Detective needed. What is the truth?

[Evelyn Feng]

I'm a big fan of Poirot, Sherlock Holmes (Jeremy Brett), Frost and all the old fashioned and modern detectives. But finding the truth is far from easy. Now, any great minds here can give me some ideas?

We're selling kids desks online (great products and unique in the UK market). We just started, but did very well. Over the last weekend, a customer, like many other customers, chatted with me online about Desk A. Since it was out of stock, I suggested buying Desk B, as it's very nice for her five year old little girl. The next day, the customer ordered and paid via Paypal (our only online payment method). On Monday, we dispatched the desk and I sent her an email with the tracking number. On Tuesday morning at 8:58, UPS tracking system showed it was delivered and signed for by the customer (her surname). All seemed perfect.

On Wednesday, today, at 5pm, the customer sent me an email saying, no desk was delivered. She checked the tracking information and knew the signature was her surname. However, both her and her husband were already at work before 9am on Tuesday morning.

I immediately contacted our shipping agent, who will raise this issue to UPS tomorrow. I have a damaged desk experience with UPS last month, so I know how rude they can be and I'm prepared for them to say: we delivered and we have the signature, so we're not responsible.

Is there anybody here who had similar experience, and what the truth could be? I have some guesses.

Scenario 1: Our customer actually received the desk, but told us she hasn't. I don't think it is the case, because she has an alibi, and also she wanted to see the signature left with UPS. The customer doesn't want a refund, as this desk is her little one's Christmas present. But this kind of desk is out of stock now, so she's hoping to trace this vanishing desk. Her reaction is an honest person's reaction.

Scenario 2: A neighbour signed for it, but somehow the neighbour happened to be out of the house for two days, so no communication with the customer. However, two flaws here: (1) if the neighbour was helping out, why signed the customer's surname, not the neighbour's own surname? (2) at the same time, UPS didn't leave a "left with Neighbour at No. xxx" note with the customer. What a coincident!

Scenario 3: A neighbour signed for it and wanted to keep the desk so deliberately didn't tell the customer. Again, the two flaws in Scenario 2 apply here. If the neighbour wants to steal, how can he/she be sure the UPS delivery man won't tell the customer by leaving a note in her mailbox?

Scenario 4: UPS delivery man. He can sign anything he wants, as he has all the information of the customer. If there is any dispute, he can insist that the customer signed for it.

Scenario 5: UPS delivered to the wrong address, then the person in that address pretended to be the customer and signed for it, i.e. a sinister neighbour. But why this person quickly knew the recipient's surname? The address label normally isn't that big on the box.

To find out the truth, the only way seems to be the forensic evidence of the signature, but I doubt we'll go that far. Any great ideas?

 

[Evelyn Feng]

We had an internal discussion about this issue. The customer's reaction made us have a second thought. The customer reported this matter simply by e-mails. We had several e-mail exchange. She was completely calm, friendly, understanding and not panicking. This doesn't fit in a customer's profile who really didn't receive the parcel (worth £120) but the tracking details showed she'd got it. If it was me, I would immediately ring the company, telling them that it wasn't me who signed for it, and I certainly wouldn't write an email from my phone at 5pm and wait for response, as it was still office hour and why not call?

Also, we found out that her partner was a member of a football hooligan club. This may not mean anything, but does make me think.

 

[AndyP]

Hmmmm.... or you could just wait until the courier responds. Standard practice in this situation if there is further dispute would be to send the driver back to the property to show who it was delivered to, who signed for it and where it was left etc. There is almost always a straightforward answer to these things.

 

[RogerBa]

Firstly I'd say the customers reaction may be misleading, we are all different and react in different ways, she is unlikely to react the same as you would for this very reason. Some people get very worked up about little things while others will stay calm in much worse circumstances.

When you say the signature was the same surname do you mean the name entered by the driver on their key pad or is the signature actually readable? The surname will have been entered by the driver on the pad and he/she may well have just entered the name on the parcel, I know what they are supposed to do but of course it doesn't always happen.

I recall having a delivery I was expecting in 1-2 days not turn up for 7 days, I got nothing through the letter box and after complaining to the sender he chased it up and the courier found a record of it being left at a neighbour, a neighbour who I didn't know. I went round there and my parcel was waiting in the hallway for me, she had assumed I would be left a card and so didn't come round to tell me it was there!! In other words everybody thought somebody else would do something about it.

As said above I'd just be waiting for the courier response right now, give it a day or so and then chase them up if you haven't heard anything.

 

[antropy]

This has also happened to some of our ecommerce clients. I'd be keen to know what happened in this case.

 

[a1anm]

This has happened to us quite a few times and in the majority of cases the customer is telling the truth. We have had cases where the postman has signed it and then left it somewhere!

A lot of the time it will be a neighbour who signed for it. The courier won't ask them their name so will just put the intended recipients name down.

I don't think the customers reaction is unusual. If it happened to me I would most likely send an email (especially if I was at work). I wouldn't be stressing out either.

As someone already mentioned UPS will probably speak to the driver and he'll be able to explain exactly who he delivered it to.

 

[sb65]

We had a very similar occurrence (also with UPS as it happened) although in our case the signature surname was not the same as the customer. No note left with correct customer. Value was a bit less as well. Customer also corresponded by email.

We went back to UPS (via Interparcel) and eventually got the address of the house where the parcel was left - this took several days. Parcel was found, everyone happy, finally.

JFWIW, we find UPS great for collection and delivery (notwithstanding this single incident) but awful for administration.

 

[deniser]

Scenario 2 is the most likely. It has happened to us countless times that a neighbour took delivery but expected the intended recipient to be notified (which they weren't) as to its whereabouts and call for it. In the meantime the parcel can sit there for several weeks.

The customer should be asked to knock at the doors on either side and ask if her parcel is there.

Otherwise there is a variation to Scenario 5 which is the second most likely and has also happened to us. In this scenario, the courier has accidentally delivered it to the wrong address but because no-one was in, left it in a safe place or (not in your case) if small enough, has posted it through the letterbox and then, because no-one was in, signed for it themselves with the householder's name.

When this happened to us the last time, we insisted that the courier company call the driver on his mobile to ask him to describe exactly where he has delivered or left the parcel. When he starts talking about a blue door and a white picket fence and the customer has a brown door and no fence, you know he has made a mistake.

Be persistent and get them to call the driver straight away.

I hope the desk is found.

 

[Evelyn Feng]

Thanks to our detective buddies. Your comments above are all very helpful. Our warehouse has contacted UPS, and it is checking now. I will post the outcome here.

 

[Evelyn Feng]

Hi, guys, this is the ending. We asked UPS to check what happened. In the evening, our customer informed us that "UPS left a card sometime today saying I have a package left 9 doors away at a neighbour and I've now collected the desk."

OMG. I feel guilty for thinking something going on, as I thought she would react like I would (anxious and desperate). Like RogerBA and a1anm said, people are different so they'll deal with things in different ways. A lesson for me!

 

[RogerBa]

Glad it's all resolved for you and the customer, a good lesson for us all that there is often a simple answer/solution but you need to chase things up some times.

 

[deniser]

Good it's been found and that my left at neighbour instinct was correct!

 

[beasty]

9 DOORS AWAY!

They need to amend their system to show the ADDRESS of the person that signs if they are not the addressee so the sender can see who has signed for it!

9 DOORS AWAY.. wtf