What to Do If You Missed a UPS Delivery
A missed delivery is an unpleasant situation, but it is not the end of the world. Missed deliveries happen all the time because people can’t just stay home all day waiting to collect their packages, but eventually most packages do get delivered. What should you do if you missed a UPS delivery?
When a UPS driver tries to deliver a package but there’s no one home, they would leave a UPS Delivery Notice (see below) with directions so that the addressee knows their options and can get their package delivered. The driver may check one or more boxes to notify the recipient where their package may be and what steps they can take.
Normally, UPS would try to deliver your package for up to three times before returning it to the sender. If the first delivery attempt fails, your UPS driver may try to deliver the package for the second time on the next delivery day and then make the third delivery attempt on the delivery day after that. All you need to do to collect the package is be at home.
UPS delivers packages Monday-Friday; Saturday and Sunday are delivery days in select areas. Delivery services are unavailable on UPS holidays, which include New Year’s Day (January 1), Easter, Independence Day (July 4), Labor Day (the first Monday of September), Thanksgiving Day (the fourth Thursday of November), Christmas Eve & Christmas Day (December 24 and 25), and New Year’s Eve (December 31).
However, there are more options than just waiting for the driver to make the second or third delivery attempt. The best way to explore them and make alternative delivery arrangements is to track your package by scanning the QR code on the delivery notice or visiting ups.com/track and entering either the original tracking number of your package or the number of your UPS Delivery Notice that you can find at the bottom of the notice.
If your package does not require an adult signature (the corresponding box on your delivery notice is unchecked), you can request that the UPS driver simply leaves the package on the next delivery attempt. To do this, sign the delivery notice and place it back where the UPS driver originally left it. When the driver makes the next delivery attempt, they will see that this is your preferred delivery method and leave your package there for you to collect once you get home.
Another option that may be available to you is picking up your package at the nearest UPS Access Point location. If UPS redirects your package, it will be held at an Access Point location for seven calendar days before being returned to the sender as undeliverable. To make sure that your package has been indeed redirected to a UPS Access Point location and confirm the location’s address and operating hours, you should track your package and make sure its tracking status is “Awaiting Customer Pickup”. To pick it up, you will need to present a government-issued photo ID (and proof of residence if your address on the ID does not match that on the package).
Finally, you can request a package pickup at a UPS Customer Center. When making a pickup arrangement, keep in mind that your request should be received before 7 PM for you to be able to collect your package on the next business day.
Is there anything you can do to prevent missed UPS deliveries? As a matter of fact, there is. You can sign up for UPS My Choice, a service for UPS customers that allows them to receive up-to-date information about their shipments and manage deliveries. With UPS My Choice, you will receive alerts about inbound packages so you can plan your day accordingly or reschedule your delivery.
My Choice also allows you to choose a UPS Access Point location as your default delivery address or reroute a specific package to a UPS Access Point location before the first delivery attempt. Keep in mind that the option of redirecting a specific package is free for Premium My Choice members (annual Premium membership cost $19.99 as of March 2023) but comes with a fee for basic My Choice members ($5.99 per package as of March 2023).
