Never underestimate the stupidity of the general public...

[browned_out]

I've had this happen a few times, leave pkg knock/ring bell walk back to truck and drive to next dlvry, person comes running up asking why you did'nt wait and do u have anything for them! The look on their face is priceless when I tell them I left the pkg by the door.

 

[area43]

I remember I delivered a big box that had golf clubs(and the bag) in it to a little old rich lady in a upscale neighbohood. The reason, I knew it was golf clubs is because see lived alone(aaahhhhh) and asked me to take it out for her. After I was finished she asked if I could take the box and throw it away. What do you think I am? a garbage truck(I was thinking that). I told her in a polite manner. No mam, this is thursday and your pick up is on tuesday(serious I did this). She looked at me, with a puzzled look and went back inside, dragging her big box. lol

 

[diesel96]

"Do you have a pkg for ME"?

My response "No Mrs. ME ,sorry"

 

[samiam]

I have the best one of all. Years ago I delievered to a psychic/palm reader who had the nerve to as me what was inside the box. Although I didn't say anthing to her, the first thing that pop into my head was 'shouldn't you be the one telling me before you even open the box'. I'll never forget that one.

 

[Sammie]

We used to get calls in the phone center from people who
thought they might be receiving a package that day and
demanded to know where the UPS driver was at that very
moment.

When we explained that we didn't have his exact location,
they said they would jump in the car and cruise the neighborhood
until they found him....

 

[1989]

I see that all the time...Get an ods from the center. A customer wants to meet you somewhere.

 

[GuyinBrown]

Once I had a Dell that was out for it's 3rd attempt. Boy did I love tripping over that for 3 days in a row in a little p500. On the 3rd day, they were once again not home to sign. Near the end of the day I get a message from the center...

Center - "Can you redeliver the package to 123 Main St.?"
Me - "No"

A little while later...
Center - "Customer says they urgently need it today"
( Now this ticked me off because they apparently think we're stupid )
Me - "It's a Dell, not medication. Today was the 3rd attempt, if they needed it so badly perhaps they should have called after the first try."

Shortly thereafter...
Center - "Customer would like to know where and when they can meet you."
Me - "5:30pm at 123 Oak st"

Final round...
Center - "I can't find 123 Oak St on the map"
Me - "You're sitting there...."


My other favorite Dell experience...

After signing for her new computer a lady says "Ok, just take that down to the basement"
I politely informed her that I would NOT be taking it down to the basement, the front door was as far as I go. With a puzzled look she responded "Then how are you going to set it up?"

I laughed all the way back to the truck.....

 

[Harry Manback]

How about that extremely funny, not to mention ultra original, joke that EVERY SINGLE UPS employee has heard..."Did you hear about the merge?...."

 

[GuyinBrown]

They all really believe they're the first one to tell it too....

 

[SmithBarney]

Had one the other day
Lady runs out. after me
and says "is it normal for a package to sit in your truck for 3 hours..."

9am-12am
She musta been sitting on the computer tracking it like a hound...

Anyway I was speachless.. wanted to say it wasn't sitting it was riding with me..
or anything else I thought of would have been kinda offensive... or taken the wrong way.

I suppose she though it was the only package on the truck..
her commit wasn't until 3pm I thought 12:30 wasn't too bad
considering I just finished up my Noon commits..

It was live lobsters... I'm sure they were fine.. rugged little bugs.

 

[Sammie]

Had one the other day
Lady runs out after me
and says "is it normal for a package to sit in your truck for 3 hours?"

I suppose she though it was the only package on the truck..

That's it in a NUTSHELL, Fredly. As those of us who took all of those insane calls, you took the words right out of our mouths!!!!!

 

[brownboss]

whenever i driver help every yr during the holidays......ive gotten "why do you guys where so much brown?"......and ive also gotten...."do all you guys where those cute lil shorts?....

i do nuthin but smile...then turn around and make a face similar to this1

 

[1989]

Had one the other day
Lady runs out. after me
and says "is it normal for a package to sit in your truck for 3 hours..."

9am-12am
She musta been sitting on the computer tracking it like a hound...

Anyway I was speachless.. wanted to say it wasn't sitting it was riding with me..
or anything else I thought of would have been kinda offensive... or taken the wrong way.

I suppose she though it was the only package on the truck..
her commit wasn't until 3pm I thought 12:30 wasn't too bad
considering I just finished up my Noon commits..

It was live lobsters... I'm sure they were fine.. rugged little bugs.

Fredly, what service has a noon commit anymore? 2day am's are 10:30 now.1

 

[UPS Lifer]

I remember I delivered a big box that had golf clubs(and the bag) in it to a little old rich lady in a upscale neighbohood. The reason, I knew it was golf clubs is because see lived alone(aaahhhhh) and asked me to take it out for her. After I was finished she asked if I could take the box and throw it away. What do you think I am? a garbage truck(I was thinking that). I told her in a polite manner. No mam, this is thursday and your pick up is on tuesday(serious I did this). She looked at me, with a puzzled look and went back inside, dragging her big box. lol

Back in the day when we used to deliver retail stores...we had to wait for the customer to try on the merchandise...Most of the women wanted to know how ithe dress or blouse looked on them! I always said it looked great! Fortunately I was married young and knew the right answer.

