I need some help

Quilter

Member
UWhile of little consolation to you, I bet that the driver was more than 'questioned'.

I got that impression from my talks with UPS, but you're right, it's not much consolation.

If the package was damaged, I would hope that someone would tell me. I'm wondering if it could have been misplaced or misdirected into a corner of a warehouse, or fallen off a conveyor belt. And of course, whenever I see a brown truck I'm hoping that my package will magically appear.

Is it possible for a non-UPS employee to go into overgoods to search for an item? The lady responsible for shipping the quilt went to the Commerce City hub in an attempt to look for it.

Janet
 

UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)

Well-Known Member
Sad to say, I don't own the insurance - the shipper does.

Janet

correct the shipper will be paid the value of the package up to $100 unless the package was insured for more.

While it won't replace the 4 years you spent working on it, I would think that the shipper would forward whatever insurance money they receive from UPS to you. That would be the right thing to do.
 

UnconTROLLed

perfection
Sad to say, I don't own the insurance - the shipper does.

Janet

Sorry to hear about your quilt. I am always leery about letting anyone get their hands on anything of value...especially something like your priceless hand made items. You're better off delivering them yourself as well. My wife makes them, she would be very sick and angry. :angry:
 

Nimnim

The Nim
I got that impression from my talks with UPS, but you're right, it's not much consolation.

If the package was damaged, I would hope that someone would tell me. I'm wondering if it could have been misplaced or misdirected into a corner of a warehouse, or fallen off a conveyor belt. And of course, whenever I see a brown truck I'm hoping that my package will magically appear.

Is it possible for a non-UPS employee to go into overgoods to search for an item? The lady responsible for shipping the quilt went to the Commerce City hub in an attempt to look for it.

Janet

I do hope your quilt is found and returned to you, but as far as someone being allowed to go check the overgoods at the local facility I doubt it'd even still be there by now. At my hub within a day or two they're sent off to Mississippi relabeled as overgoods if my memory serves me right.
 

PACNW

Well-Known Member
I'd bet my paycheck that the magazine still has it there at their office. Most customers have a common pickup point at their location. Its possible that the package was moved away from this location by accident or not placed there to start with. Even the worst of our runner-gunners scan end of days and/or the packages at stops. It takes about 2/10ths of a second to do. I hope that your quilt turns up, Janet.

I'm with you, this happens a lot. It happens especially with small businesses or businesses that ship small amounts or infrequently. They usually do not have a "designated shipping person" and the responsibilty is shared. Could have been moved or misplaced by one of their employees. I have no doubt they created a label, but if there is no scan, the chances are astronomically more likely that we never took possesion. The likelyhood of a package of this size was stolen or lost is almost zero. No driver would risk their job over a quilt, and the next opportunity would be an unloader. No way they get it out of the building. If it made it in the UPS system it would have gotten a "scan" minutes after being unloaded, as it is loaded into a feeder trailer. Also, very unlikely it was damaged. Damages usually happen after a package has been handled several times, and since it had no scan it would have to have been damaged at its origin. I'll match NW's paycheck on this one.
 

Re-Raise

Well-Known Member
If it wasn't scanned at pickup and it wasn't scanned into a trailer on the night sort it sounds like the package was never picked up.

They may have placed another label on the package with your quilt on it at the shippers location by mistake. It would be interesting how many packages they sent out that day.

I have seen shippers accidently place two address labels on the same package by mistake.
 

hubrat

Squeaky Wheel
If I don't have an end of day to scan, or whatever plu isn't uploaded, I scan all packages.

I shipped my baby pics from NC to my mom in AL, no negatives, and held my breath the whole time. They made the trip safely (thanks FedEx) but I will never trust anyone that much again.

I am sorry this happened to you and I hope it turns up soon Janet. I'm glad you posted here and please keep us posted. I would like to know how this turns out.
 
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Janet, I also hope the quilt shows up. Very strange that although you have a tracking # there are NO SCANS associated with this pkg. Not to pass the buck but, just because a shipper generates a label it does not mean that the label was ever placed on a pkg or that it was shipped (at least by ups since ther are absolutely no scans). By the way why did you mention the day after Presidents Day? Ups works on Presidents Day.
 

DS

Fenderbender
I think as others have said,that your quilt was never shipped.It is still there at the magazine place.
Call them on the phone and talk to the the publisher if you can.
The fact that there are no scans at all is the reason I think this is your best chance.
 

Quilter

Member
It would be interesting how many packages they sent out that day.
They said two other boxes were shipped; Corporate UPS thinks the two other packages actually shipped the next day. No other problems have been reported, and the magazine has had only one other problem with a missing quilt, which was resolved by filing for the insurance.

I am suspicious about the shipper - who wouldn't be??? But doesn't UPS accept responsibility by issuing the claim?

Janet
 

Richard Harrow

Deplorable.
I am suspicious about the shipper - who wouldn't be??? But doesn't UPS accept responsibility by issuing the claim?

Janet

No. UPS acknowledges that the package is missing when they issue the claim. This is where the rent-a-cops in LP try to justify their paycheck by instructing the driver to do all the legwork in terms of getting information, signatures, and statements.
 

Quilter

Member
By the way why did you mention the day after Presidents Day? Ups works on Presidents Day.
The magazine was closed for the holiday. Since I'm not the shipper, I couldn't file a claim or even call UPS. I was also hoping that my package was merely delayed.

Let me pick your collective minds. UPS Corporate searched Overgoods for the quilt. From what I'm reading here, it was not a physical search? If they were searching for the quilt, would they have specified color to narrow the search down?

