How To Deal With UPS?

I went through lot hassle with delivery places. They cant make it up my drive though one devil may care FedEx driver made it up once. Sure it didnt do his truck any good.

Anyway they got in bad habit of leaving packages all over the neighborhood with people I didnt even know and it could take week or more before they got around to calling me. Got old trying to track them down, so I started complaining that package was shown as delivered but I hadnt received it. After merchants started complaining, they had to go pick up the package and actually deliver it. They finally got message that I dont want packages left with the neighbors. Now they walk it up initial small steep slope of my drive and set it on side where its not easily seen. I track packages so know when they are delivered "to my front porch" and can go fetch them not long after they are left. Havent had one stolen, though did have one set out in rain without the usual plastic bag over it. I got it before it was soaked through.

If you own property next to road, sure you can make some sort of secure box/tiny building say out of concrete blocks that nobody will steal. Then just keep close watch on tracking and get it soon after delivered so it doesnt get stolen. I'd really hate to live in such a crime ridden area that you do. And seems its neighbors stealing from each other which is crazy.

The other choice is to spend the beaucoup bucks to fix your drive.

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"What would you do with a brain if you had one?" -Dorothy

"Well, then ignore what I have to say and go with what works for you." -Eliot Coleman

Hmmm...interesting conversation... We've never had problems with UPS and we have a very steep, windy, gravel driveway with huge potholes and ruts! And that is on a clear summer day...you should drive it in the winter!!!!! They've left our packages by our door, inside the porch, at a neighbors...we've also picked up at their hub and once we even met them on their delivery route. We also have a 30 gal. plastic tote that we keep outside for smaller packages that they use quite frequently.

I think a lot depends on the driver. Company drivers will usually do their job with relative efficiency, but independent contract drivers will only do their job occasionally. The company we have the most problems with is FedEx and now they have begun dropping their packages off at the local post office so the mail route motor carrier can deliver them.

Instead of putting a large tote by the mail box on the road, why not put it up your driveway a bit. If thieves are a problems, putting up a "pile" of something to act as screening would be helpful. Of course, as a last resort, you could always build a makeshift shed like your neighbors who seem to have no problems with thieves.

Sorry you're having this problem.

RVcook

I ship 5000 + lbs every week and I use both UPS and Fed Ex but will say I have had more headaches dealing with fed EX then UPS.

That being said, when having something shipped do you have an alternative address that is more accessible to use? Possible a work address. Ground shipping is cheaper to a business anyway.
Or could you put your post office address in ask post master if this is allowed] with a hold at post office and pick up there?

UPS and FedX are delivery services. They take packages from point A to point B.

If point B isn't a place they can deliver to, things get screwed up. If the address you give for delivery isn't acessable, you need to use a different address.

It is wrong for UPS to drop your stuff off at that shed, but let's assume they see this as the next best thing to an address that they can't get to. I'd be glad they don't simply return it as "un-deliverable".

Figure out a deliverable addresss, list it on the package. It really isn't fair to expect the delivery guy to figure out what you want, then complain when his thought differs from yours.

Ask your post office why they arn't doing the delivery for UPS. My mother was a clerk with the P.O. and told me that USPS and UPS have had delivery and cargo space resource sharing agreements in place for quite a few years now.

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"I didn't have time to slay the dragon. It's on my To Do list!"

we have the same issue and were on a main road...
they leave things by the road, or in the drive...

it drives me crazy...

especially when theres 3 cars in the driveway and they cant walk down one set of steps and knock o the dang door!!!

weve had packages stolen, things ruined by rain, weve had things supposed to be sighned for never arrive but show up that they were signed for...
my favorite was when they left a box clearly labled LIVE ANIMALS by the garage door in mid february in connecticut, they also dont update their systems right away, i was checking tracking it was 3 hours before it showed up as delivered on thier tracking with a time stamp for the 3 hours earlier tha tit had been delivered...
that package was also supposed to be signed for...the driver had left it and forged...

we have the same issue with fed ex and ups, the ONLY carriers we can actually get to do their job are the local post office...(not to mention its cheaper)

my suggestion woudl be call and complain, do it over and over untill something is done, id also call the people sending the packages and make complaints like "package never delivered, package missing" ect...and let them complain too!!!

