Being my first Christmas away from family in the UK, they had all put a parcel together with Christmas letters as well as cards and little bits and bobs so we had something to open on Christmas day to remind me of home (inc my Mum's Christmas cake, crafts from my little nephew etc)

After 2 weeks of not having the parcel, we tracked it to find it had been "delivered" to us already. Turns out the the lazy-ass UPS guy had left he parcel a week ago at the front door. Of a 15 storey high-rise apartment building. He couldn't even be arsed to leave us a card saying he'd left it somewhere and surprise surprise the parcel disappeared. Called UPS who said that the delivery guy knew ours was a building where packages have to be signed for yet still left it anyway. Nothing they can do short of compensate the shipper (not the point - it wasn't worth much to anyone else but me)

So thanks UPS guy for not doing your job, and thanks to the scumbag who happened upon our parcel. I hope you're allergic to Christmas cake.

*Sigh* rant over...wishing you all a happy and courier incompetence-free Christmas!

That's where you went wrong. Home is here now. Being reminded of where you fled from to seek a better life, causes emotional upset. Only drink can ease the pain.

Shame about the cake

Such wisdom...and a great excuse for a mid-afternoon glass of something.

Although my Mum's Christmas cake is like a stiff drink and a snack all in one *sob*

Aww shame about the trinkets and reminders of home! That is pathetic performance on the shipping company's part and should have some greater compensation than a refund!

I received a Christmas package once in the regular post one full year later. The cookies were dust. The card was still pretty.

Fed Ex arent much better either

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DhmjJCBQ-cA

Oh what a shame.

Some people are worse than animals. I hope they choke on the cake.

I bet you didn't expect to be a victim of crime that soon since moving over here?

Maybe a kind hearted person saw the package on the doorstep and thought mmm someone might end up stealing this package and took it into their home for safekeeping and have not yet got round to contacting the OP to tell them that their package is safe.

Fedex are a bloody sight better than UPS.

I get a courier package about once a week. We stopped using UPS because they were so shite. I think the record was eight days from London to Ottawa.

Even Fedex is getting a bit odd. Some very strange routings going on these days.

Nothing ever gets to me next day. This is partly the fault of Fedex. Here's a tip for Fedex. How about waiting until your plane has landed in Ottawa before sending out that day's delivery vans?

Also the customs people are dorks. They must know by now that my packages are not cocaine. They don't have to slash open every single one.

No comment on the Customs part

UPS seroius sh1t,

Be very careful using UPS as they are prone to nailing you with some hefty brokerage charges if any Duty needs to be paid

In my case I bought a car part from teh US on eBay for 20$, had a few dollars tax to pay and got a $55 dollar brokerage charge from UPS

FeDex do this to but from memory there brokerage fees are less

I find the national postal groups to be much better than the couriers for personal stuff, I'd recomend the Royal Mail and USPS over FedEX or UPS

I probably didn't contribute to the reputation of UPS as I actually worked for them one Christmas when I was in uni. I lasted about only three hours because a particularly grumpy woman stated moaning at me for being late, so I threw the packages in bushes and told her to stick them up her arse.

As for brokerage fees I agree with you. I bet a lot of posters dont even know that you can self clear your goods without paying the brokerage fees.
I realise some live a distance from their nearest Customs office and paying the brokerage fees is less than the gas, drive etc etc

I tell friends and family in the UK never to send me a parcel. Even if they follow the Christmas posting guidelines, it will probably arrive in mid-February, if it arrives at all.

My first year here, my old mum sent me a parcel on which she'd got the right street address and number, but got one digit on the post-code wrong. It got all the way to Edmonton and then got sent back to her in the UK again. Another Xmas present from an old friend disappeared, but the torn, content-less packaging was delivered to us in February.

I used to work for DHL a long time ago and I avoid that company like the plague, knowing how they operate. Mind you, that was before Deutsche Post bought them.

I changed my old job from DHL to UPS 20 years ago and they still use them. Never a single glitch. On the other hand, UPS screwed me up on a delivery. 20 minutes after me screaming "refund" down the line the delivery guy was at the door.

A company in UK I order stuff from have recently changed from Royal Mail to Fedex. Now, where I live there is no fedex. They use an agent which is - the Swedish Mail. As long as everything was shipped via Royal mail and European signed for I'd get my deliveries in 2-3 working days. I think the record is order on a friday get it on the monday. With Fedex, it's at least a week. Go figure.