Have you ever ordered something on line, and paid the shipper for United Parcel Service (UPS) delivery only to have your package delivered by the United States Postal Service (USPS)? Well, you are not alone. It’s sort of a bait and switch tactic. You pay the on-line seller to have your merchandize delivered via UPS and later learn that while the item was initially sent via UPS – UPS Basic to be precise – near the final leg of the trip your package was turned over to the USPS for delivery. UPS Basic is a less costly UPS service that delivers small packages, weighing less than 70 pounds within the U.S. at a lower cost than regular UPS.
Many on-line shoppers pay for UPS delivery, because they don’t want to wait forever and a day to receive the item they purchased. But sometimes delivery takes longer than the shopper expected and only upon checking the UPS online tracking system or calling the seller do they find out why their delivery is taking so long. In many cases, unbeknownst to the purchasers their merchandise was transferred from UPS Basics to the snail mail USPS, thereby causing delivery to be delayed, sometimes by 2-3 days. And if the mail carrier on your route is anything like my mail carrier, your package will likely be delivered around 6 or 7 PM on the evening of the third day.
Online marketers are stiffing their customers. When we select UPS delivery, we pay the higher rates, and expect a speedy delivery. Although the UPS Basic is the least expensive option for shipping via UPS and while it is a cost saver for the seller, that saving is not being passed on to the customers who are paying the same high shipping charges, often for less quality service and slower delivery. Read some of the numerous comments and complaints about UPS Basic. Good luck on finding anything about UPS Basic on the UPS website. And by the way, on-line shoppers, Fed Ex has a similar service, Fed Ex SmartPost.