UPS driver told us if they attempt to manuever a questionable road and get stuck, getting out is at their expense. I understand they are also on a tight time schedule. They usually get to us to us with no problems; however, this week we were hit with 8 inches of snow making the roads look unpassable. I understood the rescheduling due to weather;
our son picked up the package at the local hub.

It all depends on the driver. We have a very good UPS driver. He has our phone number and if the road is too bad (their trucks don't do well at all in the mud) he will call and have us meet him at the turnoff. We have problems with FedEx. There is one way in and one way out of our division. Impossible to get lost because there is not a road leading out except the one that comes in. It makes a complete circle. The FedEx driver told me he couldn't deliver here because he gets lost every time he comes in here.

BRP, try calling UPS and telling them to give your phone # to the driver that has your route.

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A good time to keep your mouth shut is when you're in deep water.

I work for a mail order company as a customer service agent. Boy I spend hours each day locating package and dealing with signature dispute. If you buy the product form a company that ships them to you, do not bother with your local UPS depot... call the company they have more leverage than you have to get info ...

We occasionally have problems with delivery drivers at our place. I envy you guys who have long-term drivers and can work out solutions with them. The ups/fedex and even the usps mail person seems to change monthly around here.

Boy, everyone makes me feel blessed for our UPS delivery driver. We live down a pretty cruddy road, but he always brings our packages on the day it's scheduled to be delivered. He's great. We've had far more headaches with FedEx than UPS, but FedEx got a new driver out here and she is FAR better. The last one would say he knocked and no one home and I was here all day.

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"Be still sad heart, and cease repining. Behind the clouds, the sun is shining. Thy fate is the common fate of all. Into each life, a little rain must fall." -Longfellow

I haqve no problem with them saying they will not come to my House.But there is always someone around if we are expecting something.They have Cell Phones they could have us meet them at the Highway.We were expecting a Package Friday,called about it to where we could make arraigements to pick it up.They said it was deliverd Thursday,so we had to go hunt it down.

They don't had a Firetruck Turn over back here.It took an hour to get me to the Highway one time where an Ambulance was waiting on me.

I've had the Sheriff and State Police haul them back in here because they can't get back here.One time they had a Man Hunt going on for a Killer had me take them back here.But they always paid me well.

big rockpile

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I love being married.Its so great to find that one person you want to annoy for the rest of your life.



If I need a Shelter
If I need a Friend
I go to the Rock!

my dad was a driver for 17 years till he had so many back injuries that he was disabled enough he couldn't do his job or any other job there, so disability

but he and several of his freinds that worked there were plenty willing to work with you so long as it it reasonable. he had dog deals , he woudl honk you woudl come out to the truck and pick up your package , he had special location to drop packages deals , you name it. one of his freinds had the same route for 30 years he had his final route 11 of his 17, county route got to know lots of people seemed like half the county was some how related to us so it worked out fine for him.

when you called you probably got a national call center , go to or call your terminal ask to speak to the center manager , explain you know your road is bad , and that they driver left your packages in the neighbors shed and you and the neighbor don't see eye to eye on many things and you would appreciate it if they would hold your packages at the center and call you , you will be in to get them.

Don't feel bad. We have had problems with UPS delivering for years. When we first moved into our house UPS even sent us a postcard by USPS telling us that our address didn't exist (If you figure that one out, please explain it to me).

We are an in-holding (surrounded by) in the Cleveland Metroparks. From the "near side" (most convenient way distance wise) you get to our house over a one lane covered bridge which the UPS trucks can't go over because of height (max 9 feet).

Some drivers are conscientious and will drive around the other way (about a mile and a half) but a lot of the time the driver won't want to spend the time. They will claim weather difficulties (on a sunny day) or vehicle problems or some other excuse.

We figure this takes place roughly half the time. We never seem to have this problem with Fedex.

Mike

Ask your neighbors if they have the regular UPS man's cell phone number. Some of these deliverymen who work with teh same customers a lot just give them their phone number so customer can let them know if/when a package needs picking up. If you can talk to regular yourself you may be able to work something out.

'Here' UPS is A#1 terriffic, bend over backwards to work with you. FedEx is barely fair, and Speedee is terrible.

I've heard it different in other areas,s o I assume the local area group of workers & local management determines your service level.


Rock, your big problem is the shared private road with a group of neighbors that appear to all be terribly private hermits that don't get along at all.

