NEVER, ever use UPS when shipping cross boarder

[quarkx]

I offer the following rant, to the few people in the US that don't know. It has probably come up in the forums before, and I would Assume that it is common knowledge, But UPS SCREWS Canadian's right up the old poopshoot when shipping things from the US to Canada.
We are SUPPOSE to have "Free trade" but there is NOTHING "free" about UPS.
I have been buying and selling stuff on e-bay for years, and the first time I ran into UPS is when I bought a $5 DVD off ebay and they wanted a $55 Canadian "Boarder Fee".
I just got an A4000D here and last night, UPS attemped to deliver it with an $80 boarder fee. Now I already paid for shipping and now they want a COD of ANOTHER $80! I don't know about you, but I generally don't carry $80 around "just for the fun of it". They are Crooks, thieves and extortionists and should be hunted down in the streets and decapitated with a spork.
I guess it would not be soo bad if the called before hand and told you there was a charge. And guess what? The drivers don't carry change! They want EXACT fees only!
No other Courier charges these pretend fees for COD.
I usually beg the shipper to send USPS, for there never is more than a $10 customs fee. It may take a week, but they never ask you to drop your pants and bend you over at your front door.
UPS may be good for people who ship within the US and most people have an account with them, but NEVER ship with them out of the country.
Sorry, just my 2 cents.

[SamuraiCrow]

It's cheaper than updating your passport but I see what you mean.

[amigakit]

Heavy fees- good warning.

We use Canada Post for most small items and FedEx for items over 2.2 lbs.   FedEx is very efficient which keeps our customers happy- especially selected US East Coast customers who can receive their order within next working day (usually two working days to West Coast).

[motrucker]

UPS is a very expensive pain even without the "border fees". They just ruined a new motherboard I bought (looked like some one had run the box through with a 2" pipe!!)
I use USPS or DHL.
I tend to get very upset with the U.S. - Canadian customs crap anyway. Our governments are pure buttholes with this "game".

[quarkx]

Doing a google search, I see that there is a class action lawsuit against UPS for the brokerage fees. Even going by there OWN chart, this A4000 Should only come to about $50 with GST. It looks like this happens all the time, charge as much as the customer will pay and hope to heck they just pay it and not look. Well, it looks like there are ways (be it sneaky and under handed) to get around it. Even the Canadian Customs website says the flat fee is only $5 plus GST. UPS's website has so many "add on fees" to justify the "other" charges

amigakit wrote:
Heavy fees- good warning.

We use Canada Post for most small items and FedEx for items over 2.2 lbs.   FedEx is very efficient which keeps our customers happy- especially selected US East Coast customers who can receive their order within next working day (usually two working days to West Coast).

Amiga Kit, I had to pay a $35 COD Fed Ex charge on Wednesday from my A1200 package from you. $35 I can live with, but I paid HALF of what I paid you for this A4000 and MORE for shipping upfront to UPS (about twice as much-due to weight-obviously), so we all know that UPS is a big scam.

[arnljot]

I have the same experience.

I've received packages from USPS, DHL, FedEx, and many others. But only UPS adds extra extra fees when transferring packages across the borders.

Normal 25% tax (on goods more than 200NOK in value, and then 0 NOK fee on anything less) and then NOK 90 or up to NOK 150. But UPS took NOK 369,- which is more than 2x than second place...

So anything shipped with national mail carriers (USPS, Royal Mail etc) is fine incl DHL, TNT, Deutch Post, FedEx is good. But UPS -- as it was said in the first post -- ask you to bend over and -- take it up where the sun doesn't shine.

[sandpiper]

@quarkx

Excellent point. I have experienced the same thing. I now use only USPS (US Postal Service) or FedEx when shipping to Canada if possible. I don't see how UPS are getting away with these excessive brokerage fees when no other carrier does.

To Canada, I find that USPS express mail from the US is fast and at a reasonable price - with no brokerage fees.

I'll have to look into this class action suit.

[CLS2086]

SO, you've never tried yet EMS ...  :roll:

[amigakit]

@cls2086
EMS is operated by Canada Post within Canada - we used to have an EMS account, but we don't use it any longer as it is more expensive than FedEx and not as quick to deliver.

[quarkx]

Sad thing is there is really nothing you can do until AFTER you pay, unless you have a Customs Clearance Center in your city AND its the one that UPS used. You CAN then refuse delivery, request ALL the UPS paperwork and go down to the Custom center, pay $5 and "Clear" the package yourself, then go and pick up the package from UPS.Spend a day to run around, and if the Clearance Center is across the country, you are SOL. UPS holds the Package as Ransom and does God knows what to it while it is in hold. You can always write a "bum" cheque and fight with them later, but now you have the package.It's Sad that the "easy" way is illegal, and you could get charged for fighting an illegal injustice with another illegal act.
Looks like they got me by the short and curleys. I am hunting though.

UPS ONLY does this to private individuals though, they bend over backwards to please Businesses and big corporate clients.No corporate client will ever see a "Brokerage Fee".

[save2600]

Oh man, sorry to hear about the UPS lube job. Those prices/fees are outrageous, plain and simple. I'd be pissed for sure. If they're going to tack on another $80ca or $66us everytime you bought a system, that would mean the difference of buying or not buying for me. Something's got to be done about the extortion as you say and if they're doing something illegal/unethical, I hope they get socked but good. Just doesn't make sense to over pay for the "privilege" of the UPS monkeys to abuse packages anyway. I guess next time, request the seller NOT use UPS or try to get them to pay the damn fees!  :-)

[quarkx]

UPS NEVER mentions it to the shipper, Probably for fear that they actually wont ship with them. You should Google "UPS brokerage fees" and see the thousands of complaints that they have. The Media in Canada have even investigated them, and it seems the moment you get the media involved, the Fees suddenly get reversed or refunded. Maybe that's the key. get the local media involved again.
The fact that they don't even follow their own charts really burn me more. It's a crap shoot with them.