address corections??

[blkcloud]

I seem to get them on every bill..why is it that I am the one that has to pay for it when my customer apparently doesnt know where they live??
also, i have a load of customers who are retired, lived in the same house for 30 years and mail me a check for my product..they know where they live...but 911 has given them a new address..but they tell me to ship it to "route 5 box 77" instead of "12345 277th st" all i know is what comes with the letter and what is printed on their check..but yet i get slapped with a 5.00 charge..its not my fault that they dont tell me the correct address yet I am the one who gets billed..were talking 25.00 orders here..when i get the address correction, plus the del. area surcharge plus the fuel surcharge not only do i not make anything i actually loose money...
Once i shipped a package to a feed store in a one horse town in Texas..the feed store was on the corner of main and walnut..I sent it to 218 main st..it was delivered to 112 walnut st...which is the side door..a big fat 5.00 charge again..you gotta be kidding me..when i called the billing dept i was told...and i quote..."its just the cost of doing business sir..."

 

[dannyboy]

I have the same problem. I have a major customer whose suppliers send them packages with the 662 zip code. They are more than big enough for their own zip as they cover many square miles. and for years UPS sent each one of them an address correction bill. They have had and used this since the zipcode was established, but UPS knows best, or so they think.

I also have had many issues myself sending packages to a business and the driver enters it as a residential package.

PAy the part of the bill you owe and dispute the rest. Keep records of correspondence both with your customer and UPS. PAy your bill with a credit card and use them to aid you in getting the charges relieved from your bill. The bigger pain in the tush you make your case the more likely you are to get satisfaction.

It would not suprise me to have the driver double dipping stops to boost his on road, and yours was the one that went in the side addy.

You stated you were from Tennesse. What part?
d

(Message edited by dannyboy on September 14, 2005)

 

[ok2bclever]

If it is a legitimate address correction who should pay for it?

UPS certainly should not have to bear the brunt of you sending a package to the wrong address regardless of whether the fault is yours or your customers.

If it is a bogus "bad add" dispute it.

 

[blkcloud]

"If it is a legitimate address correction who should pay for it?"
thats easy...the customer..present them with a bill for 5.00 or they dont get their package..
I'm in Pulaski Tn about 75 miles south of Nashville.. where are you from??

 

[ok2bclever]

Works for you sure.

However, that puts the cost of you and your customer's error on UPS, won't happen.

COD collection is a contentious, labor intensive process from start to finish even when collectable.

The system is streamlined to the max to take the least amount of staffed labor to get the package from point A (you) to point B (your customer)as labor is the single greatest business expense.

When you enter a package into the system with an incorrect address it either snags the system in the routing, at the delivery vehicle loading point or when the driver physically attempts and fails to deliver the package because of the address error.

All of these points make the package an Exception to the system and requires extensive additional staffing interaction with the package to discover and correct the error.

This is true regardless of whether the package ultimately is successfully delivered or has to be routed back to the shipper.

At that point UPS loses the profit margin to the shipment and adding on additional staffing requirements to attempt collection is a lose/lose prospect.

IF UPS were to succeed in collecting and processing the cod from the end point customer the costs of doing so would cost more than the money recovered and not compensate UPS for the actual initial additional staffing resources required for the exception.

If UPS fails to collect the funds the package UPS is out both the Exception caused processing costs plus the Exception collection attempts costs and still has to bear the costs of returning the package to the shipper.

The only practical way to recoup these losses would be to raise the overall rates.

To say that would not be appreciated by those that send their packages to correct addresses would be a gross understatement and would be counterproductive to our competitiveness.

So, that won't happen.

I would say your company needs to hold your customer financially accountable for their errors in some fashion.

That said, I state again there are grey areas and out and out mistakes regarding address correction charges, some of which are completely erroneous and you should dispute such charges.

I am in Michigan, but I suspect you were asking that particular question to your homeboy danny.

 

[dannyboy]

Bristol

The customer I was talking about is Tennessee Eastman. At one time employed over 25,000. Largest employer in the state at one time. STill a very large presence here in the eastern part of the state. And as posted, they were given the 62 Zip by the post office. So my question always has been who is UPS to say that just because the zip is not in their system, how is that an address correction for the customer who has that as a legit address and has had it since before UPS was even in this area.

