Our studio/residence/business is out in the puckerbrush. We find
FedEx and UPS give us great service. DHL stinks. I don’t think its
home-based businesses that cause problems, I think its the work
ethic of the local affliates. I’ve questioned our dear UPS driver
about having to come all the way out to our place and he sez he’s
happy to do it, cuz its his job. The DHL driver claimed to try and
deliver a package but we weren’t there. Yeah, we were, standing in
the front yard at the precise time he said he was delivering the
package.
We don’t let anything get shipped to us DHL. We know we won’t get it
in a timely manner and most likely will have to pick it up (an hour
drive for us) or hassle with the national people, telling us our
address does not exist. (I love that one.)
We just hit a different problem with a new supplier of precious
metal. As jewelers our billing address is a PO box. Our shipping
address is a “real” one at the studio. They refused to ship to the
studio because it was different then our billing address. Said it
was for our protection. Huh? Everyone else ships here, despite the
difference in addresses.
Everyday like clockwork the UPS truch comes down the street in front
of my house. My studio is in my house. The truch comes to our street
whether or not I have a package. The FedEX truck is almost as
regular.
I think it’s unkind to charge extra to deliver to MY business using
the excuse that it requires a special route.
I COULD have my packages sent to the place my husband works. It’s
WAY out in the boonies and they NEVER get anything by UPS or FedEX
only by freight. The drive into the nursery is washed out and would
be hell on their truck suspension. I could do that and not get
charged extra. They could make a special trip and tear up their
truck.
This is a work-around that says the extra fees and also provides a
bit of spiteful revenge.
I COULD do that but I don’t. Maybe they should think about that.
Well I don’t know if this would work, it depends on your location
and local rules and costs I guess.
It costs me 15$ a year and I have a “commercial license” from our
local town hall. I got it when UPS tried that crap on me. I made a
few inquiries and found out that my municipality allowed self
employed people who do not have employees or clients coming to the
residence to operate their business in a residential zoned area. I
then had a nice lawyer write a polite legal letter to the pinheads at
UPS pointing out that since the local Municipality recognizes and
licenses me as a business, the fact the business is in a residential
building is moot point and to cease and desist charging said
surcharge, or I would be more than glad to accumulate the dolor
value and see them in court when it would be worth my while sand oh
BTW since said license was granted on X date and they had charged the
surcharge, would they please immediately refund it. Needless to say
they backed right down and refunded enough to cover the cost of the
permit and letter. If they hadn’t I would have made their life
miserable in small claims court twice a year.
Now this is based on Quebec law, so it may or may not apply.
"A Residential Delivery is defined as delivery to a location
that is a home, including a business operating out of a home
that does not have an entrance open to the public."
In Pennsylvania, all we get is a sales tax license number, which is
free from the state (bless 'em). Small towns don’t have business
licenses, I think Philadelphia and Pittsburgh do. Otherwise, I just
have an IRS EIN (also free) and that seems to be taken as "proof"
that I am a business almost everywhere. Sometimes I have to add my
sales tax number, but not usually.
(http://www.ups.com/avoidcharges#Residential+Delivery) "A
Residential Delivery is defined as delivery to a location that is a
home, including a business operating out of a home that does not
have an entrance open to the public."
Then I wonder why they even tried with us then, as the person that
shares the house / farm with me is an artistic Blacksmith and there
are signs directing visitors to the forge entrance for those who want
to see / buy his work.
But then again I never had problems with Fed-Ex only with UPS, It
seems to me to simply be a method to grab money.
LOL I wonder if they charge residential rates to Boeing. GE and IBM,
since many plant’s have no Public entrance, but refer job seekers
and others to a completely different address LOL but even funnier I
can just see this conversation "Hi I have to charge you Residential
delivery rates to the local ICBM base, yes I relies that I leave the
package at the guard post, but there is no “Public entrance”.
Also if they say the public entrance requirement is met by the signs
that say all deliveries to gate / Dock 3, well then I guess a person
could put up a sign saying “All men in brown use the rear doors for
delivery” (Wonders what Fed-ex’s color is in the US???
Sorry but that is farcical since many businesses don’t have a “Public
entrance”
FWIW, y'all are getting skinned by the city. I pay $30 a year. I
think it was $60 per year in Phoenix.
You guys are in the small league! Here on the Rock of St Maarten in
the Caribbean we pay $2250 per year. We also get proportionately less
service for the money than you guys.
Gosh, my UPS lady delivers packages to me if she sees me at the
supermarket where she stops for lunch every day. I wonder if that’s a
residential or commercial delivery ? I mean, I do pick up the package
in the parking lot. Otherwise, she delivers at my house at 1:40
p.m. every day. I swear, I can set my watch by her.
Brian Corll
Brian Corll, Inc.
1002 East Simpson Street
Mechanicsburg, PA 17055
Otherwise, she delivers at my house at 1:40