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The next time I have to mail a package I guess I’m going to have to take it to its destination myself.
Why?
Because UPS blows large hairy chunks. Well, UPS blows chunks by extension because they allow their franchise stores to adopt policies that alienate customers and undermine the very fabric with which the company was founded – efficient customer service.
Perhaps that’s not the only fabric used, and whatever the fabric was it was certainly brown. But I digress.
What’s my beef with the UPS Store? Simple. They don’t stock Waybills.
Let me explain.
As a technology correspondent, I’m frequently shipped large packages of hard drives and electronic gadgets. I get to spend some quality time with these devices so that I can write about them for various publications.
When I’m finished with these products I am given the choice of shipping them back to the manufacturer or donating them to worthy recipients.
Lately I was shipped a few external hard drives by mistake. Instead of getting two 2TB drives from Seagate, I got four. So I alerted the company and packed up the extras to ship back.
Then the fun begins.
When I took the box to the Cohasset UPS Store I brought with me the Seagate shipping account number and address. I planned to fill out the form at the store and have them ship my package back to the company.
No go. When I arrived, I was informed that they don’t carry Waybills so there was no way they could take my package.
I asked if I could read them the number and have them input it.
They said no.
I asked why.
They said it was company policy.
I said ‘seriously?’ and walked out the door.
Two days later I dashed around Hingham looking for a UPS drop box. When I found one, I saw it was chock-full of Waybills so I took a few.
Then I took a Waybill and my package to the same Cohasset UPS Store. Luckily for me, the manager/store owner was working. Our conversation went like this…
“So you don’t stock Waybills?”
“No.”
“That’s stupid.”
“Why?”
“Well, it’s inconvenient.”
“Not for us.”
“Why don’t you? You’re a UPS Store.”
“We’re a franchise.”
“So do you not stock Waybills because there’s no money in it for you?”
- no comment -
“Do you make any money on packages that get dropped off?”
“Very little.”
“So it’s not worth your time.”
“Right.”
“That’s stupid. Thanks for your time.”
Now readers, answer me this. If you were the only shipping outlet locally – aside from the US Post Office – wouldn’t you do your darndest to get more potential customers in the door?
Wouldn’t you make yourself wide open to accepting UPS packages to increase the likelihood that someone dropping off a package might buy something else while visiting your stores?
Wouldn’t you be smarter than the short-sighted UPS Store owners in Cohasset?
Right now, unless I hear from the people at UPS or the people at that UPS Store, I will ONLY ship prepaid boxes from that location. I will never consider them for any other shipping service. And I will tell everyone I know – include you readers – that they totally blow chunks.
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This was bad customer service, because he didn’t explain to why the stores don’t stock waybills.
1. Because UPS charges additional fees if ground or 3day waybills are used. So if you use these waybills you are paying more than you would if you pay for the item in the store.
2. If the account number is bad – and Ebay is notorious for telling people to ship on made up numbers, then the store can’t verify if the account numbers are valid or not. So if they accept a bad account number UPS charges the store for the shipping. Yes it can be fought, but it is a long drawn out process.
3. UPS hasn’t been a good franchisor and there are many lawsuits out there. One particular class action going to trail on August 3rd. They seem to be in the business of selling and churning franchises and have no interest in making the stores an asset. The owner was just likely at the end of his leash and trying to figure out which bankrupt lawyer he is planning to use.
I’ve owned a store for seven years. Four years ago, I stopped carrying waybills, and it was the best decision that I have ever made for this store. I would like to ask you one question with regard to your blog. You stated from time to time that you had parts to drop off using another company’s account number. Can I ask you what you bought in that store when you dropped your item off?
Our stores have been put into an impossible position. We have been forced, under contract, to be a brick and mortar service center for UPS, basically for free. It wasn’t always this way. As Mailboxes, Etc., we made money when people paid us to ship. Through a series of lies, and some fancy contract language, we were duped into being staffed drop boxes.
Fortunately, UPS missed one thing: The requirement to carry UPS supplies. Now, in my store at least, people expense their packages to their company on their AMEX, or go to UPS directly. Life is good, and I can afford to keep my doors open. The alternative would be to hope that you bought a pen. Now that would be stupid.
Think of it this way. If the owner had carried waybills, he probably wouldn’t have been there for you to drop your package off anyway – he’d be out of business.
So you called the owner “stupid” twice in your conversation. what kind of ass are you? A grade “A” ass I’d say.
