UPS Store – Customer Service Fail
July 14, 2009
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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.
Got thoughts? Share them in the comments.
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