The worst offender for me is Time Warner Cable. Over the summer I switched to their high speed cable internet service because it offered much better download and, more importantly to me, upload speeds over my existing U-Verse internet service. Since then, at least once a month, I get a phone call from them trying to up-sell me on subscribing to cable or their phone service. The worst part of this is the opening line of that call: “We’d like to extend an offer to you, one of our best customers”.

My response last time was that if they called me again to try and up-sell me, I wouldn’t be one of their customers at all. I immediately got the “do not call list” spiel and was told I shouldn’t be called again. Since then, I haven’t had a call from them. I don’t want to cancel my cable internet service, but I also don’t want to be up-sold for products I don’t care about. I’m very aware of their other products, and if I wanted them, I would have already have them.

So companies, please take note, when you have someone already on the line, just be grateful you have them and find more customers elsewhere.

Shipping something via a UPS Store location means only that location can call UPS about any issues with your shipment. You’re stuck talking through a middleman. Nowhere in their store or on their receipts do they mention this. From now on, I’m shipping only via USPS or FedEx.

The sordid tale:

A few weeks ago I shipped a package using UPS via “The UPS Store”. I’ve used this location several times for shipping, notary services, and US Mail drop off. The clerk, who later turned out to be the manager, let me know that Ground shipping would get my package to its destination overnight. I was pretty happy with that. I notified the recipient and sent them the tracking number.

I entered the tracking number into Delivery Status (a great app for your iOS device for tracking packages) so I could watch the shipment’s progress. As expected, it was “Out for delivery” the next morning. It was “Out for delivery” at 10 PM when the recipient contacted me to make sure they had the right tracking number as they didn’t have the package yet. That night, Deliver Status updated the status for the tracking number with “Out for delivery” again. When the package hadn’t arrived by 10 PM the second day, I called UPS.

After a brief wait on hold, I got a nice lady on the phone who was ready to help me. I gave her the tracking number and then she asked if I was with The UPS Store. I told her that I was not, but that I was the person who shipped the package at The UPS Store. At this point, the helpfulness stops. I’m told that The UPS Store became the shipper of record as they were the last ones to touch the package and it was shipped under their UPS account. I clarify a couple of times that despite the fact I paid for the shipping and it was my package, I was powerless to initiate anything to find the package and that only The UPS Store I used could do so. Of course, being so late at night, I’d have to wait until the next morning to go to the UPS Store to get things sorted out.

I was very upset.

After those tweets, the UPS help twitter account replied with essentially the same information I’d been given over the phone. It really bugged me that this wasn’t explained anywhere in the store or on the receipt you get when you ship there.

First thing the next morning, I went to the store and the same clerk was on duty. I told her that I had problem with a package I had shipped and gave her the tracking number. She looked it up in the computer and came to the same conclusion that I did: “Something’s not right”. She then calls UPS in front of me and gives them the tracking number and says she’s the manager of the UPS Store that shipped the package. They then start asking her questions about the package. She has to relay those questions to me because, being the shipper, I actually know the answers UPS needs to know. After about 5 minutes of this back and forth, UPS initiates a trace on the package. I’m told it will take 5-7 business days to complete the trace.

Needless to say, after having to use a intermediary to conduct the phone call I tried to do the night before, I was fuming. Trying to remain calm, I ask the manager what’s the deal with why I have to have her make that call for me. And she replies with “that’s just the way it’s setup. It’s stupid”. To which I responded that yes, it is stupid and it’d just cost her and UPS a customer. I asked where in the store or on any receipt I was given that it was stated that I’d no longer be the responsible party for the package. She said there wasn’t anywhere that was posted. I then informed here that it should be in huge red letters on a banner behind the counter. Or at the very least on the huge receipt they print out. I haven’t returned to the store since`.

My biggest frustration here is that I entered a place with the UPS logo on it and shipped a package via UPS under the impression that UPS would be the one helping me. It turns out, each UPS Store location is an independent franchisee. The problem seems to stem from the fact that UPS bought Mailboxes, Etc and turned them into The UPS Store without changing their previous relationship. I’m willing to bet that any normal person would assume that shipping a package at The UPS Store would be just like dropping it off at a UPS warehouse for shipping. Incidentally, shipping at a UPS warehouse is the only place where you remain the shipper of record and can initiate package traces.

This UPS policy also applies when you drop your package off for shipping at a Staples that’s an authorized UPS shipping center. I was told this on the phone with UPS and verified it at my local Staples. So beware there as well.

To check and see if this was FedEx’s policy, I went to my local FedEx Office and asked them if I shipped something through them via FedEx if I’d be able to deal with FedEx directly or have to come to them in the store. To my relief, I was informed that I would be able to handle any shipping issues directly with FedEx. From now on, I’m only shipping with FedEx and the US Postal Service. I suggest you do the same.

And for those wondering, after a few days, the package finally arrive to where I shipped it, so there’s at least that one bright spot.

