The Weird Wacky world of package shipping

only_human · 2008-06-26, 09:32

Everyone has a story or two of misdirected packages or some other kind of shipping hell. Tell us your stories

It once took me a week to receive a next day package that went to several wrong states.
I was briefly a used-book reseller on Amazon and may be able to recall a story or two to pitch into this thread if it shows signs of life.

I'm prompted to start this thread because I have a success story (I think) involving monitoring the tracking info of a package that I am expecting. Later today I will know if I succeeded and will respond in this thread:

My Orders Order date: May 28, 2008
1 of : Obama '08 Ash Embroidered Hooded Sweatshirt - Large $35.00 Shipped

I've been waiting for this for a while and check the tracking data occasionally. I live in Redondo Beach, California and on Monday I learned that my package had been delivered to an office in Berkeley, California.

Code:

Message from Ross xxxxx:
This package was just delivered to the wrong address in the current hour.
Please get it back. THE DELIVERY ADDRESS IS REDONDO BCH, CA. NOT BERKELEY!

Tracking Detail
Your package has been delivered.
Tracking Number: 	1Z 394 99W 03 7072 914 1
Type:	Package	 
Status:	Delivered	 
Delivered On:	06/23/2008 11:13 A.M.	 
Signed By:	MILLER	 
Location:	OFFICE	 
Delivered To:	BERKELEY,CA,US,	 
Shipped/Billed On:	06/20/2008	 
Reference Number(s):	265540/BJM, C	 
Service:	GROUND	 
Weight:	1.60 Lbs	 

Package Progress
Location	Date	Local Time	 	Description
SAN PABLO,
CA, US
	06/23/2008	 11:13 A.M.	 	DELIVERY
	06/23/2008	 5:33 A.M.	 	OUT FOR DELIVERY
MAUMEE,
OH, US
	06/23/2008	 7:29 A.M.	 	DEPARTURE SCAN
MAUMEE,
OH, US
	06/21/2008	 2:12 A.M.	 	ARRIVAL SCAN
COLUMBUS,
OH, US
	06/20/2008	 11:49 P.M.	 	DEPARTURE SCAN
	06/20/2008	 10:19 P.M.	 	ARRIVAL SCAN
PIQUA,
OH, US
	06/20/2008	 8:30 P.M.	 	DEPARTURE SCAN
	06/20/2008	 5:44 P.M.	 	ORIGIN SCAN
US
	06/20/2008	 5:33 P.M.	 	BILLING INFORMATION RECEIVED

Tracking results provided by UPS: 06/23/2008 3:01 P.M. ET

Coincidentally, I looked up the tracking within only minutes after the delivery had been logged-in at Berkeley. As you can see, it still shows that as the final destination but I think I got it all sorted. I spent about an hour looking for a way to send them an email directly correlated with this shipment because I wanted the driver to go back and get the package. I was stymied a bit because they want to get messages after a package has been late a day or more.

Basically to get the message from me directly correlated with the shipment, I went into a Quantum View business service portion of UPS. I don't have an account there but was able to send an email about my package. I received this email in reply:

Code:

Important Delivery Information

Scheduled Delivery:	   	26-June-2008

Shipment Detail

Ship To:

REDONDO BEACH
CA
US

UPS Service:	   	GROUND
Weight:	  	1.6 LBS.
 
Tracking Number:	  	1Z39499W0370729141
Quantum View Request Number: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

So today, I learn if I straightened it all out before someone walked home with my jacket

Wacky · 2008-06-26, 11:07

Respondent disavows any association with said shipping incident and demands that you discontinue the use of his name in conjunction thereof.

Perhaps it was recognized that there is no possibility that a self-respecting resident of Redondo Beach would be associated with such content. The package must have been intended for someone in that "liberal" bastion, Berkley. :)

only_human · 2008-06-26, 11:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wacky

Respondent disavows any association with said shipping incident and demands that you discontinue the use of his name in conjunction thereof.

Perhaps it was recognized that there is no possibility that a self-respecting resident of Redondo Beach would be associated with such content. The package must have been intended for someone in that "liberal" bastion, Berkley. :)

Perhaps it is the beginning of the next Berkeley movement: All Your Liberal Packages Are Belong To Us!

