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If this is in the wrong place, I apologize. Wasn't sure if this was best for Dakka Discussions or Off-topic, but anyway.

I have a problem and was hoping someone whose been through the same might be able to help me out or at least give me some advice or reassurance on what to do next.

I recently had a friend finish painting an army for me, a big one too, 3000 points of Dark Elves, and he shipped it via UPS this week, with a 'guaranteed' delivery date of Friday, today. Needless to say, it did not show up today. Now I know sometimes things like this happen, but I have two other things that are greatly worrying me.

1. The tracking info on the package lists nothing other than the initial scan, and no scans beyond that point. I should note that the package was going from CA to WA.

2. When we contacted the UPS store he used, they have no idea where the package is.

We've been advised to wait until Wednesday before filing claims, and we haven't used UPS a bunch. We mostly relied on USPS or FedEx up to this point, but chose UPS for the presumably guaranteed 3-day delivery. Has anyone else had this happen? Or know what happened? Thanks in advance.

Give it until next monday/tuesday, thats when I would start worrying...

Doing my best not to. ;p

But man...this was my first and favorite army being shipped. Finally got them painted up gorgeous... :(

I would suspect that it's caught up in transit somewhere. Give it a day or two. I believe UPS delivers today??

I think UPS only delivers on Saturday if you had specifically paid/asked for it. I don't think we did that.

Did this ever arrive, OP?

As of Monday, nothing yet. However, Monday was a federal holiday, so I knew nothing would come.

So far, I've gotten to the point of getting escalated help with UPS, and my friend who did the shipping getting in with the owner of the UPS store he used. There is no sign of the package yet, but a trace for it has been sent out.

What I'm really, really hoping for is for it to turn up tomorrow with some explanation as to the scanning tag being wrong, or the scanner being held upside down or something. But I have a feeling I'll be proven wrong on that.

A trace, according to UPS, takes 7-10 days, so it could be all of next week before I know anything (assuming it doesn't just turn up). If nothing, I've got everything ready to start making claims (though we didn't insure it for much, how silly for us to assume a delivery company could deliver). But I've also gone through the depressing chore of cataloging all that I'd need to replace, looking around $800-1000 depending on how I shop around.

The costumer service at the central UPS have been great once I beat it into their heads that the package was dropped off at the store and not just arranged for a pickup. Though on the other hand, the UPS store is being very difficult, and defensive with us.

I'm trying to hold out for hope, but man...this SUCKS. 6 years of collecting, and it includes the first models I had since I got back into the hobby.

That sucks, I hope it was insured properly at least?

Only for a little bit, out of courtesy, certainly nowhere near enough to cover the whole cost of lost models. If they are truly lost, I am truly hosed.

And now a storm is hitting WA with 6-18 inches of snow, being called the worst storm in decades. 8|

God/Emperor/Tzeentch/Spaghetti Monster does not want me to have these Elves, it seems.

It'll most likely turn up. I recently went through the same thing in November(scheduled to show up on a Monday, didn't show, no updates in tracking until Wednesday, where it showed it had been sitting 60 miles away in a sorting facility since Saturday, finally arrived on Friday).

If a sorting center is seeing unusual amounts of traffic, it could delay the sorting(and thus the scan for tracking).

Did you get the same thing where the only update was the "shipping bill created" thing or whatever?

Did it come today?

Nothing yet. But UPS can show up here anywhere between about 10 AM and 5 PM. I'll update the thread if I see anything.

If nothing today, I doubt anything will come tomorrow, due to the aforementioned "biggest storm in decades."

I'm holding out hope for you. Probably just caught up somewhere along the lines.

I have had packages fail to be scanned until they pass through a sorting facility. I have also sent and received items that had tracking but was not scanned a single time. Granted most of these instances were through USPS and not UPS.

Tuesday has passed with no sign of the package. No update on the trace either, however I know those take time.

While it just -hurts- to do it, I am planning my shopping list to replace the army. Anyone know good deals or ways to save money on Dark Elf Dark Riders?

Wood Elf Glade riders work great IMO

But maybe today?

No way it'll happen today. Not because of UPS being screwed up, but because Seattle (where I live) being slammed with a massive snowstorm. The "Megastorm" as the papers call it dumped 3-4 inches overnight, and pretty much the whole city is shut down for the day at least. Also, as a side note, Megastorm would be an excellent name for a band.

