn't due to laziness on their part, they run a pretty tight ship. Plus if you called and expressed your frustration, they couldn't do anything about it anyway. It really boils down to this: if you pay for ground service, which is the cheapest, you shouldn't expect it to be right on time (although it usually is). Thats why the other shipping methods cost more, you're not only paying for it to be shipped faster, but you're paying for that guarantee of the delivery date. Oh, and if you do pay for 2 Day Air or whatever, and its not on time, you get a refund!

[claydo]

So glad I just went to Social Smoke to pick up my order. I hate waiting on shipping

[Dunkel!]

FedEx has done that to me. The pick up dates and times would change on me.

Fed Ex and DHL both suck! In this area they don't store any information in the computer. So if you are slightly off the beaten path they use it as an excuse to delay shipment for a day by saying "We couldn't find you." They love it when I say "Hmmm that's funny UPS can find us just fine!" LOL

[Hannibal]

Haha yups, I do the same thing and check almost every 20 minutes for however many days it takes for the package to get to me.

I've had FedEx push back the date a day almost everytime I use them, makes me very angry......like kick babies angry....just kidding..



............but seriously, kicking babies angry...............


Anyway, although it sucks having to wait for a package, especially if it shows up late, HOWEVER, it is awesome when a package comes early. My last order came to me at least a day or 2 earlier then I expected. I ordered my SC bowl and some starbuzz from MnH a couple of weeks ago, and I chose USPS priority. As most ya'll know USPS tracking is basically a cheap, false service.....USPS basically doesnt ever know where your package is whilst in transit.

So I was having panic attacks because I couldn't check the status, when all of a sudden I recieved a package! And I got it in 2 days! I pretty much gave myself a stroke with all the happiness exploding from within me as I ran around my apartment mailroom......

Moral of the story: Act like your package will come 2 days later than you expect/they tell you, therefore you wont be "kicking babies and small animals angry" and instead be "stroke inducing happy".

[The fabulous Ian]

So it's here, and all is well.

Mostly.

The packaging was damaged on one side, like it had been dropped heavily, or banged against a wall. One of the 50g packs of Layalina was busted open. :/ I've already opened and set to acclimating one of the other packs, but I'm wondering if I should be wary of the one that opened up. It wasn't a big rip, and there's not a realistic chance that something would be wrong with it from that, right?

The UPS guys must've heard about me complaining.

"...Show that little bastard who's running late!" *Whu-BAM*

[Allia22]

The opened pack should be fine. If there's goo everywhere and the tobacco's really dry upon inspection, then it's not like you smoked it, so you should be able to get a refund if worse comes to worse.

[MERCHANT]

okay heres the dealio with your package i use to work for ups... odds are it was mis handled and it got sent to a wrong terminal or it was lost in the system small boxe's have attendency to get put on the trays and ride the tray on accident as they dont weigh enough to tilt down. so it might have missed a truck... or the driver who picked it up had to work longer than anticipated and coulndt get back to the hub to get it into the air terminal... *drivers have to be in the air terminal by 7 o clock as the flights have to land by 2 to get unloaded by 3.... its a long complicated system sometimes shit happens

[MERCHANT]

So it's here, and all is well.

Mostly.

The packaging was damaged on one side, like it had been dropped heavily, or banged against a wall. One of the 50g packs of Layalina was busted open. :/ I've already opened and set to acclimating one of the other packs, but I'm wondering if I should be wary of the one that opened up. It wasn't a big rip, and there's not a realistic chance that something would be wrong with it from that, right?

The UPS guys must've heard about me complaining.

"...Show that little bastard who's running late!" *Whu-BAM*

sorry didnt see this one.. ill address it. ups treats packages like shit they throw them toss them kick them whatever.. if somebody is having a bad day they punch em who cares the company pays for it.. you can call them and tell that one of your contents was opened and would like a refund or a new product and usually they will get you a new one.. but any ups employee weather it being driver or loader is cought opening or tampering with a product is immeditly placed on suspension and will more than likly get fired... there is hundreds upon hundreds of cameras in there so i think itll be fine but if you want to be safe call em up.

[Sonthert]

It all depends on the day, see, they scan an item on the 27th, which goes into their possession. It ends up going to the pickup point...but it might not make it out of the pickup point until the next day. It might then not make it to the hub until the day after, depending on the services around you, also the distances involved. If the shipment is from California to Massachusetts, it will take a lot longer than if its Texas to Minnesota.

[MechAnt]

Stuff like this happens. We've all had bad experiences from shipping companies. I've had bad experiences from UPS because they take FOREVER to ship. My package arrives in California in TWO days but they wait 5 business days (A FULL WEEK) before they even attempt to deliver it. WTF?! Are there that many priority packages that need to be delivered before mine? USPS is just slow, unreliable, and gives no information on package locations an/or status. Their packages are always beat up and they always estimate a huge window of time rather than a decent amount. DHL just drops packages at the front door which is really retarted because my laptop computer was shipped with them and it was worth well over $2000. Fedex has actually been very good to me. I've gotten a package from New Jersey to LA in two days with GROUND shipping. They deliver the package whenever it arrives at their regional hub. Then again, I pray and hope my Fedex experience remains to be a good one.

Shit happens. There are good days, there are bad days.

[Big Boss]

FedEx has done that to me. The pick up dates and times would change on me.

Fed Ex and DHL both suck! In this area they don't store any information in the computer. So if you are slightly off the beaten path they use it as an excuse to delay shipment for a day by saying "We couldn't find you." They love it when I say "Hmmm that's funny UPS can find us just fine!" LOL

Thats EXACTLY it! I've had packages spoil/go bad in the back of FedEx trucks because the idiots can't find my house, when the UPS guy stops by my house early and asks how my parents are doing. The time my packages went bad, the driver called my house and said "Yeah, we can't find your house." and I said "Do you know where the gas station is on main street? I can meet you there and get my package." and he just says "Yeah, I can't do that. You're going to have to come to the depot and get it yourself." It makes me feel better, knowing that the driver was fired for his incompetience.

[Erica]

I didnt read eeryones replys.. but standard UPS shipping is 5 DAYS... and Saturdays dont count either.... Saturday is a "special" shipping day... that you must pay extra for!