UPS apparently has super fast planes

[tigress666]

So according to UPS my iphone left anchorage and arrived at Louiseville, KY at 12:07 am and then arrived back at anchorage at 12:57 AM (Ok, technically it was a departure scan)...

So apparently for whatever reason they took it back to anchorage and managed to make the flight from KY to Anchorage in 50 minutes (and have time to load it up for another flight to depart somewhere).

Alright, so obviously they messed up somewhere, but I'm wondering how and if they still know where my package is, heh.

 

[willmtaylor]

So according to UPS my iphone left anchorage and arrived at Louiseville, KY at 12:07 am and then arrived back at anchorage at 12:57 AM (Ok, technically it was a departure scan)...

So apparently for whatever reason they took it back to anchorage and managed to make the flight from KY to Anchorage in 50 minutes (and have time to load it up for another flight to depart somewhere).

Alright, so obviously they messed up somewhere, but I'm wondering how and if they still know where my package is, heh.

It's probably a misscan or mistoggle. Happens all of the time with ol' UPS.

 

[zhandri]

does UPS use local times on the tracking?

 

[leenak]

does UPS use local times on the tracking?

Yup and Alaska is 4 hours behind?

 

[rnizlek]

What did it say for the scan? Was the Louisville scan a customs clearance scan? If so, that doesn't mean that the package was in Louisville, but that UPS submitted the customs paperwork for processing there. They frequently file all the customs documents ahead of the package arrival, so that when the shipment arrives its already cleared, or can quickly be pulled aside for a inspection if necessary, then sent on its way.

 

[tigress666]

Yup and Alaska is 4 hours behind?

Yeah, but trust me, that doesn't make up for flying time. Seattle is 3 hours behind Atlanta but I still arrive a few hours Seattle time at Seattle after I left Atlanta Atlanta time.

What did it say for the scan? Was the Louisville scan a customs clearance scan? If so, that doesn't mean that the package was in Louisville, but that UPS submitted the customs paperwork for processing there. They frequently file all the customs documents ahead of the package arrival, so that when the shipment arrives its already cleared, or can quickly be pulled aside for a inspection if necessary, then sent on its way.

Nope, just an arrival scan at Louisville and a departure scan at Anchorage (in that order). I kinda wonder if they forgot to post up the original departure scan (cause it arrived at Anchorage and then next thing I know it was claiming it arrived at Louisville, then it claimed it departed from Anchorage).

 

[rnizlek]

The other reason for an erroneous scan in this case is that this is a World Ease shipment. That means that each person's iPhone isn't being individually scanned, but that they are packed a single shipment together and cleared as such into the US, before that shipment is separated and all the boxes go individually towards their destinations. On these shipments the tracking numbers are batched into the master World Ease shipment, so each time that shipment's location is updated all of the tracking numbers within are updated.

If some of the shipments were partially separated in Anchorage (say to send a part of them to the West Coast), there's a chance that you'll get some erroneous scans if the batch wasn't correctly separated on the technical side.

 

[onepremiere]

If you've been to a hub, especially an airport... Its organized chaos...

I forget the exact metrics but in a 3-4 Hour period planes are landing and taking of every 5-10 minutes...

There are literally fork lifts full throttle buzzing inches from each other.

Quite impressive.

 

[r.j.s]

I kinda wonder if they forgot to post up the original departure scan (cause it arrived at Anchorage and then next thing I know it was claiming it arrived at Louisville, then it claimed it departed from Anchorage).

That is the likely cause.

The flight from KSDF-PANC is ~6 hours.

 

[rnizlek]

I will also add that don't worry about UPS loosing the package. Their internal tracking systems have a much, much higher level of detail than what you can see, and I'm sure its very clear where you package is right now.

I spent a few years in college working at FedEx Kinkos (now FedEx Office) and we had a FedEx shipping computer for processing FedEx shipments. I could pull up a tracking number for a package I had and it would show me probably 20-30 scans on each package, whereas I'd see maybe 3-5 on the web site. Basically, UPS or FedEx can see all the intermediate scans (loading, unloading, when the package passed particular scanning equipment in their sorting systems) that you can't see with the typical arrival/departure scans online.

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If you've been to a hub, especially an airport... Its organized chaos...

I forget the exact metrics but in a 3-4 Hour period planes are landing and taking of every 5-10 minutes...

There are literally fork lifts full throttle buzzing inches from each other.

Quite impressive.

Here's a great video of how it all works:

http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/ultimate-factories/videos/ups-worldport/

 

[tigress666]

I will also add that don't worry about UPS loosing the package. Their internal tracking systems have a much, much higher level of detail than what you can see, and I'm sure its very clear where you package is right now.

