Why Doesn't Anything Arrive Perfect Anymore?

[curly]

Remember my offer to buy it off you if you decide you don't like it!

Hey, I'm thinking about it a lot after this day

 

[Bird]

Okay... My Bad for ordering the unmounted car tires via eBay. I should have my head examined for that.

I suspect a lot of folks come out just fine doing that, but it's not something I'd do. I got a set of 4 new B.F. Goodrich Long Trail TA radials put on my old 2001 Ford Ranger yesterday; what a difference. It looked like the little truck had almost new tires on it when I bought it, but I never heard of "Viper TA, Radial GT" tires. Almost from the time I bought the truck, it pulled hard to the right, so I had the dealer do a front end alignment; didn't help a bit. But moving the front tires to the rear and the rear to the front pretty well fixed the problem. But after another year or so, it had gotten to wanting to go to the right again. Now you can't find anything wrong with the tires, but about 80% of the tread was worn off in 18k miles and now with the new B.F.G. tires, it tracks straight. But I wanted to buy locally where they mount, balance, repair any flats, rotate them every 6k miles, and re-balance on request at any time.

 

[Rara Avis]

But I wanted to buy locally where they mount, balance, repair any flats, rotate them every 6k miles, and re-balance on request at any time.

Amen...
Love my local tire center...they even handle all of my AG tires except the Drive Wheels on the Tractors...and then I've got New Haven Tire Center, who will drive up to the farm and change the Drive Wheels...

 

[sandman2234]

At my last house, I used to park on the street. The mailman didn't stop for a couple days, and I called to find out why. Apparently my p/u was too close to the mailbox for him, so I backed it up some. He decided to cut between my truck and the house so he didn't have to turn the wheel so hard. I just happened to be home, and called in a complaint. He had driven right over my
sprinker system. I made them pay to have it pressure tested, and it came out of the mailman's pocket. He came up to me and apologized the next time I was home when he worked that route, and we never had anymore problems.
UPS used to deliver to my work, and would always block me in. I drove local and needed to be in and out quickly. He blocked me in one time to many after repeated warnings, so I grabbed both boss's truck keys and blocked him in. Then I went to lunch. Boss man beeped me, and I called him back. He wanted to know where I was, and if I had his keys. Told him "Lunch, and yes".
He told me to take an extra half hour lunch. They wreckered the UPS truck sideways to get it out. Didn't have that problem anymore, either, but UPS driver was a problem to the end.
He finally darted in there one day, going way too fast and got hit by the forklift driver. They tried to say it was our fault, but the boss was driving the forklift. Never saw the guy after that.
David from jax

 

[Skyco]

Several have commented UPS never paid a claim....my understanding is the payment goes to the shipper so how would you know if he doesn't tell you?
I just recalled a story from quite a few years back- ordered a computer system for one of my son's Christmas present, paid extra for 2 day delivery. Day of delivery I tracked it and yes it was on the truck for delivery! Never came. Called UPS and found out apparently the driver returned to the terminal without finishing his route. No big problem I'll run over to the terminal and pick it up. NO! I was told that isn't possible. Jerks. Pretty much ruined my son's Christmas, and I never could get the refund from the shipper on the extra shipping charges.

 

[Bedlam]

Im my case the damage was noted by the driver on a report. That doesnt mean a think. I would now try to open it i n their prescence and check for damage. But UPS policy as they tell me doesnt allow the time for rthe driver to do that.
I had a friend who got a package, and they put it under the lawn mower to keep it dry. And presumably the note on the door, 'blew' away. He did'nt find it till he started the mower in the summer. LOL

 

[cp1969]

Almost from the time I bought the truck, it pulled hard to the right, so I had the dealer do a front end alignment; didn't help a bit. But moving the front tires to the rear and the rear to the front pretty well fixed the problem.

I have had that happen to me so many times that the first thing I do when a vehicle starts pulling to the left or right is to switch the two front tires. It almost always reverses the direction of pull, indicating a tire problem, not an alignment problem.

 

[Dougster]

Just think of an 150# package going down one of their slide systems with a package of crystal glassware at the bottm. The shippers need to find a way to beat them over the head.
Vernon

Well, that would certainly explain what happened to that stemware. As of right now, we are still waiting to hear how it's going to be handled... but my guess is that if the GF really wants that particular stemware in time to give it as a Christmas gift, she better go out and find it locally!

Dougster

 

[Dougster]

Seems to me we are only hearing of the bad regarding UPS. UPS handles millions of packages daily and the vast majority arrive in perfect shape. Personally I get many UPS packages over the course of a year and have not had a damaged item in years.
Andy

Andy, you are absolutely blessed! You must be the single luckiest person I know, at least in regard to home shipments! I literally cannot get two packages in a row intact, complete and undamaged... and you go years without a single problem. Please tell me... I promise I won't tell a soul: What is your secret?

Dougster

 

[Dougster]

So just how is one supposed to note damage since in my case they just drop the stuff at the door and ring the doorbell and run The guy is back in the truck and gone usually by the time I get to the door

This is something fairly new around here: the practice of turning off the engine... coasting down the street to my house... then quietly sneaking up to the house and leaving the busted-up package on the front steps... then running back to the truck... and when all is clear, they start the engine with a roar, shift into gear, screech the tires and head down the road like a drag racer trying to set a new track record!!!

