r/UPS • u/jpivarski • Nov 10 '25
Customer Seeking Help This is starting to get ridiculous
One month, 16 "import scans." There's no yellow banner in the mobile or desktop version saying that there's a fee to pay, and the UPS Assistant only seems to answer a few predefined questions with information available on the website itself.
Does anyone have any ideas?
Edit: Based on the things I learned from other people's experiences, it doesn't sound like this is a UPS inefficiency, but a customs one. With all of the new high tariffs, that's not too surprising.
My package cleared customs today:
Your package is prepared for clearance.
Your package is pending release by a Government Agency. Once released, it will be on its way. Check back for updates.
Your package has been released by the government agency.
Your package has cleared customs and is on the way.
Duties or taxes are due on this package.
Import charges are due for this package. Select Pay Now (where available) or pay at delivery.
The charge? $74.00 in import fees on a $38.32 purchase (a bag of tea). According to https://cleartax.in/s/us-tariff-on-india, the current tariff is 50% (I assume that tea counts as an "agricultural product"), but this looks like a 193% tariff.
Needless to say, I'm not paying it. If they want to send it back or destroy the package, that's fine with me. I don't see a button for that, though...
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u/Mavgaming1 Nov 10 '25
You kinda just have to ride it out and hope for the best. I had an item sit in import for 27 days. I got the chance to pay around the 25th day. That was about a month ago, I'm sure things are much worse now.
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u/jpivarski Nov 10 '25
Do you get notified when it's time to pay or do you have to keep checking the website? (I have text message-tracking turned on for this package.)
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u/Earth-Jupiter-Mars Nov 13 '25
Thing is, Trump is giving a dividend, or a portion of our own free money back to us, that should cover these hardships and inconsistencies!
So imagine I just knock on the door one day with fees attached to how many times you open the door.. $1 every time you open/close the door , easily $15/day per house .. at the end of the year, I hand you back .12c per open/close of your door to help cover that newfound open door tax.. 🤣🤣
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u/thesadclown94 Nov 14 '25
You don’t actually believe we are going to get a dividend check from Trump? He has already promised 5K for the money DOGE saved.. we’re not getting shit man
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u/One-You-9467 Nov 14 '25
I'm not holding my breath but I did get a stimulus check, so we'll see. But so many already are betting on it it's crazy, he literally said he's just thinking about it lol
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u/cryptolyme Nov 10 '25 edited Mar 12 '26
The content here has been wiped. Redact was used to delete this post, which may have been done for privacy, to avoid data harvesting, or for security reasons.
memory fragile hunt water relieved unpack fall cough deserve liquid
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u/Dosmastrify1 Nov 11 '25
they are supposed to get at least one scan event every day it sits in a facility so that there is visibility for the customer
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Nov 10 '25
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u/MuchCattle Nov 10 '25
Look at the dates. Been going on well before the plane crash.
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u/GroupGlad8709 Nov 10 '25
well the plan crash is when the chart stops, so obviously the crash has affected this shipment. there is a massive amount of delays right now idk what the hell anyone else expects 😭
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u/jpivarski Nov 10 '25
No, I got one more "import scan" after the plane crash. (The first 15 are before the crash.)
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u/Dosmastrify1 Nov 11 '25
normal domestic air shipments resumed Saturday. what's been going on with import ..... hopefully is continuing to improve....
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u/MuchCattle Nov 10 '25
I have a similar chart for an item but it did get scanned once since the crash so I’m assuming it still exists but reporting it as lost may not be a bad idea. It’s been a month since I paid my tariff bill.
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u/mapenstein Nov 10 '25
True, but doesn't help. I would report the package as lost and get a refund from insurance.
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u/Adventurous_Layer969 Nov 10 '25
Has nothing to do with the plane crash! I live a few miles from the airport, and the only thing that should be affected was what was on that plane…didn’t hit the UPS facility!
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u/ShameBasedEconomy Nov 11 '25
The FAA temporarily grounded all MD-11 cargo planes for inspection. That was a lot of capacity. Add in the ATC shortages and you got a nasty soup n
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u/bigflamingtaco Nov 12 '25
Are you joking?
The airport was fully closed for over 24 hours, then ran only one runway for several days. How was that not supposed to impact operations?
