Delivery driver stupidity

[danrclem]

I haven't ever had a problem with UPS or FED-EX but I can't think of any fragile items I've had shipped. They should do their job right.
If it's more than they can take then they should get another job. I'm not trying to be unsympathetic but it's just what it is. I was laid off a lot and took a huge pay cut back in 2007 and at the time I retired a few months ago I wasn't even close to what I was making before and that was working the exact same job under a different company. I had a choice to stay there or get another job but when you're in your late 50s and early 60s it's tough to find anything decent.

I don't know for certain but I'd bet that if a UPS driver works 90 hrs. a week he's going to make a lot more than 70K a year. My son drove a delivery route for GFS and made about $32 an hour without including profit sharing. He said that he could go to UPS and make more driving a big rig but didn't want to put up with the crap.

 

[sqlsavior]

...but sometimes the drivers are lazy and leave packages on my front porch that were supposed to be delivered to one of the neighbors. I guess they figure I'll do their job for them and bring the packages to the right house. This happens about twice a month, but it's especially bad around Christmas.

I guess they figure the neighbors weren't home, but would rather have their packages today, and that you are neighborly.

There's no pleasing some people.

 

[Johnny 007]

I guess they figure the neighbors weren't home, but would rather have their packages today, and that you are neighborly.

There's no pleasing some people.

Weren't home? So what? It's not like I signed for the packages. They could have delivered them to the right address, but I guess they figured I'd do their work for them.

 

[stish]

I like it.
When I'm home, and I hear/see a delivery truck, I run out to see if I can catch the driver. My wife drinks canned lemonade, so I always offer some lemonade. People are just people, and it is ok to have empathy for others.

My father in law (rest his soul) lived out in the country and always had soft drinks for the garbage collectors on their weekly rounds.

 

[sqlsavior]

Weren't home? So what? It's not like I signed for the packages. They could have delivered them to the right address, but I guess they figured I'd do their work for them.

I bet they didn't need signing for. And that if you were my neighbor, that I would not like you.

 

[toxcrusadr]

If they didn't need to be signed for, why not leave them at the correct address then? What's the difference, one porch to the next, except one is the right one and the other is not. I find it curious myself.

The amount of theft is incredible and there is very little delivery to a person rather than a porch, with a signature, compared to a few years ago.

 

[CKDC]

I guess they figure the neighbors weren't home, but would rather have their packages today, and that you are neighborly.

There's no pleasing some people.

Are you being serious??? Do you work for UPS?

 

[Ken Boyd]

I dislike threads like this, it reminds me of how rude some people are. My mail man and all the UPS, FED EX delivery persons always do a great job, and I make a point of thanking them when I can.

 

[sqlsavior]

Are you being serious??? Do you work for UPS?

Yes, I was being serious. No, I don't work for UPS, nor any other delivery service.

Let me guess...

You live in a big city? Back east?

I'm sure glad I don't! And I don't mean to offend any of the millions who do, either. Have a nice day.

 

[biscuithead]

I dislike threads like this, it reminds me of how rude some people are. My mail man and all the UPS, FED EX delivery persons always do a great job, and I make a point of thanking them when I can.

You're right. Apologies for my involvement. All of my delivery persons are Awesome! Thanks to this thread I ran out to the UPS truck today (thank you squeaky brakes) and carried my own package to my door. Parcel lockers at Whole Foods, and Drones, along with these opinions will lead to delivery personnel job loss in the years to come... yeah.

 

[CKDC]

Yes, I was being serious. No, I don't work for UPS, nor any other delivery service.

Let me guess...

You live in a big city? Back east?

I'm sure glad I don't! And I don't mean to offend any of the millions who do, either. Have a nice day.

WOW!

 

[Eric n Kc]

Hey
I've started having packages re routed to their stores. A lot less stress on my part.
I work evenings and of course they would deliver my package after I left for work.
The one really aggravating delivery was the tweeters I ordered. They just dropped them off at my neighbors house 2 doors down. He brought them over like 2 days later. After I'd called everybody involved. Eric

 

[donprice]

Don't buy anything. Problem solved

The neighborhood kids picked up a package from the front porch a coule of years ago. It was a pretty good haul. $600 of candle party crap the wife had ordered. Luckily the kids had no interest in the candles and a neighbor returned them. We gave her a $50 gift card for her troubles. Nothing was missing or broken. The bigger threat here in Florida is rain, usually.

