UPS

Today I want to tell you a story. It started out as a wonderful story. Rabbi Plaut, who used to be the Rabbi of the Temple in Windsor wrote and published a book. A book about the Jews in Windsor from 1790-1990.

He sent me an e-mail telling me all about it and included an article from the local newspaper. How lovely! I, of course, wrote him and congratulated him.

Then my wonderful friend, the Guv, decided to buy me a copy and send it to me.

In the meantime, another wondeful friend, John decided to buy me some books and sent them from the States. 12 kilo of books. Yahoooo. And we have been on the lookout for those books finally arriving.

So imagine my delight when I got a phone call on Thursday that UPS was delivering the books. And they told me that there would be a 236 charge for taxes etc. I thought that was rather exorbitant, but hell 12 kilo of books! So, I told them OK.

Well! In walks the UPS man with a little package in his hand. 236 shekels for a little package?!?. Turns out that the Guv decided to send it by UPS so that I would have it immediately. Wow!

I took the little package and asked the man what the charge was for. He said, V.A.T./taxes/container fees/releasing the book from the port/delivery.

I said:'How much did the book cost?'
He said: '$30.'
I said:'$30? Are you crazy? You are charging me $80 Canadian on a $30 book?'
He said:'No. You are paying all this on the $30 book plus the $92.35 UPS charge.'
I said:'$92.35? My friend paid you guys $92.35 to send a $30 book UPS?'
He said: 'Yes.'
I said: 'I'm not paying it. Send it back.'
He said: 'No problem. It will cost your friend these fees plus shipping charges to get the book back. Or, you could simply refuse the book and then it goes into a warehouse where it will eventually be destroyed.'
I said:'Are you crazy? Let me talk to your supervisor.'
He said:'Here is your invoice number. Here is the phone number. It's getting late so I'm going to pretend that you weren't home. Make your phone calls and if you decide you want the book, tell them and I'll come back tomorrow.'
I said:'OK'

Then I started making phone calls. I had to wait a couple of hours as it was still in the middle of the night in Windsor, but I did phone the UPS office and spoke to a girl there. Well, she spoke and I hollered.

Then I phoned the Guv and had to tell her the truth. That her generous, good deed, was going to cost me around $80 and that I had no problem paying it, thank you very much, but that please in future send me a book by snail mail. Or better than that, along with a friend who is coming to visit. I also asked if she sent the book C.O.D. which of course she didn't. So what is the money for on this end if she paid for delivery?

I then spoke to another girl...Yael. And screamed at her too. What am I paying this money for? V.A.T? That's 15%. How much can that be on a $30 book? When she informed me, Oh, NO! That is 15% on the price of the book PLUS the shipping fee I went balistic.

Then I spoke with Sophie. Same conversation. So I asked to speak to the supervisor. Her name is Tali and she told me the same thing that the first girl, then Yael, then Sophie told me.

Here is the payment( I have a copy in front of me)
Cost of book: $30
Handling charges: $92.35
That is the part the Guv paid.

What I had to pay:
Taxes: 63.75 shekels
My part of the payment for the container on the plane: 27.63 shekels
UPS charges: 46.75 shekels
Rounding off : 00.40 shekels
Total: 138.53
V.A.T.: on that total: 21.47
Plus V.A.T. on the Canadian payment: 76.00 shekels

Grand total; 236 shekels

I told Tali, the supervisor that I was NOT going to have this book destroyed in a warehouse after my friend paid so much money and went to the time and expense to give me such a special gift. I was NOT going to send it back making my friend pay another $150, or whatever the damn thing would cost.

And I wanted an explanation why a $30 book cost $172.35 to deliver?
She said that that was the law.
I told her that I would pay the fee. And tell my friend. And then tell the entire world never to use UPS again. And then, I would make sure that this story got around the world. That everyone would hear about it in Israel and then I would branch out to North America.

You are my first contact. Please send this story to everyone you know. I am now going to send it to my email list also. I have a wonderful friend who is going to send it to all the Foreign Press in Israel. And then I may contact the telvision.

Tali got scared. And she said she would see what she could do. I told her that would be nice. The book was delivered on Friday. They took off the 46.75 shekels that I had to pay for UPS charges. I gave the guy a cheque for 189.25 shekels.

I love the book. I hate the story. I think it is outrageous!!! Please help me. Please send this story along.

No one should be penalized for receiving a gift. I paid almost 300% taxes after the Guv paid 300% shipping cost...on a $30 book.

Thank goodness my friend John sent his 12 kilo of books by regular mail. Well, at least I hope so. If I have to pay anything on that shipment, I'll let you know.

Shavuah tov.

Have a great day...stay safe...and thanks for dropping in.