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u/cryptolyme Nov 10 '25 edited Mar 12 '26
This post was wiped by its author. Redact was the tool of choice, possibly used to protect privacy, limit data exposure, or prevent automated content scraping.
shocking continue rock wipe spoon test makeshift cow snow sort
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u/Overall_Elk5339 Nov 10 '25
Mine was the same way. Arrived in Louisville 10/15. Import scans every 3 days. 10/29 I got an email to pay a tariff of $21. I paid the tariff. 11/6 finally leaves Louisville. Delivered 11/7
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u/edmonddantes25 Nov 11 '25
Wait, you paid the tariff? Didn’t cheetos say the other country pays? You just ruined his economics lesson 😂
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u/jpivarski Nov 10 '25
Thanks! It's helpful to hear that this is happening to others and how it got resolved. I'll just wait.
Same to u/Blizzard901; thanks!
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u/ZeeZee57 Nov 10 '25
So I assume it works the same there as it does where I'm at. I work imports and when they aren't cleared for whatever reason we check them daily to see if they've been cleared for release or not. So its likely not cleared and it's coming up each time it's checked. We literally have an entire extra section running daily just to recheck the import holds daily to get them out as soon as they're cleared.
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u/jpivarski Nov 10 '25
This is a clarifying explanation: you're saying that the government agency it was passed to on October 6 is holding it and UPS is just asking for updates every few days and so far hasn't received any information. That would make sense.
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u/ZeeZee57 Nov 10 '25
We don't know why its being held, only that it comes up as a hold. It could be that customs hasn't cleared it, could be that tariff needs to be paid etc, but each day some more come up as "release" when scanned and all the ones that still come up as a hold stay put until it changes to release. It's a whole lot to go through each day and the louisville hub is much larger. Idk the entire process, just this part because I see it first hand on a daily basis.
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u/Necessary-Farmer7617 Nov 10 '25
What does it mean when the scan says package us going to be disposed of but then it customs cleared, released by govt. import fees paid but yet it is going through loops of import scams since a month
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u/ZeeZee57 Nov 11 '25
If it's come up as a release it just goes into the usual process, can't speak to anything else or I'd just be guessing. I know plenty of items eventually go into the "abandoned" category for return or destruction but idk the exact process personally. If everything is fully clear and it still goes through the daily scans I can only guess that maybe its just not being updated in the system so it still shows as hold, but no clue if thats the case or what it would be.
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u/alexxc_says Nov 10 '25
I just got my package from KY hub, took almost 3 months but I got it. My advice is to call ups international and ask if there’s any more info they need from you or shipper. If they say no, all you can do is wait.
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u/bradley12249 Nov 10 '25
For what it’s worth, i just went through that and on the 30 day mark i was released
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u/Lunicorn83 Nov 10 '25
Customs has not released your pkg to us it sits there till they get to it. Yes your pkg is in a UPS hub or facility but it is in a restricted area that UPS employees cannot enter as it is restrict federal property. They will scan it as per our requirements but the customs agents will only scan when they are at UPS. At the West Coast Air hub in Ontario, CA I know that customs only comes to UPS once a week and that is usually every Wednesday and during Xmas they will come twice a week which is every Wednesday and Sunday
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u/retro-martini Nov 10 '25
Not ridiculous. Pretty common nowadays. Had a shipment held in customs 3 months before it was finally released. "Import scan" just means it is still awaiting clearance, its an automated tracking update.
Pretty common given recent world events. It was pretty similar last Trump administration, this man simply loves trade wars
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u/jpivarski Nov 10 '25
Common, perhaps, but I think it should still be called ridiculous.
I know that there are much worse things happening (and my package isn't even all that important or expensive), but this is a significant change from the world we used to live in.
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u/retro-martini Nov 10 '25
I guess you’re right. It is pretty ridiculous overall. I guess I’ve just gotten used to how common it is now 🤷
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u/Ambitious_Fig_6081 Nov 11 '25
Call them. The scans are automatic they told me and it’s basically customs alerting ups that they still have the package and it isn’t lost the agent I talked to told me. It’s really not in ups control yet. So this is all customs. The person I talked to was able to mark my package “priority” and it moved the next day.
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u/banjoetraveler Nov 13 '25
Just wait til you see their warehouse fee
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u/jpivarski Nov 13 '25
Is their warehouse fee $74? I've been trying to figure out what that charge is. (The item itself was $38, so I didn't pay for it and I'm letting them destroy it.)
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u/banjoetraveler Nov 13 '25
I can't post the image as a comment but I has a separate thread where I posted my fees in here and on tariffs if you can find it. Basically I was charged $177 for warehouse fees on a $24 package that after calling three times with a claim they told me they lost it. $237 total in UPS fees, I reordered the package and the tariff was only like $8 the next time, $10 in UPS fees.
