Another UPS oops thread

Hi, Sharri:

I got "cured" from using UPS COD about 9 months ago when I made a COD sale of a pair of subwoofers to a fellow in Texas. UPS delivered the subs, and got the COD payment (cashier's check from buyer, made out to me) but somehow couldn't "connect the dots" to get the check sent to me. About 6 weeks passed without receiving the payment, so I contacted UPS, and they eventually tracked the COD payment down -- they didn't know where to send the check, so they forwarded it to one of their offices in North Carolina (I live in Seattle, WA). It all got sorted out eventually, but it took nearly 7 weeks for me to get my COD payment after the buyer got his subs. Not surprisingly, that was the last time I used UPS COD -- or COD of any kind, for that matter.

Sharri,
When I shipped COD via UPS the money came via USPS mail. Now as for FedEx I like them better but not by much. Not sure why FedEx ground is different than FedEx Air. They are run as two different companies. You have to have an account for each one! Doesn't make sence to me but alot of things don't.

I at least got an answer from customer service email stating that COD returns come USPS and take at least 10 days. Of course my UPS address is different from USPS (PO Box), so it'll be long and drawn out. At least it's not a great deal of money.
FEDEX does not do COD with FEDEX GROUND. With FEDEX Air, you get your money the next day. FEDEX seems to be a much more efficient company that knows customers are their business.

Years and years ago I got a VSP Gold power amp shipped to my sister in Texas (because the manufacturer would not ship to Canada) and then from there to my office in Montreal. You guessed it, tha amp arrived damaged. Claims person refused the claim because the shipping carton was not up to standards and the manufacturer had been warned. Went to small claims court. Won. Got a new face plate and handle, the amp was not exactly good as new but it din't affect the sound. The claims man was not very happy when I asked him to confirm that UPS stood for "ur parcel slipped". It seems it still does.

Fed Ex and Fed Ex Ground are entirely separate, and it makes perfect sense, with the one exception
being thing that they share most of the same drop off points (which also makes perfect sense).
You can't have people that are paying as little as $4 calling up the Fed Ex representatives, who are always there, 24-7, waiting to help air shipment customers that paid air pricing. The cost does not allow it.
In other words, you get what you pay for (hours of lost time and lots of aggravation to save a few dollars). Ground is the cheapest, and the worse service out there. Fed ex ground is/was RPS.
RPS we rate as one of the worse freight companies of all time with regard to damage, claims, and billing.

As far COD is concerned, Fed Ex currently is the best, but don't confuse Fed Ex with Fed Ex ground.

In 2001 we had only one order damaged in transit, and that was with Fed Ex.
We also only had one in 2000, and that was also with Fed Ex (really annoying that
a company that we ship with less than once monthly trashed our perfect ship record 2 years in a row). We have been using DHL since August 1998, and have had only *1* claim for damage thus far
(1 damage claim in 4 years of DAILY shipping!). DHL COD? Sorry, they don't offer it yet, probably because they are primarily an international shipping company more than domestic.

UPS COD? When we shipped UPS daily, which we stopped doing in 1998, and when we shipped UPS COD, which we stopped around 1995, we waited as long as 6 weeks for COD checks, although the average time seemed to be about 2 weeks from the time the recipient received his/her item.
They mail the checks to the shipper.

My list of UPS COD screw ups to follow.