General Category => USBC Tournament => Topic started by: Tex on March 19, 2011, 05:03:26 AM
Title: USBC shipping service
Post by: Tex on March 19, 2011, 05:03:26 AM
Has anyone shipped using the service this year? If so, what were the costs. Thinking about shipping stuff home since may go down to Vegas for a couple days after bowling.
Roll with 900 Global.
Made in Texas!
Title: Re: USBC shipping service
Post by: Stan on March 19, 2011, 01:30:42 PM
Just go onto the Bowl.com site, Open tournament section and go to the shipping section. Type in your info and wait for the cost to come up. There is no charge for this.
Title: Re: USBC shipping service
Post by: DrBob806 on March 21, 2011, 08:53:24 AM
I always use BBE, but UPS is gouging us with a "fuel surchrge" this year. Normally, from Cleveland to Reno, it's been around $60 to ship 4 balls each way. This year, the extra charge brought it to $80.
I don't like the extra fee, I thought UPS was in business to deliver packages, not make money off of petroleum products. I used the service anyway because I think it's better than risking your balls getting damaged by careless baggage handlers or losing them when you change planes.
Title: Re: USBC shipping service
Post by: Russell on March 21, 2011, 09:15:26 AM
I must be honest I was VERY disappointed with how opportunistic USBC is being with this. I have a FedEx account through my shop, so I shipped 6 balls out (3 mine and 3 for a teammate) ground. The total cost was $76 (mind you I live near Atlanta GA). I get there and missed the part where there is a $25 for each box if it's sent outside of the BBE service. I made a face of disappointment...paid the fee because it was my fault for not reading the fine print...and went on with my weekend.
After finishing D/S on Sunday night we went down to ship our stuff back. I don't bowl any leagues so I was going to ship all 5 balls I had back, and 7 more for teammates bringing the total to 12 balls.
Now mind you the FedEx ground charge for 6 balls was $76....so it would stand to reason that UPS ground for 12 would have been about double that....right?
No....the total was $241!!!!
Now I am no math genius...but I'm going to bet that the UPS portion of that is about $140....and I was thinking that USBC would be charging a modest fee for each box, and had prepared myself to hear something like $175.
But seriously....$241!!!!
Are you f'ing kidding me?
Well it was 3am...and our flights were in the morning...so I was kind of stuck and paid the fee. USBC is raping the bowlers for this service that consists of simply accepting shipping and holding the balls for a day or two.
What's funny is I did the math...and if I had shipped 12 balls FedEx out there...here is how it would have worked:
4 ball box = $53...times 3 = $159
$25 per box fee = $75
$159 + $75 = $234
Amazing how being penalized for not using their service would have been cheaper than shipping it through them.
Shame on you USBC.
Little known fact: In Russian "Hope" and "Change" translate to "Tax" and "Spend"
Title: Re: USBC shipping service
Post by: T C 300 on March 21, 2011, 09:32:59 AM
if your a diamond member at harrahs you can ship your balls to the hotel....
they may say no at first but ask for "some one to talk to".
they want you to stay there and gamble, they WILL accept your package!!
Title: Re: USBC shipping service
Post by: AlBundy33 on March 21, 2011, 10:34:45 AM
Out of curiosity, what were the size of the boxes that you shipped the equipment in? I do know for a fact that UPS rapes customers on shipping costs for oversized packages. I remember shipping a ball home when I bowled in Billings and it was something like $17 or so.
$241 is insane though, especially if FedEx would have been around $70 cheaper.
"Pretty women make us buy beer, ugly women make us drink beer"
Title: Re: USBC shipping service
Post by: Russell on March 21, 2011, 12:11:52 PM
I own a shop so I used standard packaging, a 4 ball box (9 x 18 x 18)....and a 2 ball box (9 x 9 x 18)...which is the same that was used on the way back.
Little known fact: In Russian "Hope" and "Change" translate to "Tax" and "Spend"
Title: Re: USBC shipping service
Post by: shipper50 on March 21, 2011, 12:58:55 PM
I have used BBE in the past and thought it was a great convenience, but I will take my stuff this time on Southwest as this will be my last Nationals. I am sure everyone is aware, they don't care about the bowlers one bit, if you think so, show me the special rates for rooms and shipping that saves us money compared to just doing things on line instead.
