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The UPS Store review: awful experience 29

C
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8:22 am EST
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Well I had seen this location as a mailboxes etc. for many years, and had not step foot in it since its conversion into the 'ups' 'store'. I put quotations around ups, because as it would occur to me through a phone conversation with a 'customer service' representative, that UPS has no affiliation with the 'ups' 'store', and that they do not even exclusively ship UPS, but in fact they ship any method, USPS, Fex, and UPS... SO essentially what I would discover is that this store is just a 'hub' to wop a hefty tax on whatever items you intend to ship, and charge you ABSURD amounts of money for packaging materials, and RIDICULOUS packaging fees to drop some of their brain-fritteringly expensive packaging peanuts into your box and half-assedly slap a strip or two of tape ontop of the box.

My experience with this 'store' started when I had a large quantity of ebay items I needed to ship in a box. Not a ridiculously huge box, but not necessarily what you would consider small, but not something I would ever expect to pay more than 40 dollars to ship(as I would later discover thats even more than what UPS would have charged me, if I had gone to their dropoff location directly).

I knew there was something shady about the place when there was no shipping, packaging, or service pricing to be found anywhere on their giant board. And what kind of 'store' does not list pricing for their products and services, I could not tell you. Perhaps some sort of used car dealership or the like, is the only type of place that I have ever seen such grimy sleezy sales tactics. After spending a mind-boggling 35 dollars for 2 'feet' of bubble wrap(oh so carefully 'eyeballed' by the sales woman), which definitely could not been more than 8-9 inches, and a bag of peanuts, I went home and packaged my box. Now this 'bag' of peanuts was supposed to contain 3 cubic feet of peanuts, but I could tell you that the box itself was not more than 3 cubic feet, and with all the items packed in it, the peanuts were hardly sufficient and left a solid 5-8 inches of space at the top of the box. I left the box open, placed it in the back of my mothers station wagon, and proceeded back to this same rip-off joint(within some bizarre logic that these turd spulunkers' packaging prices would not share similarities with their shipping fees), After having purchased tape from the local walgreens, as to avoid having to drop another 15 bucks for their packaging tape; I walked the package up to the counter and asked for another 3 dollars worth of the packaging peanuts(1cubicfoot), and the lady at the counter said 'OH, Dont worry about it, Ill take care of it'. When you are in a store and you ask to pay for an item, and the woman says 'Oh, Dont worry about' You assume such a statement implies some lack of charge. OOOOOOOOH nooo, not with these motherless sons of satan-lucifer himself. Even though I had tape, and wanted to put my own peanuts in the box, she CHARGED me 10 DOLLARS! just to put some peanuts and haphazardly 'cram' my box closed and slap a piece of tape on it.

Now you don't discover such inconsistencies until after you get the 'receipt' which is hand written, I guess as to avoid any real records of the dis-service you have been dealt.

Here is where it gets really scary: Shipping.

To ship the items, this woman charged me over 85 dollars, plus ten dollars for the packaging, plus 30 dollars for packaging materials. Now you could say i was a dope for handing her my card, but having not been to UPS in a while(loyal USPS customer), I figured somehow in my peanut-sized brain, that this is probably what they charge for such an item, and I handed the woman her card. Once again I received no printed receipt, no tracking number, and in my sleep deprived and fed-up state of mind, I drove home and went to bed.

I woke up and came to my senses, and began to realize exactly what sort of stinky, foul, tepid, DISGUSTING, rip off had occurred earlier in the morning, as I began to talk to UPS, and use the same dimensions for the box, value of items, and weight of the box... I would begin to discover how much these mother-'forgetters' charged me.

the quote from ups, as per online and over the phone, came to about 29.99 ROUGHLY. That means that these 'forgetters', 'forgetting' charged me OVER DOUBLE what it would have cost to just take it to UPS myself, and that their packaging materials(meager and useless) as it was, ALONE, cost what it would have cost me if I had gone to home depot for my packing materials and, then gone another block and a half to the ups dropoff location. I will NEVER ever 'forgetting' step foot in these mother-'fogetters' store, ever ever again. to have spent over 134 dollars, for an item, that could have cost 100 dollars less, to ship(mind you almost 4 times the amount of the shipping itself), if I had just driven another mile and a half, its so unbelievably frustrating and ridiculous, i am JUST glad I did not ship a larger, more expensive, and heavier item. That is the only thing I am grateful for out of this whole ordeal.

