address corections??

I’m not sure what you mean, Dannyboy. What type of rate adjustments were made? Were they weight or OS charges? Something else? If you can get a look at the bill and see what the names of the charges are, I can more than likely explain it…..

I shipped a package via internet. Entered the weight, res delivery etc on a NDA package. Made sure it weighed only 6 pounds, and the box was 5X6X6 in size. The charges after the delivery area surcharge was 30.94.

The first surcharge was the delivery area surcharge which was already added to the bill to begin with. That added an additional .75 allong with a fuel surcharge of .24.

Then the second was a change from comercial to residential. That added a 1.75 charge to the bill. Interestingly it was checked off on the internet as a residential delivery to begin with.

The third adjustment was a weight correction to 15 pounds. This was really astonishing to me that the package put on that much wieght in that short a time. I weighed it on a digital scale, and when I dropped it off at the UPS store I asked them to weigh it also. Just a tad under 6 pounds there also. With an additional 1.18 fuel surcharge that added and additional 13.68 to the bill.

So now, after using UPS's own website to ship a package and entering all the information correctly and paying 30.94 at the time of shipment, I get three additional corrections raising the total to 47.36. That is a 50% higher cost than what the charged cost was to begin with.

I have called the 800 number several times trying to get this mess figured out and with all the phoney explinations it ends up being more convoluted then it was.

As a side note, the next day air letter I sent to california that UPS lost back in april and just now found the check? I got two corrections on it. Funny, they can make sure to charge more for your shipment and make sure you get the bill, but yet lose the package. And when the insurance paid, all they would pay is the cost of the stop pay. No reimbursement on the shipping or replacement costs of the check.

Seems like I remember Ups stating that their cost to cut a new check for payroll was $60, but yet they do not want to pay to have a company cut a new check.

Now, I am ...er... was a UPS driver. If customers get this kind of run around and billing upcharges, is it any wonder why other companies are gaining ground on us?

d

I have heard of shippers having employees just to watch and fix their UPS bill.

Wow, danny……….. I don’t have an explanation on this one. Was your package going to zone 3? The On Demand NDA rate for that is $27.00 even. If you add the $1.75 residential charge and the $1.25 extended area surcharge, that brings the charges to $30.00. I don’t know when you shipped it, so I don’t know exactly what the fuel surcharge was at, but $.94 puts it around 3%, so that sounds right. If they weight corrected your shipment to 15 pounds, then that should put your shipment costs at $43.78 ($39.50 for a 15 lb, zone 3 NDA package, $1.75 residential charge, $1.25 delivery area surcharge, and $1.28 fuel surcharge at 3%). So how we charged you $47.36 baffles me………

What did the 800 PICK UPS number tell you about the reweigh?

Do you still have the tracking number?

hehe..thats why i put the NOT ALL in my response..some of you guys really do want to help..you want me to slam fed x??ok..i sign up with them about 2 years ago,but could never get the user agreement to download onto my computer..after about 2 hrs on the phone they sent a tech guy out..he came twice and could never get it to authorize either..then he just gave up..i emailed them and told them that if i were bass pro shops, finger hut or george foreman that i bet someone from their company would get my computer to authorize the agreement..never go a reply..
thanks racerx..i have just finally given up on my small residental shipping with ups..all i wanted to know was why i get the charge for a address correction when its not my fault..ie..someone mails me a check with the return address enclosed..i ship it there and then get a 5.00 charge for a wrong address..i have done nothing wrong but have been charged for it..i think ups should do as the postal system does and collect it from the receiver not the shipper...

question.. how much do the drivers get (if any) compensated for a address correction??I had one driver tell me that they were told to do everything they could to increase the cost of the package..He has delivered to me for years and I have no reason to think he is not truthful..

WE do not get paid anything for an address correction. The driver does it only because he is instructed to do so.

The way upper management refers to them is revenue enhancements.

Racer, basicly when I asked about the weight issue I was told tough stuff. The charge stays. Even though I and the clerk at the UPS store both weighed it and came up with a bit less than 6 pounds.

As to all the other charges, I think I will dispute it with the credit card company and let them duke it out with UPS.

As a practical matter, I have seen the clerks that measure package for OS set them up and measure them wrong. That way they can make their quota and keep their job.

d

Blkcloud, I’m sorry to hear that you have decided to go with the USPS. But, if insurance, trackablity, and day-definite guaranteed shipping is not needed for the majority of your shipments, then it would make more sense to use the post office. But be careful! Believe it or not, our rates beat the pants off of the post office once you get much above 5 pounds, so segmenting your shipments between UPS and the USPS based on weight would be the way to go…….

