UPS worker going postal, threat level orange and its not even December yet

[elysia]

Question. What is so hard to grasp about the fact that UPS, USPS, FedEx, and DHL are DIFFERENT COMPANIES. UPS and USPS are indeed separate entities. I understand the Ss and Us and Ps are confusing for people who can't read and/or don't want to look at the letters for more that 2 seconds in order to comprehend them. Still. UPS. Is. Not. The. Post. Office. GOD.

SC: *brings in a drop off box* There you go its prepaid.
Me: *looks to make sure the label is legit* Yep. It will go out tomorrow, we have already had our postal pickup for the day.
SC: UPS doesnt pick up in the evening?
Me: Yes, they do. This is a USPS mail label.
SC: *points to box* UPS. Right here. It says UPS prepaid.
Me: U.S.P.S. stands for United States Postal Service. Not UPS. Different carrier.
SC: I was told this was UPS and to bring it to the UPS store!
Me: Its ok, we have a postal pick-up, you can leave it here but it wont go out today.
SC: Ok just send it UPS then because it needs to go out tonight.
Me: Ok, I'll have to make a new label though, you'd have to pay for it.
SC: No the shipping label is right here its prepaid, remember?
Me: The label that is on the box is a postal shipping label. Not a UPS label. Different carriers. I'd have to make a new label for it to be sent UPS and to do that I'd need to have you pay UPS for that label.
SC: Well this is bullshit. I guess I'll have to go to the post office since you don't know what you're talking about. *grabs box and leaves*

Yes. Do that. PLEASE LEAVE. Hurry.

(over the phone)
SC: About a month ago I sent something from your store and it never got there.
Me: Oh, alright, I can track it for you if you sent it via UPS, do you have a tracking number?
SC: A reciept log number?
Me: No, do you have a tracking number? It will specifically say "tracking."
SC: An item ID number.
Me: .....no. What does your receipt say?
SC: It says "metered 2 oz envelope first class."
Me: Oh, yes, you had that metered and sent through the post office. I'm sorry but I won't be able to track that.
SC: WHAT THE FUCK. YOU ARE UPS. WHY CANT I TRACK THIS IT HAD A PARKING PERMIT IN THAT ENVELOPE NOW THEY'RE GOING TO CHARGE ME SIXTY FUCKING DOLLARRRRRRRRRRRRRRS.

What happens is, customers come in to the UPS store and don't like UPS prices on letters. Tiny light stuff is still like $7 at the least whereas the post office is cents. People do not understand how or why UPS is better and thus why its more expensive and it takes like 5 mins to explain and the whole time I'm wondering why they didnt just take it to the goddamn post office in the first place.

Me: Sir, every customer that comes in we ask to specify whether they prefer postal mail or UPS for their package or letter since we offer both at our store. You must have specified first class and unfortunately there is nothing I can do since we have no control over your letter once it leaves the store. Because UPS and the post office are different carriers. (I perform this little speech at least 2-3 times a day for pissed off postal customers. I hate doing mail.)
SC: This is unacceptable. I used your store to mail something and its not there and I am holding you responsible. I want you to call the post office and find out where it is!
Me: With all due respect that isnt my responsibility. You may call them if you wish but I doubt they will be able to help you.
SC: Gimme your manager.
Me: I'm sorry she's not here right now.
SC: *click*



SC: Hi I need a change of address form.
Me: Oh, I'm sorry we don't have those here, I think you have to go to the post office or you could fill one out online.
SC: Oh you're not the post office?
Me: No, we are the UPS Store.
SC: Oh I thought it was kinda like the same thing and stuff?
Me: ....No?
SC: K thanks.

WHO thinks this? Who? EVERY dumbass comes into MY store!

[CrazedClerkthe2nd]

Unfortunately I can easily understand how customers could get USPS and UPS confused. HOWEVER, I use "postal service" or "post office" in place of USPS anyway.

Also I always ship anything of considerable value using a TRACKABLE method.

Maybe I'm just weird.

[ditchdj]

Well when I used to work at Wendy's it wasn't too unusual for someone to order a Big Mac or a strawberry milk shake.

[The Grim Shipper]

I get this a lot too. In addition, because we're listed as an Authorized Shipping Outlet, we get all the aimless calls of people desperately searching for the local UPS hub's number. We answer the phones here with our store name, which isn't any sort of variant of UPS. People often ignore that and plunge ahead with their Sad Tale of Woe™, only to be utterly baffled when I reinforce that we are in fact NOT UPS!

