Complaint Review: UPS Shipping

DENVER UPS STORE REFUSES TO HONOR INSURANCE ON LOST CHRISTMAS PACKAGES

Hello, my name is Katherine. I've had a heart wrenching holiday season for many reasons but refusing to honor purchased insurance coverage for packages sent for $2000 that were lost by UPS delivery is my last straw.

In the Denver community, I am known as The Pumpkin Lady. I have a local Christian Ministry called Heavenly Loaves. I deliver food and free bibles to the abused women's and children's shelters and other homeless shelters in Charlotte. I teach and counsel young abused women that they will continually be victimized unless they tell someone about the abuse. I am now once again the victim except that I intend to tell anyone who will listen to me. I am a practicing Christian and I make no apologies for it. But enough is enough, I may not get my money back but I would feel better if others were not scammed like I was.

On November 30th, I shipped four extra large boxes of Christmas Items to my only daughter in Idaho. They never arrived, despite waiting extra few days before we called an alarm because of usual Christmas rush packages at that time of year. Each year, Jewel (Store manager of UPS in Denver, NC, Store #4081) has chastened me to be patient when boxes did not arrive on time because Millions of boxes are being delivered during the busiest time of the year. I waited a few days as I was told to sound the alarm, now it has been thrown up in my face as my fault the boxes were never delivered.

I put the right address on each box, as I always do. Why would I send my daughter's and grandchildren's gifts to another??? All throughout the years of 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006, my boxes were shipped successfully to my daughter's correct address without incident. So I took my Christmas boxes there again before the holidays began on November 20th, 2006. The lady behind the check out counter rang up the charges (Over $100) and put printed labels ON TOP of my addresses that I had printed on each one. I saw her do it and I didn't think there was anything wrong.

Apparently, the Denver UPS Computer had a former address (many years old) of my daughters and the packages were dropped off there. Unfortunately, the woman there claiming to be my daughter was not and the boxes were stolen. When the investigation got going by my daughter as to where the boxes went, the woman said she stacked the four boxes in front of the local UPS Store in Sandpoint, ID late on Friday night, thinking they would be picked up and taken inside the following Monday morning. How can a business charge for $2000 insurance coverage when they don't even require a signature to prove delivery?

I am not a stupid woman. I do not believe her but apparently we can't prove she's lying and so my grandchildren and family had no Christmas to speak of. You need to understand that I am disabled and make a monthly check of only $601 from Social Security Disability. I am blessed with a wonderful husband who has a job to pay for our needs. But money was impossibly short this year because he went through TWO hip replacement surgeries back to back in five months.

My only child has a son of four years and a little girl born with Cerebral Palsy, she is profoundly disabled. I sent crafts and sewing and many toys and clothing gifts. I have to start my Christmas shopping in February because of my low income.

When we finally knew the boxes were lost, my daughter cried for the homemade baby's quilt that was taken and went to her local newspaper and ran the article enclosed, asking for at least that blanket because it had such sentimental value. My little granddaughter has spent more of her life in a hospital in critical care than in the home of my daughter and son-in-law. We just did not know if Little Natalie was even going to get a Christmas last year. God was good to us, she is still alive and we are grateful. Oh course, nothing was retrieved.

I took out $500 worth of delivery insurance (I have the receipts) on each box for safe delivery. After contacting Jewel (Denver UPS Manager), she managed to arrogantly hang up on me twice without me ever raising my voice. She said she would do what she could do.

It's now the middle of January, and after much calling and asking, she finally called me this afternoon and said that her store would not honor my insurance claim. They won't even refund the shipping costs, despite that the boxes never arrived.

I don't know what to do. I did not break the law. Three Christmas's ago, I sent many boxes as I always do and one was never delivered. Jewel firmly stated that there was nothing they could do, I should have insured them. The following Christmas of 05, I did insure all the boxes and sure enough, one was never delivered. The store gave me half the $100 insurance I was entitled to, plus shipping costs. I agreed to the amount because basically Jewel said I had no other recourse.

Now Christmas of 2006, ALL of my Christmas boxes are lost and they won't honor the insurance I bought and paid for. I need this story to get out. I can't believe that I am the only person in Denver, NC that has ever had these people do this to them, especially three years in a row.

As a sign of Christian faith and love, I took them the usual tray of cookies I give out to many businesses every Christmas in celebration. And the call this afternoon was my thanks. I'm frustrated, I'm mad, and I have been robbed. Not just by a stranger but by UPS Staff that I trusted with my shipping needs for three years.

Can you help me and get something written up about this?



If UPS will not honor their insurance, the public should never pay for that service. It's wrong and it's public fraud. Please help me.

Katherine

Katherine
Denver, North Carolina
U.S.A.

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