How to get UPS to deliver again
September 21, 2011 12:36 PM   Subscribe

UPS has decided to stop delivering without a signature after a package went missing. Now what should I do?

I was home all day, no package showed up. They say it was delivered. So now they're refusing to deliver anything (I even tried to suck up the cost of the replacement and lie and say it appeared - didn't work).

I'd love to just get away from UPS all together, but with Amazon, that's not exactly an option, and a lot of other companies are similar.

The nearest UPS store is far from convenient, and even if I use them for package delivery, it's $5-$20 for pickup. I don't know of any neighbors who are home all day, and no small businesses either (though I'd be much happier to pay that $5-$20 to a small business I like).

I'm thinking of trying the locked box on my porch route to see if that works. But I can't seem to find anything of the sort. For those of you who have lockable boxes on your porch - what do you use and where did you get it?
posted by runnergirl to Shopping (9 answers total) 2 users marked this as a favorite
 
Do you have a Staples closer than a UPS? They do UPS delivery.
posted by griphus at 12:44 PM on September 21, 2011 [1 favorite]


Do you work out of your home? Can you receive packages at work? My employer allows all employees to have packages shipped to the office.
posted by onhazier at 12:51 PM on September 21, 2011


Sign the release form that makes you responsible for packages stolen from your doorstep? Use the "hold for pickup" option and drive out to the UPS station to pick it up (which is free).

Odd that you didn't hear them knock on the door when your package was supposedly delivered, though. My UPS person always knocks. He runs away immediately after unless it's a signature required shipment, but he always knocks.

A quick Google turns up some self-locking package boxes, but they're terribly expensive.
posted by wierdo at 12:52 PM on September 21, 2011


Response by poster: I forgot to add - I happened to be teleworking that day, but I work in a building where we're not allowed to receive packages.
posted by runnergirl at 12:56 PM on September 21, 2011


I work from home. While I really like my UPS driver, I know for a fact that there are times when he says he tried to deliver and I saw his truck across the street and at no time did he attempt to deliver to me. It is usually when I have lent my truck to my daughter and he might think since there is no car in the driveway I am not home.

I have at times asked them to hold it at the distro center for pickup, although that center is only a 15 minute ride from my house so not too inconvenient if you don't mind driving. Get a video camera to monitor the front door and tell them you will be responsible if it appears on video that the package was actually left?
posted by JohnnyGunn at 12:56 PM on September 21, 2011 [1 favorite]


Best answer: Wait, 11 days, and UPS will be launching a new service tailored exactly for people in your situation.

Otherwise, leave a note for your driver explaining the situation. Getting to know your driver can have huge perks, and they're usually willing to work with you to work out these kind of kinks (and also get the "No Driver Release" restriction removed from the database).

For instance, when I worked at UPS, we knew which houses liked to receive packages at the back door, or had a special "hiding place," etc. This was done either for convenience or because of theft. Sometimes it's local knowledge from the driver, and others it's actually coded into the database, and comes up whenever the driver scans the package with his tiny computer (a DIAD in UPS parlance). Considering how long some drivers' routes are, I was always impressed that they remembered little details like this for most of the houses on their route.

We never refused to release packages without signatures because of one complaint. That note only gets attached to your address if you're blatantly trying to rip UPS off.

I live in a rowhouse in a (formerly, but that's irrelevant) "high risk" neighborhood, so I'm pretty excited about the launch My Choice, as we have no obvious hiding places, and the driver is occasionally skittish about releasing large packages.
posted by schmod at 1:30 PM on September 21, 2011 [7 favorites]


UPS gives its drivers the option of not delivering if the driver is unsure about security. That's one of the reasons why I've quit using them.

FedEx will deliver, even to the point of leaving the package outside your door, if you sign the instruction on the shipping form.

The Postal Service is good about delivering to a neighbor.
posted by KRS at 7:10 PM on September 21, 2011


UPS will often come to my door, post a note saying "attempted to deliver, but you weren't home so the package went back to the facility, feel free to come and pick it up there or we'll just try and deliver it again another day" without ever actually knocking on the door.

i know this because i work nights, have woken up and checked for notes, found none, sat on the couch 5 feet from the front door for an hour, and then left for work and found the note had appeared on my door in that time.

i wish they could be avoided altogether, too.
posted by radiosilents at 7:24 PM on September 21, 2011


kalessin said in part:
Particularly with respect to Apple Computers, whose online store will only use FedEx and only deliver signature required…
I love Apple resellers for the reasons you specified, but the Apple Store isn't quite that rigid. I received two orders shipped from Apple just this Monday: a new computer bag, shipped by UPS, signature required, and an Apple Remote, shipped by DHL using USPS. with no signature required. Signature for delivery depends on what you ordered - possibly on value (the bag cost more than the remote).

And if you're ordering from Apple and they notify you that signature will be required for delivery, they make it easy for you. On your receipt will be a link to a signature release form that you can print, sign, and attach to your front door or wherever on the scheduled delivery date. This week, it worked like a charm for me.
posted by lambchop1 at 7:55 PM on September 21, 2011


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