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#UPShelpless
Dec. 5th, 2014 12:24 pmSo, two nights ago, @popelizbet was driving on interstate 24 in Tennessee when a UPS-branded semi truck with tandem trailers came barreling down the road, passed her, then tried to merge into her lane right on top of her. She was forced to swerve off the road to avoid being killed. Fortunately, she kept control of her car and was not hurt.
The truck--as seems to be the case with many but not all UPS trucks, judging by image searches--had no identification markers beyond the UPS branding, no ID number and no reporting line for dangerous drivers. When she took to Twitter with her experience, the UPS social media/customer service rep proceeded to call her "Liz" after being asked not to twice but said if she would email the details they would look into it.
Well, she did so. The response she got back was full of customer service compliant apologetics but also said that without an ID number it would be hard to track down the driver who was speeding and driving with such reckless disregard for other vehicles.
Well, gee, isn't that convenient if your company depends on cross-country truck drivers' willingness to cut corners and take risks in the name of meeting a deadline?
Two days passed with nothing further, though whenever @popelizbet would mention her experience she'd get a reply from @UPSHelp--often signed by the same rep initials as initially responded--assuring her that if she would just get off Twitter where everyone can see and send them an email, they would be happy to investigate.
I've noticed this basically seems to be the main function of the @UPSHelp twitter: it's not rendering customer service so much as herding complaints from the public square. I also kind of suspect that a lot of the complaints I see them addressing--mishandled packages, drivers who falsely claim that a customer was not home rather than even stopping to attempt delivery, et cetera--come down to the same factor as the numerous safety complaints and accidents that UPS sees in a year: what has been described as UPS's "dangerous obsession with efficiency".
Though I would say it's really a fixation on the bottom line.
Their semi drivers speed for the same reason their delivery drivers skip your house or throw your package onto your porch without setting foot on it, much less knocking or ringing the bell: UPS's metrics require them to cut corners. UPS counts on this happening, as long as it remains within an "acceptable" degree (i.e., as long as the cost of their recklessness doesn't exceed the gains). The nominal cost of putting unique, clearly visible serial/ID numbers on all their trailers and making it easy to report reckless driving isn't worth it because it cuts into their ability to benefit from reckless driving.
Last night as the actual 48 hour mark approached I asked @UPSHelp to get back in touch with @popelizbet and make a little better effort. They told us that it had been "escalated properly" and was "being investigated" and if she wanted a follow-up she could email them again. Well, having seen what results emailing @UPShelp brings, she was not in a hurry to do so unless they made some move, showed some progress.
Today, again, I have been raising holy heck about this on Twitter along with @popelizbet herself. A bit after I started contacting other people getting what I call the #UPShelpless treatment from @UPSHelp, lo and behold, she got an email! From the same person who responded before. Asking for the details that were in the first email.
Does this sound to anyone else like it was "escalated" the first time? My customer service senses are tingling, and they're telling me that her first email went nowhere, the details weren't actually logged anywhere, it was a total fob-off. They wouldn't follow up unless she asked, and the convenient lack of identification markings on the UPS truck would be their alibi. Oops, we tried to find the miscreant, but darn the pitiable lack of identification numbers! If only something could have been done, but what are you going to do?
Anyway, I'm urging people who are having a negative experience with UPS customer service or corporate to tweet about it with the hashtag #UPShelpless. And if you do email them at @UPSHelp's behest and they offer you no help and nothing new, realize that the point of the exercise was probably just to get you off of Twitter, so make sure you go back and air your grievances in the open air.
The truck--as seems to be the case with many but not all UPS trucks, judging by image searches--had no identification markers beyond the UPS branding, no ID number and no reporting line for dangerous drivers. When she took to Twitter with her experience, the UPS social media/customer service rep proceeded to call her "Liz" after being asked not to twice but said if she would email the details they would look into it.
Well, she did so. The response she got back was full of customer service compliant apologetics but also said that without an ID number it would be hard to track down the driver who was speeding and driving with such reckless disregard for other vehicles.
Well, gee, isn't that convenient if your company depends on cross-country truck drivers' willingness to cut corners and take risks in the name of meeting a deadline?
Two days passed with nothing further, though whenever @popelizbet would mention her experience she'd get a reply from @UPSHelp--often signed by the same rep initials as initially responded--assuring her that if she would just get off Twitter where everyone can see and send them an email, they would be happy to investigate.
I've noticed this basically seems to be the main function of the @UPSHelp twitter: it's not rendering customer service so much as herding complaints from the public square. I also kind of suspect that a lot of the complaints I see them addressing--mishandled packages, drivers who falsely claim that a customer was not home rather than even stopping to attempt delivery, et cetera--come down to the same factor as the numerous safety complaints and accidents that UPS sees in a year: what has been described as UPS's "dangerous obsession with efficiency".
Though I would say it's really a fixation on the bottom line.
Their semi drivers speed for the same reason their delivery drivers skip your house or throw your package onto your porch without setting foot on it, much less knocking or ringing the bell: UPS's metrics require them to cut corners. UPS counts on this happening, as long as it remains within an "acceptable" degree (i.e., as long as the cost of their recklessness doesn't exceed the gains). The nominal cost of putting unique, clearly visible serial/ID numbers on all their trailers and making it easy to report reckless driving isn't worth it because it cuts into their ability to benefit from reckless driving.
Last night as the actual 48 hour mark approached I asked @UPSHelp to get back in touch with @popelizbet and make a little better effort. They told us that it had been "escalated properly" and was "being investigated" and if she wanted a follow-up she could email them again. Well, having seen what results emailing @UPShelp brings, she was not in a hurry to do so unless they made some move, showed some progress.
Today, again, I have been raising holy heck about this on Twitter along with @popelizbet herself. A bit after I started contacting other people getting what I call the #UPShelpless treatment from @UPSHelp, lo and behold, she got an email! From the same person who responded before. Asking for the details that were in the first email.
Does this sound to anyone else like it was "escalated" the first time? My customer service senses are tingling, and they're telling me that her first email went nowhere, the details weren't actually logged anywhere, it was a total fob-off. They wouldn't follow up unless she asked, and the convenient lack of identification markings on the UPS truck would be their alibi. Oops, we tried to find the miscreant, but darn the pitiable lack of identification numbers! If only something could have been done, but what are you going to do?
Anyway, I'm urging people who are having a negative experience with UPS customer service or corporate to tweet about it with the hashtag #UPShelpless. And if you do email them at @UPSHelp's behest and they offer you no help and nothing new, realize that the point of the exercise was probably just to get you off of Twitter, so make sure you go back and air your grievances in the open air.