fucking UPS... "predictive" tracking? wtf?

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gwells
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fucking UPS... "predictive" tracking? wtf?

Post by gwells » Thu Dec 07, 2017 6:56 pm

so i've been waiting a long time for that glowforge laser cutter to materialize. crowdfunding... delays... shit happens.

but it finally went on the truck last friday from California. two boxes. there have been a bunch of stories on the GF site of them showing up damaged and with people seeing drivers mishandle the boxes (like "rolling" a 4 ft 70# box up the sidewalk and, shockingly, broken glass doors). so i changed my delivery to pick up from UPS depot.

UPS showed both boxes made it nearby to Laurel, MD on Tuesday, with scheduled delivery/pickup from the Springfield, VA station today.

Yesterday, both boxes tracking showed that they made it to Springfield. One at 3PM, one at 7:40pm.

This morning, I got the "ready for pickup" notice for the smaller of the two (a couple of accessories). But no status change for the main laser cutter. Depot closes at 8:30, so I show up at 7:45 to get the package that's ready and ask where the other on is, since it's been there for 24 hours already.

CSR says, "oh. no, that box never made it here. the last time this was scanned was when it was received in Laurel MD on Tuesday." i said, "wtf, your tracking says it got here yesterday." he said, "oh, yeah, well... our system does "predictive" tracking. they presume it made it onto the next truck and it would have gotten here. sometimes it just doesn't make it." i said i even talked with their phone CS before i went over and they told me it was in Springfield. he said, "yeah, those guys look at the same info you get on the web site. they don't actually know where it is. you have to come here and ask us and we can see where it was actually last scanned." all paraphrased, of course, but not exaggerating what he actually said.

so, their online tracking system doesn't really mean much more than a guess sometimes. and there's no way you can know if they're guessing right or wrong. and their phone support only knows the same guess you can see online, even though UPS has more accurate tracking. and you can only find out at the UPS depot where it actually is.

really? this is 2017?

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HapaHapa
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Re: fucking UPS... "predictive" tracking? wtf?

Post by HapaHapa » Thu Dec 07, 2017 7:13 pm

What you learned explains a lot of my bogus delivery notifications
The Hapa

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YOHOHO
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Re: fucking UPS... "predictive" tracking? wtf?

Post by YOHOHO » Thu Dec 07, 2017 7:48 pm

wow. did not know that.

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Sidheguitarist
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Re: fucking UPS... "predictive" tracking? wtf?

Post by Sidheguitarist » Thu Dec 07, 2017 11:34 pm

Between this, and "shipping label generated, awaiting pickup" tracking, I’m beginning to think we’d be better off with no tracking updates.

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Re: fucking UPS... "predictive" tracking? wtf?

Post by r.palace » Fri Dec 08, 2017 12:03 am

UPS has been a shit show as of late

Image

Package hasn't updated or moved in a week and a half and no one over there can explain why
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Re: fucking UPS... "predictive" tracking? wtf?

Post by hoppyjr » Fri Dec 08, 2017 1:32 am

There was a news story earlier this week that said UPS was unprepared and significantly behind FedEx for timely delivery this year.

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Re: fucking UPS... "predictive" tracking? wtf?

Post by four20 » Fri Dec 08, 2017 2:46 am

I get all of my parts at work thru UPS and they have gotten progressively worse over the last year (I've been on this job for 12.5yrs). At least 30% of the boxes have been severely damaged (usually destroying the LCD if that's the part) and lately I'm lucky if I get Overnight packages 2 days late.

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gwells
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Re: fucking UPS... "predictive" tracking? wtf?

Post by gwells » Fri Dec 08, 2017 5:11 am

well, according to their tracking, they found it at 2am, and at 6am i got the text it's ready to pick up when they open at 10. fingers crossed that it's in good shape.

oh, and don't get me started on amazon shipping (not themselves yet, but through USPS). where the package is marked delivered on time, but doesn't show up for another day or two.

https://lifehacker.com/why-you-have-a-d ... 1821090068

i usually get 3-4 months extra prime every year by bitching about the packages that don't show up. i should bitch more, i might never pay for prime again.

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Re: fucking UPS... "predictive" tracking? wtf?

Post by r.palace » Fri Dec 08, 2017 5:17 am

Amazon already does their own shipping here. Haven't had a problem with it yet but being that it's run entirely by independent contractors, the problems just might arise sooner than later
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Re: fucking UPS... "predictive" tracking? wtf?

Post by Grahamcombat » Fri Dec 08, 2017 6:34 am

The Amazon + USPS relationship is a shit show. Prime timeframes and sheer volumes overwhelm USPS capabilities. And the thing I HATE about Prime is - most times - it won’t tell you the shipper, just the timeframe...so I choose expedited and then get screwed because the “seller” (often not Amazon, even tho it is showing Amazon Prime) sends it USPS and I’m f*d.

