My custom bass was due to be delivered today. I took off work and have been by the front door anxiously waiting. Even turned on the porch light at dusk.
I had checked UPS tracking a couple times. I checked it again at 6:40 pm because it was getting so late.
It showed delivered at 5:55 pm! The notation said to a woman.
I immediately called the Shop that built my bass. Fortunately they are in Oregon and close at 7 pm, (my time). He’s been on the phone reporting the incorrect delivery to UPS. I’ve already confirmed my home address to the shop’s manager. It was shipped to the correct address.
I’m just heartsick. Waited three months for them to build this bass.
This can’t be an accident. Who would sign for a 5 ft x 2 ft box they weren’t expecting? The package weighs 22 lbs.
Is this considered theft? It’s over $3,000. It’s insured but I think for only $2500. That was what the shop choose to do. Am I going to lose the balance?
UPS says they will pickup the package first thing in the morning. I got a bad feeling it may be too late. It may get sold tonight. Who ever signed for it had to know exactly what they were doing.
Someone who lives with another person and just assumes the other person ordered it?
They’re supposed to ask names, though, aren’t they? Then it would be intentionally taking one that didn’t belong to them. Depends on how they signed the thing, I guess.
Third possibility is, I suppose, is no one home driver forging signature because they didn’t want bring the package back out another day.
It does seem likely UPS should be able to tell you where it was left.
Relax and wait a few days. It’ll probably show up. If it doesn’t, you’ll almost certainly get your money back. Most of your frustration right now is due to disappointed expectation.
It’s possible that someone has stolen your package, but it’s also possible that this was an honest mistake. If it was delivered to a place where multiple people live, someone could easily have signed for it believing that it was ordered by another family member or tenant. My Mom wouldn’t bat an eye at signing for a package she didn’t expect – she would just assume that it was something my father had ordered, and vice versa. Especially around this time of year, when people are ordering holiday gifts, plenty of packages arrive unexpectedly. I understand why you’re upset, but it is still very possible that you will receive your package.
I’ve been talking to my wife. She thinks the delivery tablets, (that we sign) has GPS. It should be recorded with the signature.
That would eliminate any claims that “we delivered it to your address”. GPS knows where it really got delivered.
It’s insured. I’m going to focus on playing my keyboard and guitar tonight. Get my mind off this.
I’d be tempted to enjoy some Bacardi and coke tonight. But I need to be awake and clear headed, early in the morning. Don’t have any Bacardi anyhow. I haven’t bought any in 5 years.
I understand how you feel; the same thing happened to me once with the USPS. I went out of my way to be home for one particular delivery, and nothing came. Then I saw online that it was reported as delivered, so I filed a complaint on their website–expecting nothing to come from it. I also called the delivering office the next morning, and they said, “Oh, sorry. That was a just a mistake. It should be there today.” Lo and behold, it did arrive. Then, a day later, someone actually called to follow up on my online complaint. (Not exactly fitting the stereotype of indifferent USPS workers.)
So who knows–maybe no one signed for it at all, and it was just a “mistake.”
There is no signature. I click “proof of delivery” and it says “met customer woman”.
The UPS rep called this morning. She’s talked with the original driver and instructed him to pickup the package and redeliver. She couldn’t confirm if that will all happen today. She said, “maybe”.
I guess whether this becomes a theft case depends on what happens at the other house. My name and address is on the package. I hope it’s there, unopened, waiting to be retrieved.
I’ll check it carefully for signs of tampering if it appears on my doorstep.
I’m not entirely sure what to do if it’s been opened. Sign for it and take pictures? Refuse delivery? I’m going to call the company that built the bass to see what they recommend.
Hopefully it’ll arrive unopened and there won’t be any issue.
It is insured. But I’m anxious to start playing the bass. I’ve already paid for a years subscription at a web site for lessons. It could takes months to clear an insurance claim and get a new bass.
It’s likely a simple mix-up of some sort. Stay assertive on your follow-ups, as it sounds like you are doing, but to worry about theft or ill intent mainly serves to stress you out without solving the problem. Remember the Serenity Prayer. You can control your actions and you can’t control others’. Until you have reasonable causes to suspect crime, don’t go there (in your mind).
I worked a couple of years at UPS during my college years. Mix-ups happen often.
Hang in there. This bass sounds beautiful and special. We’re hoping for a quick and good outcome here!
Thanks Bullitt. I needed some reassurance. I’m trying to stay positive. It’s Thanksgiving week and the time to focus on my family. Can’t let this problem distract me.
I plan to post pics in the Cafe Guitar thread after I get the bass.
Do you ever have mail mis-delivered to you? While most of the time people notice the wrong address sometimes they don’t pay attention, open it and then realize it’s not for them.
This isn’t going to help, but I have to point out that the basis of your concern is that this is a bass you had custom-built and waited for months to get. (I also play bass.) I understand that completely. But to UPS, it’s just a package. It might be worth (and, hopefully, insured for) thousands, but it’s just a package that got misdelivered. They will almost certainly admit to that very quickly.
In my experience, UPS will make good faith efforts to recover it or ascertain where it was delivered, but the simplest thing for them to do is simply pay you the value of the package. They have no emotional connection with the contents. Shit happens.
What I’m saying is that you really need to prepare yourself for that eventuality. Trying to get UPS to understand how much the bass means to you is fruitless and will result in nothing but frustration and delays.
It’s even simpler than that.
Let the seller handle it.
Until the package arrives in the buyer’s hands, the seller is responsible. They should deal with UPS.
I get all my deliveries sent to work. A few of my employees do this as well. So every day UPS/FedEx/etc delivers a bunch of boxes and someone signs for them.
Maybe once every month or two we get a misdelivered package We hold onto it until the next delivery. Occasionally the package gets opened, not a big deal.
