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UPS - Billing Problems

UPS • Damaged goods, claims problems • Lost shipments • "Lost" computers • Phantom delivery attempts • Billing Problems • Small business nightmares • "Lost" or damaged artwork and jewelry --- News • Big Brown Goes Hybrid

Wendy of Ukiah CA writes (4/2/03):
We ship cookies via UPS. My father paid the bill every month. He had leukemia and esophageal cancer and passed away last fall. When he died I took over accounts payable. I saw an erroneous charge on a satement and called UPS. The charge was for a shipping system we never used. Unfortunately my Dad, while ill, took UPS at their word and paid the amount on the statement every month.

I asked UPS how long they had been billing us this fee in error only to find that they purge all billing records 16 weeks or older. If I wanted to pursue this I would have to find out myself by coming up with all the statements showing the charge. I did and found that UPS owed us $850.00. We are a very small family-owned business and we can ill afford this superfluous expense. I have spoken numerous time to the Account Executive assigned to our region. He told me that this is our fault for not paying attention to our statement.

We are out $850.00 paid in good faith and now that we have brought the billing error to UPS's attention the Account Representative is only willing to refund $350.00. I want a full refund, of course. I have spent numerous hours since my Father's death working on this issue.

This is what the courts are for. Wendy should go to Small Claims Court, where she should be able to win the refund she deserves.

David of Altadena CA (11/14/01):
I recently went to the UPS web site and sent a package out per their prompts at the site. All went smoothly. Then, a month or so later, when I got my credit card report and checked it for the charge, I noticed that I had been billed twice for the same, single, shipment. I immediately contacted UPS Customer Service but was informed that they could not credit the account for the obvious mistake they had made.

UPS • Damaged goods, claims problems • Lost shipments • "Lost" computers • Phantom delivery attempts • Billing Problems • Small business nightmares • "Lost" or damaged artwork and jewelry --- News • Big Brown Goes Hybrid

I questioned this answer further only to find that the customer service people at UPS have no authority or even any manner in which to credit an account for an obvious mistake on UPS's part. I was told that I must contact my credit card company and request that they negotiate a settlement with UPS. I then told the UPS representative I was speaking with that the UPS policy was convoluted and absurd and asked to speak to a supervisor. I was begrudingly connected with a supervisor but was told the same information.

I replied that my understanding of the situation is that UPS was not responsible for any mistakes that they made. That the leg work to correct their errors was entirely the work of the consumer who had been wronged, and, given this UPS policy, there was nothing to keep UPS from erroneously charging any amount they wish to my credit card, whenever they like, once they have the number and there is nothing the consumer can do. I said that this company policy makes UPS a dangerous company to deal with. I then asked if my understanding of the situation was correct and, if it was not, could UPS offer me another way of looking at the situation, based on the facts. The representatives could not.

I contacted the credit card company and they were incredulous about the policy as well. They sent me forms to fill out to basically litigate the return of my money that UPS arbitrarily charged to my credit card account. That process continues, but the outcome is unclear.

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