UPS Warning

[Ed Goss]

Hello,
     I used to be a big fan of UPS, and I even wrote off the
occasional horror story as "statistically insignificant."  But let me
share this morning's experience:
     I went in with a couple boxes, which I had taken a fair amount
of time to pack, with padded paper around the merchandise, and
foam peanuts surrounding everything.  Well, UPS is opening just
about everything now to check how it's packaged.  Mine was not
acceptable because foam peanuts are no longer acceptable.  It has
to be at least 2 inches of solid foam (I had 2 inches of panuts).
Naturally, UPS will provide (and charge for) this service.  So they
take my boxes and start with the first one -- it had a couple dozen
old 8-track tapes in it.  They completely take all the wrapping off,
and drop about half the tapes on the floor.  Then they proceed to
line the box with their heat activated foam padding, which expands
to about 6 inches thick.  Then, of course, they can't get all my
tapes back into the original box, so they want to sell me an
oversize box -- and charge extra for shipping the oversize box.
Now imagine all this going on with several customers at once (it's
happening to them too), and how the lines are backing up.  The
clerks are very embarrassed an apologetic, but they tell me UPS is
coming down hard on them and they are responsible for any
damage due to improper packing they let slip by -- new policy.
     Their is not much mass to an 8-track tape.  When they won't let
that go surrounded by foam peanuts, things have reached new
heights of absurdity.  I spent 40 minutes in there; it should have
taken 5.  In the end I walked out with the opened unshipped boxes
because the clerk said she didn't know how to pack the tapes
without using their expanding foam and the oversize box.
     If you choose to use UPS, be ready for some surprises.  And if
you insist on using them, you better put something like "cast iron
ingot" on the contents line...don't dare put "rare Chinese vase" or
you will live to regret it.
--EG--

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