Lawsuits accuse UPS of cheating customers
UPS has been accused of improperly charging customers air-rates for deliveries that were sent by road. A number of federal lawsuits allege that the company charged customers high air-transportation rates for next-day and two-day deliveries before sending them by the far-cheaper ground transportation service.
“Despite UPS’s agreement to provide (and accept payment for) air shipping services, UPS has been systematically and deliberately substituting far less expensive ground shipping services, and UPS did not disclose to customers that they were paying for air services they never received,” the suits state.
“UPS has engaged in an organized and nationwide campaign to identify all air deliveries that feasibly could be diverted to ground without missing the delivery deadlines, and has rerouted those packages for ground delivery whenever possible, all without customers’ knowledge or consent. UPS has been charging Class members a steep premium for ‘air’ services it never provided and never had any intention of providing. This wrongful practice is known internally at UPS as the ‘Air-In-Ground’ program.”
The complaint also alleges that UPS continued to add a fuel surcharges for these deliveries, adding that UPS knows about such diversions and does not inform its customers.
The suit was filed in the US District Court in Denver on behalf of a car dealership. Similar suits were filed in the US District Court in Los Angeles on behalf of an importer and a food company.
An informational website has been setup at: www.upslawsuit.com.
