I bought some stuff ($300 accessories for my GL2) from B&H and the shipping method I selected was UPS Select 3-5 business days (which was default)...If the UPS truck comes during the delivery date and delivers to the shipping address and I am/no one is present or not there...where does he/she put it then? Do they drop it off at their post office waiting to be picked up or dropping it at the shipping address door (which is my house).

My main concerns is that will/can the package get stolen if they drop it off at my front door... and since it's about 20-30 degrees outside these few days and snowing, can the coldness damage my electronics or will the package/casing be enough to protect it?

David,
This is a question best answered by your local UPS office. Give them a call. I know that at some locations UPS will hold a package at their depot if it's undeliverable. Sometimes they can reschedule a missed delivery.

The packaging will be fine to protect the cam from the cold, B&H double-boxes their shipments. The snow may melt and soak the outside carton but only until it gets cold too, so that shouldn't be a problem.

The problem will arise when you get home! I know you'll want to bring that box in, rip it open and start playing with you new DV-cam. When in actuality you should bring the box in and forget about it for quite some time. When the box and contents have neutralized with the inside environment, then rip into it and have a go. The waiting time will depend on how cold and how long the box was outside.

Waiting will reduce or eliminate the risk of cracks from rapid thermal change and also condensation due to the elevated indoor humidity.

Sorry. This is not good news but trust me it is good advice!

David, UPS will look for someone to sign for the delivery, on their electronic pad. If there's no one to be found, they leave a slip saying that they tried to deliver something. I doubt they are going to leave something outside without a signature.

This is true if "Signature Required" is a condition of shipping. I would presume B&H use this restriction for expensive items such as cam's.

On many occasions I have come home to find a box setting on the front stoop; waiting to be brought in. No paperwork of any kind from UPS...

David, If it is a gret concern to you, call B&H they'll be more than happy to tell you the conditions it was shipped under. Ken is correct too. UPS can tell you as well.

David,
You need to call B&H and ask them if they shipped with a Request of Delivery (or whatever it's called to show that someone signed that the item was received). If they didn't request a receipt, then the UPS delivery person will leave the package at your door (and you better hope they didn't toss it to the door). Then you better follow Joe's advice on thawing out the package before trying to operate any electronics!

If a delivery receipt was requested by B&H, and no one was at your home to accept delivery, then depending upon how much of a hurry the UPS person is in they may try to see if a next door neighbor will accept the package or just leave a sticker on your door that you need to arrange to pick up the package at the UPS office. UPS will NOT leave a package at the post office. I wish they would because for me I have to travel over one hour (each way making it a two plus hour trip) to get to the UPS office.

If you want to read the Good/Bad/Ugly regarding UPS and other delivery services posted on this forum, just do a search .... but you probably won't be able to sleep until (or if) your package arrives.

Good luck, Nick

Went to the B&H Help page and looked up some general shipping information. According to the website, it says that "A signature is required for all UPS shipments upon receipt."

So, I guess that I WILL need to sign the receipt or else they'll put it somewhere?

Btw, I didn't purchase my GL2 from B&H. I like to purchase electronics that cost over $1k at a store than online, it just seems better for refunds/any problems. I only bought some accessories for the FIRST time (I've heard B&H was good, I bought some kata bags, a B+W filter, some dvm63mq tapes, dm-50 mic, etc)

I can't stand UPS delivery procedures. If you're
not there, they go to all your neighbors trying
to pass the stuff off. Where I live, the neighbors
are either a bunch of low lifes or are people
I've gotten into arguments with. Imagine my shock to
find out that UPS had tried to pass off
thousands of dollars of electronic equipment to
a half-dozen of my neighbors. (Luckily, there's
such bad blood with them that no one
would accept the packages.) I called
to complain to the UPS corporation and was
told this is not company policy to do this on
the first attempt but they all do it anyway
to cut corners. I contacted local UPS about
this and was informed that I had got their
driver in hot water, and the manager of
the local was very rude to me.
And now all my packages from B&H are
delivered to me by this same driver, who
gives me a dirty look. And the packages
are always banged up. I asked B&H if
I could arrange delivery through some
other carrier but they were not accommadating.
FedEX is much quicker with deliveries, and
if you're not home, they leave a note to
pick it up at their office.

I called UPS a few weeks ago and asked about their policy also. It appears they only do the "signed" requirement (at least in our place) if it is required under certain place conditions like if you live in a weird area or something like that... so all of our UPS are always dropped off at the front door which I don't hestitate, but I don't approve of it either...

So it hasn't arrived yet? You did get the item insured, right?

The item has arrived. What I meant was that UPS just always drops it at the front door.