If I could never interact with the USPS ever again it couldn’t happen soon enough. I’d pay for FedEx to deliver my daily mail if it was an option.


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Re: fucking UPS... "predictive" tracking? wtf?

Post by KidKeith » Fri Dec 08, 2017 6:49 am

I'll play "reasonable guy" here... Do you know how overloaded they are at this time of year? I mean you could have driven to the origin location yourself and picked it up and drove back home. You paid for the convenience of not having to do shit and having it delivered to your door. Sometimes (especially during the max load holiday season) that gets cocked up.

It'll get there. It'll be fine. It's not worth the frustration, man. Life is too short.

Not trying to be a dick, honestly. I've got a whole family of people that are super detail oriented (not that it's a bad thing) and they get various colors of purple when things don't happen exactly as they planned. I choose to live life in the calm.

Look at it this way; you're furious over information they chose to give to you through a system of distribution that is waaaay more advanced than it used to be. In the macro, things are actually pretty good.

Sorry. I know you were just venting. Just another perspective to consider from the resident forum hippy :)
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BlueSky
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Re: fucking UPS... "predictive" tracking? wtf?

Post by BlueSky » Fri Dec 08, 2017 7:08 am

Just looked at Glowforge's website. Cool stuff...

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hoppes-no9
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Re: fucking UPS... "predictive" tracking? wtf?

Post by hoppes-no9 » Fri Dec 08, 2017 9:25 am

KidKeith wrote:
Fri Dec 08, 2017 6:49 am
I'll play "reasonable guy" here... Do you know how overloaded they are at this time of year? I mean you could have driven to the origin location yourself and picked it up and drove back home. You paid for the convenience of not having to do shit and having it delivered to your door. Sometimes (especially during the max load holiday season) that gets cocked up.

It'll get there. It'll be fine. It's not worth the frustration, man. Life is too short.

Not trying to be a dick, honestly. I've got a whole family of people that are super detail oriented (not that it's a bad thing) and they get various colors of purple when things don't happen exactly as they planned. I choose to live life in the calm.

Look at it this way; you're furious over information they chose to give to you through a system of distribution that is waaaay more advanced than it used to be. In the macro, things are actually pretty good.

Sorry. I know you were just venting. Just another perspective to consider from the resident forum hippy :)

The problem is that the tracking information, which should reflect reality, is often completely made up -- with know way of knowing the difference.

That has nothing to do with holiday delays.

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gwells
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Re: fucking UPS... "predictive" tracking? wtf?

Post by gwells » Fri Dec 08, 2017 9:46 am

what Dan said. if the tracking had just said it was stuck in Laurel, i'd have been frustrated (shit happens), but not pissed. especially when i went to the depot and they told me, "yeah, i have no idea where it is. it was scanned two days ago in Laurel and no movement since, it's probably lost." thank god it wasn't.

but the "predictive" part is bullshit. just be honest and say where you last have it tracked. don't tell people it's someplace when you have no idea if it's there yet.

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Re: fucking UPS... "predictive" tracking? wtf?

Post by gwells » Fri Dec 08, 2017 9:51 am

Image

Here’s what it looks like up in my attic office. Only cut the little 6” test ruler so far. About to set up my first custom job. Gonna have to tape up this exhaust a bit before I cut something other than wood. Getting some smell leakage from the accordion vent hose it comes with. Need to set up something more rigid and put some heavy foil tape on it.

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Re: fucking UPS... "predictive" tracking? wtf?

Post by KidKeith » Sat Dec 09, 2017 5:35 am

You got it!

Congratulations!

Nothing to get hung about.
Image

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1954Selmer
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Re: fucking UPS... "predictive" tracking? wtf?

Post by 1954Selmer » Sat Dec 09, 2017 7:50 am

I'm glad it came in. Enjoy
.

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Re: fucking UPS... "predictive" tracking? wtf?

Post by hoppes-no9 » Mon Dec 11, 2017 7:17 am

I'll just leave this little tidbit here...

https://lifehacker.com/why-you-have-a-d ... 1821090068

According to a CBS Atlanta report, USPS supervisors are giving mail carriers direct orders to misrepresent delivery times. A former mail carrier told CBS they had to follow these specific instructions:

“At 7:15, whatever you have not delivered, pull your truck over to the side of the road and scan every single one of your amazon packages...”
A current mail carrier told them something similar:

“Basically, we have to falsify the timing, and a lot of carriers don’t want to do that, but we’re mandated to with a direct order.”

But why lie to Amazon customers about their packages? Because if they have late deliveries, they don’t fulfill Amazon Prime’s two-day delivery guarantee, and that jeopardizes the USPS’s contract with Amazon.

