Updated by user Mar 31, 2011
A typo -- the West Elm frames are 38\"W on the inside , not \"8\" as I mistakenly typed.
The problem -- and it is a big problem -- is this: West Elm advertises that a standard twin mattress of 39\"W fits their frames ...
which are only 38\"W. But that is detailed in a separate West Elm complaint.
This complaint is about UPS.
Original review Mar 31, 2011
After a long saga involving West Elm and its fraudulent advertisement of twin bed frames and the mattresses that allegedly fit them (see separate complaint under "West Elm" I finally receive the frames and, after the shell-shock of realizing that the frames would not accept standard twin mattresses that are 39"W, but rather, would only accept Bunk standard mattresses that are 8"W, I ordered three memory foam mattresses (two twin and one queen) from Overstock.com. The Overstock mattresses themselves are wonderful -- exactly as advertised and shipped in an acceptable, if not ideal time frame (though I have serious questions about the shipping packaging). Never mind. Unfortunately, Overstock designates UPS Ground as their shipper. And UPS turns out to be devil spawn, in terms of their remorseless willingness to defy and deny the very premise of their business -- which is safe shipping. Forget the unexplained and potentially pivotal delay in delivery I encountered -- which is important vis a vis memory foam mattresses, as all the manufacturer literature cautions a timely unpacking to preclude damage to the memory foam that may result in the product not expanding to its advertised dimensions. Never mind that. The problem I encountered was that UPS -- with whom I have been dealing for decades -- has, at some point along the way, changed its policy so that IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO OPEN THE PACKAGE FOR INSPECTION BEFORE ACCEPTING DELIVERY; rather, UPS now expects its customers to accept delivery without inspection .... when the only consumer recourse, according to revised UPS policy, is to contact the original vendor, and not UPS for any potential damages..... Really? I don' think so. I lost a house to a hurricane about five years ago, and spent a year and a half arguing with wind and flood insurance adjusters about who was answerable to claim -- the wind adjuster told me with a straight face that a missing roof was "flood damage" and a flood adjuster told me with a straight face that a 5" bathtub line of seaweed and mold was "wind damage." Now, apparently, UPS has joined that game. My memory foam mattresses -- inexplicably delayed -- were delivered on two consecutive days (the first lot late in the day when the truck had been repeatedly open to the elements over several hours) when we were undergoing seasonal monsoons that drenched everything in sight. So that two of three of my pricy mattresses were delivered on a truck that was saturated, soaked from repeated openings and closings--- and the two mattress packages were completely, obviously soaked through. Yet. When I politely asked the UPS delivery person to witness the condition of the packaging, and to therefore wait a minute while I slit the cardboard to see if the mattresses themselves were sodden --- the UPS person walked away, without even the courtesy of a response, which surprised me. So I called out to her. "Wait," I said. "This will only take a minute, and if they are damaged, it will be better if you take them back now, rather than making a second trip." To which she said: " This isn't my problem. You got a problem? Call the vendor. " And she left. The following day, she delivered the third mattress, in the monsoon rain, but without ringing the bell. I guess talking to a worried customer was to be avoided. So she left the mattress, wrapped only in one layer of cardboard, outside, and began to walk away. I happened to hear the motor of her truck. So I opened the door and asked her fleeing back what the UPS policy was under such circumstances. She raced back to the door, zapped the sodden package with a laser, and announced, in triumph "PACKAGE NOTED AS DELIVERED WITH CUSTOMER ACCEPTANCE." After which she literally ran back to her truck, ignoring my requests that she come back. UPS???? AVOID LIKE THE PLAGUE IF THERE IS ANY OTHER OPTION.
You must live under a rock. How dare you criticise UPS.
You have no idea how UPS works. I do, I have a Son who works for UPS. He worked his way up from a sorter to a Feeder Driver, (a feeder driver is a Semi driver), I also worked for UPS and your lame responsibility to purchase such items as you did is totally rediculious.
Go get a job at UPS and just see what really happens there. I can almost with certainty say that if you use FED EX or some other shipping company you will not only pay through the ying yang, you will get the same policies or worse.
Perhaps William an SteveO should be aware that: a) I am 30-40 miles from any center of civilization that has multiple shopping alternatives that are not full retail plus; and, b) that I earn my living (at age 62) as a house stager .... only because I lost everything (including my house) to a hurricane seven years ago; and, c) because I spent a year and a half, post-hurricane -- dealing with smarmy insurance agents of both the wind and flood variety who "settled" for saying wind was flood and flood was wind -- I have little, if no tolerance for corporate excuses.
Lucky SteveO and lucky William, that they can indulge their obviously youthful naivite (not to mention wrong values), in face of the transactional facts.
u really have to be an ***.. ups has million of boxs going through there system daily and u really think cardboard is a safe container..
why would u buy a mattress on line... u need to take your lazy behind to the store and carry out yourself
You've just got a problem with everything don't you? lol.
Of course you can't refuse something after you open it, that's true with any carrier. If you open up a package and something is damaged, then you call UPS and report it as such. Or, in this case, you call the company that shipped it to you, and they report it as damaged.
Remember, they're the ones who paid UPS to send it, so they have to initiate damage claims, reimbursement, etc. It all makes perfect sense if you have/use your brain.