UPS Driver Refused to Give Me My Package!

I'm forced to wonder how many packages have been stolen from your
home?

If I were the delivery person, I'd be reluctant to leave a package
from a place where thefts have occurred in the past.

In any event, why not tell him to leave the package in the backyard
where no one can see it from the street. That way there is no chance
of it being stolen and both of you are protected.

So Susan, how would you have reacted if the driver left your package
on the door and it was stolen?You'd still demand him to be fired. OMG,
he was looking out for you by not leaving your expensive printer on
your doorstep for any thief to take! Last time i checked, it wasn't
any customers business or gall to demand someone to be fired..how
would you like that if someone did that to you?

Personally, I think the driver was looking out for you. After all, why
would he or she risk being "way out of line" and not leave the
printer? Maybe he knows it is a high risk area and would rather put it
into the hands of the owner rather than even risk leaving it. (Would
you rather have a two or three day delay for secure delivery or a
couple of weeks delay, should it be stolen?) It's so easy just to
leave it...so why would he not do that? Why would he go and write "I
refuse to leave this" if he knew he was going to get in trouble?

I would not be furious. Maybe I would be a little irritated. I would
not want someone who is trying to protect my property to be fired.

My family has a GREAT UPS driver. We frequently send out packages and
see him nearly every day. Once, we forgot to put out an envelope for
pick up and actually left it at another location and he offered to
swing by that location to pick it up even though it was twenty miles
out of the way! He knows most us by name, honks the horn before he
gets out so we can put the dog up, and is just an all around great
guy. He knows that we prefer that he doesn't leave packages out, even
when a signature isn't required, and will give them to a neighbor to
hold.

This is probably your usual driver, so you'll be seeing him again. He
probably won't be trying to look out for your property again.

I received a phone call from UPS today and an apology. I was told the
driver was out of line for refusing to leave my package after I signed
the slip allowing him to. To repeat from my original letter, this is
what the slip says:

"If the "Signature Required" is checked the driver must receive a
signature either in person or by signing below".

"Signature required" was indeed checked and nothing on the slip said
an in person signature was required. Had it said I had to sign for it
in person I'd have been happy to do so.

Thanks to everyone who commented, even if we disagree. :-)

Looks like the letter made the front page of Consumerist. I'm not sure
if I should be surprised or amused.

http://consumerist.com/2010/03/ups-refuses-to-leave-package-without-si
gnature-despite-my-wishes.html

These are two different animals.

In the case of Signature Required, the package has to be received in
person by an adult, either you or a neighbor. I don't believe the
driver made this request "on a whim"; I think the driver did
everything right.

In the case of Written Authorization, you can tell them to leave it.

The whole CONCEPT of Signature Required is to make sure the package
arrives safely in the recipient's hands. Would you be LIVID if you
arrived home to find the printer had been stolen? Who would you hold
accountable?

I am a bit amused by many of the complaints against UPS. For example
"since you can't be bothered to offer Saturday service". If you want
Saturday delivery, you simply have to pay more for the convenience.
If you can't be bothered to arrange delivery to an adult during normal
M-F work hours, you will have to pay more for that as well. There are
options.

Pretty soon, not even USPS will be bothered to provide Saturday
delivery, the way things are going.

Maybe it is because I am an old geezer, but I have a bit of trouble
understanding the expectations out there today. It is as if people
expect to order on their handheld, and a
materialization/dematerialization machine places goods directly in
their homes, obviating the need for fuel and delivery companies.
Sounds great, but hard to imagine it ever happening.

This letter makes me wonder if the UPS drive had left the printer
ourside. Would be be reading a letter about UPS leaving a valuable
package outside?

If I were to send a package I can ensure that it is left only to the
person its addressed to in person and signed for, no exceptions.

If that person is not around and they leave a note it wont matter. As
the shipper I can demand it be done this way.

The reason for this is to ensure the shipper signs for the actual item
so they cant sit here and say they never got it.

I had a similar situation with UPS. I was expecting an inexpensive
package (less than $20). The apartment I had at the time had on-site
managers. The info notice said that the manager "Refused delivery.
If you work during the day, you can arrange to have it delivered to
your work". When I asked the manager about it, she informed me that
they had never even heard from UPS the day before. I called the 800#
and got the most indifferent excuse I had ever received.

If the UPS driver had left the package and something happened to it,
you would have been made that he left it without a signature. If you
knew that you are not home during the day Monday through Friday, why
didn't you just buy the printer at a local store?

Actually, when my company had an account with UPS, we were told that
even when signature waived was checked, it was purely up to the
discretion of the driver. So

Susan W.,

Could it be the seller stipulates person to person delivery?

Maybe the delivery person felt uneasy leaving the goods unattended?

BillR.