Flatlander · 2008-06-26, 11:45

I once had a new computer case delivered. They need not have bothered with the shipping label, it would have got here with just the writing on the side:
"A Genuine Screwless Case"

Uncwilly · 2008-06-26, 21:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by only_human

Everyone has a story or two of misdirected packages or some other kind of shipping hell. Tell us your stories

As much as people complain about UPS, it is better than FedUp, DidHe.getLost, RongPackageSystem, and the others. I had a case where DHL delayed an overnight biological sample (in a cooler with 'blue ice') for a day. Another one, FedEx unable to find a street that is on the map (this was the second attempt), I had to travel ~50km to get to their hub to pick up the item (it was supposed to be a next day item) and wasted ~3 hours.

only_human · 2008-06-27, 00:36

5:30 P.M. and no package...

I was so proud of myself for recovering the misdirected package too.
Tomorrow I will follow ordinary procedure and inform them of the missing package. On Monday the 23rd, I went "outside of the box" to get a message to them about the package while the issue was hot. The consequences of that are that the entire final dogleg of the package journey from Berkeley to Redondo Beach are not in the tracking info itinerary; all I have to rely on is an email they sent me saying it would be here today the 26th. Because of that email, I didn't have any further reasonable action to take until this date too passed.

update: Deeper delving into the UPS site tells me that the package is still not lost, only late.

Code:

UPS Tracking Detail
 Package Information 	Download Results Printer Friendly (PDF)
Tracking Number 	1Z39499W0370729141
Status 	LOCATION SCAN 	Latest Status Date 	26-JUN-2008  16:00:00
Signed By 		Location 	
Deliver To 	xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
	REDONDO BEACH, CA, US  90278
Service Type 	GROUND


Package Progress
Date 	Time 	Location 	Activity
26-JUN-2008 	16:00:00 	VERNON, CA, US 	LOCATION SCAN
23-JUN-2008 	11:13:00 	BERKELEY, CA, US 	DELIVERED
23-JUN-2008 	05:33:00 	SAN PABLO, CA, US 	OUT FOR DELIVERY
23-JUN-2008 	07:29:00 	MAUMEE, OH, US 	DEPARTURE SCAN
21-JUN-2008 	02:12:00 	MAUMEE, OH, US 	ARRIVAL SCAN
20-JUN-2008 	23:49:00 	COLUMBUS, OH, US 	DEPARTURE SCAN
20-JUN-2008 	22:19:00 	COLUMBUS, OH, US 	ARRIVAL SCAN
20-JUN-2008 	20:30:00 	PIQUA, OH, US 	DEPARTURE SCAN
20-JUN-2008 	17:44:00 	PIQUA, OH, US 	ORIGIN SCAN
20-JUN-2008 	17:33:20 	US 	BILLING INFORMATION RECEIVED

And I was getting all ready to attack the Cargo Cult Berkeleyites for gleaning my package of Liberal Trappings from among the chaff that passes through their eco-friendly Potemkin Offices

potonono · 2008-06-27, 01:01

It happened to be a cold valentines day and I had ordered a baby rose bush with a box of chocolates for my wife. The local delivery carrier had apparently placed the boxed items over the truck's main heater and a dead rosebush and box of melted chocolates were delivered.

Needless to say, not just valentines day turned out to be cold.

only_human · 2008-06-27, 01:47

Quote:

Originally Posted by potonono

It happened to be a cold valentines day and I had ordered a baby rose bush with a box of chocolates for my wife. The local delivery carrier had apparently placed the boxed items over the truck's main heater and a dead rosebush and box of melted chocolates were delivered.

Needless to say, not just valentines day turned out to be cold.

That is truly sad and of almost Hollywood romantic farce proportions. Hard to make lemonade from those lemons.

only_human · 2008-06-27, 14:23

Code:

GARDENA,
CA,  US 	06/27/2008 	5:54 A.M. 	OUT FOR DELIVERY
GARDENA,
CA,  US 	06/26/2008 	10:41 P.M. 	ARRIVAL SCAN
VERNON,
CA,  US 	06/26/2008 	10:10 P.M. 	DEPARTURE SCAN
SAN PABLO,
CA,  US 	06/23/2008 	11:13 A.M. 	DELIVERY
	06/23/2008 	5:33 A.M. 	OUT FOR DELIVERY

A bit melodramatic perhaps, but following this package is well within the Weird Wacky* World of Package Shipping.

