Wrong shipping weight

dilligaf · 04-23-2008, 09:14 PM

I like the idea of writing audit on the pkg. I have, on occasion, come across a p/u that was more weight than was written on the label. We are a small center (extended) and don't have all the capabilities of the larger centers. I never knew what to do.

Average at Best · 04-24-2008, 07:45 AM

[quote=The cardinal;330353]
I thought about imposing a penalty classifying it as WEIGHT ADJUSTMENT FEE after of course we adjust the wight. [quote]

That's the problem. As a customer, I have absolutely no incentive for putting the correct weight/dimensions on a package. If I ship out 100 packages and bill myself at 1 lb each (when they are really 50 lbs each), if UPS catches all 100, they only bill me the difference. There are no penalties. If I get even one incorrectly billed package through the system, then I am ahead. They do need some sort of penalty or fee for labelling packages the wrong weight, but it'll never happen. Might drive away business, therefore reducing our share of the market...

UpstateNYUPSer · 04-24-2008, 05:29 PM

I may be wrong but I do believe that, in addition to the revenue adjustment, that there is a revenue adjustment fee assessed against the offending shipper. If there were not, as was stated above, there would be little or no incentive for a shipper to put the correct weight on the pkg.

25yrvet · 04-24-2008, 08:21 PM

My problem is on the delivery side. I had a shipper from the north part of the state ship 10 boxes that weighed 19 lbs a piece to a plant in our extended center's area. I looked at each label & they all said 10 lbs! I was ticked, and ready to call my mgt team, but realized they are overwhelmed and just trying to keep their heads above water and would probably say something like, "Uh, yea, weee'll geet right on itt".

So I did something that I regret and will never do again---because if the shipper complained it would be me getting the wrong type of attention. I called the shipper--their phone # was on the label, & talked to the shipping clerk. This is what I said, "Hello Jim (?), this is joey with ups down here in raton. Hey, you guys sent out 10 boxes to the plant down here and they felt a little heavy, so we weighed 'em and they all weighed 19lbs instead of the 10lbs that was marked on the labels, Could you guys check out your scale and make sure it's still accurate? Thanks."

local804 · 04-27-2008, 05:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by browniehound

Its actually his problem if he is a shareholder and $500/week in revenue is going out the window. This is stealing from UPS and I don't think it should be tolerated by any driver, shareholder or not.

Its a highly competitive environment out there and we need any advantage we can obtain. Think about this when you see a $.35 raise this August instead of the $1 you recieved last August.

If a customer is putting 5lbs on a 55lb parcel, then hell yes, its all of our problems. You want more $$ in your paycheck? Sorry Local804, but the only way that is happening is when revenue increases. When we get cheated out of revenue, I take it personal.

Brownie hound,
It is NOT his problem! He has a ton of other issues to deal with including stops per hours and getting done by 9/5. What more is a driver going to do then tell his supervisor? The supervisors get paid good money to handle these situations and have the contacts with the right people including the customer service rep and the billing dept. I understand that you think that you are doing the right thing, but its not your job to do anything more than tell your suit. Should he protest picking up the package? hell no
Do you job let the others do theirs. If you really want to be a hero, place the package in a select area of your truck and grab one of the rev recovery people when you get back to the building. While he is auditing your truck, go to the soda machine and buy him a soda. What type of action would you plan on taking brownie other that telling a supervisor? If you want a bigger paycheck, get some sales leads or help out a fellow driver who is over dispatched. Blaming a .35 cent raise on this is absurd.

UpstateNYUPSer · 04-27-2008, 05:14 AM

Local, you are exactly right on both of your points. First, we do have a responsibility to let our mgt team know of any service issues, to include shippers trying to save a few bucks at our expense. Second, we do have a responsibility to service our customers and do not have the right to "arbitrarily" decide not to P/U pkgs simply for weight discrepancy issues; however, we still have the right to refuse pkgs that, for whatever reason, we feel will not make it through our system (bad pack, improper labeling, recycled box). It is our obligation to bring service issues to the attention of our mgt team and that is where our obligation ends. We then must continue to take care of the customer w/o bias.

filthpig · 04-27-2008, 07:42 AM

First off, this doesn't apply to Pottery Barn. Secondly, tell your customers what I tell them : "If I weigh, you pay"

MemphisFedexer · 04-27-2008, 09:55 AM

We have the same problem. I am sure the brown side is much better at capturing revenue than the purple. We usually imitate what you guys do, only a few years later. If they would put drivers on comission for revenue recovered the problem would be solved.

upsgrunt · 04-27-2008, 10:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MemphisFedexer

We have the same problem. I am sure the brown side is much better at capturing revenue than the purple. We usually imitate what you guys do, only a few years later. If they would put drivers on comission for revenue recovered the problem would be solved.

