United Parcel Service - 2nd Day air shipping delivery service is not second day delivery to Trapper Creek, AK

Complaints.com received the following consumer message on February 23, 2003:

From: Trapper Creek Museum [Email User]

RE: United Parcel Service - 2nd Day air shipping delivery service is not second day delivery to Trapper Creek, AK

UPS is engaging in fraud by convincing many businesses to offer only UPS 2nd day air shipping, knowing that a customer with a delivery address outside a major city will not receive their package for up to 7 days. Unlike FedEx, who does thier own delivery, UPS sub-contracts their delivery and allows their sub-contractors 5 days after they receive the package to complete the delivery.

Most businesses do not know this and neither do their customers. If you live outside most major cities, you will pay for UPS 2nd day air deliver service but will rarely get you package on time. Judging by the many complaints listed with your service, this is a world-wide fraud. h Robin Marsh

PO Box 13011

Trapper Creek, Alaska 99683

907-733-2555

Yes, it has happened many times. We have waited almost 2 weeks, in some cases for UPS 2nd day air packages. Most recently, on February 7th I ordered some laser printer consumables from Provantag.com. I even called the company to plead with them to ship by any other method than UPS. They refused, saying that their agreement with UPS prevented them from using any other shipping method.

On February 9th I was able to see by the UPS tracking site that the order actually arrived in Anchorage (90 minutes away from our delivery address on a major Alaska Highway) and when it did not arrive the next day February 10th), I called UPS (1-888-434-5238). I already knew that UPS used sub-contractors to deliver their packages in rural areas and the customer service agent refused to tell me who their delivery subcontractor was on this route. I asked for a supervisor and was connected with Brenda Grayasco,(1-210-706-1735) who also refused to tell me who told me that the subcontractor was Lynden air transport out of Canada but she would not give me the number to call them.

Ms. Grayasco called them herself and then called me back to say that they would be calling me. I tracked down the phone number of Lynden transport in Canada by calling Lynden Air Cargo in Anchorage (907-243-6150) and called them myself. Carmine, of Lynden Canada (1-888-449-5497) told me that they, in turn subcontracted to another delivery service for their UPS delivery but he refused to tell me who that was and said he would have them call me. Denise from "Papa Do Run" (907-745-1975) called about an hour later and told me that she would not be coming up to Trapper Creek until Friday, February 14 because she did not have enough packages to deliver in the area and that her contract gave her 5 days from the day she received freight to deliver it to the customers.

She did finally agree to deliver the package that day, as I explained that we had book orders to fill and needed to get the printer parts right away. When we order from these companies - and there are an increasing number of them, who will only ship UPS 2nd day, we are not told, at the time of the order that even though we are required to pay for 2nd day shipping, we will not get it in that time. Even on the UPS website they will - at that time - and not before, tell me that the package will actually take 2 additional days, but they never tell me that it can take up to a total of 7 days.

If UPS did tell me that - and did tell the business that they contract to shi-p for that packages will take that long, no one would use their company for shipping. When I called Provantage.com and several other companies who ship exclusively UPS 2nd day, they were surprised to learn that packages were taking that long.

So, you see, UPS is fraudulent in two ways - promising these businesses that their customers 2nd day air and not telling them the truth, and fraudulent to the customers who order from these businesses. At no time when you place an order with these businesses, are you told that you will not get 2nd day air delivery service.