Methownet BB

Most Amazon deliveries may start with UPS but end up going through the US Post Office for actual delivery. Unfortunately, returns have to go directly to UPS. Now that we no longer have dropboxes, we have two bad choices:

1. Drive to Brewster or Omak for a dropbox
2. Pay $8 for a pickup. That amount will be deducted from your refund

I finally got through to a live person at Amazon today. She scheduled a pickup. Then she said that when I get my refund with the $8 deducted, I should call back and ask to have the $8 refunded because I don't have any local dropbox.

We'll see how that works.

When I did a return to Apple, it had come via fedex but the return label was for the post office. Easy, peasy.

It must be in the air. I just went through this yesterday explaining to a Bot, then an associate via Chat that we have no drop off in my area for UPS and I would have to drive, blah, blah, blah.
I said I would not accept paying return shipping through the PO, since it was Amazon's mistake for sending the wrong product.
The associate asked if I would be ok with not returning the product and getting a refund.
I could get a gift card for my next order, which I opted for. Now, of course, I will go in and reorder and hope that I get the correct product. The product bottles are super similar, so I could see how someone, or a Bot could make a mistake.

Flag down a UPS truck and hand the package to a driver.Bronson

Rosauers, Pardners, Thriftway.... picking up on a community need drift?

Who'll step forward and host an Amazon Hub? Or go further, create a couple jobs and sign on for the new program Amazon Hub Delivery (final mile delivery in rural areas).

Could the Daily Business resurrect with a new business model focused on final mile drops, shipping and other business services ( a little tech service too)?... or those grocery stores partner/back someone to add in food delivery?

Out of the box thinking goes far in out of the way places when neighbors pull together and create solutions.

Anyone know why the drop boxes disappeared from Hank's and Thriftway? The fedex boxes are still there. That leads me to think it was UPS who pulled them. But why?

Bronson, I have sometimes gotten a UPS driver to take my package. But that means driving to town and getting lucky at finding a UPS truck stopped. I doubt they'd stop if you waved at one in motion. Could be dangerous for them and you.

I have been trying to reach someone at UPS who can explain the lack of drop boxes. No luck. All their phone numbers that I can find online only give choices of subjects related to pickup and delivery of specific packages.

The only live person I reached had no idea of who would know anything about drop boxes, other than their locations.

The UPS corporate page lists no email addresses. The phone numbers posted there are just the ones for package problems. The supposed chat link posted on one website doesn't work.

I am stumped.

One of the carriers told me earlier this year that UPS was removing the drop box at Hank's because of problems with ongoing vandalism and theft.

The woman who ran The Daily Business told me that managing packages was time and space consuming and exceeded the potential income.

I've had success catching a UPS driver between noon and 1 at Hank's or around that area. I suspect that we are rural enough that this is one of those inconvenient effects that we have to work around.

How about we see if we could have packages hitch a ride on TRANGO? Just a thought.

Bob

Wasn't there also a UPS drop box at Thriftway that was was removed?

There is still a Fedex drop box at Hanks, right next to where the UPS box was. Makes me wonder about what the driver told you.

I do know that sometimes the boxes overflowed because they weren't picked up frequently enough. That could make theft more likely, thus giving UPS a justification for removing the box rather than improving the pickup schedule.

Randy Brook

As one poster mentioned, they took it out because of vandalism and theft. For one, people were stacking their outgoing boxes ON TOP of the UPS box because they wouldn't fit in the slot. So yes, there was theft. But along with that was lowlifes stuffing crap into the box - garbage, half finished sodas, that sort of thing.

I just toss the outgoing UPS into my truck and it sits there until I see a UPS truck in town. I pull over and hand it off to them. They're very happy to take your package. It costs nothing. Yes, it's a hassle in our first world lives, but a pretty minor price to pay for receiving goods in the Methow!

Good idea for a tech service, which we could use right now! And combine with the UPS, FED Ex shipping. But how much income coming in would have to be considered, of course. Even the tech business might not bring in enough because it seems like alot of people know how to work on problems with computers. I think they must have Ph.D's.