UPS and Their Utter Lack of Accountability

I order things online a lot. Yesterday, I got a package via UPS. It was delivered to my front door. Today, I was expecting two packages via UPS. They were not delivered. Instead I got this error on the Tracking Number system.

“The street number is incorrect. This may delay delivery. We’re attempting to update the address.”

I’ve lived in my current apartment for seven years. During that time, my address has never changed. It probably hasn’t changed in an even longer period of time. It’s not like the city changed the name of the street on which I live. It’s not like the city changed the numbering system. My address is the same. Nor has my apartment magically moved. I live in the exact same apartment as I did yesterday. I get packages delivered via the Postal Service, FedEx, OnTrac, DHL, and pretty much any other delivery company. I’ve ordered food delivery from multiple restaurants. The only time someone has a hard time finding my apartment, is when it’s UPS. And to be fair, 90% of the time, UPS gets the package to me on time.

So how is UPS going to “attempt to update the address”? Well, they are going to send me a card… to my address… asking me to update the address. How does that logic work? “Yeah. You’re apartment doesn’t exist, so we’re going to send a letter to that non existent apartment.” I have to go through this a few times a year, always with UPS. The problem is that even though I live in an apartment complex, the ground floor (for some stupid reason) units each have their own address. Therefore, instead of “123 Street Rd. Apt. #3” I have “124 Street Rd.” This apparently confuses NO ONE but UPS.

What frustrates me, is how UPS refuses to acknowledge that they made a mistake. The packages that were not delivered, came from Amazon. Amazon saves my address on file. I order so much from Amazon, I’m surprised they don’t just automatically print my address on all of their boxes, because it will probably be shipped to me anyway. I’ve spent close to $10k on Amazon over the last ten+ years. Not once has the address been incorrect. So for UPS to claim that Amazon printed my address incorrectly is ludicrous.

Which is more likely? One, I don’t know where I live. Two, Amazon (who has never gotten my address wrong) somehow did so this time. Three, UPS fucked up. Clearly, UPS fucked up, since this happens multiple times a year.

There are three possibilities. One, it was a new driver, and they didn’t have GPS, so they couldn’t find my apartment. Two, it was an old driver, who wasn’t used to this route. Three, it was getting late, and the driver wanted to go home.

In none of these possibilities, is it my fault, nor the fault of the shipper. It is UPS’ fault. But that’s not what the tracking system says. It says that the street number is incorrect, meaning someone else is to blame. It’s not the deliverer that’s the problem, it’s the address. UPS needs to step up and start admitting to making mistakes. If the error message just said “Sorry, the driver couldn’t find your address”, that would be one thing. To imply that it is my fault; that I gave them the wrong address, or that Amazon printed the wrong address, is rude, and kind of callous. It is cowardly.

Side Rant: The package was supposed to be delivered by 8 pm. At 3:52 pm, the tracking system was updated to show that the address was wrong. At 6:35 pm, the tracking system was updated to show that the address had been “corrected”. So why didn’t they send the truck back out to deliver it by 8? Eh. Whatever. It’s not like the packages were important.

UPS is a huge company, and mistakes are bound to be made. I understand that, and I don’t blame them. I’m sure the driver got most of the packages to their destinations. And I understand that my address seems confusing. But the information the driver had was accurate. It’s the driver’s fault, not anyone else’s, and UPS needs to admit that. I’m not even saying that they should discipline the driver. Don’t fire them. Don’t reprimand them. All I’m saying is that UPS needs to take some responsibility.