Almost every time I’ve gotten shipments via UPS, I’ve missed the delivery. The nice thing is that I generally know that the driver shows up about 6pm. But, that hasn’t helped me. What’s nice, is that I can log onto the UPS website to track the package, and I can see that a package has been picked up, then that it’s in Georgia, then that it’s been scanned in Sacramento, etc.
What isn’t helpful, is that once I can see WHEN the package will be delivered, there’s no way to re-route it. When I know that I’m NOT going to be able to be there to catch the package, there’s nothing I can do about it but wait for the delivery notice, then call the phone number, request that they hold it at will-call, or change the delivery location to my office – both of which takes an extra day (or more). So, here’s my feature request:
Let users log in to UPS.com and re-route packages that are destined for their name and address.
User interface
- Account verification. For security, you don’t want people to be able to redirect packages that aren’t theirs. So users will need to go to their nearest UPS Service Center and show their ID, with their current address (or an ID and a utility bill.) The UPS employee then marks the user’s account as ‘ID verified’.
- User package routing. Now that the user is verified, they can log in to the UPS website and enter a tracking number. As long as the package has not yet hit the local sorting center where it will be put on the truck for delivery. The user can then mark a package to be redirected to a LOCAL address. Then, when the package gets to the local sort and is scanned, the sorter immediately sends it to the correct destination.
Technical
- When the user enters a new location for delivery, the UPS website can calculate the distance and tell the user if the new location is still within the shipping area. (Obviously UPS wouldn’t want people to redirect a package to a different state, etc.) But, the system can easily determine the allowable distance and make the change.
This should be pretty simple for UPS to do, and will make A LOT of customers happy. And what’s more important than making a customer happy? Not much!