Now that's the best idea I've heard- commission for revenue recovery. I'd bet profits would increase by at least 25%.

looper804 · 04-27-2008, 12:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by upsgrunt

Now that's the best idea I've heard- commission for revenue recovery. I'd bet profits would increase by at least 25%.

It gets my vote.

soberups · 04-27-2008, 01:23 PM

If I see a minor weight discrepancy I will bring it to the shippers attention and give them an opportunity to correct it. 99% of the time it is a clerical error, and it may not even be cost-effective for me to wait 4 minutes for them to re-weigh and re-label it. The difference in revenue between 4.2 and 6.1 pounds is not enough to justify delaying a driver making $45 an hour on OT.
If there is a HUGE weight discrepancy...or if the problem is ongoing and appears to be an attempt to defraud us...I will then inform the customer that I wont be able to pick up ANY of their packages until the problem has been corrected. A 70lb. package that says 7 lbs isnt going into my truck.

04-28-2008, 05:14 AM

Trplnkl said: "now as far as the safety aspect, I can see a problem with incorrect weights on O/70s but doesn't our work methods tell us to test all packages for weight and possible shifting contents before actually lifting?".
I agree with you totally but that my comrade that is in the perfect world. regrettably we are not in the perfect world . as a human we are trained to look at the label we position our body to lift it based on what the label weight tells us. we readjust at the moment we start to lift. Sadly but that's the real world. We can argue this from now till the end of time but stand at the end of box line or conveyor belt and see wow many preloaders, Drivers actually do that. If every one would do that you would not be able to leave the building till the next day.

As far as covering myself, Like i said I have told my sups, Ctr mgr, and even count rep who mentioned that she/he received a call from a rep at receiving end of customer deliveries.
I have done everything I can in my position as a driver. but I can never refuse to make the pu.
that is not my decision to make.
another suggestion I would like to make. how about attaching a sticker at the back of the truck that says " AUDIT"
any thoughts

UpstateNYUPSer · 04-28-2008, 04:39 PM

I think that rather than attach an audit sticker to the back of the truck there should be an area in the bldg designated for pkgs which need to be audited for revenue correction. I strongly agree with whomever suggested that driver's be given a "commission" or a % of the revenue recovered.

trplnkl · 04-28-2008, 10:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Cardinal

Trplnkl said: "now as far as the safety aspect, I can see a problem with incorrect weights on O/70s but doesn't our work methods tell us to test all packages for weight and possible shifting contents before actually lifting?".
I agree with you totally but that my comrade that is in the perfect world. regrettably we are not in the perfect world . as a human we are trained to look at the label we position our body to lift it based on what the label weight tells us. we readjust at the moment we start to lift. Sadly but that's the real world. We can argue this from now till the end of time but stand at the end of box line or conveyor belt and see wow many preloaders, Drivers actually do that. If every one would do that you would not be able to leave the building till the next day.

As far as covering myself, Like i said I have told my sups, Ctr mgr, and even count rep who mentioned that she/he received a call from a rep at receiving end of customer deliveries.
I have done everything I can in my position as a driver. but I can never refuse to make the pu.
that is not my decision to make.
another suggestion I would like to make. how about attaching a sticker at the back of the truck that says " AUDIT"
any thoughts

When you throw your back out by picking up an O/70 that is mislabeled try using that as an excuse, see how far that gets ya. The fact is we are trained to check the package weight BEFORE lifting, not to adjust AS we pick it up. I live in the real world everyday just as you do pardner. It's your back, use it smart or get used to not being able to use it at all.

I also disagree that it is not our place to refuse a package for whatever reason. We have the authority to refuse to place any package into our system that we feel is packaged improperly, that includes gross discrepancies in weight labeling.