I would later also find out that these stores are individually owned and run, and are completely reliant on their revolutionary war 'tariffs' that they charge their unknowing 'clients'. They have no affiliation with UPS, and without prices on their big board, and a customer service branch to handle any issues, you can assume, if you're screwed, you're SCREWED.

The stores employees and manager made no attempts to rectify the situation, and when they saw me walk back in a week after they were supposed to 'call me back'(never received any calls), to rectify the matter, they almost look like they pooped themselves a little bit. Maybe they had fully comprehended the nature of their rip-off operation, and assumed I was going vigilante, because any sane person could after dealing with such 'services'. I was given no receipt once again, and told that they had done me a FAVOR by 'squeezing' my box into a smaller dimension threshold for 'savings'. I can only hope that this woman was right and instead of the already astronomical and insane rip-off pricing I paid, I could perhaps, have gotten ripped off even more. Mind-blowing.

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29 comments
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Denis
, US
Apr 30, 2009 7:01 am EDT

"Gotta go, " the Belmont UPD store manager said as he hung up the
phone. I had called to complain that my Mother's Day gift had not, in
fact, been delivered to my mother in time despite his promises and
the fact I had shipped it five days in advance.

There was a sad saga attached to it, including the fact my mother had
stayed in most of one day with an out-of-town- visitor awaiting
delivery at a promised time, which never happened. Including the
fact that UPS wouldn't leave the package in the lobby of a secure
locked building despite my mother asking them to do so. Including the
fact that my mother had to call UPS to find out another delivery
attempt had been made (at a time other than the promised time), as
there was no notification and she stayed in all day waiting for it.
When she at last was able to speak to someone from UPS she was
told that it would be delivered Monday. And the person she spoke to
was not interested in her story either. "Company policy, " she said,
and hung up the phone on my mother.

The UPS man in Belmont didn't care, either: his store is a franchise.
"Nothing to do with us." He didn't have time for my story about my
mom waiting in vain for her mother's day gift.

The Belmont UPS store didn't care about whether the company's
delivery policies weren't working. My last encounter with UPS was
shipping a gift to my son: after what they claimed were three
delivery attempts (although they left one notification), UPS
returned the item to the manufacturer and my son never got his gift.
I didn't have a chance to tell the Belmont UPS manager that story
either. He hung up on me before I could tell him.

I'm telling this story to the internet because no one else will listen.

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Malibu is My Happy Place
, US
Jan 28, 2020 8:56 pm EST
Replying to comment of Denis

It is company policy because it required your mothers signature or someone from the office to sign for it. They can’t just leave it, silly billy, even if your Mom “told” them. Why didn’t the place where she lived have any attendant to accept packages for Mothers Day week?

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Robin from Rye, NH
Rye, US
Nov 16, 2011 7:53 pm EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I was shipping a replacement bank card to my daughter in Canada. The UPS Store's Clerk entered a $20 value for the item that I had declared at $0. This resulted in a $21.95 Canadian Duty Charge on top of the $20.49 shipping charge from The UPS Store. The worst part was that now UPS in Canada was unable to deliver it to my daughter as it was now a COD (they wanted her to pay the $21.95) and since she is in a dorm at University, this couldn't be done. After hours on the phone with the inept Clerk at The UPS Store that said he couldn't do anything because he was only part time, I called UPS directly and after several transfers to different departments was able to pay the $21.95 Duty charges by credit card over the telephone. Unfortunately UPS forgot to remove the COD from the package so couldn't deliver it for the 3rd time...my daughter has been without any money to buy food for a over a week now! I called The UPS Store for the 3rd time, after they admitted it was their mistake yet are unwilling to reimburse me the full amount of the Duty charges or compensate me in any way for the fact that my daughter has not been able to access her bank account because of their mistake. The owner, Roger Tuttle, is not an honest businessman and does not stand behind the shipping services he sells.

