I usually don’t get a receipt when I drop off packages at UPS/Fedex/Staples, but 2 instances happened lately that have made me ALWAYS pick up the receipt these days.
First instance
I dropped off a package at Fedex and forgot the tracking number (I printed the packing slip without saving a copy of the tracking number) and couldn’t figure out what the tracking number was. I called up the Fedex location to see if they can run the day’s dropoffs and give me the tracking number. They couldn’t do it. I tried calling their 800 number and Twitter and got nowhere. Luckily the package eventually arrived and saved me a massive headache. Lesson learned here is that a Fedex location can’t give you tracking numbers after the fact.
Second instance
I dropped off a package at Staples AND EVEN GOT A RECEIPT THIS TIME. But if I hadn’t, it woulda been a HUGE headache. What happened was I dropped it off and had proof of the dropoff, but a day later, the package’s tracking number wasn’t showing up on UPS. I thought the package went missing from Staples. Two days later, I get a package at my door that looked like the one I dropped off. Turns out I never removed the old shipping label on the box [of my address,] and so UPS scanned that label and delivered it back to me. Careless mistake.
UPS is foolish to not offer a simple paper receipt, if requested.
If you (the customer) do not take a phone or your phone is not working or the drop off manager has a computer issue, you don’t get a receipt for the expensive item you just handed over at the drop off location. You can use the email option, but if you will not see your computer screen for many hours until you get home, you wont have a receipt that whole time, ‘if ‘ the receipt arrives in your inbox, if it scanned correctly if the entire system works!! There are countless components that can fail.
If the parcel is lost in the system you could lose a £5000+ parcel. GONE! “Well, where’s you receipt?…sorry, you need a receipt to prove you dropped it off, we have no record!!” not hard to imagine.
it is so easy and cheap to have a UPS little paper pad. The drop off manager can write the last 5 digits of the code and stamps or signs the pad. Simple! I have not used UPS all year and moved to royal mail. I find out recently UPS still do not offer receipt. so I shall stick to Royal mail who do ‘not’ want my phone, email and inside leg measurement, which UPS could get and a whole lot more info from their cookies and tracking of web usage. Royal mail simply offer a paper receipt.