UPS strikes again

I found this on an Audio company's website:

We at ( company name) refuse to initiate any shipments with UPS for our business or privately.

It is our experience that UPS employees are brutal, careless and negligent in their handling of packages,
and they are apparently not held accountable for their actions. Drivers have been unhelpful and unwilling
to even document damage found at the time of delivery.

Claims procedure at UPS is aggravating and time consuming, with conflicting, little or no information or cooperation given, and never in a timely manner. Their inspectors and adjusters seek only to find ways of relieving UPS of responsibility for their bad service.

Our research on the Internet has revealed huge numbers of complaints about UPS, so our experience would
appear to ordinary, not extra-ordinary.

Therefore, if a customer insists on UPS as a shipper, the customer will be responsible for arranging pick-up,
insurance and type of service. We will take NO responsibility, except to assure the shipper during the almost inevitable Claim process (also the responsibility of the customer) that the unit was in good condition and packed well before shipping.

Yesterday I tried to ship a package at a UPS store. The web quote for shipping was $21. The 800 number quote was around $22. But the price at UPS store in Los Altos, Califonria, was $47. Turns out that UPS store charges $2.50 per $100 of insurance, whereas the UPS regular drop off locations or pickup charge $0.40 per $100 of insurance. OUCH. I ended up using Federal Express for the same $47.

Is my memory faulty, or, when UPS purchased Mail Box Etc., and renamed it "UPS Store", did they not advertise "same low rates as UPS"???

Art

Art, you can get rates better than The UPS Store by creating your UPS shipment online and scheduling a pick-up. The pick-up costs a tad more, but it's still substantially less than going through the UPS Store. Also, you can create your UPS shipment online, pay for it online and print a shipping label...all at the standard UPS rates, and then just drop the package off at The UPS Store.

Thanks Tvad, this sounds like a great approach. As you would surmise, the manager of the store did not suggest this option!
Art

"Also, you can create your UPS shipment online, pay for it online and print a shipping label...all at the standard UPS rates, and then just drop the package off at The UPS Store."

You can do the same thing w/Fedex Ground on the net (if you have a Fedex "ground enabled" account" and drop it off at any Kinkos. Fedex Ground about 25% cheaper than UPS and sometimes a day faster. Be careful, though, they tried to charge me for weekly pick-up. Cheerfuly credited my account, but I never asked for pick-up and never used it.