As for address corrections, they are an unfortunate consequence of the shipping business. And yes, I understand where it would seem like it would make more sense for us to go after the consignee (receiver) for any address correction, but they are not truly a UPS customer for this shipment. What I mean is that you and UPS have entered into a business agreement – we promise to deliver a package where you tell us to, and you promise to pay for that service. The consignee has nothing to do with that. So, we really have no basis to request payment from him (unless you are sending a package COD, and for that we have entered into an entirely separate agreement with different parameters). But believe me; I understand what kinds of problems accessorial charges cause to our customers. You, as well as 99% of UPS shippers, cannot go back and bill your customers for their errors to get reimbursement for what we charge you after you receive initial payment. And that totally erodes your profit margin. So if you sell your product for $25 and have a 10% margin, you are losing $2.50 a shipment when you get hit with an address correction instead of making $2.50 in profit. And I am sure that is not why you went into business!!!

I know you are not using UPS for most of your shipments now, but let me suggest to you what I would suggest if I was your AE – add an additional amount to what you charge for shipping to help offset your accessorial charges. For customers receiving discounts, I would suggest charging UPS list rates and then using the difference to pay for the accessorial charges that you will undoubtedly be receiving. If a customer was not getting a discount from us, I would suggest a nominal flat fee or percentage of the shipping charges. You know how on TV commercials they say “add $10 for SHIPPING and HANDLING”? Well, the difference in what you are charged by UPS and what you charge your customer is your “handling fee”.

Hope this helps…………………

Danny, as far as the revenue auditors go(those who measure for OS), they are going the way of the Dodo bird. At Worldport, all the weight and dimension corrections are done by a machine using lasers. These machines will find their way into our ground sorting facilities soon, thereby taking the human element totally out of the equation. But unfortunately, mistakes can still be made……

blkcloud,
Unlike racerx, I am happy to hear that you are going to the USPS. I'm sure they will welcome you with open arms. Bye Bye.
Feederdude

lol..sorry feeder...i still ship everday on ups..anything over 8-10 pounds goes on your truck..I usually send 5-10 boxes per week over 65 pounds on your truck...these all go to business and the post office cant touch it..hehe and hey feeder..if you see one of my boxes...dont drop it...lol

blkcloud,
I don't understand why you think placing a bad address on a package isn't your fault. If you ship as much as you do you should be good at spotting inconsistencies in addresses. As a shipper, you are responsible for whatever address you place on a package, irregardless of what your customer tells you.

I'm with racerx - pad your shipping fees appropriately if this is such a common problem for you. It's obviously just part of the cost of doing business.

did you read my first post???????? apparently not...here it is again.....
i have a load of customers who are retired, lived in the same house for 30 years and mail me a check for my product..they know where they live...but 911 has given them a new address..but they tell me to ship it to their old address"route 5 box 77" instead of "12345 277th st" all i know is what comes with the letter and what is printed on their check..but yet i get slapped with a 5.00 charge..its not my fault that they dont tell me the correct address yet I am the one who gets billed..were talking 25.00 orders here..when i get the address correction, plus the del. area surcharge plus the fuel surcharge not only do i not make anything i actually loose money...

IF the check has the same address on it that you send it to, and the order form has the same address you sent it to, then you have an issue with UPS. IF the address on the checks and the address onthe order form are PO boxes, then you will get an addy correction charge and rightly so.

WE have told you what steps to take with the charges. And we helped in every way you asked. So why the sour attitude toward the UPS driver?

Either take control of the costs and contact UPS in writing, or live with it. IF it is your problem, correct it. If it is UPS, call it to their attention. In writing.

And if they do not respond, if you paid by credit card, dispute the charges. That will get their attention.

d

do you guys read all the post or just parts of them?? i had to spell it out to theloader and here it is to you...i dont have a sour attitude towards him..here is what he said..

"I don't understand why you think placing a bad address on a package isn't your fault."

what else can i say??? i clearly stated how i got the addresses...i just dont pull them out of the air..they are sent to me... apparently he didnt read my post and just skimmed parts here and there and had to input his 2 cents..about my original post that he didnt even read...

Im sure glad my customers dont have the attitude you have. I can teach and help anyone, except the one that knows it all and does not want help. And I think you fit in the second group judging by your posts.

"do you guys read all the post or just parts of them?? "

This is your post. Why dont you read it yourself. I posted IF IF IF. Now it those if's pertain to your situation, then I spelled out how to deal with it. IF not, I gave you the alternative route.

So what is YOUR problem? Your other posts show that you either want to cause trouble or have a real insecurity in dealing with professionals in the transportation industry. We have tried to educate you in what to do, but instead you come up with all these little snide remarks.

So if you want help, ask the questions in a way that is proper. IF not, go away unless you can offer something constructive.

d

It always comes back to your belief that it's not your responsibility because you got the information from someone else.

You think you shouldn't be held accountable for YOUR customers mistakes.

UPS states that you will be per the agreement you enter in to when you use our services.

Unless for some reason you cultivate an unusual level of incompetent customers your bad address shipments should be a relatively small proportion of your total customers and racerx gave you an excellent and practical solution to account for this unfortunate business expense.

You could cover your expenses without it being a hardship to your overall customer base by adding a small "handling" surcharge to all shipments to cover your illiterate customers.