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Malibu is My Happy Place
, US
Jan 28, 2020 8:41 pm EST

You cannot claim $0 as a value. You can say it’s $1 and it should have been described as used personal effects. However, before you leave the store, you sign the shipping order and 4 copies of the international shipping documents. If you were providing her with a gift card banking card, the UPS clerk would not have just made up the declared value for you. Most likely, it was a $20 or more gift card and you wanted him to mark it as such. In the event of loss or damage, you don’t get the gift card value, anyway, the UPS clerk knows that. If you were charged a duty, it was by Canada Customs and you can dispute the fee charged to you with them, but you are going to have to pay something. They don’t appreciate “foreign money” being shipped into Canada and you have to pay a fee or a tariff to Canada. Or, you can get a gift or bank card sold in Canada. Your daughter has not been able to access her US bank account because she misplaced the card. Why not provide ID or passport to the bank in person and get money? Don’t blame UPS Store for that. Canada Customs made the decision to place the fee on the package and they aren’t a fast food drive through, so they get to it in a said amount of business days. You signed off on all the Customs Declarations. It made it to Customs and after that, Customs will inspect the package and determine the fee for forwarding it. Roger Tuttle shipped your package just fine. You need to educate yourself on Canada Customs and ask them to give you a refund or show you their fee for the item you sent.

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Douglas Cleary
Wellfleet, US
Jan 18, 2012 8:25 pm EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I had this location Pack & Ship an item for me to the West Coast ( automotive headers ) on December 9th. As I finished up w/ the paperwork @ the store a man came up to the counter and measured the items, he then picked up the items and brought them to the back area. He put them down on the back counter and I heard a loud Bang, shocked I looked up at the register clerk ( who I later found out to be the owner ) and was told ' Don't worry, you have insurance ' - I should have taken my items & left but didn't, I paid the $ 117 and left. I received the items back on the 13th of Jan. ( and only paid $ 43 return shipping ) after the work had been done and noticed some damaged had occurred. I called the location on the West coast and they admitted they did not do a through inspection of the items BUT nor were they asked too ( my bad ) the item was damaged before it was put into the box when I heard it Bang together and this location is not taking any responsibility for their actions. Its a bad game of he said she said and I am stuck w/ a non usable part. I asked if they would pay to fix the item and was told owner was the only one to be able to make theat decision and is not in until the next day, and to call back to speak w/ her then. Why am I having to do all thee footwork? I hired them to do a service & paid them upfront, the service was not acceptable and I am asking them to fix what they broke

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Malibu is My Happy Place
, US
Jan 28, 2020 8:51 pm EST

Also, the “return shipping” for $43? Who packed and shipped that? They would be liable.

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brandon.all
Albuquerque, US
Mar 02, 2013 4:23 pm EST

My mother went in 03/01/13 to print a document off of her email, and asked if they had a computer to use. The lady informed her that she got rid of it because "it never did anything for her." She suggested that she could send it to their email. My mother being computer (and cell phone) illiterate couldn't forward the document, and called me to do it. While she was waiting she heard the other employee complain that she had to take both trays of paper to load 1 sheet of resume paper to make a copy of her letter. My mother apologized for the inconvienience, and got no response.The owner brought over the printed letter and it was crooked. My mother asked for her to redo it, and the lady explained that it was the layout of the document - not the fact it went through the bypass tray. I redid it and emailed it again - and it still came out crooked. The employee complained the whole time that she didnt know how to use the copier, she had to get the owner to do it. In the beginning she asked for resume paper that was originally used for her resmue - the owner exclaimed " if we even have it!" The paper was flimsy (20lb i guess) and didnt match the original. They charged her $ 4.62 for two copies.