You know, I understand where you are coming from. You must see this from our POV.
First, we use our own hard earned money to buy, build, and run these stores. UPS gives us nothing but grief, most of the time.
Second, Any company who sends things out, has the power to also send you a prepaid label to get them back…if they want to.
Third, if you care to, you can order your OWN waybills, with your account number preprinted on them, then just drop them off anyplace that takes UPS.
Fourth, we cannot verify those account numbers and have been stuck many a time with the bills because they are bogus…after all, WE ARE NOT UPS.
Fifth and final, we are in business to make money. You or any other customer has no idea how many drop offs we get, and for each and everyone, we get a few cents for them after expenses of running a business are taken out. Why, we even have to pay UPS for the privilege of using the software that allows you to drop off your prepaids. So when you drop off your prepaid, we lose that income, income that is necessary to stay in business so you can keep coming in…hopefully to purchase something…which I gather, you do not.
Those who own businesses, understand decisions that need to be made in order to function. Waybills are just another decision we had to make. Try spending money in your nearest store every week or month…and they just may have that waybill you seek, when you are in dire straits for one.
Why on earth should an independently owned franchise business stock UPS supplies so that your cheap A** can by-pass them for needed shipping revenue. UPS Store’s are not owned by UPS corporate. If they were corporately run the owners would have cushy benefits and fat salaries and they would not have to struggle every month to pay rent.
How many packages have you store shipped with that location?
What have you done for that business to help them survive a unprecedented recession?
You obviously are a self centered individual who thinks everyone is out there to cater to you. Pay the store owner for a mailbox or do some substantial copying at his location and see if he will facilitate you when you need him to.
Drop offs and cheapo do-it yourself account holders are not valued store customers because they are essentially freeloaders who use the stores only because they are convenient with no intent of ever doing substantial business. Get real, you arrogant tight wad.
Jeff,
How would you like to pay the rent, employees, utilites, etc. on a store that UPS controls? UPS pays very little compensation to the store owners. They lose money when they spend any time giving customer service to a non-paying non-customer.
All the store owners are asking for is to BREAK EVEN! UPS has rigged the system so that UPS makes money, the customer saves money, and the Franchisee loses money.
UPS tricked and lied to the Franchisees when they bought the company and changed it from MBE to The UPS Store.
If you really want to get angry at someone, why not ask the owner for his side of the story?
Many owners have lost their homes, retirement and college funds, etc. because of UPS.
Sorry about the confusion, but the owner led me to believe the decision not to stock waybills was his policy.
Also, it was his – and your – choice to sign the franchisee terms instead of competing with UPS.
Finally, I still feel that if you gain any revenue from each package – waybilled or not – take it and pocket the pennies. I still am adamant that a person who doesn’t come into your store won’t spend money. If he comes through the door, the possibility exists for a pleasant, helpful and intelligent business owner to convert him to a buyer.
*I am solidly behind you guys in loathing the UPS franchise terms. That’s just idiocy that they won’t support you.
>>Sorry about the confusion, but the owner led me to believe the decision not to stock waybills was his policy.<>Also, it was his – and your – choice to sign the franchisee terms instead of competing with UPS.<>Finally, I still feel that if you gain any revenue from each package – waybilled or not – take it and pocket the pennies. I still am adamant that a person who doesn’t come into your store won’t spend money. If he comes through the door, the possibility exists for a pleasant, helpful and intelligent business owner to convert him to a buyer.<>*I am solidly behind you guys in loathing the UPS franchise terms. That’s just idiocy that they won’t support you.<<
Thank You
Jeff,
Put the blame where it Belongs. On UPS. They are the ones that created this mess due to the fact they they Refuse to compensate the store owners fairly. If they could get by with it, they would pay the franchisee’s Nothing! Your only putting the blame on the small store owner because you don’t wamt to face The Big Brown Machine. UPS has created a mess of this and they could care less about You….The Customer.
Jeff,
Let me get this straight, you get “FREE’ products to try, and its obvious you’ve NEVER shipped them back to the company, I’m sure you ALWAYS donate to worthy recipients(yourself). So this 1 time you are asked to PAY to ship something back and you blow a gasket?!?!?! I’m sure the cost to send 1 item back was nothing compared to the “Freebies” you have been receiving.