My all time favorite was: Do you go ground to Hawaii? Most of the time I just said no but once in awhile I would say the road wasn't finished yet or they are still working on the tunnel. When I used the tunnel answer there were a few folks that asked when the tunnel would be completed!!!!
Then it became awkward!

 

[beentheredonethat]

My all time favorite was: Do you go ground to Hawaii? Most of the time I just said no but once in awhile I would say the road wasn't finished yet or they are still working on the tunnel. When I used the tunnel answer there were a few folks that asked when the tunnel would be completed!!!!
Then it became awkward!

A little off topic, but I have a good joke re this. A man rubs a lamp and a Genie comes out and grants the man one wish. The man stopped to think and thought that he always wanted to go to Hawaii, but if he asked the Genie to bring him to Hawaii, he wouldn't be able to get back, since he only had one wish. He gets air sick and seasick so those options are out. Finally the man thought of a great ideea. Genie, I want you to build me bridge to Hawaii. The genie responded, do you know what would be involved in that? Some of the pylons would have to be miles long to the bottom of the ocean. Plus we have to take into consideration, earthquakes, typhoons, transpacific shippping lanes, not to mention the permits we'd have to pull. The genie begged him. Something else, please ask for something else, anything. So the man thought for a bit more and then asked the genie, I want the wisdom to undertand woman. The genie thinks for a second and ask the man if he wants 2 lanes or 4 lanes on the bridge to Hawaii.

 

[beentheredonethat]

Here's one when I drove a while ago, BD (Before Diad) At about 2:00 PM I'm out and virtually done with deliveries, ready for pickups. A guy from the office building comes running out asking where his package was. I asked what company\office he was from. I search the car......nothing for him. He asked me to look again since it had to be there. I looked, again nothing. He starts getting all upset at me, since UPS screwed up and that he paid extra to ship the package 2nd Day air on Tuesday the 1st. I reminded him that it was only Wednesday the 2nd. He said, yeah, Tuesday, Wednesday 2 days. I had to tell him it didn't work that way. We pick up on Tuesday the next day is Wednesday and that's when the Next Day Air would be delivered, the second day air would come on the second day. He still didn't understand. I said if you shipped a pkg on Tuesday at 5:30 PM, does that mean we'd have to deliver a Next day Air at 10:30 7 hours earlier? He finally realized he messed up.

 

[muyl2]

I think a lot of times people don't know the contents in a box because they didn't expect stuff be shipped by UPS. Sometimes wholesalers(Sysco being one) will use UPS for small items even though they have their own fleet of trucks. Or sometimes, you order with local wholesaler, only to receive the merchandise directly from vendor.

 

[hoser]

Sound off on the idiotic things people ask you all day long. Browniehound touched on this in the A/C thread, so instead of derailing that I figured I'd make a new one. I'll start off with one old standard and one that makes me want to cause them harm....

1- "What is it?" How the friend%@# should I know lady? It looks like a BOX to me. Can YOU see through it? I certainly can't. I swear that on the day I'm going to retire if anyone asks me that question I'm going to rip open the box and see what it is.

2- After you've released a package at the front door, walked 30 yards down the the driveway and are preparing to drive away, they step out on the porch and yell... "Do you need a signature for this??" Yeah maroon, that's why I left it on your porch and I'm about to drive away. I need you to sign for it. Thanks for reminding me.

I could go on but I'll let the rest of you vent. Should be entertaining.

If you know there's another thread, why the hell don't you just post this in that thread, rather than starting yet another one of these threads that will just clutter up the forum!?

and these threads are ridiculous. you do a job that gets repetitious, and you'll often times deliver to people that don't get deliveries every day, so of course there's confusion on their end and of course that confusion will compound itself to annoy people that get worked up easily.

US customs officers probably start the same kind of threads about how the people they process didn't check the check-boxes or didn't stand behind the red line, as if it'll make some kind of difference in anyone's lives.

get over it, improve your attitude and communication skills, and maybe this kind of thing won't be bothering you on your spare time. these "morons" that ask you 'stupid' questions are well intentioned and they're the reason you have a job. if you don't like it, go work inside the hub. there you will learn what a maroon really is.

(if i have a choice, give me the ridiculous questions, no boss on my back, the fresh air, and the uniform over the moronic co-workers, dusty warehouse, redundant physical labor, and ripping my own clothes any time)

 

[EAM_Master]

I one time had an on-call air that I picked up from an old lady. When she handed it to me she said, "When you get there, can you just leave it on the porch. I doubt they're going to be home tomorrow morning. You're really gonna have to drive fast to make it to Florida by 10:30 tomorrow morning." Like I'm going to personally drive her package from Michigan to Florida

 

[psyclone]

I once had a receiving clerk at a large company tell me she would not accept a package I had for delivery. No problem, EXCEPT the package was a return. This company had shipped it and the consignee refused it.

I attempted to explain to her that the package belonged to them. They shipped it and it was refused. We cannot force the consignee to accept the package, and if refused, it is returned.

She replied, "If you can't force these people (pointing at label) to accept the package, then you can't make me to accept it either."

It took a long, oversimplified explanation of how the shipping industry works and a call to her supervisor before she would sign.