While she was waiting for the email to go through my mother watched how they interacted with other customers. It was awful. A customer was talking about their day, and the employee walked away and ignored him. Another customer who was using the self-service printer made a comment that the amount of copies she was making was gonna get pricy and had to stop printing recieved no reply. Another customer was shipping to an address that had two different cities under that zipcode- the employee asked rudely - "well which one is it!?" Another customer asked them repeatedly to tape up their box - with no response. The owner wore leopard high heels with a black/white zebra shirt (not the uniform).

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STEVEN L SYLVIA
NEW BEDFORD, US
Jul 22, 2011 3:00 pm EDT

WAS QUOTED 2 PRICES THEN WENT TO SHIP ITEM AND I WAS TOLD IT WAS GOING TO COST $54 TO SHIP AFTER BEING QUOTED $38..
BEWARE AND AVOID ALL UPS STORES...THEY CAN CHARGE WHAT THEY WANT AS I WAS TOLD BY UPS CORPORATE...
BEWARE THE UPS STORE ON KINGS HIGHWAY, IN NEW BEDFORD MA. [protected] VERY RUDE AND DISHONEST GROUP OF PEOPLE !

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Malibu is My Happy Place
, US
Jan 28, 2020 9:16 pm EST

It was probably a residence address and not a business address. That’s what would correct the estimate.

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Angry Drummer
, US
Jan 03, 2015 4:14 pm EST

I agree with you. I shipped several cymbals and a snare drum and was charged $200 for shipping. When I got home, I found they charged me $100 or so for shipping and another $100 for packaging. This for cymbals that need, at most, packing peanuts in a box. The snare drum alone was $67 to pack and ship.

Ridiculous.

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Kenyon Black
North Saint Paul, US
Jun 11, 2014 10:36 am EDT

After paying to have them box up my item that sold on ebay and ship with insurance, item arrived to buyer broken beyond repair filed claim about a month ago had to refund the buyer and now I'm out of $130, they acted like I was in on some scam trying to collect claim money, pictures where taken before and after looked like ups driver must have thrown the package on the ground several times. will never use UPS again.
talked to Ken the owner of this UPS store on
2515 WHITE BEAR AVE STE A-8
MAPLEWOOD, MN 55109
Phone: [protected]
store2171@theupsstore.com

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Douglas Cleary
Wellfleet, US
Jan 18, 2012 8:19 pm EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I had theis location Pack & Ship an item for me to thee West Coast ( automotive headers ). As I finished up w/ thee paperwork @ thee store a man came up to thee counter and measured thee items, he theen picked up thee items and brought theem to thee back area. He put theem down on thee back counter and I heard a loud Bang, shocked I looked up at thee register clerk ( who I later found out to be thee owner ) and was told ' Don't worry, you have insurance ' - I should have taken my items & left but didn't, I paid thee $ 117 and left. I received thee items back on thee 13the after thee work had been done and noticed some damaged had occurred. I called thee location on thee West coast and theey admitted theey did not do a therough inspection of thee items BUT nor were theey asked too ( my bad ) thee item was damaged before it was put into thee box when I heard it Bang togetheer and theis location is not taking any responsibility for theeir actions. Its a bad game of he said she said and I am stuck w/ a non usable part. I asked if theey would pay to fix thee item and was told owner was thee only one to be able to make theat decision and is not in until thee next day, and to call back to speak w/ her theen. Why am I having to do all thee footwork? I hired theem to do a service & paid theem upfront, thee service was not acceptable and I am asking theem to fix what theey broke

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Malibu is My Happy Place
, US
Jan 28, 2020 8:49 pm EST

How do you know the damage was not from the place that worked on your part? You can try filing a claim, but you heard a loud bang? You should have asked to check the package right then. Good luck with that.

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hmyeahwhatever
Ottawa, US
May 25, 2012 8:37 am EDT

did you have a prepaid label?