Before you attack a small business owner that had no idea UPS was going to be his biggest competitor, try doing the same thing at a different franchise:
Take a hamburger patty from home to your closest McDonalds ask them to cook it, and put it on a bun, and make sure you tell them “you might be a potential customer one day”. Now multiply this senario at least 50 times per day, how long do you think this McDonalds would be in business? And when they do not provide free services to you post a huge rant, tell all your friends and neighbors.
Why do people assume they can go into a The UPS Store and have services provided for free?
BTW I’ll be waiting for your rant on Mickey “D”s
I think that you are very irresponsible trying to hurt a local ma & pa in your own community. Is this a policy of the Herald or just Jeff Cutler?
The franchise ageement was broken in many people’s opinion, which is why owners are suing. It was never stated in any agreement that UPS would become The UPS Store’s biggest competitor.
Sorry Jeff, but pennies won’t pay the rent. Believe it or not, many people without a waybill actually pay the store owner, which is one reason for the policy. In addition, if you account number is incorrect – or closed, the owner receives the bill. Nice huh?
So if anyone in your community would rather support a local business in these tough times, rather than attempt to put them out of business like Jeff, the store is located on Rte 3, near Shaws
Thank you for understanding, Jeff.
Please note that when the franchise owners signed the contracts to become UPS Stores, UPS did not tell them that they would no longer make money on UPS Shipping, that by using UPS’s software and computers, UPS would solicite the biggest shippers from each store to get their own UPS accounts. UPS became the franchisor and the biggest competitor.
As for the reality of being nice and helpful to people with prepaid dropoffs or who use their own or someone else’s shipping account, I did that for years. Bent over backwards, was nice to everyone. Very few of those people ever spent any money in my store. They would come in, eat the candy I had on the counter for customers, use my phone to make calls, use the bathroom, ask me to tape a box for them as a favor, and then start gabbing or telling me stories for 20 minutes before leaving without spending a dime.
When I closed my doors, people said “Too bad, he was such a nice guy!” Yeah, they loved me, but wouldn’t spend a dime in my store. As an MBE, I was one of the top 10 FedEx shippers on the West Coast. After we became The UPS Store, I switched most of those customers to UPS. How did UPS thank me? They sent their sales people to meet with my biggest customers, gave them their own account numbers, and told them they could still drop off their packages at my store. ALL those dollars went directly into UPS’ pockets. In return, UPS gave me a few cents per package after charging me royalties, computer and software fees, advertising fees, etc.
I never in a million years thought that UPS would not correct the situation. I hung in there, but they never did anything to improve the profitability.
I finally walked away – literally gave the keys and ownership to the store to another franchisee. Now, when I earn a dollar, I keep the dollar – no royalties to UPS, salaries, utilities, etc. etc.
When I have to send something now, I go to the post office. Great service, best prices, excellent delivery times. Life is good.
Jeff,
Hopefully you are begininng to see the light, for more information on this franchise scam you can go to bluemaumau.com, Janet Sparks understands. Also, if you want more information on how much $$ drop-offs actually spend in the stores, ask UPS, they did a study a few years ago…..but they will not share the results with any of the franchisee that paid for this study, I wonder why?
I’m a big fan of stirring stuff up, but I had no idea that UPS was that type of slumlord.
Am interested in seeing if I can do an investigative business article on some of the stuff you guys have shared. Will be in touch with some of you via the emails you provided with your posts.
Thanks for reading.
Jeff
Jeff,
You will not have any luck with your newspaper, and the people posting here understand why. Even in a large market such as your own, newspapers are desperate for ad dollars, and UPS has a couple of nickels to rub together. We’re used to it.
If readers are intersted, http://www.bluemaumau.com is a great source. It’s better to look up MailBoxes Etc. Janet Sparks from Franchise Times has been our champion.
On August 3rd, those MailBoxes,Etc. franchisees who wisely did not convert go to trial. Our hearts and prayers go out to these folks. The judge has graciously allowed this trial to be open to the public. Below is the email the stores received. You have to reply to gcorrea@Courtroomconnect.com:
“Please be advised that CVN will be blogging on a daily basis the Morgate v. Mailboxes, Etc. trial beginning August 3, 2009. The bench trial (no jury) is expected to last 3 days. The blog will be posted twice per day (once at lunch break and again after the day is through). The cost for subscribing to the blog is $9 per day or $25 for the whole trial. Please register/subscribe by July 28, 2009.
The blog will appear like the one available for viewing here: http://content.courtroomview.com/blog.htm“
Jeff,
Perhaps you are beginning to see the light. UPS Stores are not UPS. UPS abuses us. But let’s get beyond this.
