UPS is a long established business that probably does a fair job overall, however, that has not been my experience in Lake City, Florida. The local UPS Customer Center, 143 NE Armor Gln, Lake City, FL 32055, has terrible service! Their local phone number is 386-719-9829. If you have problems, call that number.
Delivery times are very erratic, so one can never count on any reasonable hours in which to expect delivery. Even the cable company will give you a "four-hour" service window. Over the last 35 plus years, I have had delivery times from 9:00 AM to 8:30 PM! And I run a business with a large outdoor sign and posted hours. I expect delivery between 9 and 5...regular business hours. I have worked with center managers who have said they will take care of the delivery problem. Well, it's never happened expect for one occasion, for about a month! Then, the manager got transferred (possibly fired), and that went out the window. They seemed to get a new manager monthly, so maybe Lake City is training ground for new managers.
Part of the problem seems to be because my business is located at the edge of a residential section, although I am on a main highway, little more than a mile from the center. I have been told in the past, that delivery times can be arranged for my business hours, and several UPS trucks run past my location, including many other business locations within seven-tenths of a mile from me. UPS has long stated they will deliver to businesses during open hours, and mine are totally reasonable. In my case, it has been mostly ignored during all these years!
There are many other problems with UPS and their package handling. Firstly, packaging encounters much rough handling during their transit. Handlers commonly toss and THROW packages from trucks to conveyors. They generally have a secondary "roller" conveyor from the truck to the main powered conveyor. Do they always use the roller conveyor? Hell no! They skip that one, and throw YOUR packages directly to the powered conveyor! It's no wonder many packages arrive crimped and punched open. If this sounds like I'm "venting", it's because I am...with good reason.
Let me tell you about some handling and delivery experiences I've had with UPS over all these years. I've had computer monitors (the CRT styles) arrive with BROKEN yokes! I've received many boxes with major crimps, bends, and breaks into the inner packing. Most items inside survived, fortunately. I've also received some electronic equipment with scuffs or slight dents in metal cabinets. I had one thousand-dollar Satellite receiver that had been "speared" in the side, actually cutting a large hole into the cabinet, and breaking into the circuitry. It looked as if a forklift prong had punched through the box. That unit was trashed! Their claims service "sort of" handled the claim to replace the unit, but I still lost a couple hundred dollars on that deal, plus much lost time.
I have received expensive merchandise on the doorstep, when I was away on outside jobs. I had previously informed drivers not to leave valuable packages without a signature. I DID NOT want driver released packages without my permission. I don't think anything was ever lost or stolen by this procedure, but I don't know for certain.
The local center is only open from 3:30-6:00 PM for outgoing deliveries. What a hassle! If you don't pay for and have regular pickups, it's a real problem for incoming and outgoing deliveries for a small business. That's the main reason I use the good old reliable Post Office for most of my package services. They can be counted on to reliably deliver and pickup packages and mailing, in most cases. Their delivery times are usually within an hour, and most often within a half-hour! If I was rating them here, they would receive nearly a FIVE-STAR rating. I would give UPS three-stars if they even did a half-a__ job with handling and delivery times.
If you have problems with UPS, call the center manager at 386-719-9829. If the center does not properly handle your concerns, then use this information from their corporate offices in Atlanta.
UPS Corporate Headquarters
55 Glendale Pkwy NE
Atlanta, GA 30328
Phone: 404-828-6000
Go through the voice mail system and enter Option 3 for Customer Relations Department. A corporate manager will contact the local center, and assist with the problem. I wish you good luck.
Sincerely, Bill read more