OT: UPS vs. Priority Mail

Rick Tasco wrote:

:  Here is a commercial garden's view point on Priority Mail vs UPS.  Thi=
s
:  year we made a major shift to almost totally UPS shipping and there we=
re
:  reasons.

<snip>

And here's another commercial garden's viewpoint on the subject.

We now ship UPS only at the customer's request -- for essentially the sam=
e
reasons Rick went on to discuss for going the other way.  Two years ago, =
we
enclosed a self-addressed stamped postcard in every order, with the
shipping date noted and a request to return it letting us know the arriva=
l
date -- so were able to run an extensive comparison of the two services.

Neither lost any packages.

Priority Mail took 1 day within the state, two days for most of the
country, three days for the east coast.  One package to the east coast di=
d
take five days -- the customer reported all mail had been delayed by a
hurricane.

UPS had a less consistent pattern.  The fastest delivery was 5 days (with=
in
the state).  The customer reporting the longest transit time wasn't sure
when the package arrived, but it was pretty sure it was less than 3 weeks=
=2E =

Weeks, not days.

I think the difference is in the office where something is shipped. =

Priority Mail is supposed to be sacked separately and go straight to the
sectional center for processing.  We use the Fairacres office, which is a=

small one, but serves quite a few businesses.  They are extremely
conscientious about handling these packages.  I realize, however, that no=
t
all offices really offer the service they're supposed to because I've sen=
t
Priority Mail through the Las Cruces office that took 6 days to get to
Oklahoma. =


In contrast, my personal experience with UPS is that delivery within the
city of Las Cruces is pretty reliable -- but in the Fairacres area, it's =
a
different story.   I get a postcard telling me that a package is being he=
ld
in Albuquerque (that's 225 miles away) with a number to call to arrange t=
o
pick it up.  They will send it as far as their Las Cruces distribution
office, and give me a time to go by and get it.  Usually a two-hour windo=
w
in the early afternoon.  Out-going UPS service is geared for large
businesses.  They make it extremely difficult for the individual or small=

business to ship UPS.  It's quite possible that our packages are simply
held until they have time to process them, while those of large businesse=
s
do get timely handling.  I don't know the reasons, I just know the servic=
e
is abominable.

:  We have had
:  ABSOLUTELY ZERO success tracking lost/delayed Priority Mail packages.

That's been my experience with UPS.  Their tracking system is reassuring =
as
long as the package is where it's supposed to be -- but they have NEVER
been able to locate one of our missing packages. =


I'm not trying to start a debate here -- we're FRIENDLY competitors and I=

often recommend SUPERSTITION to people who want cultivars we can't provid=
e
-- but I do want to present the other side of the picture.  They are
obviously using UPS because it works best in their area.  We're using
Priority Mail because it works best in ours.  In either case, if what wor=
ks
best for us doesn't meet the customer's needs we do try to accommodate th=
e
customer.  =


Sharon McAllister
73372.1745@compuserve.com
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