My biggest complaint from your post is this entitlement issue. You actually walk into a store and expect something for nothing? I understand the confusion, as it does say UPS on the sign. But when the owner says “we don’t do that here,” just say OK and walk away. What’s with this childish temper tantrum?
The owner of that store made a mistake by giving you the wrong reason. He should have done what I do, which is to tell the absolute truth. I tell account number people that we don’t do it for one simple reason: we are a store. We sell shipping. We expect to be paid for what we sell like every other store in the world. And we do this in order to put food on the table. And I make no apologies for it. The only people who don’t pay for what they buy in stores are shoplifters. Why do you expect to not pay for something in a store? If the owner says we don’t do that there, then they don’t do that there. Go somewhere else before you slander him on your blog.
By the way, I haven’t yet seen your apology to him.
jeff when you walk into a business it should be because you intend to reach into your pocket and spend money , if that is not your intention then you shouldnt be walking in that business.
Jeff said “Finally, I still feel that if you gain any revenue from each package – waybilled or not – take it and pocket the pennies.”
Jeff, if your boss came to you and said that you would have to work for only $1 per hour instead of your usual salary, would you take your own advice and pocket the pennies and be happy with it? After all, you say it’s better than nothing. And maybe your boss will come back to you some day and pay you more for something. Maybe.
You say we should be happy making pennnies rather than charging fair retail price? That $30 package should make us happy if we get “pennies” instead? Tell that to my family. I’ll accept pennies when you do the same. You try working for pennies first. See what it’s like.
A store should cater to me and give me free things. I should be able to get what I want without paying. I can slander a store on my blog for not giving me free things. Your arrogance astounds me. You need to join the real world. And publish a retraction.
Steve,
The owner never said “we don’t do that here”. Had there been a sign to that effect, I would have found another route or just tracked down a UPS truck. In fact, the store in question DOES accept waybilled packages, they just don’t stock waybills. If the owner wants to avoid freeloaders, have him refuse all corporate account packages instead of whining on his end when they come in the door.
Further – and to clarify this – a company DID pay for shipping service with UPS. That’s how they got their corporate account on the waybill. I was expecting to be delivered a service that had already been contracted with the company with the corporate account set up their shipping agreement.
The real issue – and I’m sorry I didn’t get to this before as I’ve been laptopless for a couple days and have been replying via iPhone – is that I assumed that a UPS store was an agent of UPS and would offer me the same services I could get at the UPS shipping center. I thought it was a drop-off center that competed directly with FedEx and the PO, not a Mailboxes Etc. rebrand that was just there to charge me $1 to tape up a box and sell me other products.
The issue that a few of you are missing is the ‘customer-is-always-right’ way of doing business.
How about some slack for the guy who wanders in and asks about the store accepting waybilled packages to begin with?
Maybe benefit of the doubt that he hasn’t been versed in how hard your life is as an independent business owner.
As a business owner myself – 17 years – I try to treat everyone as a potential client if I can. I give them courtesy and direction and try to see if there’s a way I can convert their tire-kicking ways into a sale.
You guys – for the most part – seem to be on the defensive right out of the gate. You only want people to fall into your store and toss their wallets on the counter.
Pez, when I walk into a business it’s often just to see what the business is about. Can you tell me that you’ve never walked into a car dealer without buying or a store in the mall just to see the products?
While I do feel sympathy for your beef with UPS corporate, this discussion has painted one consumer (me) with far more negative comments than anything I said about the owner.
In my opinion it is stupid not to encourage people to come in your door just to look. Because you’re darn sure not ringing them up for any products as they’re driving or walking by.
I will still do some research into the franchise issues and the suit. There’s definitely a story there and I will all of you luck with that.
Jeff
The day a waybill person becomes “my customer” you know a customer…that is someone who comes in your business and pays you for something. That is the day I will carry waybills, until then pay me to ship the package or take your happy butt to the UPS facility and ship it there. You are NOT a customer if you have no paid for anything, don’t like the policy take it up with UPS and while your at it why not Google how many franchisees are suing UPS over this mess. They have destroyed our business. My store has been in operation for 19 years so I must be doing something right. The only mistake I made was becoming a UPS Store.
Jeff,
The owner DID say “we don’t do this” when he said he doesn’t provide waybills. How much clearer can he be?
The customer is always right? You are not a customer. Customers pay for things.