[Megg]

Well when I used to work at Wendy's it wasn't too unusual for someone to order a Big Mac or a strawberry milk shake.

I work at Taco Bell and I get that. No joke. /sigh

[DGoddessChardonnay]

Luckily for me, I keep the confusion down to a minimum . . .

Letters = go to the Post Office

Boxes = go to the UPS store for shipping (especially if it's prepaid and the label says UPS.)

I think it was a couple of years ago I went to the UPS store to mail off a bunch of christmas cards . . . . it was more expensive than sending through the post office.

Lesson learned. From then on, letters to the post office and boxes to UPS.

[evilhomer]

I work at Taco Bell and I get that. No joke. /sigh

And just to further complicate matters, they've got the pizza taco now also


Arrrrgh people are idiots. Fine UPS and USPS is an easy mistake to make, but you have to be brain dead to confuse mail and courier service. These assclowns just figure that you're going to give the $7 courier service at the $0.50 lettermail price because you like them?!? Why can't we just shoot them and thin out the herd

[PhotoChick]

I get this a lot too. In addition, because we're listed as an Authorized Shipping Outlet, we get all the aimless calls of people desperately searching for the local UPS hub's number.

That's because there is no number for the local hub. Or at least not one that gets published. I used to work at UPS for a hub. When you first start working there they give you a little piece of paper with the main number for the hub, plus things like hr and each department. It's unlisted because they want you to call the 1-800 number. They don't have people at the hub to answer. Then you get people calling you because omg I don't wanna call the 1-800 number

[prb]

The problem I have is when I ask specifically mention "USPS/United States Postal Service" when buying on eBay if USPS and UPS are offered, and they still use UPS.

Difference for me:
$5 for customs brokerage vs $30 or more.

It usually arrives within a day or two anyway, and if no one's home, I have to wait the next day for UPS, while if they had used USPS I could just go to the post office.

[karath]

Well when I used to work at Wendy's it wasn't too unusual for someone to order a Big Mac or a strawberry milk shake.

Ohhh yeah...and while I can understand saying "mcnuggets" instead of chicken nuggets (doesn't take a MENSA member to figure that one out) its still a bit vexing. Although now Wendy's DOES have strawberry milkshakes...by adding vanilla frosty to strawberry syrup and mixing it together. It's not bad...but if you want a fast food milkshake that you'll actually enjoy, I still have to endorse Carl's Jr and Jack in the Box.

...wow, I eat WAY too much fast food for my own good.

[ArcticChicken]

Also I always ship anything of considerable value using a TRACKABLE method.

Interesting fact: While it is grounds for instant termination to load a box onto a truck without scanning it, UPS doesn't use the tracking numbers internally. They are only used to tell the customer where their package is, and not to tell the guys at the hub how many packages they're going to get.

[XCashier]

Question. What is so hard to grasp about the fact that UPS, USPS, FedEx, and DHL are DIFFERENT COMPANIES. UPS and USPS are indeed separate entities....WHO thinks this? Who? EVERY dumbass comes into MY store!

I feel for you, and it's only going to get worse next month. I worked with USPS, UPS and FedEx in my last permanent job, and I've seen the stupidity heaped upon them by unthinking customers. People just can't be bothered to use their brains anymore.

[Jester]

Fine UPS and USPS is an easy mistake to make, but you have to be brain dead to confuse mail and courier service.

Well, yeah. These people ARE brain dead.

I really don't know why you people, after all your experience in the matter, still expect these ass-scratching chowderheads to have any amount of common sense, logic, rationality, intelligence, or even detectable brain waves.

We don't call them SC's because they're Rhodes scholars, ya know.

[greensinestro]

No disrespect here, but I never use UPS due to the high prices of things. I like my post office better (I never say postal service or anything else confusing). I kind of wonder though, why would these people confuse a UPS store for a post office? The colors are way different from each other. UPS has brown and gold lettering on their signs while the USPS has red, white, and blue. Why is this confusing?

[protege]

The colors are way different from each other. UPS has brown and gold lettering on their signs while the USPS has red, white, and blue. Why is this confusing?

Uh, shall I state the obvious? Pardon my French, but what can I say...other than people are fucking idiots Seriously though, at least they're not confusing DHL with the post office. How the hell can you confuse DHL red/yellow (similar to the Hot Dog scheme in Windows 3.1) with the post office. But, at least that won't matter much longer--DHL is dropping all domestic service in the US. Instead, they're going to concentrate on international shipments.