DISQUS

I couldn’t be more on-board with what CommunityGuy says. It seems like all of the “big boy” companies – American Airlines, UPS, etc. – are completely out of touch with what happens on the ground and amazingly ignorant of the fact that each of those interactions goes toward their brand perception. I have a great UPS story similar to CommunityGuy’s AA story…

Our street address is some sort of USPS/UPS/FedEx vortex of misdelivered packages. We get at least one package a week for a very similar address that is in an entirely different zip code way across town. Every time we get one I call any number I can find on the package to report it. If I’m lucky it’s the number of the sender. If I’m not it’s the number of USPS/UPS/FedEx.

Most recent package I got the privilege of calling UPS, who not only did not apologize profusely and promise to come get the wayward package straightaway, but told me I would have to call their 800 number, repeat everything I just spent 10 minutes telling them (to two different people), and wait for a return call before they would come get it. If I was a cartoon, my eyeballs would’ve popped right out of their sockets.

Me – not the sender, not the receiver, not UPS, just someone trying to do the right thing – would have to spend more of my time to help UPS do the one thing they are supposed to do?!?! Are you effing kidding me? I told the girl on the phone – who was nice but definitely not a brand manager and definitely not interested in much besides her next break – that she was working for a company that couldn’t correctly do the one thing they are supposed to do and that she should think about career longevity with such a company. I’m pretty sure she didn’t know what I was taking about.