And you don’t go into the car dealer and expect to come out with a car without paying. Come into the store. Walk around. Ask questions. You don’t have to buy anything. But never expect to walk out with anything without paying.
Your logic “blows chunks.” And as a “columnist,” I’d expect you to do 2 things: 1) report AFTER gathering all of the relevant information and 2)using grown up language.
“blow chunks”, “fail”, you are an EPICLY ETARDED L33T PAWN FO LYFE
Jef, that is called window shopping. When you went into the UPS Store you weren’t window shopping. You were asking for a service without paying that store for it.
No, they had not yet paid UPS for the shipping. You didn’t have a waybill printed in hand (which they aren’t charged for until it is shipped). You were asking for a waybill with no printed account number on it.
The UPS Stores are not UPS and not required by contract to hand out waybills. They are, however, required to accept waybills that a customer brings in that are already printed (which also means the store has a right to refuse a waybill with a handwritten account). Afterall, if that account is incorrect I, the UPS store owner, have to pay for their shipment or go through hoops to dispute it with UPS billing.
As a store owner, you’re telling me that when I have to pay my employess to staff my store, pay my utiliies and rent, that I should give you a waybill so I can get roughly $1 compensation from UPS (before royalties and all other fees) as opposed to having you pay in my store? As a former business owner yourself, do the math and admit that is not in the best interset of hte stores.
And, on a side note, I am a store owner that quit carrying waybills July 1st and will never go back unless UPS would like to help pay my staff for staffing “their” customer service counter. There is no published phone number for UPS local centers. I spend 1/2 my day on the phone telling people I can’t tell them where there pacakge is or what driver has it (or when it will be at their house). I can’t do an address change for them, I can’t upgrade their service or file their claim. I can’t access the UPS system anymore than they can.
When I had waybills, I spent at least 30 minutes with each non-paying waybill customer, explaining how to fill it out. Undoubtedly they took 3 or 4 attempts, lots of my time and attention while I had paying customers waiting on me to help them. They probably didn’t package their package well, broke in transit and then they come to my store wanting a refund and a claim payment. But wait, It’s not on my account, I’m not UPS and I can not help them with any of this. They are then even more irrate that I can’t help them and surely won’t spend money at my store in the future (if they would have to begin with) and then bad mouth my store for not helping them with something that they need to deal directly with UPS in order to resolve.
How is it advantageous for me to keep giving out waybills? If you pay me to ship your package, I can keep my doors open. The “commission” I get off of these packages that are dropped off isn’t enough to pay the rent, let alone payroll, utilities or anything else. I pay those from money I get from customers that pay in my store. UPS is switching more and more people to their own UPS accounts so we have fewer and fewer people paying in the stores and more and more drop off customers. Then the non-paying drop off customer wants me to tape their package for free (which I do in my store) or better yet, asks for the gun to tape it themselves and uses an entire roll of tape on a 10″ X 10″ X 10″ box. Now I’m really out money since UPS also doesn’t ay for my tape. Better yet, when my driver picks up at the end of the day, he also asks for tape to tape boxes on his truck that UPS customers (who never steped foot in my store) didn’t tape well enough.
No, I no longer carry waybills. I have brought in over $400 in extra revenue this month from the people that have pulled out their company credit card and paid in store instead of using a waybill. Our local center is open for 2 horus a day to accept customers. They’d rather pay in store than wait hours for the center to open. They are ok with this and the company will pay. And since UPS charges an extra $5 for waybills that aren’t preprinted, I actually saved that company money by putting it on their credit card instead of on an accoutn waybill that will cost them $5 extra. How is that bad service to that company? I also printed the lable to save the custoemr the hassle of filling it out. People that come in with 8 or 10 boxes to ship don’t liek filling out 8 or 10 waybills by hand. And no, I didn’t help them fill them out by hand either so that when teh address was wrong, it wasn’t my fault.
Why is it my job to stock waybills when as an account holder, you can order them directly from UPS but you just don’t want that inconvenience.
Well, we decided July 1 that we don’t want the inconvenince of handing out waybills in our store and having all the repurcussions that come with it… claims we can’t file for people, address changes we can’t call in, phone calls with questions we can’t answer because we are not UPS.
And, by the way, I’ve had my store for 4 years. We opened after the MBE buyout. I’m not someone bitter about the changes that have occured. I ‘m just a store owner that would like to keep the doors open. That is not bad customer service, that is smart business sense.
