Packages By The Door – Griping About UPS and USPS

I’m really annoyed with two out of our three primary delivery services when it comes to packages. This is up from the one delivery service I’ve had a problem with since moving to New Mexico. Back then, I had more options, but absent Airborne Express, DHL, and some niche carriers, I’m now left with the big three: FedEx (Federal Express), UPS (United Parcel Service), and the USPS (United States Postal Service). The two carriers that don’t happen to have FedEx as their name irk me more often than not.

My biggest beef has been with UPS. In the nearly 20 years since I’ve been back in the Land of Enchantment, the one carrier I’ve most often tried to avoid has been the one with the big brown trucks. First…they are slow. Packages take longer to get here than via the other deliverers—which is annoying enough. What usually scuttles my barge is the fact that our deliveries are rarely before 7pm. Seven-freakin’-pm. It doesn’t matter if tracking indicates that the package has been in town for three days, they’ll wait until that last approximate delivery day and then wait until toward the end of the delivery run to drop it off. Aargh!

I wouldn’t mind so much if I was out in some out-of-town new development, or my neighborhood was in a “war zone” or something like that. But I live in a fairly centrally located area that is well-kempt. And yet, despite this lovely location, I’m the at the tail-end of most deliveries. It’s not like there aren’t business around that don’t also take UPS packages, so we should only be a slight detour. But noooooo.

But wait, there’s more. Our UPS guys leave our packages by the door. Don’t get me wrong, if we aren’t there to sign for them, I’d just as soon they leave the boxes in some out of the way place instead of putting a note on the door knob saying that I have to go to some UPS center to pick up the parcels (I hate doing that). So, despite the fact that we have some lovely bushes as well as a wall extension that would shield the delivery from easy view of the street, they leave it by the door.

What really chinks my armor is how they do it. You would think that they would ring the bell and wait for someone to answer the door and sign for the delivery. For years they would ring the bell and, instead of waiting, run for their truck. Seriously. They’d ring the bell and run like they were dropping off a bag of flaming dog-poop. The worst part was if the package was damaged, I couldn’t have a note of that made. Nope, they just leave it no matter the condition (or weather).

Lately, though, they don’t even ring the bell. Wait, let me say that a little clearer: THEY DON’T EVEN FREAKIN’ RING THE BELL! There have been several times when packages have been left outside in weather they shouldn’t have been left outside in simply because no one knew they’d been delivered (during those rare times when packages get delivered before 7pm). It’s not like someone isn’t usually home to hear a ring when it comes, but it is no longer coming. Just two days ago, I heard the truck pull up outside. The sun had set and our lights were on. I mentioned to those in the kitchen that I was going to see if the UPS guy would ring the bell since it was obvious we were home. We waited. And waited. And then we heard the truck door close. I opened the front door…there was the package, and the UPS truck was nowhere to be seen.

So…now the USPS guys seem to be joining in on the fun. Never mind that we are the penultimate street on the current route. This means we don’t usually see our mail delivered until sometime between 3:30pm-7:30pm. Despite the niceness of the neighborhood, we do live behind a high school and sometimes there’s a bit of a mail-theft problem. It’s very infrequent, but enough of a hassle when it happens that we no longer leave out-going mail in the box.

Since moving here, the practice has been that if the mail won’t fit in the box for some reason, the mail carrier will come to the door, ring the bell, and hand-deliver the mail to us. Lately, though, our current mail carrier has adopted a more UPS-styled approach. He will leave the too-large stuff at the door (without ringing the bell) and place the rest of the mail in the box. Since I often check the mail after parking in the garage or driveway, if there is stuff in the box I’m not in the habit of going out of my way to check the front door if I’m not expecting a UPS or FedEx delivery. As a result, packages have been left sitting overnight out in the open. This does not make me at all happy.

The one carrier that doesn’t disappoint me is FedEx. They come during the day. They ring the bell. If the package can be left, they make sure it’s hidden (and dry). When something needs signing for, they wait. If they have to, they will leave a note saying they will try again. And…they tend to be less expensive, to boot. I know others complain about this company, but for my location, I have nothing but praise (so far).

I know times are getting a little harder economically. I hear some of the ass…inine things that happen at the USPS. Still, these are commercial transactions these carriers are taking part in. They don’t know if the content of a package are some $0.15 plastic cap or a $5,000 piece of electronics. I would hope that they would assume the later, but sadly two out of the three carriers we…no, I…depend on are dropping the ball. Considering that their rates are hardly cheap, I’d hope that they’d do better. Honestly, I’d stick to FedEx most of the time if merchants would cooperate more. Too many have (seemingly) exclusive arrangements with UPS, which leaves me little choice but to keep an ear out for the closing of a truck door sometime after 7pm to tell me that my long-awaited purchase has arrived.