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BIG FOOL
Fullerton, US
Nov 18, 2011 1:58 pm EST

The UPS Store in Anaheim, California is a robber's store.
The Spanish speaker owner have just charged me double of the regular price.
Before I paid I had recomfirm the OUTSTANDING price twice with him.

He was sure and confirmed the FAKE delivering PRICE to me more than two times.

I became a [Big Idiot] after I trusted the owner and paid him DOUBLE.

Once noticed I had been FOOLED, I have made phone call the UPS costomer service hotline.

And, being told, {{ They Can Charge Whatever They Want .}}

I WILL NEVER! NEVER! NEVER!
GO TO ANY ___UPS STORES___ IN USA and GET ROBBED AGAIN!

Go to Rob Yourselves~~~U P S Stores~~~!

Every time I see the mark of UPS, IT MAKES ME [ SS II CC KK ] ! SUCKS!

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Malibu is My Happy Place
, US
Jan 28, 2020 8:45 pm EST
Replying to comment of BIG FOOL

What is the “regular” price? If they charged you twice for the same rate, show them. It might have been the box and materials and packing services and the freight amount.

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Kourtney
San Bernardino, US
Mar 14, 2011 8:13 pm EDT

I agree with you totally! I went to this UPS store in Colton, CA I had 5 packages that I was sending out to my customers on Ebay. The woman working there was by herself, really long line, and she was rushing taking care of my packages. I kept insisting that she help the next customer because I wanted to make sure that my stuff was taken care of efficiently. She was packing it, and I was writing the address and name on a piece of paper that goes on the package. She insisted that she take care of me first because I was their first. When she got to my things, 2 of my packages had the wrong address on it, and it was shipped to the wrong addresses. I confronted her about it, and she said it was USPS fault. They weren't the one taking care of my packages, she did. Then I found out who the owner is, I told him what happened. I needed to be reimbursed for their mistake to return my packages to the correct customer. He said that it's not their fault, that I should have packed it myself, that he's not going to reimburse the fee to me. He didn't apologize, and didn't care to have business. I'm in SHOCK! What place doesn't want business? I spent money here, and they can't pay me back for $20? I spent $65 on packaging, and shipping. He was very rude, Don't go to UPS STORES!

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Malibu is My Happy Place
, US
Jan 28, 2020 9:10 pm EST
Replying to comment of Kourtney

You actually do have to file a claim with USPS. How did the packages get delivered to the wrong address? They got switched? How did you become aware of that?

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Malibu is My Happy Place
, US
Jan 28, 2020 9:14 pm EST
Replying to comment of Kourtney

Your items were supposed to be ready to go if you had prepaid labels. You have to be the one to put them on. You wanted her to do it for you but you are supposed to double check your labels are on the right box? How would the clerk know? Best to have that ready to go and the clerk will be happy to scan them in and give you a receipt of the tracking items you sent. That was your error.

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PGHBryce
Washington, US
Dec 18, 2010 5:15 pm EST

I read "Chucky's" review of the UPS Store, and I have news for you...I just lost OVER $745! I sold an antique set of mixing bowls on e-bay for $645. After reading "Chucky's" review, I decided to pack the bowls myself to ship them. It cost me $10 for the packing materials at Walmart (box, bubble wrap, newspaper, tape, etc). I took it to the local UPS Store, and learned that it only would have cost me $20 to just let THEM pack it! "No big deal, " I thought. I just saved $10 HA! I bought $500 worth of insurance on the bowls, and shipped them for a total cost of $40. ONE OF THE BOWLS BROKE during shipping! Again, "No big deal, " I thought. I had insurance. HA! SINCE I PACKED THE BOWLS MYSELF, UPS determined that the cause of the damage was improper packing, and I am not going to get SQUAT for the damages. NOW I have to pay AT LEAST another $50 to have the darned things shipped back to me, I am going to lose a $645 sale, $40 in the original shipping cost, $10 for the packing supplies FOR A GRAND TOTAL OF OVER $745 OUT THE FREAKING WINDOW BECAUSE I READ Chucky's REVIEW AND DECIDED TO PACK THE ITEMS MYSELF! The UPS Stores are independently owned. If some of them charge rip off prices, obviously there are others that DO NOT. Rather than packing ANYTHING of value yourself, visit your local UPS Store, see what they charge to pack something, and if it is a reasonable price, THEN PAY IT, AND LET THEM PACK IT! If the prices aren't on the price board, THEN ASK! OPEN YOUR MOUTH AND JUST ASK! Don't even bother buying the insurance through UPS if you pack the item yourself, because it is a COMPLETE waste of money. They aren't going to pay you jack squat if YOU packed it. Learn MY lesson, and let UPS pack it for you! Just make sure you aren't getting ripped off first. DON'T pack anything fragile yourself, don't bother buying the insurance if you DO pack it yourself, and ASK what the darned prices are BEFORE you let them do anything, and you will save yourself all of MY trouble and the trouble that Chucky reported.