2004	2005
2010

I have been overweight for as long as I can remember. In 2004, I weighed 280 pounds. The picture above was taken in May of that year at Caprock Canyon in west Texas. A couple of months later, we moved to New Jersey. In March of 2005, I decided it was time to stop being overweight. I got an appointment with a dietitian and she set up a diet for me. That diet was 1800 calories a day,down from the 4000 or so a day I was averaging then. She wanted me to eat three 500 calorie meals and two 150 calorie snacks. Quality calories too: no juices, sweets, etc. I started the diet and began exercising. A little at first and gradually adding more. By May I found I could run again, and began running 5 days a week. I ran 2 miles or so first and got up to 3.5 miles at a 7 MPH pace by the end of our time in New Jersey. If you look at the archives for 2005, you’ll find weight loss update posts. Here’s the last one. I got down to 220 pounds during 2005. That photo of me with the Stanley Cup, taken in September, is the lowest weight I can ever remember being in my adult life: 220 pounds. I had also lost about 8 inches on my waist. I had to start wearing my wedding ring on my middle finger because it would just slid off my ring finger. If you look close, you can see that in the 2005 picture. I now keep that picture as my iPhone background for inspiration.

I had incredible willpower during the months from March until October. I couldn’t even tempt myself with my favorite fast food: McDonald’s. I didn’t have any cravings for bad foods. I kept eating sensible meals and snacks. Once, Maggie and I went to a Chili’s and I could only eat half a Big Mouth Burger before I was full. People who knew me before and who know me now would be shocked at that I think.

In November of 2005, we made the move back to Texas and I took my old job back. In doing so, I apparently left my willpower in New Jersey. I had and continue to have an array of cravings daily. We moved back to all my favorite foods. The overeating began and with my new commute and schedule, I no longer had time for exercise. I ballooned to where I am today, in 2010, weighing 320 pounds. That’s right, I undid all the hard work I did in 2005 and added 40 pounds!

One thing I’ve learned about myself the past 5 years is I stress eat. When I get stressed, I start thinking of everything I love to eat and I go out and get one of them. I over order and then shove it all down. Part of that stress was my previous job. It was a high stress environment. Couple that with a crazy 45-90 minute commute each way and I was always craving something and would call my wife and convince her we should just eat out since I was getting home late. We even moved closer to my work in 2008 to try and help the commute time, but work got even more busy and I was still coming home late and stressed and wanting my comfort foods.

Enter my New Beginning. Part of the allure of taking a job where I could work from home was being able to always take the time to get exercise in as well as a much better chance of eating at home. In November I started walking 2 miles a day during the week. I also started eating better and at home and I had lost 6 pounds or so.

Ironically, my new job got very busy at the end of the month and into December and I didn’t do my walking and the bad eating kicked back in, undoing my good work.

So, here I am in 2011. This morning, I made the decision that no matter how busy I am and how late I stay up, I’m always taking my walk in the morning, working to upgrading to running once I’ve lost enough weight that the shin splints go away. I need to take advantage that my schedule is my own. After working on someone else’s schedule for most of my life, that’s taking some getting used to. I’m also going to find my willpower to put down these cravings. I know it’s going to be hard, but I think if I can get a solid 2 months in, the cravings will eventually go away.

My goal weight is 220 pounds, meaning I need to lose 100 pounds. I think that will take the better part of a year, if not longer. Then the real battle of keeping it off will begin. I wanted to share this with you with hopes that by doing so I make myself accountable to my friends who I know read this blog as well as the Internet at large. I’m determined to get back to size 34 jeans and not being disgusted when I look at myself in a mirror.

Finally, the irony is not lost on me that I sell a fitness tracking application for the iPhone as well as work on a calorie tracking application for one of my clients.

I’ve been meaning to write about that change here, but I’ve been so busy in the whirlwind of a new job that I just hadn’t been able to take the time. Now with the holidays behind us, I can take a bit of a breather and mention it here.

One of the biggest changes is of course working from home. We moved my office into our guest bedroom so that I would have a door and be able to keep the kids from interrupting me while I’m working. One of the nice things I’ve enjoyed about the new situation is being able to take little breaks in the afternoon and playing with Brenden in the yard. He’s recently begun wanting to throw a Nerf football he has. He also wants to be chased around the yard. I also get to see little moments like this at home:

That’s Maggie and Brenden working on cooking a desert for us that night. It’s something Maggie thought up for them to do after Brenden woke up from his nap one day. I happened to have my office door open and saw them working together. It was awesome.

While the start of the new job has had me working a lot of late nights (due to trying to ship the 2.0 version of the company’s iPhone app), things should now calm down enough for me to reach a couple of my other goals: Blog here more about what’s going on in the lives of the Burlesons and also lose weight. More on this latter topic in an upcoming post.

That’s a quick catch-up on the changes around here. It’s exciting and fun. I’m really enjoying it and expect 2011 to be a fantastic year.