UPS 'lost' my lower receiver.

[MrPrena]

Not a fan of 6sig, but I think FedEx and UPS should train their employees.
3.4 F**k up delivery out of 1 million package would be nice.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...igma_companies


Sigma level Sigma (with 1.5σ shift) DPMO Percent defective Percentage yield Short-term Cpk Long-term Cpk
1 -0.5 691,462 69% 31% 0.33 –0.17
2 0.5 308,538 31% 69% 0.67 0.17
3 1.5 66,807 6.7% 93.3% 1.00 0.5
4 2.5 6,210 0.62% 99.38% 1.33 0.83
5 3.5 233 0.023% 99.977% 1.67 1.17
6 4.5 3.4 0.00034% 99.99966% 2.00 1.5
7 5.5 0.019 0.0000019% 99.9999981% 2.33 1.83

[Jeffrey Lebowski]

I've previously had no option but to get medical equipment through UPS due to insurance requirements. The first wife had a uncuffed fenestrated tracheostomy tube that was needed to replace a cuffed unfenestrated tube several years ago. It arrived 2 months after her tube was removed. It sat in Kentucky for a couple of months. Lots of win.

My comparison with Butterball was something recently in the news and has a seasonal peak in business volume. You're making direct comparisons of 2 different business models to bolster your argument. What product does UPS create? What's that? They're just middle-men that deliver a service? Yeah, fail on the direct comp.

Many companies have seasonal peaks, including the one I work for. It's part of the business cycle. You forecast for it and scale to meet demand. UPS failed in a big and public way, no matter how you want to make excuses for them.

Whenever I have the option, I use FedEx. Whenever I buy from Amazon Prime, I get what they've arranged, UPS. Amazon is now reviewing their shipping options, as any responsible business should.

Wait…what? *I* didn't bring up butterball at all to make any comparisons or bolster arguments!!! You did! Reply #28. I would never have addressed such an absurd comparison without a prompt. Sorry it didn't work out for you, but please don't blame me for that.


Your wife had more than one option. You can also go to the doctor or a hospital if it is emergent. Or, you can buy it locally and submit a claim with documentation on why you couldn't wait.
Feel free to tell me I am wrong again, but I do work for an insurance company now and am very familiar with the claims process both as an employee and as a cancer patient. We don't have to agree on this either.



The truth is, I actually don't care for UPS myself. However, having some formal training in economics and supply chain management as well as real world experience in managing supply and demand, I guess I do (personally) have a soft spot for unexpected demand spikes. You are very pissed at them, and call them a failure times several, but I also notice you aren't quite pissed enough to take your own business elsewhere, for all your complaints. I am not either. Like yourself, I use them for amazon prime. I hate the hours and inconveniences UPS has, but for all their faults, FedEx (which is more reliable) is even less convenient for me to ship with. USPS is unbelievably convenient and the least reliable of the bunch. So, every time the decision is a balance of these points. It would seem you do the same, as does Amazon. I don't expect amazon drones to be in Golden (or even Denver) anytime soon. I don't expect a big comeback from DHL, nor do I expect FedEx to suddenly take over that market. For all the complaining, I expect UPS to get better, but the status quo to be maintained.

Incidentally, if you are so adept at predicting seasonal peaks and forecasting business cycles - why wouldn't you have just shipped sooner and with a different carrier and avoided yourself all this heartache?


I stand by my original thought again - if this is the biggest complaint of your holiday season, seriously, count your blessings.

[Gman]

The point was made that seasonal peaks were the problem. Retailers and shippers make most of their money during the holiday season. Car dealers have seasonal peaks. Jewelry stores have seasonal peaks. Yes, even turkey producers have seasonal peaks. This shouldn't have been such a big surprise to UPS as many lines of business have to deal with seasonal peaks. Get it?

Incidentally, if you are so adept at predicting seasonal peaks and forecasting business cycles - why wouldn't you have just shipped sooner and with a different carrier and avoided yourself all this heartache?

The wife's family makes their wish lists on Amazon and we order early. I didn't have anything come late for the holidays.

UPS will reap the rewards of their business failings whether we disagree that this will be filed as 'no big deal'. The business side of this discussion doesn't forgive so easily.

If you really want to talk about a crappy shipping model, how 'bout the arrangement where UPS ships to the USPS hub for delivery to the final addressee (UPS Mail Innovations).

[Jeffrey Lebowski]

The point was made that seasonal peaks were the problem. Retailers and shippers make most of their money during the holiday season. Car dealers have seasonal peaks. Jewelry stores have seasonal peaks. Yes, even turkey producers have seasonal peaks. This shouldn't have been such a big surprise to UPS as many lines of business have to deal with seasonal peaks. Get it?

I totally do, don't get me wrong. I just don't think UPS scales with the agility of Kohl's / Target or a call center somewhere. To your point, they aren't "making" anything, true. But shipping is unbelievably complicated. I guess I have some respect for it knowing it is way outside my own wheelhouse. In other words, I sure wouldn't want to own that problem.

The wife's family makes their wish lists on Amazon and we order early. I didn't have anything come late for the holidays.

UPS will reap the rewards of their business failings whether we disagree that this will be filed as 'no big deal'. The business side of this discussion doesn't forgive so easily.

If you really want to talk about a crappy shipping model, how 'bout the arrangement where UPS ships to the USPS hub for delivery to the final addressee (UPS Mail Innovations).

I can't really disagree with much here. I think most of this is correct, and the only minor counter I'd even have is that USPS got pretty beat up in all this as well this holiday season. Probably less because no one expects much of them.
The shipping world is basically an oligopoly with none of the players primed to take over completely if one were to fail, and all three have nicely carved out their niche. So while I think you are correct that they'll reap the "rewards" of this in the business world, until a serious game-changer comes along (the drone thing maybe?), I'm just not sure I expect radical improvement.

Agree 100% with the UPS -> USPS hub. That is some serious BS. But, like everyone else, I basically just take it.

[Gman]

The drone delivery model is totally unrealistic. It's a way to get your name in the news, but it's unsustainable.

Order an item to a known location and steal the drone. GPS location doesn't account for weather, including wind. Object detection and avoidance issues, mechanical/electrical malfunctions, lawsuits, etc.

Has anyone seen the flying cars we were promised half a decade ago?

Sent from my tactical assault shmart phone

[Jeffrey Lebowski]

I don't think it is going to be that either, but I like the thought process.
Email basically killed letters for personal correspondence, what can we do for shipping that is unlike today?

I expect my mattel hoverboard by summer, 2015. I do not expect the Cubs to win the world series, however.

[sneakerd]

Careful when you throw knives at my beloved Cubbies.

[Double00]

Can't wait until the first drone drops it's parcel onto a big pile of dog s**t.

[clublights]

Have not read every post but this is what I gotta say ....


When you deal with 16.3 MILLION packages a day mistakes are bound to happen ...

As for the should have scaled BETTER.. ( they did scale just not enough apparently)....

Those same share holders that should be " screaming for their heads" would be calling for blood if they over staffed and wasted profits. it's a double edged sword.

[clublights]

GPS location doesn't account for weather, including wind.

What does GPS have to do with the weather ESP wind?

wind sleet or snow the GPS grid stays the same .