Folks:
I ship and receive a number of guns in my business. I formerly used UPS. I repeat formerly used UPS. I formerly thought UPS was a well run and reputable company. I have since learned different. They say one thing and do another.
Last May a customer sent me an action for truing and timing. I trued and timed it and sent it back to him.
The UPS package and tracking information stated the box was a 6 X 6 X 12 inch box weighing 3.12 pounds. Actual shipping was based on 3.5 pounds.
I removed about .010 from the front to the receiver, lapped the lugs, recut the helical on the cocking piece ramp in the bolt body, tapped the cocking piece and inserted a .250 X 28tpi X .125 set screw. I turned a shoulder on the Main spring screw. This weight should be offsetting or neglegable.
I packaged the same action, with the same insulation and added a invoice and business card, and replaced the old address label with a new address lable back to the sender.
I took the box back to the UPS center. The agent entered the package into their computer system. Then asked for $18.00 and change for the shipping,ground). I wrote her a business check. The she said this is a firearm and can not be sent by an individual to a residence. I explained to her I was a FFL.
She still insisted that I could not send it to a residence. I asked for a supervisor. When I told the supervisor I was a Licensed FFL she told the clerk to ship my package as instructed by me. The clerk then told me the package had to be shipped Next day at a higher expense of $69.00.
I had been in line for 45 minutes at this point and the line of customers went out the door. I was on my lunch hour and in a hurry. I paid the fee and left. After returning to my office I found that the box had grown to 12 X 12 X 7 inches and gained weight to 6. pounds. This is the same box and contents as previously weighed by UPS. I had the shipping label information from the sender, and the first weigh in by the UPS clerk and the second weigh in by the same clerk.
Upon returning to my office I looked up UPS Tarriffs and policies. Only hand guns must be sent Next Day. I then spent hours calling and personally returning to the UPS center managers office. They said they would give me a refund for the over charge. The shipping date was in early May. It took until mid July to see the UPS terminal manager. It was in July when they acknowledged over charging me. I have yet to receive a refund. I have called the managers twice and both times they said they would be making me a refund. In september I have still not received a refund. I sent a Certified Restricted Delivery Return Receipt Demand Letter to their CEO in the National Office in Atlanta. I have received the return receipt several weeks ago but no response from UPS. I am considering filing a small claims action against UPS and maybe a class action suit.
Not only does UPS ignore complaints, they don't follow through with their promises when they acknolowge there is a problem on their end. They want even reply to a certified Mail Restricted Delivery Demand Letter.
It only cost $40.00 to file a small claims action. I figure If I send a subpoena Duces Tecum,another $4.00) for the billing information, it will cost them at least $100.00 worth of staff time. I subpoena the two clerks from the counter, their supervisor, two Terminal managers and the CEO to court it will cost UPS another couple of hundreds of dollars in lost productivity and wages, not including if they get their corporate counsel to hire outside counsel for their defense. It has become a matter of principle now.
Have any of you experienced a simular situation, maybe this should become a class action. I wonder if this a reccurring problem at UPS, an intentional fraud scheme or just poor management.
I now use USPS for all my shipping and recomend them to my customers. They have been very professional, I always use the replacment value insurance, restricted delivery that comes with tracking and delivery confirmation.
Paul,,moderator) you are a lawyer chime in. I know you are going to say I am letting emotions override good sense,what good sense).
Rustystud, a/k/a Nathaniel G. Lambeth, Sr. Custom Guns and Ammunition
I ship and receive a number of guns in my business. I formerly used UPS. I repeat formerly used UPS. I formerly thought UPS was a well run and reputable company. I have since learned different. They say one thing and do another.
Last May a customer sent me an action for truing and timing. I trued and timed it and sent it back to him.
The UPS package and tracking information stated the box was a 6 X 6 X 12 inch box weighing 3.12 pounds. Actual shipping was based on 3.5 pounds.
I removed about .010 from the front to the receiver, lapped the lugs, recut the helical on the cocking piece ramp in the bolt body, tapped the cocking piece and inserted a .250 X 28tpi X .125 set screw. I turned a shoulder on the Main spring screw. This weight should be offsetting or neglegable.
I packaged the same action, with the same insulation and added a invoice and business card, and replaced the old address label with a new address lable back to the sender.
I took the box back to the UPS center. The agent entered the package into their computer system. Then asked for $18.00 and change for the shipping,ground). I wrote her a business check. The she said this is a firearm and can not be sent by an individual to a residence. I explained to her I was a FFL.