Shipper
Title: Re: USBC shipping service
Post by: Tex on March 21, 2011, 01:13:01 PM
I know from recent transactions that UPS is higher than Fedex to start. My deal is going out on Southwest, but may be flying back on American out of Vegas. We may make it a vacation and bowling. Who wants to stay in Reno any longer than bowling.
Roll with 900 Global.
Made in Texas!
Title: Re: USBC shipping service
Post by: Xx 12 X 300 xX on March 21, 2011, 01:18:54 PM
I remember buying a 15lb ball in Las Vegas and BBE wanted close to $50 to ship it back to PA. I took it to a local UPS/shipping store and shipped it for $20.
See if you can find a UPS hub near where you staying, or a shipping store that accepts packages. Sometimes you can ship to these places instead.
Title: Re: USBC shipping service
Post by: icefiction on March 21, 2011, 01:40:47 PM
Wow, did you talk to any of the USBC staff on hand at the event about the outrageous charges? I mean I have shipped stuff in the past, not to Nationals but to other events and I have never paid that much ever. It seems like our dues are not enough anymore, they need to make as much money as possible off of us at every chance they get. This is getting quite absurd, next year I bet there will be a fee for wanting to use your own shoes and bowling balls, o and maybe a fee for walking on their carpet too.
Title: Re: USBC shipping service
Post by: txbowler on March 22, 2011, 07:32:38 AM
I agree with everyone here that the prices seem high, but USBC has to pay the employees who work the shipping service a salary + supplies they stock. Those other business' are cheaper because the general public uses them every day. Not just a few bowlers a day for a few months. The employees and expenses must get paid whether no bowlers uses the service or not, and USBC is not going to give it away.
Title: Re: USBC shipping service
Post by: milorafferty on March 22, 2011, 08:01:10 AM
Oh yea, I bet USBC is just breaking even on it too. They never try to find a way to extract a few extra dollars out of us do they?
Title: Re: USBC shipping service
Post by: icefiction on March 22, 2011, 09:10:08 AM
I understand that you might think that the USBC needs to find salary for those who are working the shipping department of the event however, I see no harm in paying them $8.00 an hour which is better than most people are making for very similar jobs. Also, don't our dues pay the salaries of USBC employees? Why do we need to pay them to find more people when they all ready have a staff?
Title: Re: USBC shipping service
Post by: txbowler on March 22, 2011, 09:54:14 AM
If you think they had staff from Arlington go to Reno to work the shipping service, then add lodging and food for 6 months to those costs that were mentioned earlier. Also, $8 an hour? The local McDonalds here in Dallas starts the kids at $8.50 flipping burgers. They are not paying that low. And finally, if you haven't noticed, USBC as an organization, is LOSING money. So yes, they may look at add profit at any place they can.
Yes, we as bowlers need to look to every means possible to save money when we travel. But I don't fault USBC for profiting while providing a service to bowlers.
You are paying a premium for a convenience. Every business charges for it. Why can't USBC? They are a business. Bowlers just don't like thinking of them as one. A poorly run one. But still a business.
Title: Re: USBC shipping service
Post by: milorafferty on March 22, 2011, 10:23:41 AM
So they need to pay hotel and food expenses for people from the Dallas area to live in Reno for 5 months? For a job that requires the same skill set one would use to work at a UPS Store? $8.00 an hour should be enough. Reno has a brutal unemployement rate right now, I'm sure there are some locals there who would love to have the job for a few months.
The reason USBC has been losing money is poor management. Besides, USBC isn't actually a business, they are a membership organization. And a non-profit one at that.
Title: Re: USBC shipping service
Post by: txbowler on March 22, 2011, 11:46:23 AM
However you want to describe it....
They have bills to pay...
And they need to earn money to pay them...
They are offering a service with a "convenience charge" that can be quite hefty. If you want to avoid paying that fee, there are alternatives.
Just like most other "organizations/business" out there: Convenience Costs Money
Title: Re: USBC shipping service
Post by: Hoselrockets on March 22, 2011, 05:57:38 PM
I always ship at least a case to Reno every year we ship them with Fedex and pay the "handling" fee when we pick them up to bowl. But when we are done bowling for the week we find a local Fedex and ship them back home that way. By doing this we don't get hit with the $25 fee for them to move the box. I understand why they charge what they do but I think it could be a little more affordable. If you have the time to catch a taxi to find a local Fedex I would think about doing this if you ship enough equipment out there.
