Re: UPS *!?*@

[Mark Hilbush <markh@clark.net>]

> I agree with Jon here , in addition UPS delay every piece for 7 working days
> before it shows up in to your town. As there is no tarrif or tax to be
> "brokered" since the  free trade agreement I think the whole setup reeks
> of olde time
> foreign country process. I advise all Canadians to avoid UPS . Drive,
> portage trek, dogsled or use another vendor including the Postal Service to get
> better service.
>( I'm feeling much better now).

Even though this thread really isn't relevant to this list, let me jump
in with both feet anyway.  <grin> 

First, let me say that on behalf of UPS I apoligize for any bad
experience you may have had with my company's service.  When you deliver
14 million packages a day, even a miniscule percentage of service
failures is a relatively large number.  Of course the percentages mean
nothing when your package is one of those service failures.  Contrary to
popular belief, a few of our 300,000 employees are not perfect -- I
would be inclined to include myself in that imperfect category.  

While I don't work in our operations -- I manage the development of
http://www.ups.com -- I feel very comfortable saying that our people try
to do the very best job they can, and that occasionally they make
mistakes.  The other carriers make mistakes too, and I've personally
been on the receiving end of service failures by UPS as well as the
other carriers.  And believe me I get frustrated, too.

Pat, we really don't delay every piece by seven days.  I'm not sure
where you got that information, but it isn't true.  Our on-time service
performance for our express guananteed delivery services is very
consistent with the rest of the industry.

While NAFTA has gone a long way to ease US-Canada transborder shipments,
these shipments are by no means simple.  Customs documentation is
complicated and error prone, and can often introduce delays.  I spent
four years of my career developing shipping system software, which has
to deal with Invoice, Shipper Export Declaration, and Certificate of
Origin documentation.  Quite frankly, unless your an expert in
export/import regulations, I don't know how people successfully ship
anything across borders.

I guess that's it.  Flame away.  ;^)

Requisite Audi content: UPS employees drive Audi cars, too.

Mark Hilbush
Baltimore, MD
87 4kq