* All association with superior forum contributors of similar name, handle, or related nomenclature is incidental and no additional relationship expressed or inferred is intended. Not available in any store. Your mileage may vary.

Wacky · 2008-06-27, 16:02

Quote:

Originally Posted by only_human

Weird Wacky* World

Thanks for the footnote disclaimer.

Your title reminds me of a time when I worked for Tracor (which became a part of BAE Systems) in Austin, Texas.

One of my associates was a gentleman whose name was Carl Strange.
We were working on a project called "WIERD".

R.D. Silverman · 2008-06-27, 16:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wacky

Thanks for the footnote disclaimer.

Your title reminds me of a time when I worked for Tracor (which became a part of BAE Systems) in Austin, Texas.

One of my associates was a gentleman whose name was Carl Strange.
We were working on a project called "WIERD".

When I was an undergrad our dorm (Currier House) received a package
addressed to Professor Lehman Hall, in c/o our dormitory.

There was no Professor Lehman Hall. Lehman Hall was a building.
It contained a cafeteria, study carels, etc. and was the main domecile
for students who lived off-campus [of which there were very few].

Also, IIRC, Lehman Hall was also the name of a West-Point/Army
halfback. When we played Army there were quite a few jokes made
about this.

2008-06-26, 09:32	#1
only_human "Gang aft agley" Sep 2002 2×1,877 Posts	The Weird Wacky world of package shipping Everyone has a story or two of misdirected packages or some other kind of shipping hell. Tell us your stories It once took me a week to receive a next day package that went to several wrong states. I was briefly a used-book reseller on Amazon and may be able to recall a story or two to pitch into this thread if it shows signs of life. I'm prompted to start this thread because I have a success story (I think) involving monitoring the tracking info of a package that I am expecting. Later today I will know if I succeeded and will respond in this thread: My Orders Order date: May 28, 2008 1 of : Obama '08 Ash Embroidered Hooded Sweatshirt - Large $35.00 Shipped I've been waiting for this for a while and check the tracking data occasionally. I live in Redondo Beach, California and on Monday I learned that my package had been delivered to an office in Berkeley, California. Code: Message from Ross xxxxx: This package was just delivered to the wrong address in the current hour. Please get it back. THE DELIVERY ADDRESS IS REDONDO BCH, CA. NOT BERKELEY! Tracking Detail Your package has been delivered. Tracking Number: 1Z 394 99W 03 7072 914 1 Type: Package Status: Delivered Delivered On: 06/23/2008 11:13 A.M. Signed By: MILLER Location: OFFICE Delivered To: BERKELEY,CA,US, Shipped/Billed On: 06/20/2008 Reference Number(s): 265540/BJM, C Service: GROUND Weight: 1.60 Lbs Package Progress Location Date Local Time Description SAN PABLO, CA, US 06/23/2008 11:13 A.M. DELIVERY 06/23/2008 5:33 A.M. OUT FOR DELIVERY MAUMEE, OH, US 06/23/2008 7:29 A.M. DEPARTURE SCAN MAUMEE, OH, US 06/21/2008 2:12 A.M. ARRIVAL SCAN COLUMBUS, OH, US 06/20/2008 11:49 P.M. DEPARTURE SCAN 06/20/2008 10:19 P.M. ARRIVAL SCAN PIQUA, OH, US 06/20/2008 8:30 P.M. DEPARTURE SCAN 06/20/2008 5:44 P.M. ORIGIN SCAN US 06/20/2008 5:33 P.M. BILLING INFORMATION RECEIVED Tracking results provided by UPS: 06/23/2008 3:01 P.M. ET Coincidentally, I looked up the tracking within only minutes after the delivery had been logged-in at Berkeley. As you can see, it still shows that as the final destination but I think I got it all sorted. I spent about an hour looking for a way to send them an email directly correlated with this shipment because I wanted the driver to go back and get the package. I was stymied a bit because they want to get messages after a package has been late a day or more. Basically to get the message from me directly correlated with the shipment, I went into a Quantum View business service portion of UPS. I don't have an account there but was able to send an email about my package. I received this email in reply: Code: Important Delivery Information Scheduled Delivery: 26-June-2008 Shipment Detail Ship To: REDONDO BEACH CA US UPS Service: GROUND Weight: 1.6 LBS. Tracking Number: 1Z39499W0370729141 Quantum View Request Number: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx So today, I learn if I straightened it all out before someone walked home with my jacket Last fiddled with by only_human on 2008-06-26 at 09:43