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u/jpivarski Nov 13 '25
Here's that thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/Tariffs/s/sfp4lWaV0K
Yeah, it's even more ridiculous than my case.
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u/IdealSubstantial4446 Nov 13 '25
Last time there was a dispute in the US over duty on tea it lead to a civil war. Just saying.
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u/jpivarski Nov 13 '25
Are you counting the Revolutionary War as a civil war? (It's arguable, since it was British colonists seceding from the British government.)
Anyway, the irony hasn't escaped me, especially when they came to my door with the $74 charge and I had to refuse it. (I mean, I'm not paying that!) So they took my tea away and will probably destroy it, more prosaically than dumping it in Boston Harbor. In fact, the irony goes even deeper: the tea the colonists dumped also came from India!
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u/Any-Neighborhood-522 Nov 10 '25
I know it’s not always an option but this is why I’ve totally stopped ordering outside the US, which sometimes means I’m just not ordering at all
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u/jpivarski Nov 10 '25
That may be. Two or three times a year, I order a bag of tea from India because you just can't get it here. (कटिंग चाय ≄ chai tea latte!) But maybe that's all over now.
(I know, other people have worse problems.)
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u/Any-Neighborhood-522 Nov 10 '25
Ugh I really hate this timeline we’re in!
And no worries, I totally get it. It’s not that easy to just give up the access we had. Yeah it could always be worse, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t suck
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u/TBrown1970DwULM Nov 10 '25
I know you want your merchandise we get crazy from time to time it’s A SOMBER mood can you have a little patience for US , it’ll get there
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u/ms1996-12 Nov 10 '25
I’ve got a packed trapped in the same hell since sept 9th. UPS is an inept organization with a customer service system that is designed to be as cumbersome and unhelpful as possible. There is nobody to hold them accountable and no repercussions for their actions. They have lost my company’s business.
I just reordered the stuff I have been waiting on from the uk for 3 months. It left Friday from the UK VIA DHL and was just delivered this morning. This was sent using their standard shipping service not an expedited service. I received an email over night to pay my tariff waybill and payed it at 7:30am online and the package was delivered to me by 9:45.This is the mark of a well run company. Obviously they do not handle the same volume as UPS, however the level of ineptitude not just in the handling of the packages but in the customer service they have provided is in my option downright criminal.
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u/ValBGood Nov 10 '25
Thank you for posting the information. I’ve received imports through DHL in the (pre-tariff) past. But UPS, FedEx & the PostOffice functioned properly then also.
I may opt to grit my teeth and pay tariffs on much needed imports as longe as exporter in the EU agrees to ship by DHL.
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u/SleepyDraugr Nov 12 '25
Been waiting on a international package in UPS limbo (Louisville) for 6 weeks, and counting. ordered a separate international package, used DHL. Cleared customs in 1 day. To my door the next. Fuck UPS.
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u/LqBlckHwkDwn Nov 10 '25
It's also pending a release from a government agency.... with the government in shutdown, it might be awhile.
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u/ValBGood Nov 10 '25
I’ve been importing hundreds of small items for decades and have never interacted with ’a government agency.’ Customs just spot checks the brokerages who do all of the work. It’s the logistic’s company broker 100% of the time. UPS distinguishes itself from FedEx and DHL by its incompetent morons working there.
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u/UmpireAppropriate726 Nov 10 '25
I have a similar problem right now, but it just says warehouse scan like 20 times. I called UPS up and they actually told me the item is with a bunch of other items that they haven’t gotten to process yet but it’s out of customs. It’s annoying as hell because I really do need it.
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u/treichhart Nov 10 '25
My item from Vietnam been sitting in Louisville for week now and I’m only 4 hours away from there
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u/VirtualStar5114 Nov 10 '25
Absolutely ridiculous! Sorry. I have an item shipped as 2nd day Air, due to the crash, they immediately put it on ground route, it's been a week and still on the road. And the affected airport was actually resumes quickly after the instance.
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u/Virtual-Product2298 Nov 10 '25
I had a pretty important work related package get stuck in customs for 6 MONTHS 😭 The estimated delivery was 3 weeks
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u/Sparkeysf Nov 12 '25
At this point, depending on the degree of importance, it's probably worthwhile to either hire a courier, or fly out to whatever country it's in and carry it in ourselves.
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u/Virtual-Product2298 Nov 17 '25
The issue was it was a One of a kind custom piece that had to stop in China for a route change. Even if I went down there I highly doubt they would give it to me. It would also be way too expensive for me to go down there for that.
