All Narfed Up photography and words by Bryan Villarin

UPS leaves things on my doorstep all the time. Never had a problem with them. Fedex on the other hand requires a signature a lot of times and I’ve had to go to their local office to pick up some packages.

Posted by Nick on 8 December 2005 @ 6am

Wow, no kidding? I guess it just has to do with how UPS has their contract written up with the company. Bah.

Posted by Bryan on 8 December 2005 @ 7am

I’m so mad at UPS I’m looking for (or thinking about starting) a blog dedicated to shipping nightmares. Maybe a little grassroots activism will make these gorillas think twice before abnegating their responsibilities. I had a large bronze 300 year old gong shipped from Burma via Malaysia to Washington DC. From there it was inspected, professionally repacked and given to UPS only to arrive with the metal cracked badly to the point that it cant be repaired and sounds like a tin can instead of a deep resonant vibration. The box looked like it was run over by a truck and dragged!! According to them it was my fault for entrusting them with something valuable! Follow that logic! I will never use them again.

Posted by Bart on 9 December 2005 @ 3pm

Bryan, UPS will leave stuff at the doorstep or even the back door as long as 1) there is a signature waiver in effect (which NE has by default) and 2) the driver has decided that it is a relatively trustowrthy location to leave a package at the doorstep. I doubt they’d leave something in, say, LA or even a outer Baltimore suburb.

Posted by O.F. Jay on 13 December 2005 @ 12pm

I’d like to give UPS the benefit of the doubt, but I didn’t get any help in the situation. Newegg didn’t help either, especially with an email reply after 3 days.

Posted by Bryan on 13 December 2005 @ 1pm

Three out of my last six packages from Newegg, (via UPS), have been late, and the tracking site doesn’t indicate this until 12-24 hours after the fact. So I leave work early, ’cause the tracking says the delivery is on time, and, as a result, I lose money, only to find that UPS never shows up. I’d probably be better off driving to the warehouse!!! And it’s not as though I live in some obscure location: I live in a major metro area, just a few blocks from the state capitol building. Newegg: I love ‘ya, but you treat me so mean that I’m gonna have to zipzoomfly next time, ’cause they use FedEx.

Posted by DW on 27 April 2006 @ 7pm

UPS is about 1000x’s better than FedEx about being flexible. I have even called UPS and asked if they could have the driver come back at the end of the route to redeliver and they always say they can’t promise but would send a message, and most of the time he comes back. I have many more issues with FedEx (both sending and receiving!) than UPS.

I always leave a note on the door for UPS that states where the package should be left and that they should take my note with my signature as proof of my approval. I live in Chicago and it hasn’t been a problem (UPS and FedEx will never leave anything if it is up to the driver).

Posted by jef on 10 July 2006 @ 9pm

Specific delivery problems have little to do with which service is actually handling your shipment … having worked for both UPS and Fedex, I can tell you that be it Fedex, UPS, DHL, or whatever … they’re all just about equal. All of the companies basically have to obey the shipper of their packages … not the receiver. Unfortunately, most people feel that since they’ve been charged “shipping and handling” charges by the merchant, THEY qualify as the shipper.

It’s simply not so. The party that pays the shipping company is the shipper. Newegg truly has a messed up contract with UPS, in that they’ve got very strict guidelines about what sort of arrangements any addressee can make to get their package other than a straight up, in-person, signed-for delivery. Almost all of your anger belongs with Newegg, here.

In the end, UPS can only do what Newegg will let them with your package, because they paid them. Whatever Newegg charged you for shipping is only to cover their own expenses.

It never fails to amuse me how people, after literally receiving dozens of packages in the past from a certain service, happen to suffer one little bump in the road among a sea of efficient success, and let their frustration at the immediate situation convince them that everything about the service, their package being one of millions for that week, is complete trash.

As you were chewing out the customer service representatives over this, and moaning over how horrible UPS was, there was someone exactly like you, in exactly the same situation, chewing out a Fedex representative about how nasty Fedex was. I can guarantee this, because I’ve taken calls for both.

In fact, if I could tally up exactly how many people at Fedex told me they’d only ship with UPS from now on, and how many people at UPS told me they’d only go Fedex … I’m pretty sure they’d cancel each out perfectly.

They all handle millions of packages a day, 99% make it where they’re going with little to no trouble. There’s no such thing as perfection, yet people always seem convinced when they suffer the unlucky likelihood of being among that day’s few mistakes that it’s a reflection on everything else.

I’m sorry you had to suffer such hassle this time, but in the end, it’s going to happen to someone eventually … it happened to you this time. Short of being able to teleport packages directly into your home, perfection in all deliveries is not an attainable thing.

Posted by Brad on 3 August 2006 @ 2am

Maybe Newegg should inform their customers before they buy that they will not be able to redirect their package nor request a signature waiver. It makes no sense for most people to have to take a vacation from work just to receive a package.

Posted by Hates Newegg on 15 December 2006 @ 6pm

I will no longer use NEWEGG unless i can ship with someone other then UPS.

I as well have had nothing but troubles with UPS.
I work for DHL - and understand how the whole “Shipping” thing works.

I ran a service center, i worked in sales, and now i am a corporate employee for DHL. (i actually was a legacy Airbone employee)

Anyways - I say all that because i know we (FEDEX, UPS, DHL, USPS) have our issues. We will always have issues - because the nature of the business.
(types of delivery points resi vs business, people not home or at work, Wrong address on package, etc..)

Once a problem occurs, its how you respond to the issue and handle the issue is the problem i have with UPS.
I have been hung up on, told i should just “use another carrier”, and basically told “tough”.

As somone else mentioned - i am not the so called “shipper” but i am still the CUSTOMER.
Because of a poor service that i have received - it will cause NEWEGG a customer. THats a shame.

I am not going to bore you guys with all the details and emails i have sent - but my only suggestion i can make is - refuse to use UPS.

NEWEGG ROCKS!
I hope - i have other shipping options. Maybe i already do - i am not sure all the shipping options the EGG offer.

Posted by Walter on 11 January 2008 @ 8am

I feel all of you i have never recieved a package on time with ups. I ordered a package last week with next day delivery and no one in newegg or ups know where my package is. I love newegg but i refuse to use the website, not even fed ex until something is done about their shipping services

Posted by allmightykraken on 24 July 2008 @ 10am

FYI — According to UPS it is in their contract with NewEgg that UPS is not allowed to leave the package, or allow you to sign for it on the info-notice and have it delivered to a neighbor or the office in an apartment building / development complex. Literally you have to be home and sign for anything coming from newegg or they will not deliver to you… unless you avoid their ever so helpful “free” ups delivery and pay for fedex.

Posted by Justin on 31 July 2008 @ 1pm