I am baffled that the solution for packages not clearing customs or having difficulties clearing customs is to destroy the package, rather than return to sender.
I am baffled that the solution for packages not clearing customs or having difficulties clearing customs is to destroy the package, rather than return to sender.
I think it's cheaper. The cost of sending the package back is higher than throwing it in the bin, and if the customer has no right to sue with terms of service, then I could see that being the...
I think it's cheaper. The cost of sending the package back is higher than throwing it in the bin, and if the customer has no right to sue with terms of service, then I could see that being the logical leap.
It sounds like they would send it back if the customer pays for it, but there is some kind of problem contacting customers. Or maybe what's happening in the warehouses isn't all that connected to...
It sounds like they would send it back if the customer pays for it, but there is some kind of problem contacting customers.
Or maybe what's happening in the warehouses isn't all that connected to company policy. It sounds like a big mess.
There are absolutely communication issues here, their system has thoroughly broken down. I had a shipment of some goods I was sending into the US for repair that was held in a warehouse for over 2...
There are absolutely communication issues here, their system has thoroughly broken down.
I had a shipment of some goods I was sending into the US for repair that was held in a warehouse for over 2 weeks before being sent back to me with no notice. I had actually reached out to the customs team via email the day before the shipment was sent back, but they didn't respond to that email until over a week later. I ended up re-shipping the package as soon as it had returned to me, and it's been held in a warehouse ever since, with no follow up communication no matter who I reach out to. The real kick in the pants was when I received an automated email regarding the first shipment asking whether I wanted it returned to me or destroyed over 2 weeks after they had already returned it. It's infuriating, and I'm starting to consider taking my company's business elsewhere ourselves.
Yeah, I did realize that they try to contact the sender, but honestly with the anecdotes of people saying their package is disposed, then it has moved to a different warehouse, then another...
Yeah, I did realize that they try to contact the sender, but honestly with the anecdotes of people saying their package is disposed, then it has moved to a different warehouse, then another notification saying it is disposed makes me think that there may not be proper follow up. It seems like their warehouses are a mess due to constantly changing customs, and they are a bit eager to dispose of packages.
Not sure how I feel about UPS charging for returning to sender when it fails to clear customs. On one hand, it gives shippers reason to make sure their packages clear customs, or pay to ship it back. However, UPS has already been paid to deliver the shipping to the recipient, so there may not be much of a cost difference between delivering it to the customer the rest of the way or returning it. It kind of feels like UPS is being a bit greedy that they charging for a failed delivery and for the package to be returned.
Under normal circumstances the policy does make some sense. A shipment failing to clear through customs is generally because the shipper hasn't filled out the paperwork correctly and is therefore...
Under normal circumstances the policy does make some sense. A shipment failing to clear through customs is generally because the shipper hasn't filled out the paperwork correctly and is therefore at fault. In that scenario I think it's understandable to have them pay the transportation costs to have it returned to them as UPS wouldn't be at fault.
In the current situation, UPS is very much at fault for mishandling and failing to communicate what they need to actually have the shipment considered ready to clear customs. However, their policy on how to proceed when a shipment fails to clear customs doesn't take a breakdown of their own system into consideration, and is definitely lacking.
Thousands of U.S.-bound packages shipped by UPS are trapped at hubs across the country, unable to clear the maze of new customs requirements imposed by the Trump administration.
As packages flagged for customs issues pile up in UPS warehouses, the company told NBC News it has begun “disposing of” some shipments.
Frustrated UPS customers describe waiting for weeks and trying to make sense of scores of conflicting tracking updates from the world’s largest courier.
…
More than two dozen people who are waiting for their UPS packages explained the circumstances of their shipments to NBC News.
They described shipments of tea, telescopes, luxury glassware, musical instruments and more — some worth tens of thousands of dollars — all in limbo or perhaps gone.
Others have deep sentimental value: notebooks, diplomas and even engagement rings.
…
At least a half-dozen people described an emotional seesaw they were put through by weeks of contradictory UPS tracking updates about their shipments. The updates, they said, compounded the stress of not knowing what had really happened to their possessions.
…
UPS said it makes several attempts to get any missing information and clear delayed shipments, contacting shippers three times.
Is anyone here on Tildes experiencing this? I asked about the impact of tariffs in a topic a while back and got a lot of responses from people that deal with international shipments. I would think...
Is anyone here on Tildes experiencing this? I asked about the impact of tariffs in a topic a while back and got a lot of responses from people that deal with international shipments. I would think having a valuable package just thrown away would be super infuriating. How are you all dealing with this?
As I mentioned above, I'm struggling with this. It's not every shipment, but it's more shipments than I have time to deal with constantly. It further doesn't help that the communication apparatus...
It's not every shipment, but it's more shipments than I have time to deal with constantly. It further doesn't help that the communication apparatus at UPS has totally broken down. Phone-in customer support agents are useless (if you can convince the robot that answers the phone to connect you to one), and nobody seems to respond to emails in a timely manner, not even my company's account representative whose job is to be a liaison between us and UPS.
I really am considering switching over to FedEx for US-bound shipments, even though they can be frustratingly stringent with their documentation requirements, I've yet to see a US shipment with FedEx even slow down significantly, never mind fail to arrive altogether.