Jeff
You are right your company did pay UPS. But UPS did not pay us nor did your Company. The corporate account / UPS have a sweet deal. UPS earns money, saves on union drivers salaries, saves on gas, consolidates its shipments. All is great in UPS World. It isn’t with the Franchisor. We are a back and ship business. Not a man’d drop box for UPS.
UPS wants the confusion. UPS wants you to think that The UPS Store is UPS. Yet UPS has no desire to adjust its business model. And yes the agreements were signed. What we are charging in our lawsuit is interference in economic advantage, fraud, misrepresentation, breach of contract.
UPS did testing in 6 cities with 233 stores with 3 brands. Of the 233 stores less then 60 of those stores reported finacial data. The tests were not random.
In a memo by Stuart Mathis dated March 4, 2003, 3 months after the test dates should have been finished being evaluated and months after a decision to rebrand to the “superior” business model was already made, they admit there was errors. Corporate did not send corrected information to the stores. OH No they kept those close to the vest. They did not want the centers to have hard copies of any data that they presented warranting their choice of the new brand, after all those could be used against them. No mention in the memo as to this is what we presented before, these are the figures. These are how the new information changes these figures. Nada zip. Just errors trust us they don’t change anything. There never was an option Change now and get a new sign or change later upon renewal. In any event we are going to have our UPS store on your back. UPS gets to capture the FEDEX business done in the store. Capture Postal business, now has the ability to use the UPS store as a carrot to its corporate accounts, gets to expand its reverse logistics program. All this benefits UPS and because UPS has no concept of recepocal benifits proceeds to mine the centers customer data bases, sends their sales reps to our customers and offers them a better deal.
They get caught at it and promise in writing not to do it. Yet continue to interfer with the centers relationship with ITS CUSTOMER.
We do shipping. UPS for gods sake is on the door yet they want to keep all the shipping revenue for themselves and leave us with the pen, or the copy. 60-65 percent of our revenue was from shipping. The average store is getting more drop offs per day than they are getting paying customers. How would you like to see one of your customers that used to pay at your counter, one day walk in with a prepaid box. Now they don’t support you they support UPS. You are expected to smile and try to now sell them a 10 cent copy. You have to service them as if they are a paying customer, smile, give them supplies, tape their boxes free, go to their cars get their packages, watch them because they are just dropping off, cut in front of your paying customers. Not to mention the liability that you have under the DOT for hazmat, you now have liability for that package because instead of your drop of that you get pennies for presenting to the carrier himself you are the one presenting it to ups. And UPS has the balls to try to tell the center owner don’t worry no problem.
This is far more than you could ever imagine. Ever!!!!!
Why don’t you have your paper write about this!!!! This is a real story. The story behind the “we don’t carry waybills.”
Jeff,
It is never acceptable for TUPSS stores to be rude or not helpful. It is acceptable to say “NO”. I saw nothing in your original post that indicated the people you spoke to were rude and it sounds as if they attempted to explain the rationale for their policy.
People who get angry when they cannot ship on a mysterious six-digit number have a beef with UPS or the account holder, not the local operator. When enough of the UPS account holders complain to UPS or start shifting to other carriers, maybe UPS will be willing to resolve this situation.
Thus far, TUPSS owners have made every attempt to resolve this issue with UPS, with no success. We would be more than happy to provide waybills if UPS was willing to compensate the stores fairly.
As for being defensive on this issue. Yes…we are. I make every effort to keep my dispute with UPS away from my customers, but sometimes the frustration shows through. By the way, we are legally bound by our franchise agreement to accept pre-labeled drop-offs. We are not obligated to provide waybills that will take our well-desrved shipping revenue and turn it over to UPS. TUPSS (like all businesses) has to profit to survive. Providing waybills reduces our profit with no evidence that it increase our customer base.
JEFF SAYS “Sorry about the confusion, but the owner led me to believe the decision not to stock waybills was his policy.”
RESPONSE This comment just does not square with your prior statement that you were told that it was “company policy”
JEFF SAYS ‘Also, it was his – and your – choice to sign the franchisee terms instead of competing with UPS.
RESPONSE – This is almost like saying the IRAQ citizen had a choice, that they could have just voted against Sadaam Hussien. You have no idea of the false promises, the veiled threats and intimidation used to force people to sign to unconscionable franchisee terms.
JEFF SAYS – “Finally, I still feel that if you gain any revenue from each package – waybilled or not – take it and pocket the pennies. I still am adamant that a person who doesn’t come into your store won’t spend money. If he comes through the door, the possibility exists for a pleasant, helpful and intelligent business owner to convert him to a buyer.”
