UPS Customer Service Is A Joke
I wrote a previous blog about how awesome the customer service from Nissan was, and it was well deserved. I just had the complete opposite experience with UPS and I have to write it down.
I had a Starbucks Giftcard from Gilt.com and was selling it on ebay during the holiday season. Someone bought it for $835 on Sunday December 22nd. As part of my posting I had promised to pay for overnight shipping to the winner so it would be there in time for Xmas. On Monday the 23rd I was at my local UPS store at 10am and handed over a little over $60 and sent it off. The clerk was very helpful and didn't indicate there might be any delays. She even offered to deliver by a specific time the next day for an additional charge, which would be nice in certain situations.
Sure enough the 26th rolls around and my ebay buyer writes me, HEATED. The overnight delivery did not arrive on Xmas eve or Xmas day. Ugh. Of course he thinks I ripped him off and he wants to return his product. I look on line and see articles on every major news outlet explaining UPS was overrun with packages and several hundred thousand Xmas gifts were not delivered on time. I pass these on to him and show him my receipt and he is somewhat understanding. I agreed to give him some money back even though it was not my fault, mostly because I sympathized with him (even though he was counting on a Next Day Air delivery on Xmas Eve to make his Xmas successful - not the smartest move).
The next day I very calmly walked in the UPS Store where I had shipped the product, explained my situation and asked for a full refund. The clerk again was very kind and informed me they had been instructed to copy my receipt, call corporate and get back to me. Fine. Whatever. Antiquated way of doing business, but whatever.
This is when I discovered UPS has the worst customer service in the world.
I wrote something on Twitter complaining about my situation and was replied to by the UPS Customer Service account asking me to DM them my problem (most likely to get my complaints out of the public eye). I did this and was told "the flight your package was on had mechanical problems, which is why there was a delay". Yeah. I can read. It says that on your site. But I can also read CNN, ABC, CBS and everywhere else where you stated you simply couldn't keep up with demand - specifically in the area where I was sending my package - so I know the "mechanical failure" excuse was made up and not real. It's not like UPS would ever print "we dropped the ball and couldn't keep up with demand" in their tracking information.
After being lied to I was more annoyed and I took my complaint to the company Facebook page. A reply from the Social Media Team asked me to email [email protected].
*side note: during this time UPS employees were paying the price for the corporate failures and were getting lambasted by upset customers. These people were working hours and hours of overtime, sacrificing time away from their families during the holidays and were the ones getting cursed at complained too by the general public. Completely unfair.
I emailed UPS as instructed and was given the same "the flight your package was on had a mechanical failure" response. Frustrating! I responded again that I knew this was false, I didn't appreciate being lied to, and I wanted my money back immediately. Every mom and pop shop on Earth can give you a refund in 30 seconds and this multi-billion dollar company was making me jump through hoops over it?!
We went back and forth - OVER 20 EMAILS!! It was so draining and stupid I was literally embarrassed for them. It's not like $60 something dollars was worth all of this time but of course, it was the principal. Eventually I was offered a $25 gift card that could only be used on the internet, which was the only right thing UPS did during this situation.
Eventually after asking for my refund on December 26th I received a check via snail mail(!!!) on January 13th....for $54. Less than what I had paid. Unreal! THEN I WAS TOLD IF I WANTED THE REST I HAD TO GO BACK TO THE UPS STORE WHERE I SHIPPED THE PACKAGE!
This was like ordering a steak and having the server bring you out chicken McNuggets that you never would have ordered in the first place then saying "we'll do you a favor and even though you ordered the steak we'll only charge you for the McNuggets because that's what you ended up getting". Gee thanks!!
This was my last email to UPS:
"Are you guys seriously going to make me go down to the UPS Store over $5 or $6? This is embarrassing. I walked in to that place to get a refund at which time they directed me to you as they were instructed. You guys give me a partial refund and then tell me if I want the rest I have to go back to them? How on Earth does anyone there think this is the right thing to do for the customer? I've already waited over 2 full weeks just to get this part of my money back and now you are going to put me through more over pocket change? I do not care about how your corporate structure works. Give me my full refund and recover the rest from that store later - and without me being involved!
I handed my money to UPS and UPS failed to delivery what it had contractually agreed to do.
So please - PLEASE - give me my full refund. Immediately."
Needless to say my request was declined.
Obviously I have since moved on to shipping my products through FedEx and have already given them hundreds of dollars and been happy with their service. UPS customer service is bloated, out of touch and out of date and I can't say I've ever had a worse experience.
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