I get the good stuff shipped to my office where the receptionist can sign for it. The office is in a "bad" neighborhood so the delivery folks have been trained to leave nothing outside.

 

[Ohighway]

I -almost always- get good service out of UPS, Fedex, and the USPS. If I'm home I'll greet the driver, grab packages from him so he/she doesn't have to hustle them to my front door, etc. Time permitting even chat a little about the weather, traffic or whatever. In hot weather I'll offer them a cold water or soda.

Now with that being said I do expect them to use common sense when doing their jobs. If I got home on a rainy day and found my package sitting on the ground in the rain a mere 3 feet away from our covered porch, I'd be pretty miffed. Or on days when there's no snow or ice on the driveway if I find a package waaaayyy up by the end of the driveway along the street..... not good.

I'm a reasonable guy. But I don't like the arguments that suggest that if service is poor you should say nothing because they have hard jobs. Hey, LOTS of people have hard jobs. Should we give everyone who doesn't do a decent job a free pass?

 

[sheltie dave]

Ohighway, I don't give them a free pass, but I'm not going to ruin their day unless they ruined mine.

I remember that one time when I checked a few years back, the difference between insuring an item for $300 vs $5,000 for a UPS delivery was something like $28 for a 30 pound box. The $5K insurance triggered the hand carry, do not drop special delivery from intake counter to your hands. I have received four such deliveries in the past three years, and not a scratch or dent on a single box to date.

If push comes to shove, insure that special something coming your way at the extreme value level, and expect the VIP treatment. Or figure out what all your service route people like for cookies. Or train your dog to walk on two feet and do somersaults when their truck pulls up. Sadly enough, good service often falls by the wayside when the fleet of trucks gets rightsized, and the number of deliveries climbs - seven times in the past 8 years in our zip code.

 

[Eric n Kc]

Hey
I did lose a $40. Pair of Millard tubes USPS. I'm pretty sure that it was either the little girl next door or just a dirty rotten thief. Eric

 

[biscuithead]

I -almost always- get good service out of UPS, Fedex, and the USPS. If I'm home I'll greet the driver, grab packages from him so he/she doesn't have to hustle them to my front door, etc. Time permitting even chat a little about the weather, traffic or whatever. In hot weather I'll offer them a cold water or soda.

Now with that being said I do expect them to use common sense when doing their jobs. If I got home on a rainy day and found my package sitting on the ground in the rain a mere 3 feet away from our covered porch, I'd be pretty miffed. Or on days when there's no snow or ice on the driveway if I find a package waaaayyy up by the end of the driveway along the street..... not good.

I'm a reasonable guy. But I don't like the arguments that suggest that if service is poor you should say nothing because they have hard jobs. Hey, LOTS of people have hard jobs. Should we give everyone who doesn't do a decent job a free pass?

I'm reasonable also. I don't like a suggestion that I would give a "free pass" to poor service. I first try to understand what is the cause of the poor service. Then I try to see the situation from something other than my perspective. This makes me reasonable and empathetic. No free passes, I still uphold accountability, I just don't jump to seeing red before I think long and hard. It is easy to paint with a wide brush from both sides. I greatly value accountability, I just won't heap the accountability solely on the driver in this situation. Don't simplify with ideas of free passes and hard jobs. bah

 

[geespot]

I had a packaged delivered with signature. I was not home but somebody signed for it. I checked the electronic signature on the website and that was none of my neighbors' name. Call the shipping company on it, needless to say, the driver lost his job.

 

[rxonmymind]

Not your problem. Hmm

Would you pay more for a better service? If the UPS puppet-masters said, ok we will double our delivery drivers (halving the workload, equating to better service) if the consumer will support twice the price. Meaning this:

If there was an option to get all the ideal characteristics from a delivery company, but it cost twice as much, would it be consumer supported? Elite service for an Elite price.

I don't think it would last in the competitive market. Cheap is king, and good service is our ancestor. Welcome to 2017, where you the consumer have driven down the price and driven out good service... but the few are making big bucks.

They already have. They've doubled their shipping cost from last year...

 

[rxonmymind]

If I were smart/lucky/stupid enough to ever have a successful business, I'd never go public, for these very reasons! Our country seems to be all about profit first, customer service 2nd. I couldn't operate that way...! I guess I wouldn't be in business for long...! (Forced) early retirement...!

Some companies have been approached and politely refuse to be bought out and do in fact stay a "family business" for the reasons you mentioned. Pretty cool.