RESPONSE – We do our best to make sure every customer has a pleasant experience. This does not mean we have to bow down to the rude not – yet customer who barges to the front of the line with a “account number” on the back of an envelope and expects preferential treatment while paying customers wait their turn.
JEFF SAYS – “I am solidly behind you guys in loathing the UPS franchise terms. That’s just idiocy that they won’t support you.”
RESPONSE – Thank you!
Jeff – as you can tell you opened a can of worms with your blog. I am a multi-store owner in New England and there are two main reasons that I do not carry waybills. The primary is liability. I learned the hard way about giving out waybills both by being charged for bad or fraudulent account numbers and by being sued because UPS lost a very expensive package that I happened to provide the waybill for. You see, UPS does not go after the shipper or the receiver because it if far cheaper just to charge the store owner. The other case is that UPS claimed that they did not have a record of the missing package. The small claims court ruled since I provided the waybill “I was an agent for UPS and I was responsible”. Does not matter that the driver provided testimony stating that he picked up the package. Lesson learned albeit the hard way.
The second reason is this: If I provide a waybill for someone – I am actually helping a competitor do business IN MY STORE. I understand from the customer’s point of view that they believe we are one in the same. I cannot count how many times I have explained that I do not work for UPS and do not have access to their systems and then the customer (yes I still call them customers) will point to the sign over the door and say ” you are UPS it says so right there”. It is a convoluted mess to say the least.
There are many reasons the various store owners don’t provide the waybills but the two listed above are the main ones. And with every job or profession, if you are dealt enough crap day in and day out, your attitude will reflect it. It is sad that many store owners respond in such a way but for the most part – we are only human.
“While I do feel sympathy for your beef with UPS corporate, this discussion has painted one consumer (me) with far more negative comments than anything I said about the owner.”
JEFF YOU AREN’T THE STORE OWNERS CUSTOMER YOU ARE UPS’S CUSTOMER.
Did you come into that store to look around and maybe buy something. No you came into that store to have them service you instead of a UPS employee or UPS drop box Service you. FOLLOW THE REVENUE. You did not provide revenue to that store. I don’t give out waybills. Why would I give our a Waybill that takes money away from my bottom line. Why would I smile and say don’t do business with me, do business with UPS. We are not one and the same. If UPS wants that level of service for free from the Franchisee then he needs to pay, or you need to pay, or your company needs to pay.
It is the system that is bad. UPS and for that matter the other carriers should not be allowed to get free service from the counters, be it a franchised counter or an independent. They have gotten away with it because as a group we have not said enough is enough. If NO ONE GIVES OUT WAYBILLS, then UPS AND THE CARRIERS WILL SEE THE VALUE OF COMING TO THE TABLE ON THIS ISSUE.
UPS WE DO NOT WORK FOR FREE. YOU DON’T WE DON’T
See Jeff, you could be part of a movement. Rally behind us Let Megan know on twitter.
Jeff,
While I can see things from your POV, the remark you made about “haven’t you ever been into a car dealer or a store, and NOT bought anything?” with relation to what Pez had said, is the same crazy nonsense MBE/UPS use on us everyday. I have been into hundreds of stores to look around, in many different countries. BUT . . . not once did I ever ask them to give me something for free. That is what account holders do to us everyday. Do you have a overnight mailer, a box, some tape, a waybill, can I keep this pen? I would love to go into BMW and say “Hey, can I have that red car over there.” or into Tiffany’s “Do you have any rings that are just lying around you want to toss?” Yes, we all look for free..but, I personally don’t know any other business who gives you things just for coming in for free, unless it is some promotion. We give away things every day, year round. I especially like the people who open the copier and take out some paper, because they need to write some notes on it or the envelopes from your card displays, because they need to send a letter..AND NEVER PAY YOU.
You said you were a business owner. How many times a day do you give away something in your business for free, that is, not advice or a paperclip? The public has no idea how many packages are dropped off in a single day. That takes employees, paper, time, not to mention rent, insurance, taxes. Most of us get 30 or more drop offs a day. Multiply that times 6 or 7 days a week, all year, for 4,500 stores. That is a lot of taping, explaining, helping, being yelled at, abused. Do you know who gets yelled at first when the drop off doesn’t get there in time? WE DO. After all, we are UPS aren’t we? NOT!