Two weeks ago I bought a shirt on eBay because it was $10 there, and $25 on Amazon. Turns out the seller was in Canada, and 3 days before it was slated to arrive, I get an email from UPS that I...
Two weeks ago I bought a shirt on eBay because it was $10 there, and $25 on Amazon. Turns out the seller was in Canada, and 3 days before it was slated to arrive, I get an email from UPS that I owe $27. I assumed it was all tariffs, but on further inspection, it looks like it was a fee charged by either UPS or a brokerage of theirs to "ensure proper customs handling". No issues with the timely delivery, but I was fuming about spending $37 on a shirt. I could have just gotten off Amazon for $25 (But I also wouldn't have, because even $25 is much more than I would spend on a Star Wars graphic shirt)
Funny hearing this from the opposite side. Often, importing anything from the US to Canada outside of a large retailer comes with brokerage fees. You can ask UPS, FedEx or whoever to let you pay...
Funny hearing this from the opposite side. Often, importing anything from the US to Canada outside of a large retailer comes with brokerage fees.
You can ask UPS, FedEx or whoever to let you pay the brokerage fees (it's way cheaper), but it's a manual hassle
I am baffled that the solution for packages not clearing customs or having difficulties clearing customs is to destroy the package, rather than return to sender.
I think it's cheaper. The cost of sending the package back is higher than throwing it in the bin, and if the customer has no right to sue with terms of service, then I could see that being the logical leap.
It sounds like they would send it back if the customer pays for it, but there is some kind of problem contacting customers.
Or maybe what's happening in the warehouses isn't all that connected to company policy. It sounds like a big mess.
There are absolutely communication issues here, their system has thoroughly broken down.
I had a shipment of some goods I was sending into the US for repair that was held in a warehouse for over 2 weeks before being sent back to me with no notice. I had actually reached out to the customs team via email the day before the shipment was sent back, but they didn't respond to that email until over a week later. I ended up re-shipping the package as soon as it had returned to me, and it's been held in a warehouse ever since, with no follow up communication no matter who I reach out to. The real kick in the pants was when I received an automated email regarding the first shipment asking whether I wanted it returned to me or destroyed over 2 weeks after they had already returned it. It's infuriating, and I'm starting to consider taking my company's business elsewhere ourselves.
Yeah, I did realize that they try to contact the sender, but honestly with the anecdotes of people saying their package is disposed, then it has moved to a different warehouse, then another notification saying it is disposed makes me think that there may not be proper follow up. It seems like their warehouses are a mess due to constantly changing customs, and they are a bit eager to dispose of packages.
Not sure how I feel about UPS charging for returning to sender when it fails to clear customs. On one hand, it gives shippers reason to make sure their packages clear customs, or pay to ship it back. However, UPS has already been paid to deliver the shipping to the recipient, so there may not be much of a cost difference between delivering it to the customer the rest of the way or returning it. It kind of feels like UPS is being a bit greedy that they charging for a failed delivery and for the package to be returned.
Under normal circumstances the policy does make some sense. A shipment failing to clear through customs is generally because the shipper hasn't filled out the paperwork correctly and is therefore at fault. In that scenario I think it's understandable to have them pay the transportation costs to have it returned to them as UPS wouldn't be at fault.
In the current situation, UPS is very much at fault for mishandling and failing to communicate what they need to actually have the shipment considered ready to clear customs. However, their policy on how to proceed when a shipment fails to clear customs doesn't take a breakdown of their own system into consideration, and is definitely lacking.
From the article:
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Is anyone here on Tildes experiencing this? I asked about the impact of tariffs in a topic a while back and got a lot of responses from people that deal with international shipments. I would think having a valuable package just thrown away would be super infuriating. How are you all dealing with this?
As I mentioned above, I'm struggling with this.
It's not every shipment, but it's more shipments than I have time to deal with constantly. It further doesn't help that the communication apparatus at UPS has totally broken down. Phone-in customer support agents are useless (if you can convince the robot that answers the phone to connect you to one), and nobody seems to respond to emails in a timely manner, not even my company's account representative whose job is to be a liaison between us and UPS.
I really am considering switching over to FedEx for US-bound shipments, even though they can be frustratingly stringent with their documentation requirements, I've yet to see a US shipment with FedEx even slow down significantly, never mind fail to arrive altogether.
Two weeks ago I bought a shirt on eBay because it was $10 there, and $25 on Amazon. Turns out the seller was in Canada, and 3 days before it was slated to arrive, I get an email from UPS that I owe $27. I assumed it was all tariffs, but on further inspection, it looks like it was a fee charged by either UPS or a brokerage of theirs to "ensure proper customs handling". No issues with the timely delivery, but I was fuming about spending $37 on a shirt. I could have just gotten off Amazon for $25 (But I also wouldn't have, because even $25 is much more than I would spend on a Star Wars graphic shirt)
Funny hearing this from the opposite side. Often, importing anything from the US to Canada outside of a large retailer comes with brokerage fees.
You can ask UPS, FedEx or whoever to let you pay the brokerage fees (it's way cheaper), but it's a manual hassle