Receivers that are "too busy" to sign

over9five

Moderator
Staff member
Im not going to wander all around a customers building for 20 minutes begging for a signature.

If the underlying problem is that no one at a business is willing to sign...then having to pay shipping charges in order to reship the 100 piece bulk stop we RTS's will help them to develop that willingess in the future. Sometimes you have to force the issue, if you dont they will just keep jerking you around every time to try to make a delivery.
Agreed. It's called "training your customers".
 

cino321

Well-Known Member
Our center recently pushed our start time forward to 9:30 (9 on Mondays). My first ground delivery stop is Walmart. The receiver likes to take her break between 9:45 and 10. She could care less that our start time changed and will take her break unless I call her to let her know that I am on my way.

Why do I do this? It is much easier for me if I get rid of Walmart first rather than having to work around it and go back. Yes, I could go there, knock on the door, be told she is on break, scan the air and leave a delivery notice, but it is so much easier to call her just before I leave the bldg.

If it were my area and I knew that I had to have someone meet me at a delivery point I would most certainly call them ahead of time.

So UPS pushes back your start time so you're going to call your customers now?
 

soberups

Pees in the brown Koolaid
Our center recently pushed our start time forward to 9:30 (9 on Mondays). My first ground delivery stop is Walmart. The receiver likes to take her break between 9:45 and 10. She could care less that our start time changed and will take her break unless I call her to let her know that I am on my way.

Why do I do this? It is much easier for me if I get rid of Walmart first rather than having to work around it and go back. Yes, I could go there, knock on the door, be told she is on break, scan the air and leave a delivery notice, but it is so much easier to call her just before I leave the bldg.

If it were my area and I knew that I had to have someone meet me at a delivery point I would most certainly call them ahead of time.

I am generally willing to use my cellphone to call a customer....on an exception basis.

Road closure that causes me to be an hour late? Sure. Eight inches of snow on your driveway and I cant get up there with your NDA medication? OK. 50 Piece bulk stop for a residential customer who needs to fire up his tractor and get it out of the way so I can back up to his barn? You bet. I'm a reasonable guy...but I will not take it upon myself to make my cellphone part of the expected daily routine for making the delivery. That is bad business, it creates an unrealistic sense of entitlement on the part of the customer, and it creates problems for the relief driver on my route who (a) may not have a phone (b) may not have the correct phone number or (c) may not be informed of the "arrangement" that I have made with that customer. If a particular delivery requires some sort of additional communication on our part, that communication needs to be routed thru the center management team, not the driver.
 

Brownslave688

You want a toe? I can get you a toe.
Our center recently pushed our start time forward to 9:30 (9 on Mondays). My first ground delivery stop is Walmart. The receiver likes to take her break between 9:45 and 10. She could care less that our start time changed and will take her break unless I call her to let her know that I am on my way.

Why do I do this? It is much easier for me if I get rid of Walmart first rather than having to work around it and go back. Yes, I could go there, knock on the door, be told she is on break, scan the air and leave a delivery notice, but it is so much easier to call her just before I leave the bldg.

If it were my area and I knew that I had to have someone meet me at a delivery point I would most certainly call them ahead of time.

9:30 start time!!!!! This is getting stupid. I know the union says we can't tell them how to run their business but most toon this job when an 8 hour request was 5:30 or earlier. Now it's so late u can't even catch your kids jv high school basketball game.
 

Re-Raise

Well-Known Member
Years ago when I was covering a route as a rookie driver, I had a factory with a receiving dock that would make me wait to get a signature.

They said the guy who signs is in the plant so you will have to sit and wait for him. I called my center manager and told him these guys were doing it just to be jerks.

He told me to draw a little map on a piece of paper showing them how to get to our center 50 miles away and tell them they could come to the building and pick up their packages.

To this day he was the best center manager I have worked with.
 
S

serenity now

Guest
Years ago when I was covering a route as a rookie driver, I had a factory with a receiving dock that would make me wait to get a signature.

They said the guy who signs is in the plant so you will have to sit and wait for him. I called my center manager and told him these guys were doing it just to be jerks.

He told me to draw a little map on a piece of paper showing them how to get to our center 50 miles away and tell them they could come to the building and pick up their packages.

To this day he was the best center manager I have worked with.

awesome
 

trickpony1

Well-Known Member
Years ago when I was covering a route as a rookie driver, I had a factory with a receiving dock that would make me wait to get a signature.

They said the guy who signs is in the plant so you will have to sit and wait for him. I called my center manager and told him these guys were doing it just to be jerks.

He told me to draw a little map on a piece of paper showing them how to get to our center 50 miles away and tell them they could come to the building and pick up their packages.

To this day he was the best center manager I have worked with.

....or better yet, give them a delivery notice and when they say, "......can I come to the post office and pick it up?", you say, "yes....and be sure to bring this (delivery notice) with you".
 

