FYI - Who Should Pack Your UPS Shipment.


This is prompted by the often asked questions: "Who can I have pack by heavy breakable item?" and "UPS will not pay my claim because they say it was improperly packed. What can I do?"

I leaned recently that UPS now ownes the chain MAIL BOXES ETC. So if you drop off an item at Mail Boxes Etc and have them pack and ship it, UPS should no longer have a defense for bad packing, because they now will be resonsible for the quality of the packing as well as the shipping.

If they every tried to weasel out under that excuse, I can image a judge or jury handing them their heads in any lawsuit. Also the bad publicity would kill Mail Boxes and the millions they spent to buy it.
sugarbrie
Have you checked on the rediculous amount extra that MB charges to ship? I needed to ship a 100 lb amplifier and MB wanted to charge me 3 times as much to ship UPS compared to walking into the UPS store. If this is how much I have to pay for bogus "insurance", it would be cheaper for me to get on an airplane myself and fly it somewhere.
Except that after Sept 11th, the airline will unpack the amp and remove the outer case to make sure all those wires are not a bomb. Then you are really screwed. Oh well!

I agree The old Mail Boxes liked to mark-up the shipping (service charge?). Some are franchised and probably charge what they want. Now that UPS ownes them; try printing out the UPS shipping estimate online, then ask why it is not that. UPS ownership is new, so the policies if they change, may change slowly. It was basically a way for UPS to expand their stores quickly. Have not heard if they will change the name.
Well I just went in there to ship a 0.5 back to Papa Steve for an upgrade. Ship estimate was about $35.00 per UPS computer. I asked them to overbox cause the box was a little beat from other trips back to Papa. Add 6 lbs for the extra box and the rate more than doubled to $75.00. I can use Fedex 3 day air for less than that! I've touted their insurance cause they do guarantee their packing meets UPS spec, but no way am I paying that mark-up.