Waiting for the UPS man

[leftsidedrive]

I've been sitting here for 5 hours now staring at the driveway, waiting for the UPS man to deliver a new crankset. The suspense is killing me.

What's the most impatient you have been while waiting for a new toy?

[LegendRider]

I bought a gently used Colnago C50 - my dream bike - from a guy in Canada. It sat in customs for about ten days and I thought I was going to lose my mind! The wait was interminable...

[AngryScientist]

jeepers, i know the feeling. i just built up my Serotta, and waiting for the last bits to arrive was eating me up. good luck with the wait!

what crankset is incoming anyway??

[rePhil]

I was waiting on a Moots. Shipped UPS, Signature required. I knew his schedule and when he came though my neighborhood. I left work early as to be sure to be home. As I am pulling in my driveway I see my neighbor from three doors down dragging my box up the street! I actually ran to him to stop him. Fortunately there was no damage.

[phcollard]

I was most anxious while waiting for my Hampsten. Steve gave me the UPS tracking number and first thing I was doing in the morning was to check the where the package was.

When the box arrived in Montreal it sat "in the system" for several days! I called UPS and they said my address was incomplete and they could not deliver it. The only way for me to get it was to drive to their warehouse next to the airport and get in line.

That's what I did. Half an hour drive. Half an hour wait later I finally hand my tracking to the employee and he came back 20 minutes later droping a big box, horizontally, on the floor. I was as red as a tomatoe with fumes coming from my ears. And when I could finally breathe again I inspected the box to see a HUGE label with my correct address written.

UPS = champions :)

[C5 Snowboarder]

I bought a car on Ebay sight unseen...or any info other than what the nice lady who was selling it told me on the phone. Cost me $11,000 plus Truck transport costs from San Diego to Seattle. I watched every day the transponder signal on the internet map showing the movement of my car north. But all that was after the Auction ended and I was in a bidding war with 3 other people. Damn that was close.

Anyway the car arrived and I even drove to the delivery company before they called and said it was ready for me.

Car was as advertised.. I was quite happy, but dont think I will ever do that again -- it took a year off my life for sure.

[csm]

new skis that I got off steepandcheap... only cuz I wanted to sneak them into the house without anyone seeing that I got them!

[kohagen]

Waiting for a bike to come from Europe. Checked the shipper's tracking system every day, which was pretty frustrating, since the status didn't change for two weeks, and then the bike appeared before any status change.

[Fixed]

don't ask don't tell
i can go a little nuts
cheers

[echappist]

Waiting for a bike to come from Europe. Checked the shipper's tracking system every day, which was pretty frustrating, since the status didn't change for two weeks, and then the bike appeared before any status change.
what service? They might have a UPU/match code you can enter into USPS tracking.

My shipment from Frankfurt am Main supposedly left on the 19th but just got into Jersey City. Deutsche Post has yet to update this, but USPS has. Looks like i'm getting my 165mm rotor cranks tomorrow or Wednesday.

[zmudshark]

Former UPS guy. You could have found him at the businesses near your home, or asked him to call you.

Being 'that time' of year, you could be waiting until 9PM. Hold at terminal works.

BTW, every rotten thing you've heard about UPS is true, X10.

[DHallerman]

Former UPS guy....BTW, every rotten thing you've heard about UPS is true, X10.

And yet just a few hours ago Mario, normally my regular UPS delivery guy, went out of his way to deliver a package to me at 7:30pm, even though he wasn't on my route today.

So, understanding that you used to work for UPS, it seems that there could be another side to the story.

Dave, who buys all kinds of things online not just bike frames or bike parts which is one of the reasons he's on a first-name basis with his UPS delivery guy

[rice rocket]

Damn, did you leave him a huge Christmas bonus last year?

[zmudshark]

And yet just a few hours ago Mario, normally my regular UPS delivery guy, went out of his way to deliver a package to me at 7:30pm, even though he wasn't on my route today.

So, understanding that you used to work for UPS, it seems that there could be another side to the story.

Dave, who buys all kinds of things online not just bike frames or bike parts which is one of the reasons he's on a first-name basis with his UPS delivery guy


I did that regularly, and was regularly chewed out for doing that.

Happily retired now, BTW.

[DHallerman]

Damn, did you leave him a huge Christmas bonus last year?

Actually, we did give him a $40 Christmas gift last year.

Not only not huge, but we gave him that gift to thank him for all the other helpful things he had done before ever getting that gift.

Dave, who normally hates the whole annual gift/tip to service people thing because most of the time he has no idea who he's giving the tip/gift to

[oldfatslow]

Is a good dude and I like my FedEx home guy as well. I know them both which is more a statement about how far my wife and I will go to avoid having to go to a store.

On a separate note, I have this post-my current job fantasy about being the UPS or FedEx guy. You load the truck in the morning, deliver your stuff, and then underload anything left over. I'm sure there's pressure and paperwork and nonsense like everywhere else but in my fantasy when you are done for the day you are done for the day and there's nothing to fret about until it starts over the next day. My current job has me wake up at times in the middle of the night with my mind racing. So this little fantasy of delivery driver life seems compelling to me.

Don't ruin it for me with reality. :)

[rice rocket]

I don't think I have a regular driver, I get a 70/30 split between a ninja dropper at 6:30-7 PM, and a doorbell ringer at 3 PM (who just rings to tell me a package is there, he's gone before I get down the stairs). Is that common in more urban areas?

