Am I wrong?

[Sgood1971]

Following is the contents of a few emails from me to V4L and back again regarding 'Express' Shipping.

Me

Is this overnight? I am almost out of fluid and am curious if the express is overnight. It's almost worth the expense of express if it is to keep me off the analogs.

Removed V4L quotes because it's against forum rules. I own my own comments however and I will leave them intact.

V4L
They said Yes

Then... The order did not ship overnight but was a 'Two day exception'

Me

To be honest, I am more than a little disappointed. Due to the fact that I am not used to USPS delivery, I was not sure if express meant overnight. I sent an email and I received your assurance that it was in fact overnight (See your response below) and placed my order on 3/26 in good faith. I did not receive my package on 3/27 as expected, it did not arrive until 3/29 (today).

The cost for express from your site is $26.95 and the price of express delivery on the sticker of the package is $18.37 and although I understand the need to make a profit and would have had no issue with this if the package had arrived overnight as promised, my decision to pay the additional fee was based on faulty information. Due to lack of hours and my wife being laid off, $26.95 is actually quite a bit of money to me and had I known that I would be waiting the entire weekend, I would not have decided for express shipment.

I would suggest a disclaimer that express does not always equal overnight if you live in a rural area and a link to USPS - Express Mail Service Commitments which allows you to input both zip codes and see if the package will arrive overnight. Armed with this information, I could have made an informed decision and drove the 143 miles to my nearest supplier in order to stay off the analogs.

V4L
They apologized and stated that usps told them there were sometimes 2 day exceptions.

Me

Here are my thoughts on the matter for what they are worth.

I as a customer asked you a question about your chosen method of delivery that I did not know the answer to. You being the vendor should possess enough knowledge of your own shipping methods to have been able to inform me that USPS offered express as next day "With the occasional 2 day exception."

Although your apology is appreciated, it does not rectify the fact that I paid an additional $26.95 for what was assured to me by V4L would be an "overnight delivery." What USPS has told you really has no bearing on my issue from a personal level as USPS did not agree to accept my additional fee and promise me overnight delivery, you did.

I enjoy your product and I appreciated the free 5ml bottle of juice. I did not enjoy paying a ridiculously high price to overnight something that did not make it to me overnight.

My question is, am I wrong to feel that I should have been made aware that it was a possible 2 day exception? Should I just write this up as a learning experience and move on, or should I expect a more satisfactory answer to this?

No matter what, they should at least have a disclaimer on their site concerning the 2 day exceptions.

 

[Jeff78]

USPS - Express Mail Overnight Guaranteed

 

[msroulette]

Sgood...I would say chalk it up to the USPS not doing the job right. V4L being in Chicago and you in West Virginia, they really should have gotten priority mail to you overnight. I have done LOADS of shipping with my previous job, and it does happen, with all shippers.
I don't agree that the site should carry a disclaimer, the shipper was the problem, not the vendor. Priority mail's delivery times vary based on the location of the shiiping & receiving adresses.

 

[Sgood1971]

I would have felt better if I had known in advance that...

they're insisting that it's next day... with the occasional 2 day exception.

I guess I have learned the hard way that there are two day exceptions. Hope this post serves as a warning to others that usps does not = fedex or ups and to check the usps site before paying the extra money.

 

[Katya]

Even if USPS messed up, I think if I make a promise to my customer and that promise is not kept, I have to eat it. Great businesses do it. It's my responsibility to either get a refund from the USPS (good luck) or just take a loss. Somehow, I have a feeling that an email will arrive shortly stating, in very big letters, that you'll be smilling and two bottles of juice of your choice will be added to your next order.

I just have a feeling. Steve is like that. If not, I'll eat my hat.

 

[bornagainst]

I don't know USPS that well, but if USPS guarantees next day delivery, and they didn't, then chalk up another idiot move by USPS.

I do not, however, see mention of the "occasional 2 day exception" anywhere on the USPS site. I think that would be USPS covering their butts.

If I were shipping something to someone, and I read "USPS EXPRESS NEXT DAY GUARANTEED", I'd have no problem telling them it'd be there the next day.

Still, I don't blame ya at all for being frustrated that you didn't get your supplies as stated and paid for.

 

[jdvorr]

That's a bummer dude. One thing I have learned is to always order ahead of time and keep enough juice on hand. Maybe that wasn't possible in your case. Hope you're vaping and loving it now.

 

[Sgood1971]

After the fact, I went here USPS - Express Mail Service Commitments and typed in their zip code and mine, it told me two days. I was unaware of this link before my order however. For the record, V4L's juice is awesome and if it hadn't been for the 2 days of analogs, the wait wouldn't have been so bad.

I will not let myself run that short again where it's down to the wire.

 

[v1John]

When I ordered express once, I actually got it a day earlier than the USPS guaranteed delivery time. But I don't ask V4L how long the USPS will take to deliver, because that is obviously a question for the USPS. The fact that V4L fullfilled your order in an ultra-blazing 180 minutes is absolutely and incredibly awesome, if you ask my opinion. The order form on the website indicates to allow up to 2 days for the shipment to be sent, so imo I would not have been upset at all to begin with.

