leveraging the inflation narrative for profit

Shipped a computer out at the UPS store today.

Tried to ship it Friday, but, according to UPS’ database, the buyer had provided an incomplete address.

Received the address clarification from the buyer this morning, so printed up a new address label and hustled it back over to UPS.

The girl measured the box, punched in the info and told me the cost would be $30 and change. I pointed at her coworker and said “Friday, he quoted me $25”. Both of them said “it’s the price of fuel, it’s inflation, prices change daily”.

Did she double check her measurements? Nope. Their attitude was it is what it is, pay up or do without.

Looked at my receipt afterward. Every dimension was 1" larger than what I had measured, and I round up my measurements to avoid surprises like this. When I got home, I double checked the rate for what she measured today and what her coworker and I measured. There had been no change at all in rates from Friday to today. They were using “inflation” as an excuse.

They took $5 out of my pocket, and blamed the media propagated “inflation” narrative. I’m not sure which is more insulting, this, or the time AT&T billed me a late payment charge when their statement showed I had paid on time, or the time Comcast billed me for a cable modem that I never had.

Steve

11 Likes

Next time you UPS take a tape measure with you.

The Captain
rope buyers!

Next time you UPS take a tape measure with you.

They have their own tape measures. The guy on Friday, and the woman today, both measured that box as I watched, and came up with different answers. The guy’s answer was close enough to my estimate that I wouldn’t argue. The woman demanded $5 more, then they both spouted “oh inflation, oh gas prices, prices change all the time”, to shut me up, rather than double checking why there was a discrepancy between their two prices for the same box.

Steve

You may have been caught by this new policy -

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/ups-shrinks-lag-time-betwe…