Thread: Tracking a UPS order

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UPS just doesn't make sense how they sort a package coming to Roch,NY.It is sorted in Buffalo,NY which is west of Roch,then sent it to SYR,NY going right pass Roch by about 70 miles,and then finally back to Roch,NY.A sort in Buffalo to Roch sure would make more sense.

Not much about UPS makes any sense these days. They have started just leaving stuff on doorsteps unless you request a signature. It used to be that they only left them if it was a single family home, now they leave them at apartments and duplexes too, where the potential for others to see it laying there is pretty high.

Don

UPS told me now three times the only way they hold a package is if it is addressed to the terminating station and that is with the option to hold on their own web site without that stipulation.Their customer service acts like we the customers don't matter and they are doing us a favor to deliver a package.

It's not fair to bad mouth UPS as an entire company, sounds like some might have problems with their local UPS, but not here!!! The guy that delivers here is great! When I've got a package due from him I can almost st my watch by him getting here at 1:00 PM with my package on the date specified! Then he's always got a friendly word or ten, looks around a bit and leaves. If nobody is around, the package gets left by the front door. When I still worked the big shop, it was a UPS pickup point. Same deal, always there to pick things up and never had any trouble with their service. I only remember one package getting lost in the last 25 or so years, and the claim on it was handled quickly and fairly.... Maybe a problem with your local center. As with any major company having multiple outlets, I'd guess the problem is with the center manager as the guy in charge has a lot to do with setting the attitude of the place......

As for their routing, trucks run on a set schedule from delivery center to delivery center. Looking at how the run it may not make sense, but I'd betcha that if you saw the overall scheme of things, what terminal has to be serviced from what distribution center, etc. it would all make sense. They've been running the highways for years hauling freight and probably have a very intricate routing system....

Originally Posted by 1gary

UPS just doesn't make sense how they sort a package coming to Roch,NY.It is sorted in Buffalo,NY which is west of Roch,then sent it to SYR,NY going right pass Roch by about 70 miles,and then finally back to Roch,NY.A sort in Buffalo to Roch sure would make more sense.

Gary, think of your UPS terminal (Rochester) like an airport, there are major airports in the biggest cities in every state and there are smaller 'regional' airports scattered around the state, all airplanes don't fly into the smaller regional airports, you won't see a Boeing 747 flying into the Brockport regional airport. UPS ships the packages to their major distribution centers (in your case it's Buffalo), packages get sorted there then make their way to the smaller terminals. Sometimes packages are tossed onto the wrong conveyer belt and end up on the wrong truck too, that could be the case in your package going to Syracuse first then coming back to Rochester.

Mike

I worked at the Dengent(sp) St sort in Buffalo for three yrs yrs ago when it was a hand sort and that sort was used back then.Once USP went to a automated sort,they didn't change it and I am guessing to add a sort for Roch is too much trouble for them.The station here in Roch is capable of handling a direct truck from Buffalo.In fact it is new.

I was the ops agent for Burlington Air express and Roch's volume did not support a plane as a terminating city most of the time.If we had our own plane,it was a 727 most of the time.So Roch was a fly threw city sharing a plane with say Boston.

With the routing of UPS they do have the volume,might be UPS is just too cheap to put on drivers to run direct to Roch using the same ones to run to SYR first and then to Roch.

As far as the customer service I had the misfortune to talk to the dispatcher who was a real Ba$$.I have gotten to know the driver and he is good and kind of told me about the dispatcher.

As far as the holds..................if you ship something ask about how that has to be done.Sure makes it hard to do when there are so many stations and addresses.

I'd think UPS would want to hire a lot more driver's and package handlers....but then they'd get to listen to all the complaints about how they had to raise their rates (again) to cover the added overhead expense!!!! I haven't had employees for a number of years but when I did if you paid a man $30,000.00 a year, it costs the company $42,000.00 a year in real expense. Doubt these numbers are accurate anymore.... Anyway, all the expense of hiring more people and making things go faster or better ends up passed on directly to the customer in higher prices for his parts and services... Examining one aspect of any company the "fix" always looks so easy to an outsider, many don't realize how in a huge company like UPS every thing has a cause and effect on everything else. "Fixing" one thing can often be detrimental to many other things!!!! Logistics is a very complicated job and like many other jobs, even building Hot Rods, to the outsider it all looks so easy and "they" could do for half the cost and in half the time....

here is it is a sign for package and your not around they take it to the post office and they handel it you either go there and get it or they will deliver it and scan it or have you sign for it..Nice living in a small town...People work together

Originally Posted by 1gary

I worked at the Dengent(sp) St sort in Buffalo for three yrs yrs ago when it was a hand sort and that sort was used back then.Once USP went to a automated sort,they didn't change it and I am guessing to add a sort for Roch is too much trouble for them.The station here in Roch is capable of handling a direct truck from Buffalo.In fact it is new.

