Package misrouted, no packing slip - how often?

September 4, 2006 6:05 PM

ShippingParanoiaFilter: How often does online package tracking show items going astray at the outset of their journey, and how often do they arrive without packing slips?

Ordered a laptop from a well known online company, to ship via UPS. It shipped from S. Calif, and online tracking showed it as "misrouted" for the first couple days - I believe the "misrouted" entry showed up even before the "Origin Scan".
(however during this period it didn't ever scan as being at a different facility)

Upon arrival, the box contained no packing slip.

There are reasons why I would be politically unpopular with a (powerful) interest with ties to the shipping co.; on the other hand, I could be attributing deliberate intent to something explainable by natural background error.

If you order stuff online frequently, how often have you seen these happen (misrouting, no packing slip)?
(and if mods had been made to the laptop before I received it, how would I be able to tell?)

(This would have sounded bat shit insane to me a few years back, but the world is a different place today.)

posted by anonymous to Shopping (5 answers total)

i work customer service for amazon, and i've seen it happen. it's REALLY rare, but sometimes packing slips are left out of packages, or switched around. everyone makes mistakes, whether it's a small retailer that packs their own things, or an automated packer. as for the misrouting, well, i've decided that there is nothing ups can do that will surprise me anymore.

i don't know about the mods part, but if you're not comfortable with the laptop received as it was, most online retailers have a return policy. i think in your situation, you may be able to coax a return/re-ship out of them.
posted by kerning at 6:16 PM on September 4, 2006

Knowing UPS, if your package was tampered with, that would actually get it much better attention than normal.

(This still sounds batshit insane, for the record.)
posted by smackfu at 6:38 PM on September 4, 2006

"on the other hand, I could be attributing deliberate intent to something explainable by natural background error."

The very definition of Occam's Razor.
posted by IndigoRain at 7:17 PM on September 4, 2006

And if somebody tampered with it, wouldn't they take extra care to not let you know? At least leave the package slip in, one should think.
posted by AwkwardPause at 7:30 PM on September 4, 2006

This happened once to me too. I ordered a laptop (at work) from a big online company (rhymes with "bell"; why are we being coy?) Anyway, I got the same misdirected notice almost immediately and when the package arrived it had clearly been opened and (poorly) repacked. I called up the company and they said check it out and if there are any problems send it in for a replacement. I'd say if there are problems, or if you can stand to wait for a new one, then call the company up and complain.

As for UPS problems--I get "rescheduled" tracking notices fairly often, maybe 1 in 10 shipments. The shipment is always rescheduled for 1 business day later. I chalk it up to bad weather delaying or canceling flights. I've never had a package obviously opened except that one time. I've had companies forget a packing slip very rarely, but it happens. They probably could mail or email you a packing slip if you have the order number.

I mostly get UPS shipments, but also DHL and Fedex. I don't recall ever having a problem with them, though I get far fewer shipments from them. Altogether I get maybe 75 shipments a year sent to me. Not a huge number, but only a handful ever have problems, and nothing's ever been lost. I have had to have perishable stuff resent to me once or twice.
posted by sevenless at 12:07 AM on September 5, 2006