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 Amazon.com responded with an email to affected customers offering
shipping refunds and $20 gift cards to compensate.
A convergence of factors, including higher volume than expected and
recent patches of bad weather, caused the delays, UPS spokeswoman
Natalie Black said.
The company projected 132 million deliveries last week "and
obviously we exceeded that," Black said, without disclosing how many
packages had been sent.
"For now, UPS is really focused on delivering the remaining
packages," Black said. "You might not see trucks, but people are
working."
Customers awaiting deliveries should expect packages on Thursday or
Friday and those with delivery guarantees will get appropriate
refunds, she said. Amazon.com's email said credits were applied
directly to user accounts.
Packages shipped via UPS for Amazon.com by Prime customers, who pay
$79 a year for two-day shipping, may be eligible for additional
refunds. Amazon's stated policy for missed deliveries is to offer a
free one-month extension of Prime.
UPS has not yet coordinated with Amazon, nor has it determined what
percentage of the undelivered packages were from Amazon, Black said.
Amazon also did not disclose how many of its shipments were affected
or how many users got the email about delayed orders.
"If customers from Amazon were impacted, we'll work with Amazon to
resolve that," Black said. Amazon processed customer orders on
time for holiday delivery, company spokeswoman Mary Osako said. "We
are reviewing the performance of the delivery carriers," she said.
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Frustrated consumers took to social media, with some complaining
that gifts purchased for their children would not arrive in time to
make it under the tree by Christmas morning.
"Really @UPS would have been better had you delivered our package
yesterday like it was scheduled," tweeted a user named Heather
Bender, who added the hashtags #UPSFail and #NoSantaGiftForMySon.
"Package was delayed in transit & not received as guaranteed.
Disappointed 9 year old," said a Twitter user named Jennifer Marten.
Others on social media urged shoppers to be more appreciative of the
delivery company's work during the holiday season.
"While others take vacation and time off in December, remember we
aren't allowed ever to be off in December. Ever," Donny Ratcliffe,
who identified himself as a UPS driver for the last 20 years, said
on the UPS Facebook page.
"So when you see your family and complain that your package is held
up, everyone who moves your package is working and doesn't get the
Xmas experience you get," he said. "Be thankful for that."
(Editing by Edith Honan, Leslie Gevirtz and Leslie Adler)
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