2. analog
  3. 191210-63554

Can You Trust a Shipper? (UPS, Fed-Ex, etc)

No you cannot, and here's why: In July, I bought a Rotel tuner from an ebay seller with a rating of 99.8% on hundreds of transactions. He shipped the tuner via UPS, who delivered the tuner to a business a few miles from my house. Someone from that business signed for my package (it is a warehouse that takes in merchandise from retailers that is being returned to the wholesaler from whence it came). It took several weeks to find this out, and I went to the business back around Labor Day to see what they had to say. I was allowed into the warehouse to do a cursory search for the package, but there must have been 4,000 - 5,000 boxes. PayPal denied a claim I had filed, because the tracking info the seller shared with them showed the package had been delivered. I went to the local UPS store today and was told that a claim had been filed by the seller with UPS and they would have reimbursed him. Moral of the story: Always have your signature required when you have anything shipped, unless you want to fall into this same black hole. Better yet, avoid having anything shipped unless it is from an actual retailer or other reputable company.

 

discnik
carlsbad2's avatar
carlsbad2
2,036 posts
 

Hard to believe an ebay seller with a 99.8 rating would double rip you off.  I'd like to hear the other side of the story.

I've also, as a seller and a buyer, worked with paypal many times and they never told me "too bad, you lose".  

Jerry

soix
10,356 posts
 

I always use FedEx, never UPS. 

discnik's avatar
discnik OP
175 posts
 

1. UPS truck pulled into my driveway on July 15th to deliver the package, but driver could not find it on truck.  2. Received message from ebay that delivery had been rescheduled for Monday, July 17.  3. On that Monday morning, got another ebay message that package had been delivered . I was home, and it was not delivered, at least not here. 4. Informed the seller of both events as they happened, and he promised to refund my money. Never heard from him again. 5. Filed a claim with PayPal - they checked with the seller, who gave them the tracking info. I guess they checked the number and saw that it was delivered, and that was that. Claim denied. I found out around Labor Day where the package had been delivered to, and went to the address. It was a business (warehouse) that takes in hundreds of packages each week, but nothing from private individuals. Even talked to the guy who UPS said had signed for the package. He didn't remember it. Those are the facts.

 

ghdprentice
8,111 posts
 

I buy all my high value audio products from a dealer. I receive about two packages via Fed Ex or UPS, or USPS a day, for many years. Once every year or two a package gets delivered to the wrong address. Once every couple of years a package gets a bit mangled… only once or twice in the last ten years has that resulted in a refund.  

grislybutter
3,627 posts
 

the problem is not how often things go wrong. It’s when they go wrong, the customer is screwed. To get through to UPS with a complaint requires an IQ of 160 and communications skills of a university professor and the patience of a turtle, then, maybe then you have a 10% chance. Otherwise, forget it, everyone at the other end of the line is a robot (not literally - yet) reading from a script with the purpose of causing so much stress to the customer that s/he will give up.

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