2008-06-26, 11:45	#4
Flatlander I quite division it "Chris" Feb 2005 England 2077₁₀ Posts	Something that I found amusing I once had a new computer case delivered. They need not have bothered with the shipping label, it would have got here with just the writing on the side: "A Genuine Screwless Case"

2008-06-27, 00:36	#6
only_human "Gang aft agley" Sep 2002 2×1,877 Posts	5:30 P.M. and no package... I was so proud of myself for recovering the misdirected package too. Tomorrow I will follow ordinary procedure and inform them of the missing package. On Monday the 23rd, I went "outside of the box" to get a message to them about the package while the issue was hot. The consequences of that are that the entire final dogleg of the package journey from Berkeley to Redondo Beach are not in the tracking info itinerary; all I have to rely on is an email they sent me saying it would be here today the 26th. Because of that email, I didn't have any further reasonable action to take until this date too passed. update: Deeper delving into the UPS site tells me that the package is still not lost, only late. Code: UPS Tracking Detail Package Information Download Results Printer Friendly (PDF) Tracking Number 1Z39499W0370729141 Status LOCATION SCAN Latest Status Date 26-JUN-2008 16:00:00 Signed By Location Deliver To xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx REDONDO BEACH, CA, US 90278 Service Type GROUND Package Progress Date Time Location Activity 26-JUN-2008 16:00:00 VERNON, CA, US LOCATION SCAN 23-JUN-2008 11:13:00 BERKELEY, CA, US DELIVERED 23-JUN-2008 05:33:00 SAN PABLO, CA, US OUT FOR DELIVERY 23-JUN-2008 07:29:00 MAUMEE, OH, US DEPARTURE SCAN 21-JUN-2008 02:12:00 MAUMEE, OH, US ARRIVAL SCAN 20-JUN-2008 23:49:00 COLUMBUS, OH, US DEPARTURE SCAN 20-JUN-2008 22:19:00 COLUMBUS, OH, US ARRIVAL SCAN 20-JUN-2008 20:30:00 PIQUA, OH, US DEPARTURE SCAN 20-JUN-2008 17:44:00 PIQUA, OH, US ORIGIN SCAN 20-JUN-2008 17:33:20 US BILLING INFORMATION RECEIVED And I was getting all ready to attack the Cargo Cult Berkeleyites for gleaning my package of Liberal Trappings from among the chaff that passes through their eco-friendly Potemkin Offices Last fiddled with by only_human on 2008-06-27 at 01:34 Reason: new info

2008-06-27, 14:23	#9
only_human "Gang aft agley" Sep 2002 3754₁₀ Posts	The package is almost here Code: GARDENA, CA, US 06/27/2008 5:54 A.M. OUT FOR DELIVERY GARDENA, CA, US 06/26/2008 10:41 P.M. ARRIVAL SCAN VERNON, CA, US 06/26/2008 10:10 P.M. DEPARTURE SCAN SAN PABLO, CA, US 06/23/2008 11:13 A.M. DELIVERY 06/23/2008 5:33 A.M. OUT FOR DELIVERY A bit melodramatic perhaps, but following this package is well within the Weird Wacky* World of Package Shipping. * All association with superior forum contributors of similar name, handle, or related nomenclature is incidental and no additional relationship expressed or inferred is intended. Not available in any store. Your mileage may vary. Last fiddled with by only_human on 2008-06-27 at 14:24

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2008-06-26, 11:07	#2
Wacky Jun 2003 The Texas Hill Country 3²·11² Posts	Respondent disavows any association with said shipping incident and demands that you discontinue the use of his name in conjunction thereof. Perhaps it was recognized that there is no possibility that a self-respecting resident of Redondo Beach would be associated with such content. The package must have been intended for someone in that "liberal" bastion, Berkley. :)

2008-06-27, 01:01	#7
potonono Jun 2005 USA, IL 193 Posts	It happened to be a cold valentines day and I had ordered a baby rose bush with a box of chocolates for my wife. The local delivery carrier had apparently placed the boxed items over the truck's main heater and a dead rosebush and box of melted chocolates were delivered. Needless to say, not just valentines day turned out to be cold.