WHAT BROWN IS DOING FOR US
Posted by Greg Patterson 
on
One of the most pressing issues we have experienced in recent months is within our shipping department, more specifically; accurate tracking of packages shipped via the United States Postal Service. Currently USPS provides a "delivery confirmation number", this number simply tracks if your package has been picked up and updates when your package has been delivered, no status updates happen along the way and tracking stops *if a package leaves the United States.
In most cases in our business we are in 100% control of the customer experience and are able to respond quickly and definitively. When it comes to shipping, it's a leap of faith in our partners. A leap that doesn't always pan out the way any of us would like.
We are happy to announce effective May 1st 2010, ground(ctrl) will be switching our primary shipping partner from the United States Postal Service to UPS Mail Innovations. Over the past 4 months UPS representatives have been kind enough to work very closely with our development team to determine a plan to better serve our customers while maintaining a low cost. Although packages will continue to be delivered to your door by USPS, all the tracking & most of the transit are handled by the UPS.
The way this works:
Customer orders are processed via the UPS system and picked up from ground(ctrl) by UPS. Packages are then sent to a UPS sorting facility, placed on UPS planes and sent as close to the destination as possible. Once sorted the packages are passed off to the local USPS (or international service, i.e. Canadian Post) to be delivered to your door.
What this means to you:
• UPS tracking (Domestic orders only)
• Faster Ship Times
• More Reliable Delivery
What about international?
The bad news first, neither USPS or UPS Mail Innovations provide actual tracking data outside of the United States.
The good news is that the United States Postal Service will be cut out of transit all together for international packages, ground(ctrl) will pass your package on to UPS, the package will arrive at a sorting facility and then be routed to the destination country. This streamlined process will allow ground(ctrl) to digitally handle customs forms via UPS clearing the way for faster ship times and lessening the risk of hang ups at customs.
What about overnight?
These changes mark the beginning of many service changes & options being put in place for our customers at ground(ctrl). In the next few months customers will be allowed to pay extra for overnight delivery, or ship via UPS International (bringing the benefit of tracking to international orders), and various other common services available from UPS.
** VATs & International Tariffs will continue to be assessed by local customs offices - these charges are not made available to ground(ctrl), UPS, or our partners at the time of checkout, thus we are unable to charge these fees at time of purchase.
