A Charlotte woman got a bill that left her in shock after shipping a package for her small business. Lucy McDermott owns Stash Charlotte, a yarn, fabric and sewing machine store in Charlotte. According to the story from WBTV, McDermott ships inventory all the time. However, this case left her quite surprised. She says the package contained quilts and dresses. But, she points out there was nothing particularly heavy in the package. The small business owner says she measured and weighed the shipment before dropping it off at her UPS Store in Gastonia. McDermott says she got an email a week later stating the package was overweight and oversized. The extra fees being charged added up to an additional $1321. Obviously, she assumed there was a mistake. She called the UPS store. But, McDermott says because she used a secondary shipper for the postage, the local store couldn’t help. The business owner bought the label from Pirate Ship for a discounted rate.
So, when the Charlotte woman got a bill for the extra fees, she sent an inquiry to Pirate Ship. Soon, the company responded with a denial of her dispute with no chance for an appeal. Contacting the company proved fruitless. Growing more angry, she contacted the TV station and her credit card company she used for the payment. Then, she received notice from Pirate Ship saying UPS waived the fee. It came with a warning to be careful moving forward because the fee could not be waived a second time. WBTV says a spokesperson for the company sent a statement. The statement explained “the machines saw the package being larger than the carrier’s maximum limits.” It went on to say that comes with expensive penalties. According to the TV station, UPS says they “worked alongside the customer to resolve this issue.”
The Better Business Bureau cautions customers about using discount vendors. They highly recommend doing your homework about the company and all policies concerning shipping, returns and refunds. And, if you face an issue, contact your bank and file a dispute with the company. Furthermore, the Attorney General’s Office handles cases of fraud.
Meanwhile, instead of cutting corners on shipping costs this holiday, maybe check out other places to get discounts. We can all use a little help!
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