Or you can just complain.

We respect whatever decision you make.

Blkcloud – Our delivery systems require the correct address in order to route the package through our systems and onto the correct delivery vehicle. When the address is wrong, our entire system breaks down (in terms of that package) and additional work, sometimes a ton of additional work, is needed to find the correct address, apply it to the package and get it delivered. UPS could do one of two things. First, if a package had a bad address, we could just return it to the sender. Or we could go the extra mile, find the correct address, and get the package delivered as soon as possible. UPS decided that if a package was important enough for a company to track, then it needs to be delivered except under the most extreme circumstances. So we decided to correct the address and get it delivered.

Now this costs us a lot of money. So to cover this additional expense, instead of the normal 2-3% rate increase, we could have taken a 10-15% rate increase and charged it to all of our customers. OR, we could continue to take our normal 2-3% rate increase and use our technology to charge customers for each instance that we experience additional work from an incorrect address. So Blkcloud, which way would you have it?

1. Return all shipments back to you with incorrect addresses. More than likely you would lose the sale because your customer did not get the item when they needed it AND you would still have to pay full amount for the attempt.
2. Have UPS make the correction and get the package delivered as soon as possible, but be forced to absorb a 10 – 15% increase in your shipping costs across the board.
3. Have UPS make the correction and get the package delivered as soon as possible, but only pay for each individual error as a separate charge.

So which way would you have it?

I actually called and requested that the screwed up packages be returned to me..but they wouldnt do it..thanks guys for all your help..I have a far greater respect for ups now than i did before i found this site!!

Danny, what is that creature in your picture?

Well, actually….. It was a hypothetical question. You can’t really choose how you want us to deal with your incorrect addresses – we chose for you.

After all, we are Big Brown!!!!

"I actually called and requested that the screwed up packages be returned to me..but they wouldnt do it"

If you would like, you can print on each label "Do Not Forward" "Make No Address Correction" In those cases the drivers and clerks will not attempt to locate the correct address. The package will be postcarded and sent back to you in a week if the consignee doesn't respond. Most shippers prefer that we get the package to the customer, but there are some who do this. I personally would be upset waiting for a package twice as long or more just because of a missing apt # or such, but that is from the customer point of view, not the shipper. You might give that a try if it suits you.

Spidey makes a good point. All of the UPS stores and most other customer counters have a stamp made up that states, "No address corrections allowed" or "Do not address correct" That will keep you from getting the charge, but it will keep the customer from getting their package on the scheduled day.

And as Racer stated, we actually dont give you the choice. The majority of the customers polled have stated that they would rather have the package forwarded and the charge assessed, so the majority wins.

So between the two posts and others, that should have your question and problem solved.

As for your customer, a few times of them not getting the packages should solve the problem of bad addresses. If it becomes an problem for them instead of you, they will call their end of UPS and try and find out what the problem is on that end. The way things are now, they dont have an intrest in your problem what so ever. By having the packages returned to you instead of address corrected, then they have a vested intrest to see what the problem is and fix that problem. If it is their address, then they need to get it right. And if it is a problem with UPS on the delivery side, then they will also follow up on that end.

That photo on the avatar is a Tardigrade. Also called the water bear. Kinda like me, almost indestructable. Cool Creature! Better live under a scope in live action.

d

The last two posts are inacurrate.

At best it might be handled that way in their centers, but certainly not nationwide.

I actually mentioned this potential gambit of adding "no address corrections" onto the package in my third post, but I stated then I didn't know the effectiveness of doing it.

In my center when we first started seeing this I asked management whether I correct the address and get it delivered or send it back.

Management said to correct it and get it delivered.

That means putting the statement on a package may be handled in many ways and guarantees nothing.

Spidey, the postcard statement is a strange practice if address correction is not part of the mix.

The purpose of the address correction charge is to counter the labor costs these exceptions cause UPS.

Inputting an exception into the system to generate a postcard incurs labor, storage and postage costs.

And if you are not going to allow an address correction of packages with shipper instructions to the contrary are you sending "come and get it or else, no exception postcards or what?!?

"Management said to correct it and get it delivered."

That statement on the package, IF you can prove it will allow you to dispute the charge on the package. The correct proceedure is to send it back to the customer that shipped it. IF managment wants it corrected and sent out for delivery, that is fine. But then they should not charge for the addy correction.

As a practical matter how does doing an address correction on this address help?

112 Apple Street
112 Appl St.

You gonna charge them for leaving an E off the end of the street name? Sorry, that is just wrong.

But I have seen address corrections like this done and charged. And the Zip code thing with EAstman Chemical is one that I have fought for years and finally got it stopped. For Eastman we went from third on their prefered provider list to 13th, in no small part to charging their shippers 5 extra on each ground and 15 for each air that had the 62 zip.

And when that adds a $1000 to each days delivery costs, its hard to get your foot in the door to get additional volume, esp the international stuff that we are after so badly.

d