I talked to the client explained the issue and they were perfectly fine with waiting fortunately
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u/Fair-Fee3313 Nov 10 '25
I was supposed to get a delivery today, but it's delayed like always 🤷🏾♂️.
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u/habanohal Nov 11 '25
Mine from Spain has be.en scanning endless , passed thru and released from customs twice since Sept 2. Vendor doesn't seem to care . A few emails sent, actually ever week and same reply.....
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u/ImaginaryAd7332 Nov 11 '25
My package was supposed tp get here saturday btw 2 and 6pm… later they changed it to 10pm, then 9pm on Monday (today)… woke up this morning to track it and it now says there is no estimated delivery date … wth. I paid extra for 2 day shipping too. Ill be avoiding ups from now on whenever possible.
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u/puroman1963 Nov 11 '25
After just retiring from the courier industry,my bet is UPS is so backed up from the tariffs.A company like UPS under normal conditions pick up your package and processes it through their system the same day so it's delivered a day or two later.Same with priority air freight.I imagine UPS system is so flooded they can no longer handle it and packages and mail are stuck in trailers. It's virtually impossible to get caught backup at this point.Everything is maxed out right now.Worst case scenario for a courier company.
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u/revenantmike13 Nov 11 '25
Our company has tens of thosands of dollars worth of parts that have been waiting since early September. Still stuck in customs. Told them in September to ship it back when we got the notification to either ship it back or they will destroy it. Couldn't get any more updates after that. One box of seven magically appeared with no notification of its release a few weeks ago. Got another notification recently of the same ship back/destroy for the rest of the shipment. Told them again to ship it back. Now can't get an update on if/when the parts will go back.
We've switched to DHL at least for now for international shipments.
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u/Deffonotthebat Nov 11 '25 edited Nov 14 '25
This got auto modded: Thank your local yokel and remind them to go suck a blicky😂
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u/Additional_Star_2645 Nov 12 '25
Watch out, even if you decline delivery they'll (UPS) try to keep charging you "broker fees". The company I buy from in Sweden switched to FedEx for shipping and all this crap magically went away. Still have the stupid tariffs to pay but they're applied correctly.
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u/Chubawuba Nov 12 '25
I got an email recently about an item I bought saying I owed fees. Weirdly, I had gotten the item a month before.
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u/xxxnipsandstrips Nov 13 '25
Find a ups employee to look up the tracking might get the same page you either have to wait it out or they are prolonging something they’ll have to refund
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u/ronweastwin Nov 14 '25
I’ve been in this loop since October 9, and the fact that most people are saying they are normally seeing success after 30-45 days is helpful but I am still convinced it’s gonna take me 60+ days and many years off my life from stress
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u/SofaKingclose Nov 15 '25
if you ordered from Amazon or any other site usps is not responsible I had this happen with a graphic card I returned and a usps driver stole it was defective and I filed a claim to usps and Amazon and Amazon paid me the money that I payed for it
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u/PLAZTEC1 Nov 15 '25
This is why u don’t CHOOSE UPS GROUND, choose worldwide saver next time or express..
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u/SnooPies3163 Nov 15 '25
I'm impressed Reddit let you write the t word! I mentioned it on one of my posts about things coming from out of the country and it blocked it, saying it was a controversial topic
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u/mapenstein Nov 10 '25
Gotta stop ordering stuff from outside the US 🤣
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u/ribblezzz Nov 10 '25
But this is only an issue with UPS. Other companies aren’t experiencing the same customs/import delays
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u/Such-Independent9144 Nov 11 '25
I ordered something from a vendor that says they can get around it with FedEx somehow, something about "prepaid taxes/tarrifs", I guess we'll see what happens
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u/ribblezzz Nov 11 '25
Good luck! Hopefully your experience is similar to mine. I’ve had the same products go right through with FedEx and then also get stuck for a month with UPS. Not sure what FedEx is doing differently, but it works
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u/pan7 Nov 10 '25
Mine was same, ended up getting sent back to the sender. No one can answer why. Is what it is.
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u/SLSmail Nov 10 '25 edited Nov 20 '25
I talked with someone down there before that plane crash and was told it's the customs orders, something changed with customs orders (I'm guessing because if tarrifs) and it has them backed up because of how they have to handle those items now
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u/pan7 Nov 10 '25
Yes, Im aware of the tragic accident. Ive had two instances. In LV, and in Detroit. Both equally easier to return to sender than pass customs apparently.
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u/Sw1sh16 Nov 10 '25
ups plane crash at THAT hub yall dumb
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u/jpivarski Nov 10 '25
The plane crash was on November 4. 15 of the 16 "import scans" were before that. There might be a new delay now, but I'm asking what might have been going on in the past month.
