This is the UPS store I normally go to, and I usually love the staff and have a great experience as a small business owner. I also rarely leave reviews good or bad, but today Charles the assistant manager left such a bad impression on me I wanted to share so that this location can be aware for maintaining what I believe is usually great customer service. I have trouble hearing sometimes and his responses to me were short and rude when I asked him to repeat himself. I came in 20 minutes before closing and patiently waited my turn while other people were in line, and then when it was my turn, there was nobody else in the store but he still seemed annoyed when I asked clarification questions. I typically pack and ship my own boxes, but was not able to for this one because I was sending it last minute in place of a friend. He told me he’d have to put it in a box and I was asking if UPS had any padded envelopes (like my package was in) that were maybe larger, but he didn’t seem like he was either listening to what I was saying or didn’t understand because he wasn’t answering my question, just saying he has to put it in a box, but after asking again I understood that there were only box options so I said that’s fine. At this point I had already been sent around part of the line across the store to the other register and vice versa already 3 times (not sure why?). Then when I went to pay he hadn’t told me the price or size of the box (as my package was just on the counter still). So when I was reading the screen before I paid, he was annoyed when I asked him about the packaging materials and packing service fees. I asked if I could pack it myself (not my package, not my money, and I wanted to save money for my friend as it was their package), and then he told me I’d have to do it tomorrow. When I asked him why he said it’s because the store closes in 5 minutes (I understand this but he said it in a short tone and they were still open). I told him it’s already packaged I can just place it in the box, it doesn’t need packing materials (already in my packaging), and tape it up now while he helps the other customers since some other people had come in and joined the line since. In this, he was still short and rude in his responses, even if the information he was giving was correct: he seemed uncertain about the packaging materials and service fees surrounding the pack and ship guarantees, and was changing his answers so of course I was asking clarification questions that he seemed annoyed that I was asking about. Especially in his higher management role, I feel that his short and rude tone, and unwillingness to provide ample clarification (especially given some confusion arose through his changing answers and uncertainties about ups services) was not what I typically see nor expect from this location, which makes this very disappointing for me.
Also would love any clarification on whether the pack and ship guarantee is required for every in-store shipment? I was confused about if policies might have changed and since there were people in line and he was being short and annoyed with my questions I didn’t press on it; however, I never asked to have my package packed for me nor was I told when the packing service + packing materials (about $13) were adding onto my bill, I was just told I could swipe and then asked when I saw it on the screen. I asked if I could pack it myself and he said yes but to come back tomorrow, at which point I said I could do it while he helps other customers, and then he changed his answer to no, that it was a liability for UPS. However, unless policies have changed you can pack your own package and have UPS print and ship the label for you all at the store, no? If I ask for the pack and ship guarantee, then I would understand that I can’t pack it. However, I wasn’t even shown nor asked what size box I wanted, because if he mentioned or showed me it to me, I could’ve gotten a cheaper smaller box that would fit my items instead of the huge $10 box I was charged for without knowing the size or seeing it.