On a lighter note, we have a walmart and lowes not more than a mile from the building. They do address corrections on them every day because someone decided their zip is not right either.

Funny, so many stupid customers that dont know what their zipcode is, but UPS knows all.

Must be the same guy in charge of figuring out what zips UPS recognizes or not, and who figures out the allowances for delivery these days.

d

 

[boswharfs]

We haven't even mentioned the fact that the $5 for address correction is charged when the driver corrects the address in the diad so that his delivery records match the package even though: 1) the package made the right truck, 2)the driver knew where the package went and was able to deliver it without issue, 3) it cost no extra labor time or effort.

I understand the ones that have to be corrected in the center being charged, but I was never quite comfortable with the diad correction ones being charged. I do however correct them because I am instructed to do so.

 

[ok2bclever]

Well, address correcting does take some time and you guys do get paid a heck of a lot of money per minute.

Most drivers don't use the diad address correction capabilities in their boards and just deliver those packages that they know where they really go.

As I stated there are grey areas and out and out mistakes made, not to mention the possibility of driver fraud to pad their counts that danny mentioned, so it comes back to my statement that if you don't think the address was incorrect you should dispute the charge.

I have also seen shippers that add a sticker onto the package that states "no address corrections or alternate deliveries".

I don't know if that actually absolves the shipper of address correction charges or not though.

 

[brownmonster]

It was explained to me that we are trying to eliminate bad addresses for a smooth implementation of PAS and not as a revenue boost. The pkgs Add. corrected on the diad should be charged $1 since all it took was a couple key strokes. On the other hand you sometimes see the same pkgs with the same bad address over and over and keep nailing the account and no one seems to care. I also think if it is a multi piece shipment only one pkg should be add. corrected. BM

 

[yeldarb]

I had a bulk shipment of 150 boxes of popcorn for a cable company, addressed as 8602 south, when it should have been 9602, and there was no company name, so I had no idea where it went. This was when I was a cover driver. Ironically, the route that it was address corrected to was a route I did the next day, so I had to deal with it two days in a row.

 

[upsdude]

I get a lot of packages that are missing the apartment number. On many occasions I know the correct address and deliver it and enter "Left At". I don't have time to check at the rental office for the ones I don't know the correct number. Those go to the clerk, 5 bucks.

One of the car dealers on my route has 2 addresses (both are valid) but all deliveries are made to one location. Again, I use "Left At". AM clerks were "Correcting" this dealers address but I was able to get their "corrections" stopped.

 

[ups79]

upsdude:did you make this a duplicate stop or did you take credit for two stops?

 

[upsdude]

ups79.......

currently I enter "Duplicate Stop". Previously I have not entered the stop in that manner.

I have a short list of questions to ask of each new manager when they're assigned to my center. Amazing how the answers change from person to person.

 

[blkcloud]

Every time stamps go up we hear the same quote..its written in stone that the usps will not operate at a loss..or something to that effect...so why is it that they can deliver a package from Tn to Ca in 2-3 days for a flat 5.75 and ups charges 8.57 with a 5-6 day delivery..not including that stupid address correstion, del. area surcharge,fuel surcharge,by the time all the other jazz is added the 8.57 sometimes turns into
15-17 dollars......... and actually i didnt care who answered my question..i'm just glad it got answered..not unlike what would have happend when i called the 800 number...which ONLY offers you 4 choices and none ever happen to be what you are calling about...the standard answer there is..."um..i dont know sir...um"..(while their thinking)do i like vanilla or strawberry ice cream better...

 

[wily_old_vet]

blkcloud-because they subsidize their pkg rates with the money they make from first class postage.

 

[blkcloud]

If that the case ups should subsidize their rates with the money they make on overnight packages..thats where they are making a killing...which i'm all for..i like making a killing to but i dont gouge my customers for something thats not their fault.....