I spent a few years in college working at FedEx Kinkos (now FedEx Office) and we had a FedEx shipping computer for processing FedEx shipments. I could pull up a tracking number for a package I had and it would show me probably 20-30 scans on each package, whereas I'd see maybe 3-5 on the web site. Basically, UPS or FedEx can see all the intermediate scans (loading, unloading, when the package passed particular scanning equipment in their sorting systems) that you can't see with the typical arrival/departure scans online.

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Here's a great video of how it all works:

http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/ultimate-factories/videos/ups-worldport/

heh, for many reasons i kinda wish mine was going FedEx (for one that I could have had fedex just let me pick it up from a FedEx Office store (I won't be home for delivery, gotta be at work). UPS is so inflexible if you can't be home *grumble*. And they have no pickup locations open on Saturday and if they ship it from the hub close to me I won't be able to get to them before they close in time (I have to hope it comes from the hub that is a much farther drive if I hope to get it Friday). And they insist on tryign to deliver it once (gee, can I save you guys some gas cause i can tell you for sure I won't be home?).

On the good side I really like their delivery guy (I see the same guy in my neighborhood as well as the two places I work or worked, he has a pretty far range he covers).

 

[pgrider]

I got the same tracking update. Hopefully the phone really is in Kentucky!

 

[rnizlek]

heh, for many reasons i kinda wish mine was going FedEx (for one that I could have had fedex just let me pick it up from a FedEx Office store (I won't be home for delivery, gotta be at work). UPS is so inflexible if you can't be home *grumble*. And they have no pickup locations open on Saturday and if they ship it from the hub close to me I won't be able to get to them before they close in time (I have to hope it comes from the hub that is a much farther drive if I hope to get it Friday). And they insist on tryign to deliver it once (gee, can I save you guys some gas cause i can tell you for sure I won't be home?).

On the good side I really like their delivery guy (I see the same guy in my neighborhood as well as the two places I work or worked, he has a pretty far range he covers).

Around where I am, the UPS facility is open Saturday morning for pickups as long as you arrange them on Friday. I think most facilities operate this way, but I could be wrong.

I'm generally a fan of UPS over FedEx, although I hold FedEx Express and UPS as equals. Both have well run operations. I generally think that you're not getting as high a quality with FedEx Ground because all the drivers are contractors and I think they have less connection to delivering top notch service that way.

From a shipper's perspective, I prefer UPS just because of the integration - one company that can handle all of my Air/Ground/International needs. UPS also uses rail to move most of its ground packages across the country, which is vastly more efficient than driving hundreds of trucks everywhere, but that's neither here nor there for most people. Also, at work, UPS comes earlier in the day and at a more consistent time than FedEx does... but again, that's personal.

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Also, I would check out UPS My Choice. I've used it since it came out, and it's made getting UPS deliveries to my house so much easier. Just a few clicks if I want something held at a local UPS store or sent to my work address instead. They usually say it takes an extra day to process the request, but that hasn't been the case in my experience.

 

[tigress666]

[/COLOR]Also, I would check out UPS My Choice. I've used it since it came out, and it's made getting UPS deliveries to my house so much easier. Just a few clicks if I want something held at a local UPS store or sent to my work address instead. They usually say it takes an extra day to process the request, but that hasn't been the case in my experience.

I have that, it still won't let me tell it to let me pick up (When I say change delivery it says it cannot do that). And when I use the search button for find a local UPS place to pick up from on saturday, it finds nothing. Not that that says anything cause their site is so hard to navigate to find an answer of how do I find where I can tell it to pick up from (can I tell it a UPS store? I guess not cause some of them are open Saturday but it claims there is nowhere I can tell it to leave it that is open on Saturday).

 

[rnizlek]

I have that, it still won't let me tell it to let me pick up (When I say change delivery it says it cannot do that). And when I use the search button for find a local UPS place to pick up from on saturday, it finds nothing. Not that that says anything cause their site is so hard to navigate to find an answer of how do I find where I can tell it to pick up from (can I tell it a UPS store? I guess not cause some of them are open Saturday but it claims there is nowhere I can tell it to leave it that is open on Saturday).

Hmm. I wonder if Apple has somehow restricted the phones for rerouting. I do believe they can do that. I've definitely done a hold for pickup with MyChoice before - on several occasions. And have redirected a few packages to my office.

Now that I think about it, I think only UPS facilities that offer Saturday air service are open for pickup. So perhaps yours isn't one of those.

But I'm wondering if Apple somehow restricted these packages from being rerouted with MyChoice.