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Re: fucking UPS... "predictive" tracking? wtf?

Post by Grahamcombat » Mon Dec 11, 2017 7:32 am

I love (sarcasm) droves of Gov employees who blindly follow “direct orders”.

Obviously these people have never - or don’t recall - had to stand in front of our nations flag and declare an oath. An oath which, if I recall correctly from the multiple times in my life where I’ve raised my hand and declared true allegiance to same, explicit forbids - and grants me power to - following illegal orders.

As of this posting, I am going online to amazon prime and ordering, post haste, hundreds of lengths of rope and cordage with which they can take care of themselves, so the rest of the world can carry on.

The bigger problem, as I am experiencing it, is this attitude of “hey, don’t look at me! I’m just doing what I was told” is permeating and downright saturating groups and organizations throughout the federal government. So instead of doing what is right, they do what is good for them so “they get theirs”. Government service has become more about what can the government do for them than about what they are doing for the mission.

I called out one of my closest friends the other day for saying and echoing shit like this: I looked at him and a said it “fuck you. Either quit or go away because thinking like that becomes acting like that, and acting like that is going to get people killed so, fuck you.”

America is changing.


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fastward
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Re: fucking UPS... "predictive" tracking? wtf?

Post by fastward » Mon Dec 11, 2017 7:57 am

I think it’s the seasonal help and increased holiday shipping. Shipping always get worse around the holidays.


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Re: fucking UPS... "predictive" tracking? wtf?

Post by streetracer101 » Mon Dec 11, 2017 10:18 am

fastward wrote:I think it’s the seasonal help and increased holiday shipping. Shipping always get worse around the holidays.


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People forget that. It's unfair for us to assume that these companies can safely bolster services to address the glut of society during this time of year with no negative ramifications.
I had an iPad go missing years ago with FedEx and the manager said that it was common because of the seasonal help that was needed. These workers have no vested interest in the company they work for, and it's reflected in how they care for their deliveries. Personally, I'd rather deal with later package deliveries than destroyed or missing packages, but as consumers we always want more, faster, cheaper, etc.

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Re: fucking UPS... "predictive" tracking? wtf?

Post by hoppes-no9 » Mon Dec 11, 2017 12:02 pm

We all understand that Christmas means slower shipping.

The solution is NOT for USPS to falsify its delivery information.

The solution is for USPS to structure their contracts -- with Amazon, and with Joe Public -- to reflect anticipated delays. They're idiots if they signed an agreement with Amazon to deliver within 2 days at this time of year. And the are idiots for trying to trick the public with their "predictive" tracking misinformation.

Believe me, I'm one of the USPS's biggest supporters -- or at least I have been, until recently. They do an AMAZING job delivering the bulk of our country's stuff, for very little cost, most of the year.

But this pattern of lying/misinformation is a problem.

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Re: fucking UPS... "predictive" tracking? wtf?

Post by streetracer101 » Mon Dec 11, 2017 2:25 pm

hoppes-no9 wrote:
Mon Dec 11, 2017 12:02 pm
We all understand that Christmas means slower shipping.

The solution is NOT for USPS to falsify its delivery information.

The solution is for USPS to structure their contracts -- with Amazon, and with Joe Public -- to reflect anticipated delays. They're idiots if they signed an agreement with Amazon to deliver within 2 days at this time of year. And the are idiots for trying to trick the public with their "predictive" tracking misinformation.

Believe me, I'm one of the USPS's biggest supporters -- or at least I have been, until recently. They do an AMAZING job delivering the bulk of our country's stuff, for very little cost, most of the year.

But this pattern of lying/misinformation is a problem.
While I wouldn't be surprised if this has happened, I doubt it is a systemic issue. My local USPS at both my residences does a great job with delivery times. Sure the tracking an be dicey, but they always get the package to its destination. UPS/FedEX seem more willing/likely to lose to when it comes to me.
In all fairness, I don't think the accusations levied against USPS are much different than the UPS/FedEx guy that doesn't bother knocking when a package needs a signature. I've had that happen on many occasions.

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fastward
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Re: fucking UPS... "predictive" tracking? wtf?

Post by fastward » Mon Dec 11, 2017 2:35 pm

For me, FedEx and USPS are solid UPS is another story
Last night, someone dropped off a package for me, it was delivered to wrong house on the other side of town

It happens at least 2-3 times a year, always in December

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Re: fucking UPS... "predictive" tracking? wtf?

Post by logan2z » Mon Dec 11, 2017 6:27 pm

Unfortunately I don't think this is a seasonal problem. On several occasions in the past few months I've been waiting for an Amazon delivery - 8pm comes and goes and nothing shows up. Suddenly I get a notification from Amazon that USPS attempted a delivery but nobody was home to receive the package. Clearly BS, as the camera at my front door proves ;)

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