Really, the drive is private & don't know who 'owns' it, but the delivery guys are 'tresspassing' on someone's property to get to you.... So leaving it at the end of the public road is probably as good as they legally can do if push comes to shove.

Seems odd the one neighbor can build a shelter on private land, must have an agreement with that landowner. If I were a delivery person & my GPS said the road ended, that shelter would look to be the actual delivery point for any of those addresses.... Understandable.

'Here' they would be very easy to work with, you could get someplace assigned for simple drop offs, or set up a bin for your drop offs. Some of the things that need signing they can't do that, has to be delivered to the person more or less with good signature. 'Here' have had the same driver for 10 years or so, he'd let things work out here on signatures because he knows people & the situation.

Poster situation for _Not_ getting onto one of these private road situations, a little extra taxes for public road access direct to the driveway seems a wonderful thing.

--->Paul

No problem. Send it to me, I'll hold your fishin stuff till you get here :smiley-laughing013:

Looks like you'll have to build a shelter at the far end of your road or work out something with a neighbor...maybe an arrangement where he keeps only half of your stuff

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It's not good enough that we do our best; sometimes we have to do what's required. - Winston Churchill

UPS is great, we are still running the old intersection identification system(highway act of 1966) in this county.

The system uses the southwest corner of the County as a beginning point, denoted '000N' and '000E'. This represents the intersection of the south line of the County(base line '000E') and the west line of the County(Base Line '000N')

The number 200N represents a line two miles north of the south Base Line which is the South County line. 2150N would be 21.5 miles north of the South Base line. An intersection marked 1250N and 600E would be 12.5 miles north and 6 miles east of the Southwest Corner of the County.

It's a great system, the other idiot counties have cute names for their roads, it's called enhanced 911 or some bull crap.

It brings havoc to those delivering packages, especially if your mailbox is not marked, and intersection "green signs" are missing. UPS seems to pull through, even USPS told a business they could not ship to my address, did not exist, even though I got a mailbox address, UPS shipped just fine.

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I see a very dark cloud on America's horizon,
and that cloud is coming from Rome.
- Abraham Lincoln

I recently got an LGD as a yard dog, and don't want the P.O. or UPS coming in the yard to deliver packages - and they won't come through the closed gate anyway. I got one of those big black plastic truck boxes from Walmart, had a friend anchor it to some railroad ties, and rebar into the ground (so it can't "wander away") and told the UPS man and my mail carrier to please put my packages there. It is just to the side of the gate, somewhat screened from the road. Both were fine with doing that, and I get my parcels without too much hassle. Things that need to be signed for are more of a challenge, but both will leave a notice that you can sign and leave for them the next day. Works for me!

As a delivery driver I can see the driver's point of view. I think the recipient is responsible for providing a delivery address/area that the driver can make their delivery with as little hassle as possible. The recipient is not the only person on that route and if there is a problem with one delivery it will affect all the rest of the deliveries for that day. Every call that takes a few more minutes than it should affects all the rest of the deliveries down the line. This does not excuse leaving packages out in the rain, in unsecure locations or being dishonest about signatures.

If you have a regular local driver that you can give a phone number to and who is familiar with your delivery procedure, that's great! However, what if that person is sick or off that day?

I drive a triaxle water truck, basically a dump truck with a drop axle and balloon tires on the front and a 4500 gallon water tank on the back, a lot bigger than the UPS trucks. It turns like an elephant yet I'm expected to get it into rural driveways and laneways that are tight for a car or pickup truck. If a driver gets to a place that looks questionable and doesn't think it's a wise decision to go in there we're always asked to try. I don't mind but if the driver gets stuck or has a problem then the question is "Why did you try to get the truck in there??" As an earlier poster said, getting the truck out of the situation is at the companies expense although we have charged customers for our extra time.

A couple of thoughts:

Have your house number/fire number clear and visible. It's unbeliveably frustrating driving along a road with traffic backing up behind while looking for blocked/dirty/non existant address numbers.

Have your animals secure. I don't know your dogs/goats/horses and how they behave. I've dealt with a lot of farm and country dogs and most are great once they sniff you and decide you're ok. However, if I"m not sure, I don't get out of the truck until the owner comes out. If no one's home, they don't get their delivery.

If you want a package delivered dry and secure, you have to provide a dry, secure and accessable location to have it delivered to. Special arrangements are fine as long as they can be done quickly and efficiently so the driver can move on to the next customer.