I walked into the UPS shipping center at 3:34pm on Tuesday May 27. I had to ship two boxes for a business I work for. I am the sister of the manager and this summer I was helping her because her employee had an emergency and left town. I am on the payroll and do get paid for helping her at the store.
I was only able to just get into the door at the UPS location because the line was so long. At 3:36pm my sister called me because I forgot to get the store credit card to pay for the packages. She also provided me the customer id and password so that I could log onto the computer terminal and print off the shipping information. After I hung up, I proceeded to the computer to print off the packing information. At that time a young woman also approached the terminal and used the one next to me. She was instructed to go there by Theresa Jackson, the only UPS employee helping customers.
After I finished at the terminal and had the computer printouts I returned to the line. There were now three people ahead of me. Two men and a lady. Theresa took their packages in a manner consistent with what I would expect at a UPS shipping center. While she was helping the woman just in front of me, the young lady who was at the computer terminal had finished and she walked over to the side of the customer service desk and leaned up against the wall.
When Theresa had finished helping the woman in front of me she told the young lady to come up and she would help her next. So I stood there and waited some more.
I felt that it was inappropriate to allow this person, regardless of when she entered the store, to cut in front of the line, but she was there first and I did not say anything about it. I had been in the store for approximately 10 minutes by this time. I looked at the clock and it was 3:45pm. Theresa had taken a box along with some bubble wrap and placed it on the scale. The young lady took several items out of her backpack and Theresa began to wrap each item in bubble wrap and place them in the box. There was a large item and she took the time to tape the bubble wrap around the item. After she placed each item in the box she closed the box and taped it up several times. She hit the feed button on a packing label maker and placed three blank labels on the package. Two were placed on the sides of the box and one on top. After Theresa finished this (it was now 3:50pm) she went back to the computer terminal and began researching the expense of sending the package. At this time the young lady stated that the package was going to Germany.
Apparently, it is very expensive to send packages to Germany. Theresa spent several minutes looking up rates and decided that it may save the lady time if she used a UPS box instead of the non-marked box Theresa had just filled. Theresa then went back to the box and used a scissors to open the box.
At this time I could no longer keep quiet. I had many other errands to run and I was running out of time. I had to get to a business across town by 4:30pm (which I never made) and therefore I needed to leave. As Theresa was opening the box I said, "Look, I don't have time to wait for this."
The young lady said, "Oh, you can help others, I can pack this up."
But Theresa wasn't going to have it. She said to me, "She was here first."
I said, "I wasn't aware that UPS would pack boxes for people. I am not aware that is a service you provide."
Theresa responded, "She had come in earlier this week with a question."
I said nothing. The young lady said, "No, You can help her, you can help others." But Theresa said, "No, you were here first and SHE can wait."
And that is exactly what I did. Without another word to Theresa I waited.
I waited for Theresa to unpack the box.
I waited for Theresa to go to the back and get a UPS box.
I waited for Theresa to do more "Customer Service" at the computer.
I waited for Theresa to remove the contents of the old box, drop many of the items on the floor and then re-wrap those items in bubble wrap.
I waited for Theresa to pack those items in the new UPS shipping box.
I waited for Theresa to close the new UPS shipping box.
I waited for Theresa to do more "Customer Service" at the computer and learn how to spell the word "calligraphy".
I waited for Theresa to print out the shipping label and affix it to the package.
While I was doing all this waiting, the lady behind me had asked me if my packages were heavy, because I was standing there holding them. I told her that they weren't heavy but that I was annoyed that this was taking so long. So I told the lady behind me that I was annoyed because I was. I felt that Theresa was being very disrespectful and rude to everyone standing in line.
So after the young woman paid for her package I waited until Theresa indicated she was ready to help me. She did, the time was now approximately 4:10pm.
She took my printouts and asked me the usual questions about the boxes and then I paid. It took about 3 minutes to help me. At the end of the transaction I asked her for her name because I wanted to file a complaint.
She said her name was Theresa Jackson and that her manager was in the back. I could go talk with her. She then asked me what my name was and I told her, "My name is Trish."
Theresa went through a door and indicated that I should follow. Given that she was now in the shipping terminals where the trucks are I did not follow because I didn't think people were allowed back there.instead I thought the manager would come out to speak with me. I waited for a few moments and Theresa came back and gestured for me to go back. I walked back to what I guess is the manager's office and complained.