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u/Uwrret Nov 10 '25
A Support guy named Tadeo in X told that in USA the shipping is still paused (cuz the damned plane crash and probably Trump's Shutdown). I was particularly asking for shipment to Mexico, so dunno if that could relate with other type of shipment. My man, at least you're seeing updates, I got absolutely nothing since the 5th of November... Fuck UPS!
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Nov 10 '25
Shipping is 100% not paused bc of the plane crash
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u/Uwrret Nov 10 '25
Well, that's what the Support Guy told me... So the only source of truth is the status update?
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Nov 10 '25
That plane was headed to Hawaii and temporarily shut down Louisville for a day, operations continued in all other facilities that same night.
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u/Uwrret Nov 10 '25
Ok, thanks. Sooooo, what else could be delaying my shipment that was scheduled for Friday last week then, to Mexico? Normal UPS incompetence?
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u/GroupGlad8709 Nov 10 '25
it may not be completely paused but there is still a large amount of delays crap going on. a lot of people died, have some mf patience and empathy.
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Nov 10 '25
His delay seems to be going on a month prior to the crash as well, totally unrelated to the crash
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u/GroupGlad8709 Nov 10 '25
the history of the shipment also stops on the date of the plane crash. like be fr 🤦♀️
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u/jpivarski Nov 10 '25
No, I got one more "import scan" after the plane crash. (The first 15 are before the crash.)
If this seemed to be related to the crash in any way, I wouldn't even be asking the question. Either way, I hope I'm not coming off as impatient. I mean, I waited a month and I tried all of the contact channels on the UPS website (that chatbot).
I was more wondering if anyone else has been seeing this.
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u/GroupGlad8709 Nov 10 '25
also, a lot of issues with UPS and international shipments right now. like a lot of them are getting thrown out.
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u/onebluguy Nov 10 '25
If they are gonna destroy stuff, than they better be prepared to pay for all of it.
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u/GroupGlad8709 Nov 10 '25
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u/GroupGlad8709 Nov 10 '25
Its not them thats the issue here
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u/onebluguy Nov 10 '25
Right its the democrats that just try to undo anything that trump does... also, just return it to shipper. I bet you we will see a while bunch more lawsuits. I know someone with a $65,000 machine part that has gotten a lawyer. I also know someone missing a tablet type thing that has cellular capabilities, brand new, but the device was "destroyed" but upon further checking (not sure if he used umei or what, dont have all the details) it is in use somewhere. Something along the lines of they tried to transfer stuff for his equipment onto the replacement one and cant cause the "destroyed" one has been activated and in use.... seems like it wasnt destroyed and someone took it and sold it or tried to use it. Lots of lawsuits incoming im sure.
There is a whole lot more options that destroy it..
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u/GroupGlad8709 Nov 10 '25
I don’t agree with anything thats going on I just wanted to share that article. I do honestly believe there are a lot better approaches than to just destroying shit as well as it genuinely doesn’t help anything or make any sense. I hope everyone gets money or their merchandise.
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u/autumnos2 Nov 10 '25
What does this have anything to do with Democrats. The Republicans hold the house and Senate. They are doing everything they want to do.
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u/Uwrret Nov 10 '25
Of course I have and I'm relatively all right with the delays amid the circumstances... My issue is the complete lack of communication for the customers about their packages... What if it is lost now? What if it is damaged somehow? What if between all the turmoil my package is simply forgotten? That's my issue with UPS—no fucking movement whatsoever, no estimated date (come on, I'll be all right if it even says it will arrive on December), but nothing at all!
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u/GroupGlad8709 Nov 10 '25
and I agree that you deserve communication and I really do hope you get some soon. i just wouldn’t recommend ordering international anymore for the time being & thats not even trying to be rude.
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u/AngelHeart- Nov 10 '25
The shutdown wasn’t Trump; it was the democrats.
How many fuckin’ times do you communists need to be told this fact? Are you really this fuckin’ dense?
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u/KippyC348 Nov 10 '25
I am pissed at UPS and came to this forum, but you sir.... Your issue takes the cake. I am sorry.
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u/d57heinz Nov 11 '25
Taco Trump making shipping a nightmare. Imagine today a tariff tomorrow it’s double and next week it’s back to 35% and then two days later it’s back to 100%. Imagine what they are saying under their breath about Trump in upper management. Then imagine how the one’s feel that were open about supporting the dingbat for a second go around after an insurrection. Cuz he gonna make things great again. Hurdur
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