[pdmtong]

I know my UPS guy, my mailman, my recycle guy(s). not much fedex here.

regarding the OP, I was out last wednesday afternoon before thanksgiving when UPS came with my box from 1711 SE Powell Blvd. Portland. yea, a little anxious, but not too bad. I had to wait 4 hours and drive down to the depot to get it where it has since sat waiting to be open until tomorrow (tuesday). Opening this box is NOT something to be rushed and I will give it the full attentionit deserves. pix in the gallery eventually

[Birddog]

pdmtong,
Now I'm not so sure that you really are the cheap bastard that you were making yourself out to be in that Rapha thread. I think your other passions are betraying you.

[Elefantino]

When I bought my first, and only, Colnago frame.

It was beautiful, a C96 with a knockout Decor paint job. I bought it, then stared at the high-res pictures I'd asked for for what seemed like months. When it finally came, I opened the box and just stared at it for what seemed like hours. The most beautiful bike I've ever owned. No question.

Unfortunately, it rode like shi'ite for me so I sold it to Dave T, who sold it to someone else.

[a4racer]

...that will complete my new (to me) Atlanta build.

When I was ordering everything up, I figured "hey, I'm not going to ride this winter, so I'll save $5 on shipping and go with the slower shipping method with no tracking".

Needless to say, I have since regretted that decision. The weather here has been almost balmy, and all my other parts have come. The kicker is that the parts I'm waiting for are my headset and my FD clamp, so basically I can't finish my build (sitting probably at 50%) until both of those get in, even though the rest of the parts are sitting on my office floor.

Damn my (shipping) frugality!

[Mr Cabletwitch]

I'm sitting in my office now looking for that big brown truck to come down the road! :bike:

[jvp]

I drove home from work at lunch one delivery day (frame), hoping to catch the fed ex guy. He didn't show so I went back to work, but chose my route to maximize the roads he would likely be on if he were coming then. About 5 miles from home I saw a fed ex truck going opposite, so I u-turned, followed him into a neighborhood, and asked him if he had a delivery for me. He did, I signed for it, loaded it in my car and drove off.

[spiderman]

i am so excited about the new winter riding gear
i think i'll wear the new boots 24/7 for a week...
wonder what the pastor will say in the receiving line
and hope that my wife will find them attractive...

[jr59]

I thought waiting for my Spectrum was going to kill me!

Having a custom bike made for you is great.

Waiting for it....STINKS!

[Mr Cabletwitch]

Its 2:58 and I'm supposed to leave at 3. I just watched the UPS truck come out of the school up the road and go the wrong way! :crap:

I miss the days when I had a regular driver and he would make sure I got my bike stuff early.

[echappist]

bummer, stuff is now held somewhere in NYC; will need til tomorrow to get it

USPS here has the bad practice of not putting the notice the day they do the first attempt. Instead, they leave it on the second day...

[echappist]

gawd, USPS is effing terrible. I went home at 1:20 ish to expect the package.

the tracking says they attempted to deliver at 1:30pm and left a notice.

Except there is no notice left, and I don't know at which Post Office they left it as it won't say online. So effing irritating.

[WickedWheels]

I bought a car on Ebay sight unseen...or any info other than what the nice lady who was selling it told me on the phone. Cost me $11,000 plus Truck transport costs from San Diego to Seattle. I watched every day the transponder signal on the internet map showing the movement of my car north. But all that was after the Auction ended and I was in a bidding war with 3 other people. Damn that was close.

Anyway the car arrived and I even drove to the delivery company before they called and said it was ready for me.

Car was as advertised.. I was quite happy, but dont think I will ever do that again -- it took a year off my life for sure.


I did the same thing, as I was looking for something very specific. The dealership was supposed to handle all of the registration paperwork so that all I would have to do is fly down to pick the car up (north of Boston) and drive it back (NYC). They screwed up the paperwork and held me up for almost 3 weeks after charging me $300.

Still, I love the car and am not regretting the purchase.

[bobswire]

I bought a car on Ebay sight unseen...or any info other than what the nice lady who was selling it told me on the phone. Cost me $11,000 plus Truck transport costs from San Diego to Seattle. I watched every day the transponder signal on the internet map showing the movement of my car north. But all that was after the Auction ended and I was in a bidding war with 3 other people. Damn that was close.

Anyway the car arrived and I even drove to the delivery company before they called and said it was ready for me.

Car was as advertised.. I was quite happy, but dont think I will ever do that again -- it took a year off my life for sure.

I would have took the relaxing Amtrak Starlight Train up to there and drove the car back. Wonderful train ride along the California/Oregon/Wash. coastline with views otherwise never seen.

[oldpotatoe]

gawd, USPS is effing terrible. I went home at 1:20 ish to expect the package.

the tracking says they attempted to deliver at 1:30pm and left a notice.

Except there is no notice left, and I don't know at which Post Office they left it as it won't say online. So effing irritating.

That's nuthin. Sent a well marked box to a gent in the Netherlands....on the 12th of November. Nothing arrived in Zwolle, tracked it and they say it's in Saudi Arabia..not kidding...Netherlands---> Saudi Arabia...kinda looks the same right?

[echappist]

That's nuthin. Sent a well marked box to a gent in the Netherlands....on the 12th of November. Nothing arrived in Zwolle, tracked it and they say it's in Saudi Arabia..not kidding...Netherlands---> Saudi Arabia...kinda looks the same right?
well, i hear both are by the ocean and are windy as hell ;)

hope it was not one of your hand-built wheels.

[echappist]

gawd, finally got it after a lot of sass from the clerk at the post office.

i showed her the tracking number, and she said it was not acceptable and i had to get it on a piece of paper. There was a pen and paper right next to her, but she won't let me use it. Wasted a good 5 minutes as she walked away when i had to print out the status of the package. Obviously, their not putting the notice in my mailbox was not at fault.

Then she gives me more sass about my student ID whereas she really meant what my address was. Effing idiot don't even know how to communicate. I'm just lucky that the package was there after all, and not some place in mid-town, about 5 miles away.