My whole neighborhood is on steep hills and way off of the main plow routes, there's pretty much no getting in our out today.

I did do some more email exchanges with UPS about the status of the trace, but nothing new other than to keep waiting up to 7-8 days, and to keep in touch with the shipper and his UPS store.

And yeah, as far as the Glade Riders, those are probably the most logical choice. I guess I'm just missing my 25 old school metal Dark Riders. *whiny*

Man I keep checking back every day hoping for good news. :(

I really appreciate the support, lewis. It's nice to know there's some folks hoping for me who don't even know me.

I'm doing my best to be positive, but it's still a hard blow because most of those models are the things that I first bought when I got back into Fantasy 6 years ago. I know they are just minis and infinitely replaceable, but those guys were there when I started tournaments and those 40 metal Witch Elves carried me to a Best General!

Believe me. I know what it's like to become attached to certain minis. Even if they can be replaced, it just doesnt feel the same. I am still holding out hope for you.

Just an aside story on UPS.

Christmas this year, well actually I think it was two days before.

Denver got hit with a pretty good sized snow storm, nothing out of the ordinary, but enough to make the locals take notice.

USPS was delivering.
Fed Ex was delivering.

UPS...roads too rough. 500+ people showed up at the delivery center because grandma's/aunt's/uncle's Christmas presents were in there and the call center (in Atlanta I believe) told them they could show up there and pick up the package personally. So, UPS was telling customers to drive to them in conditions that they had decided themselves were unsafe to drive in.

Coworker of mine was one of the unfortuneate souls there trying to get a package. Two hours on hold with Atlanta to be told "its in the building". Only come to find out that the "building" was not the customer service building, but the wharehouse across the street. UPS call center didn't know that UPS had multiple buildings.

So, call center in Atlanta had to tell Commerce City, CO to pack it up, bring it across the street for about 500 people. According to my friend who was there, about 10% of the people never got thier packages that day. UPS managed to misplace/not find them after they were transfered 500 ft across a road.

So the people that didn't get their packages that night were told that the trucks will roll on the 26th, and since thier packages were there, they should get them that day.

It wasn't till the 30th that her package finally showed up.

My advice, avoid UPS in the winter.

Yikes Shotgun. That's definitely some scary/intimidating stuff. I'm glad though that it seems to happen to more folks than just me, and that they eventually got their packages (they got their packages, right? c.c )

I learned my lesson after USPS delivered a package to a neighbor (I live in an apartment complex) and wouldn't provide any compensation unless I had insurance. Unfortunately, I didn't and was out the money I spent. From now on, I make sure that I purchase insurance for at least the value of the item, usually double the value, which seems to be the incentive the USPS needs to deliver packages accurately.

I hope it turns up man.....I will keep my fingers crossed

I once used UPS to send a computer master disc to California and a different master disc to Italy, on the same day.

Needless to day, they delivered the discs to the wrong addresses, by the means of cross-labelling them.

On the plus side, the discs did at least arrive.

I reckon it is a bit early to give up on the parcel. You did the right thing by informing UPS straight away. It has probably done the courier company equivalent of falling down the back of the sofa.

In other positive news, I once had a parcel from Japan that went missing in the UK. The Royal Mail was unable to trace it but the Japan Post Office was able to locate it at my local sorting depot. I got a relative to chase it from the Japan end.

It is surprising how things turn up if you chase them well. I mean, be polite but insistent.

I once painted a Necron army for a friend way back in 4th ed. Shipped it off to him and he got it 3 months later, box was beat but everything was fine. I know it is not the happiest story but it got there! We still joke that I could of just walked it to his house in that time though

Contacting the UPS store it was sent from again tomorrow, and my friend is going in to talk to them more.

Another massive day of snow, so I'm not too sure whether or not there'll be any deliveries, but we'll see!

Minor update: UPS store giving my shipper trouble, refusing to let him look for the package and insisting they are doing nothing wrong. x.x

Don't bother with the UPS store. If they sent it out, they have no control over it. Call the main customer service line.

Well, I actually have an update of content this time.

The trace and investigation have been completed, and according to the store which the package was shipped from, it has been delivered!

Unfortunately...I don't have it.

They are "calling up the chain" to RE-find it now. -.- And I have done an admirable job at remaining civil with the UPS costumer service.

There are not enough curses for UPS now.