I'm glad you recieved it without a hitch. The wait must have been nerve-racking. It always is for me. :-))

I hear you guys about the UPS thing. I ordered quite a bit from B&H a while back (GL2 with lots of accessories) which arrived at different times due to the orders. Just in case, I made sure someone was at home during the scheduled delivery, which was actually very precise. Anyway, the last day/delivery ran a little late and as I was leaving for work, the UPS truck pulled up. Keep in mind I'm just a random guy walking down the sidewalk in front of my house. The delivery guy just gets out of the truck, hands me the package and takes off. I'm just glad it was me.

<<<-- Originally posted by Frank Granovski : David, UPS will look for someone to sign for the delivery, on their electronic pad. If there's no one to be found, they leave a slip saying that they tried to deliver something. I doubt they are going to leave something outside without a signature. -->>>

I wouldn't agree with that... I'd have to side with Dave Largent, we've had thousands of dollars worth of paintball equipment just left at the door in plain sight. A couple of items left with neighbors, and thank God they are the honest types. UPS has been, in my expeience, is the worst carrier. I do my best to avoid any kinds of dealings with them.

I came home to my house in atlanta (when I lived there) to see my new mac powerbook sitting on the front steps. It was out in the open in a box that had a very attractive color picture on the box of the computer. It was the same box that you carry out of the store....no shipping carton. And UPS had just left it sitting out front, for those of you who know atlanta I lived on Briarcliff RD a few blocks from WAGA, its a rather busy street. (to put it in a way everyone can understand I set a beat up dresser on the sidewalk about 15 feet from the front door for garbage pickup, and it was gone in 10 minutes by a passerby.)

I still cant beleive that they would leave a 2 grand computer on a front porch of a house on a busystreet. and that I didnt call in and try to get another one by saying I didnt get it......

m

Was the shipping insured? Was the computer replaced?

Frank:

I probably was not clear enough, it was sitting on my porch, its the fact they just left it there....I was tempted with saying I never got it but decided in the game of karma points, if I had lied and tried to get another free then I would have had my car broken into and a camera stolen or something else in divine payback.

I did checkat the time and a signature was required but ups just left it on the porch without one on a very busy street..

M

This alleged decline of UPS has apparently gone on for some time. Eleven years ago, I ordered a $3,000.-plus camcorder kit (in 1993 $$). I arranged the order by phone, but paid with a cashier's check by mail. It was agreed that it would be delivered to my place of work by UPS.

At the scheduled delivery time, it didn't appear. The next day, still no show. Two days later, a neighbor called and told me that a package was delivered to my front porch a day and a half earlier and was still there. I looked and there was the camcorder, which had sat in view of the street through two days.

I should point out that I lost all my keys years ago, except the one for the back door and never use the front door. My driveway goes around the far end of the house and I don't ordinarily see the front porch when leaving/arriving. How did UPS manage to do this, when my home address wasn't even on the shipping ticket? The work address was the only one on the package.

Believe me, I've checked my front porch every day since then, even if I'm not expecting anything. Last Summer, I arrived home at 1 am and made my habitual front porch inspection. There was a tall, beautiful, naked woman out in my driveway, doing some wild, interpretive dance moves. My guess is she was under the influence of illegal substances. She ran up and down the street several times, before disappearing. Thanks to UPS, I got to see this. No, I got nothing on tape. I called the police, thinking she needed help. Ten squad cars from city, county and state agencies arrived within minutes, but couldn't find her. What could they find?

About this same time, in '93, UPS delivered an entire fast-food restaurant (everything but the bricks and mortar), all packed in about 50 big cartons and stacked them in my driveway. It was intended for a local franchise, the name of which I won't mention. But when they saw my name in the phone book, their logic led them to believe it belonged to me. The building hadn't been erected yet and there was nothing at the shipping address but a vacant lot. The packages sat there for 5 days, before the restaurant owners could be identified and summoned. They offered me a free burger a day for life, for my efforts, except I never eat such things.

Steve McDonald

I just had trouble with FedEx. Maybe it was
just the particular driver since all other ones worked out okay.
The guy just placed it in the lobby/foyer of my
apartment complex -- didn't even try ringing the
bell/knocking.

I've always been pretty happy with B&H shipping. Sometimes they do ship some items before others, but usually the items are very well packed, an if I order UPS ground it usually comes in 2-3 days, since I'm only about 90 miles away.

This vs. my ONE experience with one of those 'brooklyn camera store ripoff operations' charging my credit card for FEDEX 10am delivery when I specified ground -- and they shipped via UPS ground, and the box was poorly packed.