I ordered two different (same) packages from Japan on Tuesday. One through DHL and the second one through UPS. I did this because of weight restrictions and to test shipping reliability with price tag. Both packages were shipped out at Tuesday noon (Japan time), and they are about 12 hours ahead of us. The DHL shipment was about 10% more expensive. DHL delivered on time, within the three hour window, in two days, at 5:30 PM Thursday. UPS quoted three days and then never delivered. I was home both days with the garage door fully open... it wasn’t like I missed the delivery! Friday night came along, and at 8 PM they changed the tracking from, “ out for delivery, deliver by the end of the day” to being “held in warehouse”. This is the second time in two months I’ve used UPS, and they’ve done this. I have contacted their customer service, and they just said, maybe they couldn’t get it on the truck. But, why wouldn’t they have updated the tracking system, if so? Second time using UPS, second time they fell short. Probably last time I’ll ever use them! Has anybody else had problems with overseas shipments via UPS?
When I'm considering a foreign purchase, shipment by UPS can be a deal breaker. I haven't had your types of problems with them, my issue with them is their outrageous brokerage fees, they start at almost 10x that of the postal service and go up from there and to add insult to injury, the brokerage fees are subject to sales tax.
UPS sucks these days. I can say that because I flew their freight for years. DHL is almost non existent in the US, but still maintains a large presence elsewhere. Given the choice, I use them or FedEx for international. Then FedEx or USPS in the states with UPS as a last resort. We had a saying.. You cannot spell stupid without a U P S.
Had parcels that were part of the same shipment do a world tour for several weeks on UPS time, one box turned up looking like a travellers suit case it had that many arrival/departure stamps on it. When we were shipping more than 10 tonnes of stuff a month from the east and UK to USA I got an independant freight forwarding company involved, just couldn't trust the faceless UPS and Fedex to do the job!
I worked for UPS in collage. .... They have sucked for a long time. Some of the crap I watched happen....or fell on me! it's a wonder anything gets to the right place in one piece with them.
That's funny Bruce, I took a christmas job with them too in college. I only worked for them for 3days and 2 of them I spent watching UNION video bs. I loaded trucks for one day with zero training. I'm sure I f'd them really good that day. When I flew cargo, I watched drivers unload cheesecakes by THROWING them from the plane into the truck. The handlers REALLY abused packages on christmas eve, pissed because they had to work on the 24th. I flew a bunch of crickets one day for a pet store and the boxes opened up. These idiots put the screened boxes in black trash bags. The crickets they couldn't catch were jumping all over inside the airplane. I even had them in the cockpit.
The good thing about DHL is that the stuff gets there on time and undamaged. The problem is that they are mega EXPENSIVE. It used to cost 40 dollars to ship an envelope of documents from here in Mexico to the US. That hurt. But then they doubled it to 80 dollars---for a cardboard envelope with two pieces of paper in it. I'd probably have to mortgage the house if I wanted to send a package. Whereas---my wife and I buy some stuff from Amazon. They ship boxes from the US to our house down at the bottom of Mexico by DHL for under five dollars. Eighty dollars for me to ship an envelope---four dollars and sixty-five cents for Amazon to ship a box. Go figure. Richard
Jason, is that plane a Metroliner?. A local airline, Air Queensland bought Metro's and I think they paid dearly for it in maintenance needed to bring them up to scratch. UPS have been called united parcel smashers since 1994, other nicknames are: OOPS!.
At the airport where I work, the Metroliners used to have the nickname, "the San Antonio death tube". FWIW, I'm a little out of the loop these days and I haven't heard that used in quite a while.
Yup, Metrolineer. Aka - San Antonio Sewer Pipe, the death tube, the San Antonio Cigar... You name it, I've heard it. I have found the more nicknames a bird has, the more it's usually loved. It is a hell of a good airplane. They were built there back in the day at Swearingen, later Fairchild then M7 and I think it's Ebiet today. 1100hp Garret engines. Pratt was on strike at the time when Ed needed engines. Someplace I have black and white photos of it with jet engines hanging on the back. Ed Swearingen was the fueslage designer for the first lears. Some of our birds back then were old UPS cargo haulers. They had a little better avionics in them and a shit UPS brown interior. Found some of my passengers back then. Some days I would have 20 of these and the little bastards would go everywhere. The box said fast food for reptiles. (crickets) and they smell horrible!!
Just for clarification, the package was received yesterday (October 9) 1 1/2 weeks late. Our customs did not like the value I paid for the auction price from Hong Kong for Chinese product. I paid $15 US at the auction with a cost of delivery of $250 US. I guess this raised a red flag as I got product that was worth almost +++$1000USD. I had to show a few receipts and the hold was released. The exact receipts were attached to the box with all warehouse information. I guess the tax man is hard at work.
There is an a warehouse in Hong Kong (that I deal with) that ships and receives a lot of Chinese product, shipping and returns. If the vendor is not willing to pay for the return shipment, it goes up for auction. I registered with the Hong Kong warehouse auction website with 400 USD as a bank roll. I won two different lots which covered both $15 purchases but did not cover the 2 lots full shipping. With more money paid, warehouse worked with me using PayPal. I only bid on stuff that is “return to vendor, product not opened”. The warehouse has a 90 day hold, before they can send it up for auction. I have seen four Samsung 60 inch TVs go for $40 USD, but the shipping would be probably $500USD. Or... Brand new iPhone $100 plus, shipping $100 for a scratched screen,..In the US maybe 700-800 USD for X? This will be the last time I use UPS!!!
Give it a few months. You'll get a bill for importing. I bought a 700dollar metal scrolling tool. Yup. Like clockwork, got tagged a few months later. The shipping company will pay the import fees and then you get the bill. I took a client to Exuma recently and she owns a house there. She filled half the plane with stuff. 45% IMPORT FEES! And you can bet they knew what everything was worth. She had to pay that bill before the stuff left the airport. The sad part it was stuff she couldn't even get there at any price.
I bought from this warehouse four times. They seem to like DHL and ups. The Last time, I thought, I should split the deliveries for weight and education purposes. Oh boy, I was educated.... tax man wants to see receipts, Even though they’re taped to the box. DHL use the receipts and processed. UPS was looking for more money and more money......... I had to send them an email with proof of purchase and explanation(personal or business). A huge runaround, but great for them doing their job. I would be questioning my purchase if I was in their shoes too!.... but I would’ve done a little bit of research before questioning the customer. I am the customer that will no longer use UPS! I did think, I was going to get stung for the delivery charge tax, as a whole service charge.... But they dropped it off as normal. No bill, no receipt. Normally, I would self declare for large shipments.
Don't you just love the Bahamas. Buy a T shirt or hat there and they're made in USA. Then you have to declare them on your return to the states. Potcakes!
