Golden Gate Geckos said:
Believe me, Rob and I actually thought about how we could make a 'dummy' recorder to attach to every shipment! It is painfully apparent that the unit caught the eye of every single person that came in contact with the box. The lowest recorded external temperature never dropped below 47 degrees, and it was in the 30's for most of the trip!
Maybe I missed some of the posts. Other than seeing the difference between the inside and outside of the package (which was not as significant as I would have thought), I don't really see the significance of this "test". There are horror stories from every carrier, and there are also "I've never had a problem" stories from every carrier. Some have a better overall track record. Lots of packages make it in the winter with lows in the 40's, 30's and even less, and conversley in summer with temps in the 90's.
The package may have gotten "special treatment", but more of these tests need to be done. It's quite possible that the box simply got shipped "right" as does actually happen sometimes, even with UPS. Even if they saw that recorder, I'm not so sure they hand delivered it every step of the way, or took it into a heated office or something if there was a delay, etc. As many packages as they are moving, especially with temporary workers who could care less, I don't think it would be much different than a package marked "fragile", "glass" "live animals", etc. and we already know they still treat those like footballs. Every package shipped that day (from beginning, to hub, to destination)may have stayed at 45 degrees.
KathyLove said:
If recording devices really make employees more careful, perhaps it would be worthwhile to explore the idea of attaching a min. - max thermometer in some kind of protective plastic cover on the outside of the box (right next to the colorful sticker that says "Avoid Extreme Heat" or "Avoid Freezing"). That would serve the purpose of proving the hottest and coldest temps the box was exposed to, and they can be bought at reasonable prices, although still too expensive to send with a $35 cornsnake!
As I noted above I'm not sure it would help, maybe initially, but then I think they would get "use" to them, like boxes marked "fragile". That said, If it was proved it helped, we could charge the customer a returnable deposit. Explain that these temp devices are needed, so when the customer receives the package, they simply send it back (we could include a priority box) then we refund the deposit in full.
I think the only time that these devices would help would be in the instances where, a package is lost or delayed, and is then left on the tarmac in the sun (summer) or in 15 degree weather (in winter), and some employee notices that it is a temp controlled package and takes it to somewhere safe. Does this happen enough, that that would be feasable?
Another issue....UPS only guarantees that you receive the package, not that it will be alive....so maybe they could care less what the temps are, even if there is a temp recorder on the box. Who knows.