The reason I ask is that the quilt has two sides. The front is colorful, the back is off-white muslin with red stitches showing. If they searched for red, purple, green and yellow and the quilt was folded so the back only showed, is it possible they missed it?

Thank you, everyone. I really appreciate your input.

Janet
 

menotyou

bella amicizia
As one who has looked through the overgoods in our center many times before they ship it out, I would think they looked. They might not know what they are looking for. You are describing the quilt. They probably can't see it through the box. What did the box it was sent in look like? That would help out immensely. Overgoods from my building are sent to a bigger building where they are combined and sent to an even larger facility. They will not open every brown box. They will conduct a search, within reason. These people want you to get your quilt back. But, they have a job to do, also.
As I read it, though, it sounds like it was never shipped. There is origination scan. You have to have that. Unscanned boxes aren't allowed in my center. Every package has to be accounted for. I wish you the best of luck. My mother would probably love your quilts. She is quilt fanatic. Very hard work. Like us.
Good luck, Janet.


Trish
 

Re-Raise

Well-Known Member
When the driver made the pickup he should have entered the number of packages he picked up at that location into the DIAD, even if he neglected to scan the end of day or the packages.

Does the number of packages he entered match the number they claimed to have sent that day?

It is really unlikely that the package didn't even make it off his truck to the night sort at his building to be scanned. If it had been unloaded without a label at his center they would have just opened the package , found the invoice and sent it back to the shipper.

The reason I mentioned the possible double label is that if there are two labels sometimes UPS will just remove one of the labels and go with the other one.
 

UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)

Well-Known Member
The magazine was closed for the holiday. Since I'm not the shipper, I couldn't file a claim or even call UPS. I was also hoping that my package was merely delayed.

Let me pick your collective minds. UPS Corporate searched Overgoods for the quilt. From what I'm reading here, it was not a physical search? If they were searching for the quilt, would they have specified color to narrow the search down?

The reason I ask is that the quilt has two sides. The front is colorful, the back is off-white muslin with red stitches showing. If they searched for red, purple, green and yellow and the quilt was folded so the back only showed, is it possible they missed it?

Thank you, everyone. I really appreciate your input.

Janet

When they search overgoods it is a physical search. I tend to doubt that there are a whole lot of quilts in overgoods. I am beginning to agree with the others who think it is still in Colorado.
 

dannyboy

From the promised LAND
Janet

I too want to apologize for your experience in this matter. UPS does do a great job with the majority of the packages shipped every day. But it seems that its always the really important ones that have a hiccup or problem.

Unless the box has been scanned, the box technically never made it into our system. UPS is anal about scanning packages during the majority of the movement within the system. But errors and omissions do occur. The driver was the first failure. He either did not scan it, or count the number he picked up. And since they did not have any other problems with the other packages shipped out that day, that makes the problem one of a local matter.

The options are

1. the quilt never left with UPS. It is either boxed and waiting, or somewhere else at the mag office.
2. The driver could have stolen it. Not likely unless driver has a thing about quilts, as we haul much more lucrative cargo every day.
3. There is a good possibility that they used a previously used box, and forgot to remove the label. That would have the package sent off to a different address than yours, with a different tracking number. While I have seen things like this happen, they could very quickly figure out which one is the correct label.
4. This also is very possible. They shipped out several packages. One of them was your quilt. But what happens if the clerk put the wrong label on your package? I have seen this happen too. But that leaves the question of what happened to your label.
5. As has been mentioned, the label could have come off. But again, if that happened, the center would have documented the package, the contents, held it for a day or two before sending it to over-goods. That information is lacking in your case.

Those are basically the only way that this could happen. The package should have never left the original center of pickup without a scan. So there should be no way its lost somewhere. So unless we failed multiple times to scan the package, which is unlikely, my guess the problem lies with the shipper. Not excusing UPS here, but the physical trail starts and ends at the shipper.

Finding it will be hard, but not impossible. A few years back, a shipper posted here about a piece of testing equipment used on the space shuttle. UPS found it after about 8 days. Circulating photos of the box and equipment assisted greatly in the recovery of the package, as the label had come off, and there was no other ID in the package. So dont give up hope.

I would check with the shipper again, and might perhaps also play some hard ball if they are not willing to help.

Wishing you the best

d
 

PACNW

Well-Known Member
They said two other boxes were shipped; Corporate UPS thinks the two other packages actually shipped the next day. No other problems have been reported, and the magazine has had only one other problem with a missing quilt, which was resolved by filing for the insurance.

I am suspicious about the shipper - who wouldn't be??? But doesn't UPS accept responsibility by issuing the claim?

Janet

I wouldnt say that by paying the claim UPS is admitting fault.

UPS will often pay a claim to try to salvage a relationship with a shipper or to avoid petty lawsuits.

We had a customer a few years ago that swore we broke his automatic gate. He has a delivery box out front and we have never gone through his gate. The driver had been there hundreds of times, as this house had a delivery everyday. Still, the customer insisted it had to have been us. He threatened to sue us and UPS paid $5000 to replace his gate. BTW, they had to charge it as an accident, so they charged it to the On Road sup who was on vacation that week.
 

Quilter

Member
Thank you all for taking the time to comment. The one bright spot in this situation is how helpful and thorough everyone at UPS has been in trying to locate the quilt. It makes me believe that if it were at UPS, someone there would find it.

It looks like I'll have to be taking this up with the shipper again. I will come back when I have a resolution...whatever that may be.

Janet
 
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