UPS strikes again

As others have stated, "acts of God, civil insurrection, riots, strike, or war" are some of the standard disclaimers that will void a contract. Essentially, the situation is one in which the party cannot perform their legal obligation due to unforeseen circumstances over which they had no control. That being said, why don't you wait until your package is delivered, the weather and backlog situation has calmed down, and then call UPS and NICELY explain your situation. Somewhere up the corporate ladder, someone will probably help you out. But right now, UPS, and the airline industry are swamped trying to take care of the backlog nightmare, and the last thing they want to do is spend their limited resources dealing with people like you. Please don't take offense to that statement. You do have a legitimate complaint, but sometimes, timing and a pleasant demeanor are key to resolving a problem!

I found this on an Audio company's website:

We at ( company name) refuse to initiate any shipments with UPS for our business or privately.

It is our experience that UPS employees are brutal, careless and negligent in their handling of packages,
and they are apparently not held accountable for their actions. Drivers have been unhelpful and unwilling
to even document damage found at the time of delivery.

Claims procedure at UPS is aggravating and time consuming, with conflicting, little or no information or cooperation given, and never in a timely manner. Their inspectors and adjusters seek only to find ways of relieving UPS of responsibility for their bad service.

Our research on the Internet has revealed huge numbers of complaints about UPS, so our experience would
appear to ordinary, not extra-ordinary.

Therefore, if a customer insists on UPS as a shipper, the customer will be responsible for arranging pick-up,
insurance and type of service. We will take NO responsibility, except to assure the shipper during the almost inevitable Claim process (also the responsibility of the customer) that the unit was in good condition and packed well before shipping.

Yesterday I tried to ship a package at a UPS store. The web quote for shipping was $21. The 800 number quote was around $22. But the price at UPS store in Los Altos, Califonria, was $47. Turns out that UPS store charges $2.50 per $100 of insurance, whereas the UPS regular drop off locations or pickup charge $0.40 per $100 of insurance. OUCH. I ended up using Federal Express for the same $47.

Is my memory faulty, or, when UPS purchased Mail Box Etc., and renamed it "UPS Store", did they not advertise "same low rates as UPS"???

Art

Thanks Tvad, this sounds like a great approach. As you would surmise, the manager of the store did not suggest this option!
Art