UPS/USPS shipping issue

[IFjane]

Can someone 'splain this to me, please? I recently ordered an item from LLBean. They are offering free shipping so I chose that. I have been tracking the item and it seems UPS has a partnership with USPS in that UPS will get the item close to the address and then hand it off to the P.O. for delivery. It seems my item arrived 9/3 at a P.O. hub (not the hub for my P.O., however) and has been "stuck" there ever since. This is what the tracking info on the LLBean site says:

Tracking Details

Date Scan Activity

09/10/2010 02:12 PM NOTICE LEFT CHARLOTTESVILLE VA

09/04/2010 11:22 AM NOTICE LEFT CHARLOTTESVILLE VA

09/03/2010 06:45 AM TENDERED TO LOCAL POST OFFICE - ALLOW ONE ADDITIONAL DAY FOR DELIVERY CHARLOTTESVILLE VA

09/03/2010 06:09 AM DESTINATION SCAN CHARLOTTESVILLE VA

09/03/2010 05:01 AM DESTINATION SCAN CHARLOTTESVILLE VA

09/03/2010 05:00 AM ARRIVAL SCAN CHARLOTTESVILLE VA

09/03/2010 12:34 AM DEPARTURE SCAN LAUREL MD

09/02/2010 01:03 PM LOCATION SCAN LAUREL MD

09/02/2010 07:32 AM ARRIVAL SCAN LAUREL MD

09/01/2010 05:25 PM DEPARTURE SCAN FREEPORT ME

09/01/2010 05:06 PM AGENT PICKUP; IN TRANSIT TO UPS FACILITY FREEPORT ME

09/01/2010 05:06 PM ORIGIN SCAN FREEPORT ME

09/01/2010 05:53 PM BILLING INFORMATION RECEIVED

According to the Customer Service reps at LLBean, the "notice left" means I should have gotten a notice that the item was at the post office for pickup. I have not received any notices from them. None. Zip. Funny thing is that Charlottesville is NOT my local post office; it is 45 miles away. Why would/should I drive 90 miles RT to pick up something that should have been shipped to my house? So...after three phone calls they are sending me another one and they promise this time that UPS will deliver it right to my door.

What I do not understand is that the item has my home address on it. Why would it stop in the wrong post office and not move to my local one? No one seems to have an answer for that.

You get what you pay for, ladies....so pay for shipping from LLBean! :confused::confused::confused:

[ny biker]

It might be an error with the shipping label. I had a similar problem recently with a package from overstock.com and it turned out that they put the wrong label on the package. They delivered it to a woman in Florida who was kind enough to find my address on the packing slip and send the item to me (in Virginia).

[kermit]

I always have problems with anything shipped by the post office. I would get a tracking number that has "no record" for 5 days and the package would just show up. Here's hoping you get the second one!

[uforgot]

The ups/usps thing is certainly annoying. Once ups puts it in usps hands, it sits there for days. If anyone ships something that way, I order from someone else, even if it's a little more expensive. I've received updates just like yours and suddenly, it then moves on. Give it a little more time. This type of delivery generally takes a couple weeks from my experience.

I seem to remember reading somewhere that it isn't exactly a partnership, ups just found a loophole with the usps and is taking advantage of it, and the usps isn't exactly happy about it. That could have something to do with why my packages sit in Kansas City for a week, EVERY time it's shipped like this.

[ny biker]

UPS and FedEx are two of the Postal Service's largest customers. For some addresses, it's more cost-efficient for them to pay the USPS to deliver a package than to do it themselves. They're content with the arrangement.

All 3 companies prioritize deliveries and choose to deliver packages that were shipped by higher priority, more expensive methods while others sit undelivered. When I bought my phone a few months ago, FedEx put it on the truck but didn't deliver it because it wasn't scheduled until the next day. The phone bounced around on the hot truck for no reason and then was returned to the warehouse, where I picked it up that evening.

[Irulan]

Interesting. I have a commercial account with UPS, ship 100's of packages and year ( and receive tons) too and I have never heard of this. I still deal with the hot guy in brown shorts every day.

Maybe have LLBean issue a recall on the package and start all over?

[Bike Chick]

I think this is fairly common for home deliveries. I use my office address to have things shipped to me when I can. That removes the USPS factor.

[uforgot]

Interesting. I have a commercial account with UPS, ship 100's of packages and year ( and receive tons) too and I have never heard of this. I still deal with the hot guy in brown shorts every day.

Maybe have LLBean issue a recall on the package and start all over?

It's called ups basic. I think it's mostly for rural locations. I think Bike Chick is right. I'm going to try to have it shipped to my work and see what happens next time.

