Consumer Maven

DHL Package Delivery

  The concepts of the logistics of consumer page delivery is an interesting service to me, since we are talking about moving extremely large quantities of shipments from vendors to customers as well as a quantity of customer returns back to the vendors, across the country and in some cases, across continents and oceans.  UPS has generally been a favorite of mine, although we've had some pretty sub-par drivers in our neighborhood, to the extent that I found it necessary to call their Franklin Park Operations center on more than one occasion.  Lately UPS service has been very, very good on a consistent basis.  This is good.  Our drivers deliver, they ring the bell if they leave a package, and usually if we are available to let them in, they bring the packages to our 2nd level location.

In a bit of irony, today the UPS driver did not ring our bell.  I've been waiting for a delivery, and I had a return delivery to give him.  There is a sign in the foyer stating we have an RS return.  So of all days, when I was about to say they have been giving us excellent service, we again have less than excellent service.  There used to be a policy of hand to hand (the package goes from their hand to the customer's hand).  Today, UPS has decided that dumping it in the foyer is good enough.  Now DHL is beginning to look very good again.

It used to be that Fed Ex was my second most favored package delivery carrier.  While they still provide good, reliable drop off service, our drivers from Fed Ex have all taken to the same pesky and irritating habit of not ringing the bell to let us know they have left a package.  During the hot summers, we've had perishables sit in 90 degree plus heat for the afternoon and overnight, available (since the foyer is ground level) to anyone walking by.  Surely if UPS drivers can ring the bell, FedEx drivers can also. 

The bain of most package delivery used to be DHL.  In the past when I'd find out a company shipped DHL, I'd roll my eyes and wish they had used UPS.  No more!  Lately, like UPS and unlike our FedEx drivers, DHL has consistently delivered and yes, rang our bell so we knew they were here.  Now here's the happy comparison.  Like their two big competitors, DHL provides online tracking.  UPS has always been great with offering this facilityty in an easy manner for the consumer.  DHL, however, offers both Email AND SMS notification.  If you are waiting for that package and can't rest easy until you know it's in your foyer or in your receiving room, but don't want to keep going to the carrier's website to entire an inquiry, DHL should be your choice.  I tested it when I needed to take care of laundry.  I heard my phone beep, looked at the display and there it was, my notification that my package was in the front foyer.  Now that is real time information that makes life easier!

UPS Quality of Service

I'm sitting in my office when I hear the UPS truck pull up.  We are, for the record, in 60625.  Up to two years ago, we had UPS service that was so good that I'd always request orders be shipped UPS.  No more.

During the time when we had a high level of service, it was the absolute best service imaginable.  Back then, our driver was this incredibly hard working man named Jesus.  We also had many hard working substitute drivers, including one named Lionel.  And then there was Curtis, who generally has provided us the opposite level of service, and I use the term 'service' loosely. 

This is a UPS driver who refuses to bring packages upstairs.  When we've asked him to bring them upstairs, he refuses.  He chooses to dump them in the foyer, which is unsecured.    Most of the time he doesn't even bother to ring the doorbell.  Notes requesting him to ring the bell, or to deliver heavy packages to the appropriate floors have been ignored.  The worst time was when this particular driver dropped a 50 pound case in the foyer and when we called to have it brought up, he refused. 

Requesting a delivery pick-up isn't much better -- this person has blown off pickups several times, and when we check on line there's some story about being unable to do the pick up request.  This excuse shows up despite someone being here WAITING for the delivery pickup.  Have we complained??? YES absolutely. 

December 2007 rolled through and we were cringing at the thought of more Curtis "deliveries" but for some odd and wonderful reason, the UPS Santa delivered Arnold to us for the holidays.  Arnold was another driver par excellence, and another hard worker, with impeccable manners and providing excellent delivery service. Unfortunately they took Arnold away from our route, and instead of our regular guy Sergio, all too often we are still stuck with lousy delivery service.  With inconsistent and usually lousy UPS service, it's hard not to want to call FedEx for package delivery service.

Our  experience with UPS in the last two years has been very inconsistent, from stellar to very poor.  Poor service in the package delivery service is not a service level to aspire to.