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I am a business owner and utilize UPS much during each month. I am usually

happy with their service, but The UPS Store on 1436 Altamont Ave, Schenectady,

NY has changed my view of UPS stores. This store has no customer service

skills and excessive costs.

On March 28, 2011 I was sending a prepared package with prepaid mailing label-

all it need was one strip of tape to finish the packaging and be sent out.

The gentleman asked me for $2 for taping. I questioned him why the charge

since I prepaid for the shipping. He said it costs him $2 for tape (He used

maybe 5 inches of tape). I paid the fee, but felt uneasy. I followed up

with a phone call to UPS Corporate headquarters which they explained that the

fee was excessive and not needed. I returned into the store to question the

gentleman what UPS corporate verbalized to me. He becomes rude and

inappropriate. I felt unsafe for my physical safety as well as concerned by

my package with an expensive item inside it. I asked for my package and he

intially refused to give it back to me.

With persistence he gave me back my package but not my money. At this time I

am thankful I have my package and it is safe with me and all items were

thankfully inside. However, this gentlemen and worker was verbally

aggressive, inappropriate and rude. In addition, he is charging excessive

fees to customers. Furthermore, UPS corporate also does not support his

inappropriate and irrational behavior.

The point of this complaint is the lack of professional communication and inapproproate conduct as well as the unnessary fees, which UPS coporate supported my concern of this fee. As a customer calling the UPS Corporate inquring about this and with their response, you can see why a customer, such as I would feel they are being cheated and ripped off. In questioning this fee, they became irritated and rude. The lack of proper and professional skills to resolve this issue nor communicate is unfortunate- I am sure it hurts business- I guess that is why they need even $2 to stay open, therefore I am glad I gave the donation.

Monetary Loss: $2.

Location: Albany, New York

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Guest

tape is not free

Guest

Per my last comment; should add that most folks who come in "untaped" also need a label printed from email that requires taping. It normally ends up using much more tape than simply sealing the box flaps, not to mention the cost of the paper, toner, and internet monthly charges that allow us to print labels from email. It all adds up.

Guest

I own an authorized ship outlet that handles all 3 major carriers. We are in a rural area and most packages that come through are prepaid drop-offs, which we make about 25 or 50 cents on each.

Since we are not a UPS store or FedEx Kinkos, we are not supported by a corporation at all. And yes, tape costs us money. When you factor in rent on the space, the software and scanner needed to process dropoffs, insurance, utilities, and payroll just to name a few, we can not afford to provide services such as taping for free.

I get a lot of regulars, so I always let the first time slide but let them know about the charge for in the future. I understand most people don't carry cash, and the credit cards fees we pay would hardly be worth letting a customer swipe their card for just a dollar.

Guest

I have a mail box at Ups store and see so many people brings their pkg untaped and wishing someone would tape up for them (for free). Have you realize that you won't be the only one who ask for a tape?

They get thousands of people coming in for drop-off/prepaid pkgs and ask for a tape.

Which they have to provide with their own money. Prepaid label only covers your shipping not packing your pkgs to be sent off.

It's your responsiblity to take care of your pkgs to go out safely, not theirs.

Guest

Sounds like a Bernie supporter. Wants everything for free.

Guest

I also work at a UPS store and we charge $1 for taping dropoff packages. If you don't want to pay the fee, then tape your package before bringing it in to our store.

When I was selling and shipping on Ebay, I never dreamed of expecting the store to tape my boxes for me, and find it very rude that a few customers seem to think that we should be paying THEM for dropping their packages off.

Why is it so difficult to tape up your own packages. Buy some tape and just do it.

Guest

I see we have many restaurant and ups owners chiming in why its ok to charge for tape. These guys pretend to act like a company store, except they are franchise owned.

I never paid for tape at Fedex before, so why should UPS be any different. The restaurant ketchup packet analogy doesnt apply... If customers were to walk into my store, see how great my service is, and I offer them free tape, maybe I can earn some of their business in the future, which is worth more than a "tape" charge. Its like FREE walk-in advertising, all it cost you is 2 cents of tape.

Instead these *** nickel-dime your average consumer, and make you hate them.

If a guy walks in with 3 huge boxes needing tape, sure you can charge... but it should be free for a simple small box!!

Guest

Keep in mind each UPS Store is locally owned and operated. Meaning that the owners and employees do NOT work for UPS.

Each store also is in charge of its own finances, they do not receive money from UPS for supplies and must buy their own.

The reason the stores charge a fee to tape a drop-off package is that the stores receive almost no money ($.50/package or so) for taking them in and scanning them. Any tape they use to tape it up comes out of there own pockets.

I work at a UPS store, and some people seem upset and say "Thats ridiculous, its just a little piece of tape!". Maybe so, but do you honestly think you were the only one that day to come in with an untaped drop-off? In fact, hundreds of people come in with untaped drop offs a month to my store.

Guest

A farmer was being interviewed after winning the lottery. The reporter asked him what he planned on doing with the money. He scratched his head and said, "well, I guess I'll just keep farming until the money runs out."

Maybe I should just keep taping up UPS' packages for free until I'm out of money

Guest

Better yet, Walk into a restaurant and buy nothing, Simply grab as many packets of ketchup and mustard as you can carry and walk out the door.They won't mind, they would hate lose you as a customer.

Guest

Tina tina tina, here's the problem with your analogy...the customer paid the shipping store for nothing, nothing. They only became a customer when they paid for the tape service.

Using your analogy, it would be like the customer going to micky d's and asking for a free bun or condiments. They had already paid someone else for the shipping and wanted the tape for free. See the difference?