UPSGUY72

Well-Known Member
Last week I had a delivery for an apartment knocked on the door the lady said she would be right there. Waited a good minute knocked again same thing I'll be right there. I filed out the info notice slapped it on the door and head for the elevator. She didn't get her package the next day either as the door code wasn't working. I wasn't on the route the 3rd day so I don't know the out come.
 

UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)

Well-Known Member
Last week I had a delivery for an apartment knocked on the door the lady said she would be right there. Waited a good minute knocked again same thing I'll be right there. I filed out the info notice slapped it on the door and head for the elevator. She didn't get her package the next day either as the door code wasn't working. I wasn't on the route the 3rd day so I don't know the out come.

What exception code did you use? Was it signature required?
 

gman042

Been around the block a few times
Had a situation recently where the consignee had contacted UPS management about an inbound package. Told management that it would be fine if DR'd thru the side door of the garage. There was a copy of the email left in the slot with my DIAD informing me of the procedure. Fine.
Well....the day of the scheduled delivery I arrived at the address about 4:30 pm. I notice immediately that the side door of the garage is buried in snow that came off the roof. Same issue with the front porch as you couldn't get within 30 feet of the steps. The garage door begins to come up so I assume he was coming out to meet me. Apparently it is the only way to access the house. Guy comes out and says(with some disdain I might add), "Better late than never!"
They say hind-sight is 20/20. If I had to do it all over again I would have asked for the package back and then told him that I would be back the next day. Perhaps then he would appreciate the delivery a little more. Instead, I just smiled and handed the package over to him.
I treat busy office people the same way. I will stand there in long suffering silence until I am noticed. I should learn to be more assertive.
 

Packmule

Well-Known Member
Personally, I think everyone who signs the board ought to be entered into a drawing to win $100,000 in each division, once anually. Then post the names of the winners so all the world sees it. Not only would you have receivers demanding shippers use UPS as the delivery company, you'd have to beat the signers off with a stick!
 
S

serenity now

Guest
whenever some clown tells me "been waiting on you all day" i just smile and say "here i am"
 

didyousheetit

Well-Known Member
Years ago when I was covering a route as a rookie driver, I had a factory with a receiving dock that would make me wait to get a signature.

They said the guy who signs is in the plant so you will have to sit and wait for him. I called my center manager and told him these guys were doing it just to be jerks.

He told me to draw a little map on a piece of paper showing them how to get to our center 50 miles away and tell them they could come to the building and pick up their packages.

To this day he was the best center manager I have worked with.
20 years ago I had a stop that received pay phone setups. about 10-15 complete setups.I would go to back of building where the company asked me to go because they had overhead door. Iwould ring bell several times and wait upto 10 min as these took up so much room. I finally started rts them then they called in and said I wouldn't wait 2 min for them to answer. told sup that wasn't true.He came with me next day we rang ,we waited 10 min. Then he said follow me to front of building. We went in he asked for manager who was sitting up on a second tier office. told him we were waiting for ten mins. Then proceeded to tell him the new delivery policy I show up,ring bell, if no answer we don't come back we send it back. after that I showed up and was greeted by 3 guys who took it off the truck for me
 

rod

Retired 23 years
20 years ago I had a stop that received pay phone setups. about 10-15 complete setups.I would go to back of building where the company asked me to go because they had overhead door. Iwould ring bell several times and wait upto 10 min as these took up so much room. I finally started rts them then they called in and said I wouldn't wait 2 min for them to answer. told sup that wasn't true.He came with me next day we rang ,we waited 10 min. Then he said follow me to front of building. We went in he asked for manager who was sitting up on a second tier office. told him we were waiting for ten mins. Then proceeded to tell him the new delivery policy I show up,ring bell, if no answer we don't come back we send it back. after that I showed up and was greeted by 3 guys who took it off the truck for me

I think thats the first time I have ever heard of management standing up to a customer and sticking up for the driver. I can honestly say that I never had one do anything like that for me. My experience was if I had a problem customer I was told to either deal with it myself or management would side with the customer and make me look like a fool. Kudos to your Sup.
 

dilligaf

IN VINO VERITAS
The last time I had a rcvr that was to busy to sign, I left. It was a committed NDA. It got delivered to the managers house later that afternoon. It was the last time I had any problems with getting signatures at that stop. :happy-very:
 

didyousheetit

Well-Known Member
I think thats the first time I have ever heard of management standing up to a customer and sticking up for the driver. I can honestly say that I never had one do anything like that for me. My experience was if I had a problem customer I was told to either deal with it myself or management would side with the customer and make me look like a fool. Kudos to your Sup.[/QUOTE
he had been a driver first and stayed in management for about three years. H e was way too smart for ups. He retired before 40 to key west renting ski jets. ups always lets the good ones get away
 
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