I was the ops agent for Burlington Air express and Roch's volume did not support a plane as a terminating city most of the time.If we had our own plane,it was a 727 most of the time.So Roch was a fly threw city sharing a plane with say Boston.

With the routing of UPS they do have the volume,might be UPS is just too cheap to put on drivers to run direct to Roch using the same ones to run to SYR first and then to Roch.

As far as the customer service I had the misfortune to talk to the dispatcher who was a real Ba$$.I have gotten to know the driver and he is good and kind of told me about the dispatcher.

As far as the holds..................if you ship something ask about how that has to be done.Sure makes it hard to do when there are so many stations and addresses.

You already knew the answer to your own question?

Originally Posted by cffisher

here is it is a sign for package and your not around they take it to the post office and they handel it you either go there and get it or they will deliver it and scan it or have you sign for it..Nice living in a small town...People work together

Oh, so very, very true Charlie!!!!! But then we miss out on all those "advantages" that the big city guys have!!!!!

Originally Posted by Mike52

You already knew the answer to your own question?

Not really.UPS's standard are far ahead of costs.Two examples are 2.5 minutes per stop and 1500 packages unloaded by hand per truck.That is a teamster's agreed contact.Volume vs costs given Roch's volume it is more I think a matter of UPS being too big missing opportunities to save money.

With a background from UPS,Burlington Air, and Emery Air,I have seen a difference in customer service.In fact I was on a rotation to be on call for customer concerns on wkends.In that regard UPS was dead last.

Around here I've noticed that FedEx, USPS and to some degree UPS share facilities from point to point. I had a package coming USPS priority mail, and my tracking showed arrival at the KC FedEx Facility, to be routed out that afternoon via FedEx truck to the local post office, and then delivered to my home by my local mail carrier. My local post office says that they have a FedEx delivery every day, dropping off packages sorted by the regional hub in the city. The point is the package handling has become a complex, integrated system driven by fuel and personnel costs. My UPS guy is great - always the same guy, always the same time, and always a friendly comment. He was delivering a package to one of my boys a while back and asked, "Is Roger your Dad? What do you think about that car he's built?"

[QUOTE=1gary;444508

With a background from UPS,Burlington Air, and Emery Air,I have seen a difference in customer service.In fact I was on a rotation to be on call for customer concerns on wkends.In that regard UPS was dead last.[/QUOTE]

Maybe that's true in YOUR AREA, however out here in my area, I would rank UPS #1 in delivery and customer service!!!! again, what's true in one area is not necessarily an accurate reflection of the entire company. Understanding or even fathoming the entire logistics nightmare of a company like UPS is way beyond me... Without actually being there to see and understand how every terminal effects the operation of the overall company, IMO finger pointing and saying how things should be done is nothing more then a guess...or just another chance to join the bandwagon of people who would fix everything overnight if they were in charge!!!!!!! As I said, as an outsider everyone else's job looks so easy!

Ans something that many people don't realize is that some of the carriers use contractors for pickup and deliveries! My wife has a nephew that is in that position. You would think he works for Fed-Ex but he really works for a private contractor! When you go to his terminal, everything there says Fed-Ex! All the trucks, paper documents and even their uniforms! Yet, they have little to do other than picking up and delivering Fed-Ex packages!

I guess they do a good job?!?!? They've held a contract with Fed-Ex for years.. but they work under the fleet owners rules... they don't work directly for Fed-Ex.

Originally Posted by 34_40

Ans something that many people don't realize is that some of the carriers use contractors for pickup and deliveries! My wife has a nephew that is in that position. You would think he works for Fed-Ex but he really works for a private contractor! When you go to his terminal, everything there says Fed-Ex! All the trucks, paper documents and even their uniforms! Yet, they have little to do other than picking up and delivering Fed-Ex packages!

I guess they do a good job?!?!? They've held a contract with Fed-Ex for years.. but they work under the fleet owners rules... they don't work directly for Fed-Ex.

Yepper-Fed-X ground is a contractor.Totally separate location here in Roch.Strange set up.You go to a gate in front of a camera and they let up in a on turn style.Then to a door a long ways away from the gate to a door and another camera.It's kind of like a prison really.Strange security with it in the better part of town.