[IFjane]

Finally on Saturday (9/11) I received a notice in my mailbox that there was a package at my P.O. to pick up. By that time LLBean had already shipped me another one - this time by "UPS Air Saver" (what's that?). After work today I drove up to the P.O. and asked about the issue. It turns out the package had been at MY P.O. the entire time - yet the tracking info clearly said Charlottesville and I had not received a notice. Go figure! I refused the package and will await delivery to my door, of the new one. What an ordeal - but it is somewhat comforting to know others have experienced the same. I will know better next time! Oh, and I hope I get the next delivery...:rolleyes:

[Blueberry]

Just wanted to chime in - I do think this is the rural thing. I have an LLBean credit card and have ordered from them 10's of times (always free shipping from the card), and have never had a shipping problem (well - fed ex did delay 3 days when we had 2 feet of snow - but I'll forgive them that). I wouldn't fault LLBean on this one.

[IFjane]

Oh Blueberry, I am not faulting LLBean. I just wanted to caution shoppers to pay for an upgrade to the shipping. It's not Bean's fault that UPS contracts with USPS and then someone decides to sit on the packages.

[Irulan]

"UPS Air Saver" (what's that?)

it's in between gound and next day air

[Blueberry]

Oh Blueberry, I am not faulting LLBean. I just wanted to caution shoppers to pay for an upgrade to the shipping. It's not Bean's fault that UPS contracts with USPS and then someone decides to sit on the packages.

I just wanted to make sure;);) Seriously - I've done the free ship deal for years and never had a problem - but I'm relatively urban...guess that has a few advantages!

[ny biker]

Oh Blueberry, I am not faulting LLBean. I just wanted to caution shoppers to pay for an upgrade to the shipping. It's not Bean's fault that UPS contracts with USPS and then someone decides to sit on the packages.

What was the estimated delivery date for your order?

[IFjane]

What was the estimated delivery date for your order?

ny biker, the original order said the estimated delivery date was 9/7, and I went to the P.O. to refuse it on 9/13 (got the notice 9/11, after the p.o. was closed).

The UPS Air Saver turned out to be an overnight for me. The replacement item was shipped 9/13 and it was sitting on my front step when I got home from work on 9/14. :)

[jessmarimba]

Oh boy, now it's my turn to deal with this! My package is in some sort of UPS regional processing facility waiting to be "inducted into the U.S. Postal Service." It hasn't been updated in a few days. I had the impression I was just getting UPS standard delivery, 4-7 business days, so I guess now I just wait and see.

This one isn't LL Bean, by the way.

[bmccasland]

When I was shipping luggage from Louisiana to Washington (wouldn't fit in the car :rolleyes: ), I went to my local Mailboxes Express to do the shipping - the owner said I'd get a better shipping rate and guarantee of delivery sending to a business than a residence. As I recall the difference was significant on a 45 lb bag. So my 2 bits is, if you can send a package to a business address - it has a better chance of arriving via FedEx or UPS, and the shipping costs could be less.

[badger]

I'm going to just use this as a venting place...

I live in Canada. I shop online a lot, and 99.5% of the time, it's coming from the states. Take the current order for example. It's getting on close to 3 weeks, yes, THREE WEEKS for a small package of vitamins to arrive. Last time it was 3 weeks minus a day. Very frustrating.

So I just use my friend's address in WA for shipping and I go once in a while to pick them up. At least you guys get it delivered free to your doorstep in a few days!

[Irulan]

Free?

[badger]

Free?


most places I buy from offer free shipping within the states.

[GLC1968]

I'll also chime in - it's a rural thing. I've lived in suburbs or urban places most of my life and never had any issues. Now I live in the boonies and I see this UPS/USPS thing happening a lot. The funny thing is, UPS delivers to us almost daily because we order a lot online and my H works from home. Our local mail service is sketchy, so we always choose UPS if we have the option. Since this started happening, now we can't tell HOW or even IF we'll get packages. And since UPS does come by so often, I can't imagine why they'd ever use the post office. Bizarre and frustrating!

[jessmarimba]

I'll also chime in - it's a rural thing.

If only...this is by far the least rural area I've ever lived in. My office is actually more rural than my house. I guess it's just supposed to be a money saver for UPS to not do the actual delivery and just do the internal shipping, but I wish they could continue tracking the item through both delivery systems.

[VeloVT]

I buy a few gifts from LL Bean each Christmas, and usually have some sort of free shipping deal. I believe the free shipping has always been Fedex (notable because practically everyone else uses UPS), and it's been practically overnight -- in any case, very fast for free shipping. Then, I do live in VT and I believe LL Bean ships from Maine, so that probably makes a difference.