I said, "It is really great that she wants to be nice and helpful to a customer but is rude to make everyone else standing in line to wait for that. My employer is paying me to stand here. They are paying money for it and it is unfair to them that they have to pay me to stand and watch her pack a box for a half an hour."
The manger, whose name I did not get, but was a large blonde female said, "That person was shipping a box internationally, and we do provide boxing service to international shipments because people don't always understand customs. So you are right, it was not fair that you had to wait but that is a service that we provide."
I said that I didn't believe her that I would go to UPS.com and file a complaint against this facility and then we'll see if what she's saying is true.
I then proceeded to walk out of the back towards the front of the store, with the manager following me and I immediately left the store. I did not look at Theresa or anyone else as I was leaving and I did not say anything to anyone.
I did a few of my errands that I needed but I didn't complete them all and went back to the store where I told my sister/manager about what had happened. She asked me if the lady who helped me was Theresa and I said yes. She told me that she makes people wait a lot and that it always takes about a half an hour to ship something there. But usually it is because she is gossiping with a customer.
So when I returned home I called the UPS customer service number and I filed a complaint about Theresa. I made the call at 5:38pm. The customer service rep took my phone number and said that I could track my complaint. He said that the regional manager would receive the complaint and hopefully correct the situation. He was very nice and sympathatec and I was satisfied that perhaps this issue would be taken care of. I did not request any further information and I felt the matter was closed as far as I was concerned because I felt my complaint was finally taken seriously and I wasn't being fed a line of crap by some lazy manager who doesn't help her one customer service representative during peak business hours.
Later that evening, at about 9pm my sister came over and she had just got into a fight with her husband because Theresa had called him and told him her version of what happened when I was in the UPS store. My sisters husband is the owner of a local business and has nothing to do with the store my sister manages.
Theresa had told him that I had gone into the UPS store and was very rude and disrespectful. She said that my behavior had made another customer cry and she was calling him to inform his wife that her employee was acting this way in other businesses. Since I had already informed my sister of what happened and I told her that I didn't feel that I was being rude but I did complain about the way I was treated and the poor customer service.
Well, Theresa's call sparked a fight between him and my sister and I don't appreciate my name being slandered in this community.instead of handling this in a professional manner Theresa has taken it upon herself to inform other members of the community of "her side of the story."
I made the complaint with the hope that I wouldn't have to stand in line for a half an hour the next time I would need to ship a package at UPS and instead Theresa is slandering my name in the community. What is going on? How can UPS or Theresa justify this type of behavior?
Theresa Jackson is calling people and telling them that I was so rude and callous that I made another customer cry. Which I can't comprehend since when I made my initial complaint a police officer was standing in line behind me. If I were so rude to make an adult cry, why didn't he intervene? Why didn't UPS call the police and have me escorted from the store? Why wasn't a "no trespassing" warrant issued to prevent me from going back to UPS and upsetting all the customers? Why instead is Theresa calling people and slandering my name?
I do not appreciate the quality of the customer service at the USP shipping center in Laramie. I don't appreciate the blase attitude the management has about their poor customer service or the laziness of the management. During peak business hours (which I imagine are from 3pm to closing) there should be more than one person helping people. I think the management had placed Theresa in an unfair situation requiring her to help a large volume of people alone.
I certainly do not appreciate, and will take appropriate legal action against UPS and Theresa for slandering my name in this community. Even if she had done what was appropriate by packing the woman's box; I have the right to complain about it. I have a right to say to her that I can't wait for this. I have a right to speak to the management and call customer service. I should be able to do that without my name being slandered in the community. The complaint should be dealt with in a manner that would make customer experiences at UPS better. The business I work for, my family, and I should not have to suffer because I did not like the way I was treated.
I don't believe that Theresa is a nice person or that she particularly cares a great deal about what she does. I don't believe the management at this store cares about customer service or how their employee's treat their customers. I don't believe that UPS cares about what happens in their Laramie facility. I will do everything from posting complaints online, to filing suite in court if needed to correct this. Laramie, Wyoming is in the United States of America, not Russia, North Korea, or China. This communistic approach to customer service will stop.
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