She still insisted that I could not send it to a residence. I asked for a supervisor. When I told the supervisor I was a Licensed FFL she told the clerk to ship my package as instructed by me. The clerk then told me the package had to be shipped Next day at a higher expense of $69.00.
I had been in line for 45 minutes at this point and the line of customers went out the door. I was on my lunch hour and in a hurry. I paid the fee and left. After returning to my office I found that the box had grown to 12 X 12 X 7 inches and gained weight to 6. pounds. This is the same box and contents as previously weighed by UPS. I had the shipping label information from the sender, and the first weigh in by the UPS clerk and the second weigh in by the same clerk.
Upon returning to my office I looked up UPS Tarriffs and policies. Only hand guns must be sent Next Day. I then spent hours calling and personally returning to the UPS center managers office. They said they would give me a refund for the over charge. The shipping date was in early May. It took until mid July to see the UPS terminal manager. It was in July when they acknowledged over charging me. I have yet to receive a refund. I have called the managers twice and both times they said they would be making me a refund. In september I have still not received a refund. I sent a Certified Restricted Delivery Return Receipt Demand Letter to their CEO in the National Office in Atlanta. I have received the return receipt several weeks ago but no response from UPS. I am considering filing a small claims action against UPS and maybe a class action suit.
Not only does UPS ignore complaints, they don't follow through with their promises when they acknolowge there is a problem on their end. They want even reply to a certified Mail Restricted Delivery Demand Letter.
It only cost $40.00 to file a small claims action. I figure If I send a subpoena Duces Tecum,another $4.00) for the billing information, it will cost them at least $100.00 worth of staff time. I subpoena the two clerks from the counter, their supervisor, two Terminal managers and the CEO to court it will cost UPS another couple of hundreds of dollars in lost productivity and wages, not including if they get their corporate counsel to hire outside counsel for their defense. It has become a matter of principle now.
Have any of you experienced a simular situation, maybe this should become a class action. I wonder if this a reccurring problem at UPS, an intentional fraud scheme or just poor management.
I now use USPS for all my shipping and recomend them to my customers. They have been very professional, I always use the replacment value insurance, restricted delivery that comes with tracking and delivery confirmation.
Paul,,moderator) you are a lawyer chime in. I know you are going to say I am letting emotions override good sense,what good sense).
Rustystud, a/k/a Nathaniel G. Lambeth, Sr. Custom Guns and Ammunition
. Also, if you are shipping and declaring it a long gun...it is best to go to the ATF web page and print shipping policy. The best way to ship is as mentioned: machined parts...which is not a lie.
At this point it's 4 weeks past the date the damaged rifle was delivered to me and I realize that McMillan had never once responded to my emails. I hadn't seen a need, really, I was just sending them status reports and up until that point as far as I was concerned, this was between me and UPS. So I email,I can't speak...that's why the emails) McMillan again, ask them what is going on, why they hadn't told me about the claim issue a month ago, etc...and a different person there answers back and asks, "What claim? What damage?". To this day I have no clue WHY no one was told about any of this at McM over a 4 week period. They refuse to discuss it. I couldn't get any info from UPS or McM, McM was trying to query the guy that came out to inspect the rifle, finally got an answer from him and...wait for this...they refused to tell me what the guy's report said! Back of the bus boy, sit down and shut up, just let your betters deal with this. I finally get mad and tell them I'm shipping the rifle back to them and to restore it to it's original condition, pay me for a new case, etc. I was hopping mad and I'm sure quite unreasonable. At this point we're almost 8 weeks into it. In the end what I got was a reblued barrel and a new case. You can look at the barrel and see the gouge under the blue but with no one to listen, there's no sense in yelling. Here's the thing: Someone made out like a bandit. That gun was insured for $2400.00. Since McM refuses to tell me what happened with the claim I'm fairly sure they collected on it but obviously there's no way to tell. It's just a feeling. The gun shoots great. The A2 stock they made me is top notch. But it's damaged goods,The barrel...) and neither company will ever see another penny of my business. UPS never could explain how a barrel could be gouged if it was still inside the case,the matching gouge in the lid clearly shows that the bbl was outside...) The incident added 3 months onto my rifle build - it was started December 3rd, the rifle was broken in on Sept 22. Sheesh. I'd sue the lot of them but who needs the aggravation? -Rod-