[IFjane]

It is nice to know I am not the only one having this problem!

I attempted to order something from LLBean again this morning & found that I could not change the shipping from their "free shipping" option (the one that uses UPS/USPS) to anything else if I ordered online. I ended up calling customer service and they changed it to UPS Ground, which they assured me was directly to my door. And it, too, was free. :D

[shootingstar]

I'm going to just use this as a venting place...

I live in Canada. I shop online a lot, and 99.5% of the time, it's coming from the states. Take the current order for example. It's getting on close to 3 weeks, yes, THREE WEEKS for a small package of vitamins to arrive. Last time it was 3 weeks minus a day. Very frustrating.

So I just use my friend's address in WA for shipping and I go once in a while to pick them up. At least you guys get it delivered free to your doorstep in a few days!

I have yet to buy any physical object online from outside of Canada because this waiting problem plus customs brokerage fees. And I don't see it happening for myself in the near future.

When I go into the U.S., I do shop --in person. Just for me to buy a pair of shoes in the U.S., I consider it a risk in case I discover at home it wasn't a good purchase because my feet are slightly uneven and I have my orthotics to consider. I bought a pr. anyways..I guess the shoes will get broken in soon.

[sundial]

3 weeks ago I went to a UPS shipping terminal in my town. I was shipping a painting and it was to arrive at the destination the next day. It never arrived. It never received an initial trailer scan. UPS put a tracer on it but it was a no go. They checked in the damage/lost bin at the terminal and it was not there. It's somewhere out in the great black hole. I'm still waiting for UPS to pay me for a lost original oil painting.

[zoom-zoom]

Whaddya know, I now have my own potential issue with UPS. I have been following the tracking for a delivery that now shows that it was delivered, but I didn't receive anything. Unfortunately I was away at the time that tracking shows it was delivered. I missed the delivery by all of 5 minutes while out for a run.

Here is the course it took:
Location Date Local Time DescriptionWhat's This?
MUSKEGON, MI, US 10/26/2010 3:15 P.M. DELIVERY
10/26/2010 5:56 A.M. DESTINATION SCAN
10/26/2010 5:26 A.M. ARRIVAL SCAN
WYOMING, MI, US 10/25/2010 9:24 P.M. DEPARTURE SCAN
10/25/2010 8:40 P.M. ARRIVAL SCAN
MAUMEE, OH, US 10/25/2010 4:50 P.M. DEPARTURE SCAN
MAUMEE, OH, US 10/23/2010 2:00 A.M. ARRIVAL SCAN
CINCINNATI, OH, US 10/22/2010 10:01 P.M. DEPARTURE SCAN
10/22/2010 8:12 P.M. ORIGIN SCAN
US 10/21/2010 12:13 A.M. BILLING INFORMATION RECEIVED

Here is the weird part...it says that delivery was signed for by someone named Adkins and location is "dock," rather than front door. I don't have a loading dock at my house, obviously.

So I wonder if it was actually delivered to our USPS and that I will wait another day or two to actually receive the package.

That is so weird, though. Usually when things have been rerouted to the PO they will sit at the next town over and not actually show in tracking as "delivered." Anyone else ever run into this?

[zoom-zoom]

I'll also chime in - it's a rural thing. I've lived in suburbs or urban places most of my life and never had any issues. Now I live in the boonies and I see this UPS/USPS thing happening a lot. The funny thing is, UPS delivers to us almost daily because we order a lot online and my H works from home. Our local mail service is sketchy, so we always choose UPS if we have the option. Since this started happening, now we can't tell HOW or even IF we'll get packages. And since UPS does come by so often, I can't imagine why they'd ever use the post office. Bizarre and frustrating!

This is precisely what makes no sense about it to me, too.

[Koronin]

The only issue I've had with UPS was not UPS's fault, but the fault of the company I was working with. They kept shipping things to the wrong address. They said it was signed for. Um, well I didn't sign for it and at this point my husband had already moved to our current area for his new job, so he wasn't with in 5 hours of the house to be able to sign for it. Yep they mailed the stuff to the wrong address and expected me and UPS to track down the package. Um, nope your problem for mailing it to an incorrect address. Idiots.

On the other hand we are currently waiting on a package to be delivered by UPS to us. Long story, but my oldest cat is not eating again and after having moved we have lost our syringes that we use to force feed her, so ordered some new ones through Dr Foster and Smith's catalog and are waiting their arrival. UPS is showing it is supposed to get here on Monday. Hopefully it gets here sooner as we need it sooner rather than later, esp since the syringe I bought at Petsmart is a piece of junk.