We cannot change customer opinion or beliefs. That name is over our door and we are stuck with it. No one told any of us the real reason UPS bought MBE when we signed up for a store or that they would be our biggest competitor, but we know now. I am not a drop box. I don’t even care where your drop off goes or if it gets there. And after dealing with upset people for many years, with issues that are not even my own, just because UPS refuses to publish a phone number in the local phone book, I have to say that I really don’t care about the person carrying that drop off into my store anymore…even though they MAY spend money next year. But for those of us who know better…they rarely spend, not when it is free.
Try and set the record straight. You may find that we will treat you much better if you don’t view us as a minimum wage UPS lacky, that mans a store for them. We, as owners, are insulted and are finally letting you know it. You can only beat a dog for so long, before it turns. We hate what UPS does to us and sooner or later, we will take it out on the customer. Sad, but true.
Further – and to clarify this – a company DID pay for shipping service with UPS. That’s how they got their corporate account on the waybill. I was expecting to be delivered a service that had already been contracted with the company with the corporate account set up their shipping agreement.
Jeff, once again, you contradict your prior statements. You asked for a waybill, now you state that a company paid for the service and that is how they got their corporate account on the waybill. Show me the shipping agreement for any corporate account that provides for a third party to provide the paperwork.
We accept preprinted airbills that come through the door properly completed and affixed to properly packaged items that contain no hazardous or prohibited materials.
We will even accept handwritten airbills provided
the sender has proper ID and provides us with a credit card and signs a charge slip that will be processed only if the airbill is found to be invalid for any reason. Wrong account numbers happen all the time and corporate account privileges are cancelled for non-payment or other reasons. We don’t have the time to call UPS every time to verify that an account is valid. Yes, we too encounter the all our representatives are busy situations.
Unfortunately, there are two many UPSERS out there that if you take the p out of them are simply USERS!
You have your own account, It’s your job to supply your account. Why don’t you go to a restaurant with your own beef and ask them to grill it for you for nothing. Cheapskates like you really piss me off.
maybe you should pull your head out of your behind and ask the store owner why? then you would know why they would agree with you that ups does blow brown chunks………..
Jeff
I see from your resume that you have a P O Box. Mail Boxes Etc. and TUPSS offer this service. You would be able to receive FEDEX and UPS packages and letters, package notification and also in many centers 24 Hour Access. We would love to see you as a customer!
Thanks
Jeff – you owe a lot of independent business owners an apology for trash talking. Instead of acting like a whiny baby man because the store you were in didn’t have what you needed, maybe listen to the explanation why and look into how owners of these stores are being mistreated and swindled by UPS.
Jeff,
Refusing to hand out waybills is a business decision I made years ago. It was a matter of business survival. People were coming from miles away to prey on the rube who handed out blank waybills. My shipping revenue plumetted. Worse yet, none of those people bought anything else in my store.
Many of the customers who initially request waybills ship through my store and I can pay my bills and keep my doors open.
Jeff i would like to invite you to my store for waybills if you are ever in michigan.
For 5 years, I have seen UPS customers, just like you. Y’all come into a UPS Store with a valid UPS account number and, rightfully, thinking you can ship your package with that number. To me, that is valid and logical thinking. Unfortunately, UPS does not care for you as customer, if they did, UPS would provide a business sustaining compensation to encourage UPS Stores to carry the waybill for their customers. Would you care to lift a 150 lb box with a waybill on a scale and to the back room just so you can get $3.00, before Royalty? In San Antonio, Texas, UPS is not even listed in the phone book. UPS Stores are in the phone book and support a lot of non-customer calls. To be fair, please evaluate the source of problem.
Keith Fife
San Antonio Texas
I manage a UPS Store in PA. We do not use waybills because some customers were using fake UPS account numbers to ship packages. Then the UPS Stores were getting charged for them. Unfortunately all it takes is a few people to ruin it for everyone.
thank god Im not alone. We used to stock waybills but only NDA and 2day and gladly took the july1 rollout and discontinued it all together. BEST thing I’ve ever done. Forever ten people 7-8 will understand and go to the hub, one will pay and one will pitch a fit like you…but that one who does pay generates more revenue that the 7-8 that leave. This is an old topic but found it after some googling for similiar situations. I still never understood the hostility towards the store owners for not supplying, at a loss, items supplies to account holders for free. I don’t know about you but I’m against PROVIDING a means to be undercut.
and threatening to take your “business” elsewhere is laughable. Chances are if you’re using an account you’ll never be a customer of mine.
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