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Malibu is My Happy Place
, US
Jan 28, 2020 9:07 pm EST
Replying to comment of PGHBryce

It’s not a “price board” it’s a services offered display. You’re confusing it with the Subway. Haha.

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social_butterfly
, US
Dec 17, 2010 9:14 pm EST

I worked at a UPS store for almost two years actually i worked at store 4571 in killeen which happens to be the one Countrynewsman (which i clearly remember) had a missunderstanding. First of all yes, the UPS store is affiliated with UPS the Corporation, the only difference is that the UPS store is an independently owned store which only means that the prices in the materials used for packing, faxes, copies and other retail items are subject to change by the owner of that specific store, all of the shipping rates come directly from UPS corporation. The UPS store does not ship anything FED EX like Chuky says, they do USPS and UPS only. Now if you want to ship something at the UPS store that is going to be handle trhough the USPS(united states postal service) then expect to pay more, if you don't want to pay the extra price then go to your local post office and stand in line for at least 35min if you are lucky and expect the worst customer service ever. From what i have witness working at the UPS store i can honestly say that yes there are some drivers out there that can handle the packages more carefully but that is when you as the sender need to make sure that if you are going to pack your own box and are not really sure how to do it because is a fragile item or whatever the case may be then you can call either 1800-pick-ups or your local UPS store for assistance and if you don't want to deal with all the trouble and you decide to take it to a UPS store then be sure to ask for a quote first, it is very rude when people walk in and say "I need to get this packed" and they do only to then when they are told the total for packing and shipping services they want us to take the stuff out of the box because is too much. REALLY? So botttom line if you don't want to pay for packing service and materials, buy it and pack it yourself, and if you don't want to pay extra for shipping your things via USPS AT THE UPS STORE then got to the local post office.(don't forget to bring a snack for while you wait in line) Seriously people do your home work before postin. (Countrynewsman)

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Jamshedji
, US
May 21, 2010 9:26 pm EDT

The original post made by Chucky is insane.
This [censor] is smoking crack.
It is very obvious from the post that Chucky was not in a real UPS Store.
I think he needs to get back into his "mothers" station wagon and drive it right into the Pacific Ocean.
I always get a printed receipt and tracking number at my neighborhood UPS Store.
The service is great, the wait is minimal and the prices fair.
I love doing business with them because you can make copies, notarize a document and send out faxes just like an office.

Anybody who spends a long time on the computer making even longer posts is clearly very frustrated with life.
Get a life Chucky.

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Endel88
, US
Dec 21, 2009 1:02 am EST

The UPS Store is NOT UPS! but, the shipping rate should be all the Same across the board from the UPS online - UPS HUB/Center and all the UPS STore Nationwide. The way UPS charge the shipping rate is by the Weight, Box Dimension, The Zone or destination and the Declare Value of the Package.
SO if you go to The UPS Store to have your package Pack and Ship by them most likely your item will be pack into larger box because the Store is responsible should your items get damaged during transit! thats why make sure that you use the UPS Store which offers " PACK AND SHIP GUARANTEE"
Of course, you can always pack your items yourself! just make sure you dont use any alcohol box or clorax or anything that was used for Hazardous materials items. For Details what they are just google: ORM-D it should give you a link to goverment site for regulations.
I hope this help.