Ring my doorbell??? Even with the front door open and them hearing me inside??? I have a better chance of winning the lottery!!!

Speaking of arriving perfect I find plenty of stuff in stores not perfect either...I usually won't buy something that appears to have been returned unless I really, really need it and inspect it in store before buying....

Oh yes... absolutely. My rant was not solely directed at UPS and Fed-Ex Ground. Hardly!!! This is a problem today on so many levels. You pay good money. You get something home. And then you open it up and find out it is defective. It just blows my mind.

Trusted brand names and trusted vendors/suppliers alike... there doesn't seem to be any way of 100% assuring you can get something right the first time anymore. Hence my crazed rant.

Dougster

 

[Dougster]

What going to a store and buying stuff has going for it is that you can look at it before you pay and walk out the door.

Amen... and yet in the world of tractors today, most everything of any consequence is ordered and drop-shipped... or ordered, shipped to the seller and then re-shipped by the seller (giving two separate chances for UPS or Fed-Ex to mess you up).

I don't plan on buying much of anything off ebay any more. Not worth it.

I hear you Brother! That car tire disaster may have done it for me. You save a few bucks here and there on several purchases... only to have it all wiped out and then some by one major disaster with an uncaring seller.

FWIW, I would rather use ANY delivery company other than Fed Ex ground. Lately, they cannot get anything right. Latest example was a piece of fairly heavy equipment that, when it was shipped, was bolted to runners on the floor of a base-and-sides crate. When it arrived, the crate had been penetrated with a forklift tine. When we took the top off, the item rolled off the base onto the floor, upside down, with the runners still attached but torn loose from the base.

I've got even better stories than that in regard to Fed-Ex Ground... but I think I've already told the very best ones before!

Dougster

 

[Dougster]

Only complaint is my feet are getting sore from walking the roads picking cans and bottles to pay for the repairs!

Now that's the one thing I haven't done yet since my lay-off last year. As always Egon... you remain one step ahead of me!

Dougster

 

[Dougster]

I have had much better luck with the US post office and have even shipped tires via my local post office.

Now this is amazing. I did not know of (or ever even think about) the possibility of shipping tires via USPS. My luck with the USPS has definitely been much better than with UPS or Fed-Ex Ground... but still far from perfect... mainly because what's shipped via USPS has tended to be smaller and lighter probably.

My only concern about shipping tires via USPS would be how they would stuff them into my mailbox... but let me tell you: Based on past experience, they absolutely WOULD figure out a way to do so!

Dougster

 

[Dougster]

And so far, I've never had a problem or complaint with FedEx at all.

For me UPS destroys everything they touch. Even an anvil. FedEx AIR works great everytime...costs a little more but at least it arrives fast and in one piece.

In my experience, there is a WORLD of difference between Fed-Ex Air and Fed-Ex Ground. I respect the former... a loathe the latter.

Wouldn't it be nice if I could afford to have everything sent Fed-Ex Air! I'm going to start doing that right after I win the Powerball Lottery!

Dougster

 

[Dougster]

Hey, I'm thinking about it a lot after this day

Oh Lordy Curly!!! What on earth have you been up to???

You buy that magnificent new monster tractor... and already you are ready to sell???

It must be to move up to an even bigger one... right???

Dougster

p.s., My cash offer is still good... assuming, of course, that you haven't already managed to destroy that fine new beast! -d

 

[Dougster]

I suspect a lot of folks come out just fine doing that, but it's not something I'd do. {snip!} But I wanted to buy locally where they mount, balance, repair any flats, rotate them every 6k miles, and re-balance on request at any time.

The funny thing is that the cost of stems, mounting, balancing, disposal, etc... had gone up a lot in recent years. I had always bought car and truck tires locally as a package deal, so I never realized how the installation-related costs had sky-rocketed. The bottom line (which I didn't know then, but I certainly know now) is that it would have been cheaper to locate and buy these silly Falken tires locally than to have ordered them in and just had them mounted locally... PLUS I would have had meaningful local warranty coverage instead of a shady eBay vendor laughing at me from 600 miles away.

Dougster

 

[AndyM]

I know of companies now who insist that the consumers actually WANT the item to be less than perfect... it's just part of the price to pay for getting something at a low cost.

The employees are told that the consumers would rather buy something at a lower cost than have a quality product, so letting things go that the employees used to consider as unacceptable is now allowable because "the consumer probably won't notice" and "that's just the price they pay for buying something at this price point".

 

[bluetc30]

by the way 150 pound packages dont go down the belts and chutes thay are handled seperately

 

[TBDonnelly]

UPS and the US Postal service now have an agreement to 'crossover' packages. So.....it may be sent out UPS ground and show up on your doorstep carried by a US Postal worker.

If you don't like one or the other, you still may encounter both services.

Hmmmmmmm...I wonder which one you'd call for a damaged delivery?

Don