Aside from that, not sure what you think tape costs, or labor, rent or other costs for that matter, but all businesses that provide goods or services should get paid for them.

Who are you to decide what the business owners profit margin should be? How much does it cost a lawyer to answer the phone? Mine charges $5 per minute. his cost, 'zero.' How much does a cup of coffee at starbucks actually cost them in raw goods, certainly not much more than 5 cents yet they charge $4 for a cup.

Get it?

People will pay the cost of doing business. If you want to avoid paying $4 for coffee you make it at home, if you want to avoid paying 2 bucks to have someone tape something for you, tape it at home, or pay the shipping store for shipping and they will likely tape it for you for free.

Guest

As a business person I know to do the math on the cost of supply vs the cost of losing customers. I am sorry but giving away even 3 feet of tape (expensive shipping tape)is so minimal that giving away free tape will certainly NOT run a shipping store out of business. Providing free tape is not a comparison to bringing the burger it is more like buying a burger and having to pay for the condiments. Since the real commodity of a shipping store is the nominal fees for shipping where as the cost of tape is extremely low. I am talking about a whole 2 feet of tape costing less than .05ร‚ยข total cost to the establishment. Since repeat business makes more profit per box shipped than the cost of a nickel for tape, I say any business person who thinks that tape is to the shipping establishment is the same as the burger is to the McDonald's is lacking in common sense.

If a shipping establishment or any business feels that they need to charge excessive fees for items that cost less than a nickel then that business is making poor choices. Tape is more of a comparison to catchup and mustard than it is to the burger and the bun.

Bottom line items such as condiments, chips and salsa, and tape should always be complimentary for the sake of good business and customer service. A smart business owner will always see the value in giving away the frivolous stuff such as tape and condiments.

Guest

Walk into a McDonald's with a hamburger patty. Tell them you already bought the meat from McDonald's corporate and cooked it at home.

Now ask them for a bun and some ketchup. Become indignant when the owner shows you the door and tell him he's rude.

Guest

That's why is called " DROP-OFF " should be all packed, taped and ready to go. Would you ask the UPS Brown Box to tape your box?

NO.

Try going to the UPS HUB and asked them to tape your box! and see what they will say to you! And this is UPS HUB not the UPS Store. UPS as a giant shipping company imposed a lot of things to their franchisee to make them look as if they watch for their customers, but at the end at the cost of the Franchisee.

I agree, the store should at least give you 1 strap of tape as COURTESY, but again I have seen some drop off clients asked the UPS Store to put tons of tape around their box because their box so beat up already. SO...if you do not feel like $$$ then get your box ready to go and if you are not willing to wait, call the UPS 800# and have the driver pick up your pre-paid label.

Guest

If you go to a UPS Store and ship with them, they will provide all the free tape you need.

But go in with prepaid package, paid to a competitor, and they may want reimbursement for taping and service.

The Post Office isn't taping competitors packages for free either, although if they did, it might help explain the huge deficits they run at every year.

Guest

if you go to the post office and ship it priority, the post office will give you all the tape you need for free.

Guest

Maybe if you keep going to that store for free service you can run him right out of business. He is supposed to pay the rent, the utilities, payroll, taxes, etc.

so you can breeze in with your "prepaid"label, ask for his service and get angry because he would like to make a living. Wake up cheapskate.

Clearly you don't have enough to do in your life that you have time for such pettiness. Maybe you can help to run others out of business and then you can complain that there just aren't good businesses like there used to be!!!!!!!!!

Guest
reply icon Replying to comment of Guest-323993

โ€œFelt unsafe for your physically safety.โ€ Trade in your ballerina slippers for a pair... of what you have no idea. -Cheers

Guest

Is there resentment of drop-offs? Not necessarily.

Again, make no mistake, the person in the original post was not dropping off a pair of shoes to return to Zappos. They obviously have their own UPS 'wholsale' account with UPS and were expecting, and later demanding, that a franchisee service their drop off beyond what the store was required to do. My theory is if your package is important to you, you will tape it. There is no life long repeat customer built on giving free tape, especially not a wholesale UPS account holder, it's impossible.

Besides that, who would want a repeat freeloading, complaining, demading, non-paying 'customer' that refuses to pay for services rendered?

You 'side with the customer"? Who was the 'customer' in the story? The correct answer is no one, until they purchased the taping service.

Prior to that, their only purchase had been with UPS corporate. And based on their story, they had no intention of ever becoming a 'repeat customer' of the store, but rather continue to expect self serve pricing and full serve amenities.

If you can't understand the difference, you're as dull as the original poster.

And one last thought, if you think the store is responsible for claims processing on your drop-off, I'd LOVE for you to try that gem of an idea. Hopefully the store owner you try it on doesn't hurt himself laughing too hard at your expense.

Guest

I side with the customer. The "mom and pop" store lost an opportunity to have a repeat customer. I guarantee you that lil shipping store was within eyesite of a dollar store. I'd have marched over to some other store and owned a roll of tape and taken it back to the rude attendant and hoped the shipment got BROKEN in transit so the company would have had to pay a freight damage claim. Ignorant small minded business is WHY America is on the decline. If you resent UPS doing the prepaid thing, then stop franchising with UPS.

I'd do a bunch of online reviews on everyone of their on line business postings for the exact store - not UPS. More locals will see it and it WILL affect their bottom line, especially about the agressive rude customer service.

Once again, the younger generation is behind on the latest trend. Rude is out of style, just like overconsumption and arrogance. Now go play on your PS3 or your IPhones you stood in line to buy you buncha SHEEP.

:cry

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