Turns out they double-billed me for the shipment, and I called their billing
center and got a thoughtful and courteous customer service rep who credited
back the overage immediately.  So, that's a positive about UPS (resulting
from a negative, of course.)

But they still haven't found my wheels...They said the label probably fell
off in Baltimore and they're sitting in a warehouse there where "all of the
non-labelled items go."

I asked if there was somebody rifling through the warehouse at this instant
looking for my precious wheels and tires, and the guy said, "uhm, probably
not..."

Joe T.

>From: Dave Vickery <davevickery@HOTMAIL.COM>
>Reply-To: Dave Vickery <davevickery@HOTMAIL.COM>
>To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
>Subject: Re: Fun with UPS--DON'T USE THEM.
>Date: Thu, 27 Apr 2006 19:08:26 +0000
>
>I use FedEx outgoing and have shipped wheels with tires that way unpacked.
>They helped me at the counter put them in clear plastic bags and stick a
>tag
>on them through the lug/center hole.  Much cheaper than UPS for retail
>customers.
>
>But everything I receive seems to come by UPS, which I assume is due to
>better commercial rates.  They leave all my packages in my unlocked van and
>then lock it afterwards.  Works awesome for me and the driver likes it too.
>
>
>>From: Bruce Nadig <motorbruce@HOTMAIL.COM>
>>Reply-To: Bruce Nadig <motorbruce@HOTMAIL.COM>
>>To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
>>Subject: Re: Fun with UPS--DON'T USE THEM.
>>Date: Thu, 27 Apr 2006 11:44:58 -0700
>>
>>I have to strongly agree wit Joe here.
>>
>>After my recent divorce I moved to Seattle, and I'm living with a friend
>>in
>>his house. He explained early on that UPS shipments would be problematic.
>>In
>>his/our case USPS would not leave a package if nobody was home. They would
>>leave packages for our next door neighbors if they weren't home. They
>>would
>>leave packages for the neighbor across the street if he wasn't home. Our
>>address, nope. Won't happen. They wouldn't even leave our packages at the
>>neighbors house.
>>
>>My buddy Eric explained that everything had been fine until December 2004
>>when he purchased some snowboard bindings on eBay. That package was left
>>at
>>the door, and somebody stole it. Eric filed an insurance claim with UPS in
>>the amount of $40, enough to cover the bindings. That is when UPS stopped
>>leaving packages here. Even if UPS left a note that they tried to deliver
>>a
>>package, and we signed it so that they would deliver the next day, UPS
>>would
>>not leave the package unless someone was home. We had been blacklisted.
>>
>>I moved in here in November 2005. I almost got screwed on a couple of
>>shipments. I had to drive all the way down to the UPS depot to get my
>>packages. That was very annoying. I started doing some research.
>>
>>You make it onto the UPS blacklist simply be filing an insurance claim for
>>a
>>package that has been left for you, but then gone missing (presumable
>>stolen). The dollar amount of the shipment makes no difference. Even if
>>additional insurance was purchased, it doesn't make any difference (I
>>believe that everything is insured for up to $100). File a claim and you
>>are
>>forever on the UPS blacklist.
>>
>>In my research I found that even if insurance had been purchased for the
>>package, if you file a claim you are forever on the blacklist. I say
>>"forever on the blacklist" because it truly is forever. There is
>>absolutely
>>no mechanism for review. Your address stays on that list forever. You are
>>branded as having an "unsafe address". Never mind that all of your
>>immediate
>>neighbors have perfectly safe addresses. One claim filed leaves you on the
>>blacklist forever.
>>
>>Now I am the persistent type. I won't just let things go. This was a
>>battle
>>I was willing to take on, and I did so with gusto. I spoke with countless
>>people in UPS. Yes, we had been blacklisted. There is no way to get off