I love V4L and hope you do too, but there are countless of other suppliers, some who need up to 10 days if not more, to fullfill your order.

 

[msroulette]

I will not let myself run that short again where it's down to the wire.

That is a lesson I learned very early myself. Ended up going to the mall and paying 30.00 for 10ml (possibly 15) of mint juice at the smoke anywhere kiosk...and it wasn't nearly as good!

 

[Sgood1971]

Yes v1John, I did ask your opinion. Thank you for it. I was in fact impressed that they shipped it out within 3 hours. I do not agree with your sentiments on not asking for the expertise of the vendor for their chosen method of delivery, it's what they do.

 

[Cari]

Sorry that this happened to you. I'm glad you shared this information so we all are aware of the "occasional two day exception". UGGGGGG!

 

[bobbysox10]

It is totally on USPS here. They guarantee overnight. V4L shipped out your order the day it was placed once it is shipped it is in hands of USPS and therefore they are responsible. IDK what is with all of the confusion but I would be all over USPS about this one to get my money back.

 

[yanks21]

I would be annoyed if I were you.

You asked if it was the equivalent of overnight and you were told: YES.

Period - end of sentence, end of statement.

I happen to know about the "2 Day Exception" to locations that are overly far away and/or rural but I believe I only know that because I am a merchant myself and IMO it is the merchants responsibility to know and inform their customers if asked which they were.

I am sure V4L gets hordes of e-mails, phone calls and PMs per day so while I would not have expected them to check they could have said the great majority of the time it is but you may want to check based on your zip code, here is the link and here is our zip code.

If I told a customer they would receive their order overnight and they didn't I would refund the shipping difference or at the very least issue you a store credit for the difference in the form of a Gift Certificate which can easily be done using the software Volusion uses as it happens to be the software I use to run my store.

That being said if I were you I also wouldn't be posting this in a public forum. While you told V4L life you were upset, etc. I don't see where you asked for what it seems like you want: a refund or at the very least a store credit in the amount of $17.

 

[Adrenalynn]

I do not agree with your sentiments on not asking for the expertise of the vendor for their chosen method of delivery, it's what they do.

It's what I do too. And I have a pretty insanely good memory. But to be honest, I'd be hard-pressed to tell you what the deliver time is for 40,000+ zip codes... I can pull the zone tables from my memory, which is likely what Val/V4L was doing, but 40,000 zipcodes is a bit excessive. This really sounds to me like something you should be taking up with the carrier - ie USPS.

In my business: Almost 12% of our FedEx overnights get excepted and don't arrive overnight. The number is half again that for UPS, and almost double for USPS. It was a little lower for DHL Domestic, but that's gone now - they use an independent carrier for a domestic leg of an international ship.

If you believe you were wronged by USPS, you can open a claim with them and request your shipping be refunded. They'll ignore it "review it" and maybe someday get back to you.

 

[v1John]

It is totally on USPS here. They guarantee overnight. V4L shipped out your order the day it was placed once it is shipped it is in hands of USPS and therefore they are responsible. IDK what is with all of the confusion but I would be all over USPS about this one to get my money back.

I understood that rural situations can mess things up though. I have a P.O. box, and maybe that's a good thing to get, then. No need to wait on the little jeep to stop at every neighbor in town before I get my order.

But analogs? That's awful . Try to order while you still have 10ml or so at least, that's what I did tonight myself. I have about a third of 30ml, and my order is in. I'm also occasionally diluting with a bit of glycerin, and I'm slowly trying to build a stockpile.

 

[AJMoore]

SoGood1971 - I feel your pain. I too live in an area that does NOT have overnight with the USPS or sometimes from UPS and FedEx. We're so rural that it just can't be done. I think V4L probably didn't "get" where it was going, and the USPS had no reason to tell them otherwise, after all, the majority of the planet lives in the real world, just not you and me perhaps.

 

[Sgood1971]

It's what I do too. And I have a pretty insanely good memory. But to be honest, I'd be hard-pressed to tell you what the deliver time is for 40,000+ zip codes... I can pull the zone tables from my memory, which is likely what Val/V4L was doing, but 40,000 zipcodes is a bit excessive. This really sounds to me like something you should be taking up with the carrier - ie USPS.

In my business: Almost 12% of our FedEx overnights get excepted and don't arrive overnight. The number is half again that for UPS, and almost double for USPS. It was a little lower for DHL Domestic, but that's gone now - they use an independent carrier for a domestic leg of an international ship.

If you believe you were wronged by USPS, you can open a claim with them and request your shipping be refunded. They'll ignore it "review it" and maybe someday get back to you.

USPS - Express Mail Service Commitments negates memorizing 40,000 zip codes and a simple link to that would have prompted me to do my own homework and even further negated the need to know zones or zip codes by heart. I do agree that it's usps though. From research, I am pretty sure that will get me exactly nowhere.

 

[yanks21]

And the link for USPS Overnight says:

Guaranteed overnight delivery to most locations or your money back.

 

[AJMoore]

Welcome to government run institutions!