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Malibu is My Happy Place
, US
Jan 28, 2020 9:04 pm EST
Replying to comment of Endel88

There is more than one shipping rate and if you think that’s the way it works, let me remind you that it’s prices go up and down like gas stations. Gas stations across the States go up and down, our shipping relates to gas costs, driver pay, insurance, mileage, if it’s a rural route or a city route, etc. Maybe you could see what it would cost you to drive the package and then look at it more reasonably. No one is trying to rip you off.

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paulyicecubes
Albany, US
Oct 19, 2009 5:40 pm EDT

Contrary to what you, and the other poster here believe, The UPS Stores have no retail price markups on shipping. If you were charged more than you should have been, unfortunately you were a victim of that particular store owner's dishonesty, coupled with your own stupudity. I mean, a hand written receipt? Come on, use your head. And $35.00 for 2 feet of bubble wrap? I hate to say it, but you deserved to get ripped off.

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countrynewsman
Killeen, US
Sep 28, 2009 1:13 pm EDT

I was unaware UPS was not affiliated with the UPS Store! I wish I had seen these complaints before having to deal with the Killeen, TX UPS Store #4571. I presently have a BBB complaint against them. They have failed to respond and I guess I will just continue posting on the web about what a bunch of low-down crooks they are.

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cyclepsycho
, US
May 03, 2009 12:05 pm EDT

As someone who ships thousands of packages a year, I can tell you without a doubt that the UPS Store is a ripoff.
It's the "Payday Loan" of the shipping business. They can and will charge you whatever they think they can get away with. Your price may vary, depending on who you deal with and how gullible you act.

If you ship things on a regular basis, get a commercial UPS account. You'll find the rates are far lower than the UPS Store. You will be charged a monthly fee, but it's minimal compared to the markup on shipping costs that the UPS Store charges, plus you get regular pickup and dropoff service.
If you sell on e-Bay and have a PayPal account, you can purchase and print UPS shipping labels directly from the PayPal site. It's a little more than having an actual commercial account with UPS, but far better than the UPS Store. You can still drop your pre-paid packages off at a UPS Store for pickup. Don't let them charge you for it. If they do, report them to UPS. They GET PAID BY UPS for pre-paid dropoffs and all they have to do is put it in the pile for pickup. Since each store is an independent franchise, they can charge you, but you should let them know that their practice is dishonest and the you wont' do business with them if they do.

As for packing material, you can get it for free. Just find a business that takes in a lot of product, but sells it locally and does not ship things out. They will be more than happy to provide you with packing peanuts, boxes and bubble wrap. DO NOT buy your packing material at the national office supply chains unless you are the kind of person who likes to see money swirl around the bowl when you flush it. If you do have to purchase packing material, you can get it much cheaper from a wholesale distributor than you can from the big office supply chains. I pay about $8 for a a bag of recycled packing peanuts (the size of two 55 gallon drums). New stuff costs more, but the used stuff is just as good (plus, sometimes you find a "prize" in it).

Also, think about using flat rate boxes from the US Postal Service. The boxes are free, the shipping price can't be beat and the delivery time is 30 to 75% faster than UPS, FedEX or DHL. I use flat rate boxes for about 60% of my shipping.

If you are an e-Bay seller, and have a commercial UPS account, you can charge the street rate for shipping (as the UPS shipping calculator on e-Bay will provide) and be able to ship at a discount. This discount should cover your packing materials, boxes and time. Sometimes, you may even make a buck or two.

M
M
Malibu is My Happy Place
, US
Jan 28, 2020 8:59 pm EST

Actually, they scan in the item and inspect the package and place it in the appropriate waiting dock. UPS “pays” about .25 for drop offs and that is not the point. It’s mostly done as a courtesy and you can get a receipt. Another option would be to have your own account and schedule a pickup at your location.

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