Last time I was at my local store I noticed the size was off. The box was 14" X 14" X 14" and they said the package was 15" X 15" X 15". I figured I didn't close it enough and they rounded it up an inch.
Well today I had another package so prior to going to UPS bought a box at my local office supply store. The box had printed on it 14" X 14" X 14". I even sealed it and measured it at home with 2 tape measures. It was 14" X 14" X 14". I got to my local UPS store and they charged me as 15" X 15" X 15". I called them on it. The young man working there showed how he measured it with his tape measure. I noticed that the end piece was bent in. There was no way they could start measuring at 0 because the bent piece pushed it away from the edge a good 1/4". They are cheating their customers - charging them for a larger box than they actually have.
Now in my case it was only a couple cents or a dollar, but those who ship out items more frequently could be out significantly more.
Just a word of warning to those who use UPS. Make sure you aren't getting scammed. Watch them when they are measuring your boxes. Ask them to measure starting at 1" and deduct 1" from the end number. Otherwise, you could be charged more than you should. I hope for everyone's sake this is only happening at my local shop.
They even had past issues with problems such as this. UPS was accused of cheating their franchise, now it appears the franchise owners could be cheating us. See below:
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/lawsuit-accuses-ups-of-cheating-franchise-owners-57870252.html
2 comments:
This was emailed to me directly, so I figured I'd add it here. Unfortunately, due to an enormous amount of spam comments I've limited it to only those who are members of this blog.
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Hi Kim,
I tried commenting on your blog. When I saw it was restricted I decided to email you directly.
Here’s what I was trying to post. Please feel free to share with your readers if you think it help.
Hi Kimberly. I just saw your post. I'm sorry if you felt cheated. I can explain why they would bump up to the next inch. The measurement stamped on the outside of the box (in this case a 14" cubed box) is what fits inside the box. When we buy boxes it is based on what can fit into the box--the interior. When we ship a box the carrier (whether it be UPS, USPS, Fedex, etc) charges based on how much space the box takes up in the truck, plane, etc. Therefore, for purposes of shipping, what concerns the shipper are the exterior measurements of the box and rounded up to the next inch. So, it could have been 14.3" x 14.3" and the top, if bulging could have measured at 14.8". Thus, the Associate would have, for shipping purposes, charged you at the 15" cubed rate. If you think my comment helps please feel free to share it with your readers. --Paula, The UPS Store, Arizona
Have a great day!
Paula
The UPS Store #5320
Kohl's Shopping Center
53rd Ave and Bell
5350 W. Bell Road
Tel: (623) 298-5411
Fax: (623) 298-5416
store5320@theupsstore.com
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My response to this is I agree that measurements should be based on the outside of the box.
My problem is I measured the outside of the box 2X and it measured 14 X 14 X 14 (sealed) and that the facility used an altered tape measure to change the actual measurements. They had the metal tip of the tape measure bent in, so there is no possible way it could lay flush against the edge of the box. That's my point.
I have dealt with UPS in the past and haven't had a problem. As I said before, I hope this is an isolated franchise and not something practiced by many or all of the UPS franchises.
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