Most of the creative accounting related to internal figures. I did show that around 50 out of 55 centres were dishonestly reporting their results. If Managers are prepared to cheat of one set of stats then they are likely to cheat on the others.
I know that at least 4 centres were responsible for the following. It is a certainty that there would be more, but it isn't the sort of information that shows up on a report. (Well, none of the ones I saw)
Here is a time in transit and cost calculator that I have just created from the UPS web pages.
As you can see, it would cost £75.48 to send an express plus package from Dewsbury to Huddersfield. The locations are fairly irrelevant, It would be the same cost whereever (with a few exceptions) If this package had been sent today, then it would have a guaranteed delivery time of pre 09.00 tomorrow.
With me so far? Good.
What do UPS mean by guaranteed? - Here's some small print (in a large font)
Subject to the Tariff/Terms and Conditions of Service, UPS guarantees on-schedule delivery of packages, shipped via UPS's services, that are listed as guaranteed, or will refund your transportation charges.
So if it's delivered at 9.01, tomorrow morning, you will get your money back.
Wrong (But you knew I was going to say that, didn't you.)
Scenario 1 - The driver knowing that he is going to be late can stop the clock on his DIAD (the large electronic brown thing he gets you to sign when he delivers) Can only be done with one delivery at a time. So even though the package is late, it's on time.
i.e. (Genuine case) a driver can stop the clock as he leaves Dewsbury (07.30) & drive to Skipton, well over an hour away and deliver at 07.30. (Whatever the actual time is when he arrives). Bear in mind that it is physically impossible for some drivers to reach their delivery areas before 9.00.
The Company actually deny that this can be done. (340 methods course in Camden).
I queried the methods that were being trained, and gave this as a reason as to why these 2 Americans were giving the wrong training methods. They were looking into it. As far as I am aware they are still looking into it, as they never came back to me.
The drivers will tell you that this can be done. Of course I'm sure that it will be denied that I raised this during the course. 2 Managers mentioned in my grievances were on it, so I must be wrong. Like everything else, I've made it all up.
Scenario 2 - Knowing that the driver has multiple timed deliveries that will fail. The supervisor that I named, will go round and use an HHDC scanner (it's a grey thing used in the warehouse) to put a false scan of closed on the delivery. i.e. Sorry Mr. Customer, your package wasn't delivered late, you were closed when we attepted delivery, it says so on the system.
This happened on a daily basis in Dewsbury, and also occurred in Manchester, Leeds & Sheffield. You have to be in the Centre to see it happen.
This can be done with deliveries scheduled for 9.00, 10.30, 12.00 or end of business day.
They are all guaranteed delivery times, and a failure should mean money back.
You know what's coming dear reader, don't you?
And just in case you think that if the driver fails to make a delivery attempt you will get your money back........think again.
There is a strong possibility that the driver will have scanned your delivery as closed rather than as missed. He is more likely to be disciplined for having packages that he genuinely hasn't time to deliver, than he will for deliberately putting a false scan on it. It is also a strong possibility that those instructions to put the false scan on the package came from the Centre Manager.
Once again, UPS failed to follow up an issue that I raised about integrity, even though it cost someone their job.
Next time UPS deliver your package late, make sure that they provide documented proof of a physical scan on the package, and as the DIAD generates GPS data for the delivery, ask what the drivers location was when he made the delivery attempt.
Ooohhh, did I say that UPS don't view this as an integrity issue?
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