A little background:
I live in Boston, right in the heart of the city. I've lived, gone to school, and worked here for almost 5 years. Because I'm either in class or at work, I never do the whole sign-upon-delivery thing when ordering products online.
I bought a Giants t-shirt online for the Superbowl. (I have a jersey at my parents' home but I didn't want to bother them with sending it to me. Plus, I could use a new one.) I paid extra for quick delivery so it would be here before the weekend. It was scheduled to arrive on January 31st.
The horrible, horrible story:
They tried delivering it on the 31st, while I was in class, but it apparently had to be signed for. They didn't leave a tag or anything at the door of my apartment building; I discovered this using their online tracking. Because I work from 9 to 4 the following day, I called and asked them to mail it to my boyfriend's apartment, as he would be there all day. About an hour after I did this, my boyfriend told me he'd wait at my apartment instead while I'm at work. I called UPS back and told them to nix my change of address and just mail it to my original address. They said they would... no problemo.
The next day, February 1st, was a terrible day weather-wise. Freezing rain and hail all day. I get home from work around 4:15pm and my boyfriend said the package never came. I call UPS and was told they tried to deliver it to my boyfriend's apartment and nobody was there to sign for it. I asked if they could send it again on Saturday (the next day); they said no, because it's not a "Saturday delivery". I asked if I can pick it up on Saturday; they said no, because the facility is closed on weekends. I asked if I can pick it up that evening, and they said that's fine. They told me the facility would call me within the next hour to tell me when and where I can pick it up.
About 20 minutes later I get a call from the facility, as planned. They said they're located in Watertown, MA: A town I've never been to, which is approx. 5 miles away from me. I have no car, and although I'm familiar with the subway system very much, I've only used the buses once or twice. In order to get there I have to take the subway, transfer to another line, then take a bus. All-in-all it's an hour commute each way. I asked them if there's another facility it can be sent to, and they said no. They told me I can pick it up in Watertown between 7:30 and 8:30.
I leave my apartment at 6:15 to give myself plenty of time for any kind of error. I handle the subway fine, as expected. I get to where I thought the bus stop was. I didn't feel sure as to if I was at the right stop, so I asked someone where the 70 bus stop was. They told me, "Just go around the corner. You'll see the stop there." I go around the corner and sure enough there is a bus stop. I stand there for about 45 minutes, freezing my ass off. I get frustrated and around 7:45 I peek around the next corner... and see another bus stop. Wonderful. Sure enough, the 70 bus stops there, but it won't arrive until 8:13. (Remember: I was told to be at UPS by 8:30.)
Eventually the bus does come, I get on, I arrive at the correct stop at 8:20pm. Plenty of time, right? I walk in the rain for about 2 blocks to where the UPS "Customer Care" location is, and...
...it's closed.
I'm freezing cold, wet, in a town I've never been to, on a Friday night, by myself, and I don't know how to get home. (I was planning on asking the UPS person I'd see where the inbound bus stop is to go back to the city.) I'm ready to cry, so I call UPS's 1-800 number. I get probably the sweetest customer service representative, thankfully. (Probably the only silver lining of this whole convoluted story.) She asks me, "Can I have your tracking number?" with the cutest southern accent. I, in tears, respond with, "No, actually, you can't..." and proceed to graphically and cruelly tell her exactly what happened to me. I honestly feel a little bad for her, but she handled it surprisingly well.
She ends up informing me that my package was never in Watertown: it was in South Boston the whole time, a part of Boston that I used to work at, that I'm familiar with, and is about 20 minutes away from where I live. Great. Grand. Wonderful. She tells me that she's going to make sure it stays in South Boston and I can pick it up on Monday.
So much for having my shirt for the Superbowl.
But, luckily the Giants won, so I have a reason to actually continue on my trek to pick up my package.
So this Monday, 2 days ago, in between classes I head over to South Boston. I get there very easily, as expected. I tell the guy my situation and ask to pick up my package. He asks for my tracking number, and I give it to him. He says, "It's not here. It's in Watertown."
I could have been angrier, honestly. I did get upset, but not nearly to the level I was feeling internally. I told him that it's impossible. I tell him to check again, and lo and behold he says it's been "successfully delivered" to...
...nope, not my apartment, which is where I had told them to send it on Thursday and Friday...
...but it's at my boyfriend's apartment!
Luckily one of his roommates signed for it. I got my package, at last, but even in the end UPS didn't have it at the location I was told to go to, and furthermore sent it to the wrong address.
I apologize for the length of this rant, but that's the story in detail, so hopefully you all can see why I'm very much anti-UPS now.