 

[ok2bclever]

I disagree with your in transit suppositions as in general the mail is not quicker than us for most transits unless you are timing yourself for weekends where they have another workday for ground (Saturday).

Also from the base price you are not comparing apples to apples.

If you add the auto $100 insurance, tracking and time transit guarantees to the mail equivalent it will actually cost more than our service.

As far as it costing you more if you put a legitimately bad address on the package, gee, I don't know what to tell you outside of "get it right", because that sounds like the prevailing attitude about shirking responsibility and you should not be held accountable for anything you do which I don't accept in my kids let alone in an adult.

Again, I reiterate I am talking about legitimate bad address situations, dispute what you consider false or erroneous charges.

That there is an extra charge for things that cost UPS extra like your mistakes, deliveries to residences way out there and skyrocketing fuel costs is "just business" and the real question is how come the US Mail doesn't do this.

Simple, their package delivery segment isn't a "real business", it's a government created deficit machine artificially supported by a monopoly.

You actually answered your own question regarding how the mail can undercut us and I am surprised you don't know the answer or the truth.

The US Mail has a federal monopoly on first class mail and the stamps that run that business.

They use that to subsidize their package shipping business where they are in direct competition with free enterprise and use that subsidizing to be able to artificially under cut their competition (us and others).

In other words, they lose money on their under priced package shipping service and make it up by nailing you on the stamp charge where no one can compete with them and you have no choices but to pay whatever they decide they want to charge for the stamps.

We have tried litigation regarding unfair business practices regarding this use of their unfair federally sponsored monopoly rights to subsidize competing with us with artificially lowered package shipping rates since I have been with UPS (32 years) without success.

It's that "can't fight city hall" thing.

So while I can understand using their cheaper service you bring the next stamp raise closer with every use of their package delivery service.

(Message edited by ok2bclever on September 15, 2005)

 

[blkcloud]

here's what i know..a 2 pound package..tn to ca
usps shipping quote 5.75 priority mail 2-3 day delivey..period..
online world ship starts at 8.57 my guarenteed day definate delivery 5 days bus.2 bus. 6 days bus. to res..i dont think you can disagree with that..granted I dont have ins. with usps but....its actually cheaper 4 me to absorb the cost of damaged goods (25.00 shipments) than to fight those uncaring ups claims phone attendents..

 

[dannyboy]

THe killing you are talking about is not a killing, it is called a profit. And profit is what your business and ours is all about.

As for the costs of postal vs private companies, go with whomever gives you the best all around deal. But when you compare each part, UPS is very competitive to any one out there, including the postal service. IF you pay for the ability to track your package, insurance for the first $100, all the "freebies" that are included in your UPS basic rate, then they actually are more expensive.

As for the fuel surcharges, they dont ever have to charge for that, they have the first class stamp that covers that cost for them, as has been posted.

But the bottom line is this. You are the customer. You can vote on how you ship your packages. And you vote by letting the company that gives you what you need and want the best, handle your deliveries. It is that simple.

And as for the delivery times advertised by the postal service, they are not guarenteed. They are what they are suposed to do. And that is why I can send out a first class letter going 10 miles down the road and it does not get there for three days. Documented. Each and every time. So advertised rates and service is nothing without the actual delivery matching the advertisement. And they,, unlike UPS do not refund shipping charges when they do not deliver on time. Ask them.

As to addy corrections, if you screw up the address and we correct it for you, yeppers, the charge will stick. But if the address was correct, dispute the charges. And if there is not a satifactory solution to your problems, then file a corp complaint. After that file complaints with the ICC and any one else that has jurisdiction over the matter.

d

(Message edited by dannyboy on September 15, 2005)

 

[blkcloud]

Im glad you all are letting me vent here..lol
you know i get a delivery from ups everydy..and about 2/3 of the time i get my packages picked up at the same time...but i still get a bill each month for my pick up..I guess there are other companies that do this but what do you think my customer would say if i told them i was going to start charging them each month a extra fee just to buy my product..i'm giving ups the business but they charge me for my business..lol on the other hand..my mail gets delivered at about 12 noon, and at about 2:30 another little truck pulls up and picks up my packages...NO CHARGE...