BrownCafe
A holiday shortage, an Internet hoax and a major misunderstanding caused concerned residents in Shelby County to call police on UPS drivers.
The boys in brown are as common in the holidays as the decorations on your front door. The constant hustle to deliver on time grows more intense as more shoppers begin to buy online.
But when a UPS driver stopped to deliver a package to a home on Buzzard Roost Road in Shelby County, a neighbor noticed something different.
As a deaf employee, Michael MacDonald can do his work as a package handler at the United Parcel Service facility at Philadelphia International Airport without assistance.
But when it comes to employee meetings and to understanding certain things – such as safety and emergency procedures, company policies and procedures, and some other workplace communications – he needs an American Sign Language interpreter.
Gordon Harris was in Washington state when he got a text alert from the Nest webcam at the front door of his home in Scottsdale, Arizona.
“I could see somebody come into the picture, take a couple of UPS packages and run away,” he said.
Within seconds, Harris, 53, owner of a software company, alerted neighbors and contacted police. He also called UPS and the merchants. Because Harris was able to attach the video of the theft to his claim, he had no trouble getting a refund.
A UPS facility in San Bernardino was temporarily evacuated Friday evening after a delivery driver discovered a package addressed to a “suspect” home in Redlands, authorities said.
It was addressed to the home of the shooters who killed 14 people and wounded 21 others at a social services agency on Wednesday, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Fuel prices are plunging, but that hasn’t stopped FedEx and United Parcel Service from charging customers a fuel surcharge.
The price of diesel is down 30% from a year ago, but UPS still charges customers a 5.25% fuel surcharge on top of whatever it would cost to ship a package. FedEx’s fuel surcharge is 4.25% for ground shipments and 2.75% for express shipments.
The surcharges have earned both companies a place on Consumer Reports’ list of “naughty” companies for Christmas 2015.