>>the
>>blacklist. No procedure is in place to remove an address from the list.
>>One
>>insurance claim and you are on the list. Doesn't make a bit of difference
>>that the package was insured. Doesn't make a bit of difference that all of
>>your neighbors' houses are deemed "safe". One claim and you are forever
>>considered to be in a dangerous area.
>>
>>I battled this for a month. One UPS employee went so far as to tell me
>>that
>>I should have packages shipped to me by any carrier other than UPS (now
>>that
>>is a way to attract customers and grow your business). No amount of
>>explaining the purpose of insurance and how it works would change things.
>>Perhaps the most incredible thing was there once you are on the blacklist,
>>THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO REVIEW PROCESS TO GET YOUR ADDRESS REMOVED FROM THE
>>LIST!
>>
>>Finally, through tireless work, never ending phone calls and visits to my
>>UPS office, talking with drivers, etc. I did manage to get us off the
>>blacklist. It wasn't easy. I have spoken with a number of UPS employees
>>and
>>they are amazed that I was actually able to get off the list. They had
>>never
>>heard of that being done before.
>>
>>The small lesson in this story is to never file a claim with UPS. The big
>>lesson is to never use UPS. The drivers are friendly, for sure (or at
>>least
>>the ones I have worked with are). It is the incredible, illogical
>>bureaucracy that should be avoided.
>>
>>I urge all of you to take your business to companies that believe in
>>customer service.
>>
>>My 2�.
>>
>>Cheers,
>>Bruce
>>motorbruce
>>motorbruce@hotmail.com
>>
>>>From: joe trussell <vanagongl@HOTMAIL.COM>
>>>Reply-To: joe trussell <vanagongl@HOTMAIL.COM>
>>>To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
>>>Subject: Fun with UPS--DON'T USE THEM.
>>>Date: Thu, 27 Apr 2006 17:34:42 +0000
>>>
>>>Hi Folks,
>>>
>>>Thought I'd issue a consumer alert:
>>>
>>>Bought a set of refinished Vanagon alloys with Michelin MXT Tires in
>>>excellent condition from a guy in Virginia.
>>>
>>>Called UPS--They said we'll pick them up.  I asked if banding the
>>>wheels/tires together would be good for shipping?  Yes, that's no
>>>problem.
>>>Total will be $225.  Sounds good.  UPS said "we'll pick them up Monday."
>>>
>>>Monday, no pick up.  Tuesday, no pick up but a note on the guy's door
>>>that
>>>they came and didn't find them.  Even though I'd given instructions that
>>>they were behind his gate.  Called UPS.  "we have no record of this
>>>shipment."
>>>
>>>"THEN HOW DID YOU LEAVE A NOTE ON HIS DOOR?"
>>>
>>>"oh, yes, sorry, I see that.  We'll get them tomorrow."
>>>
>>>"It's okay that they're banded together?"
>>>
>>>"that's perfect."
>>>
>>>They came on Wednesday and picked up the wheels.  The guy who sold them
>>>to
>>>me emailed to say that all of his banding material was left in a pile on
>>>the
>>>front doorstep.
>>>
>>>Wheels are in transit.  I check my account.  THEY CHARGED ME $450.
>>>Apparently banding is not acceptable.  Thing is, the guy sent me a
>>>pic--they
>>>were banded tight and perfectly.
>>>
>>>Yesterday, the wheels got here.  Well, some of them  THREE OF FIVE, to be
>>>exact.
>>>
>>>Called UPS.  Even though there's a tracking number for the other two,
>>>they
>>>DON'T KNOW WHERE THEY ARE.  Lost 'em.
>>>
>>>They said they'd be back in touch with me WITHIN EIGHT DAYS to let me
>>>know
>>>what they found out.
>>>
>>>The moral, so far anyway?  DON'T USE UPS.  THEY SUCK.
>>>
>>>What can Brown do for you?  Overcharge you and lose your cargo,
>>>apparently.
>>>
>>>I hope this doesn't count as vendor bashing.  If a UPS board member is on
>>>this list, I sincerely apologize for not handling this issue off-list...
>>>
>>>In other news, my Vanagon is fast and has three beautiful alloys on it.
>>>
>>>Regards,
>>>Joe T.
>>>Denver, CO
>>>
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