THB
Title: Re: USBC shipping service
Post by: Stan on March 23, 2011, 03:57:17 AM
Expenses from this tournament come from our tournament entry fee. So, where is the need to charge so much additional money for this service ?
Title: Re: USBC shipping service
Post by: THEICEMAN on March 23, 2011, 07:08:24 AM
Just got back from Reno and actually shipped right to the hotel as I usually do. $32 each way + $15 handling at Silver Legacy. Some don't charge that though as I know Sands doesn't for sure. Shipped form here in Appleton Wisconsin. Buddy from Elkhart, Indiana shipped using BBE and his was $56, from not to much farther away. I guess both have advantages though. But with out the $15 handling it would be significantly cheaper shipping them on your own.....
theiceman
Title: Re: USBC shipping service
Post by: triggerman on March 23, 2011, 10:56:43 AM
call your hotel and ask to ship it there most will, tip the guy bringing them to your room and your golden, I shipped to and from the sands last year, nothing extra other then the 20 bucks I gave the bell hop to make sure my outbound shipment made it, they held the boxes for me till I checked in, put my clothes in the 3-4-5 bag and traveled light
as much stuff that is going thru BBE out there they should be at advertised rate with no jack up in price, cause they are only paying about half of the advertised rate anyway, that 56 dollar package is only costing them about 26.50 with ups anyway
www.bowlingballexchange.com
Chris Trigg Bowling Explosion Pro Shop Inside Wayne Recreation bowling alley Fort Wayne Indiana
Title: Re: USBC shipping service
Post by: icefiction on March 23, 2011, 11:07:41 AM
If you think the USBC is losing money because of us not putting in the fair amount, request their annual financial report and look at the numbers and I am sure you will be quite surprised to see where the money went.
Title: Re: USBC shipping service
Post by: JessN16 on April 03, 2011, 04:50:10 PM
As much as I want to bowl at the stadium (it's on my "bucket list"), this is the primary issue that irks me.
I'm not paying the entry fee to bowl in that tournament and not have my full tournament arsenal at my disposal (that's seven balls, and no, I don't care if someone thinks that's too many). We're going next year to Baton Rouge because I can drive there in less than a day. Driving to Reno is three days out and three days back.
You used to be able to take Amtrak without baggage restrictions, but it's $2400 for a four-day train ride (because you have to get a sleeping car). So that's out.
Goodness knows what it would cost to fly with that much stuff. I've got it in two bags, an in-line 3/4/5-ball roller -- the fourth ball zips onto the outside and a fifth bag attaches with Velcro to the top (that would have to come off for shipping and probably travel in a suitcase) plus a two-ball shoulder bag.
I'm trying to decide how much it would cost to ship the entire five-ball roller, fully loaded, somewhere in Reno. Otherwise, I could ship the roller on the plane (although it would probably weigh more than 50 lbs) and the shoulder bag, then have my wife check another two-ball shoulder bag and us cram all our luggage into her second bag plus the carry-ons.
Best options?
Jess
Title: Re: USBC shipping service
Post by: icefiction on April 03, 2011, 05:13:57 PM
Having watched the streams from nationals and having talked to a few that went out, it seems the most reasonable thing to do, is go out there with your favorite two balls (free, per your carry on, on the plane) and then go drill one maybe two balls if necessary while your there.
Title: Re: USBC shipping service
Post by: mjames1229 on April 03, 2011, 07:45:22 PM
Jess - Our two teams (10 bowlers) put all of their equipment in their bowling bags (which also included some clothing so that everybody could just carry one bag on the plane) and placed it on a skid. We had the pallet shipped via common carrier from Milwaukee to the terminal in Sparks (though we later found out that it could have been shipped to our hotel).
The shipment took only one day longer than if we UPSed everything, and the total cost for the round trip was about $11 or $12 per bowling ball. I am positive we will do it again this year as it worked out very well.
Title: Re: USBC shipping service
Post by: JessN16 on April 03, 2011, 11:13:50 PM
That's a pretty good idea. How many total balls/bags did you ship? I'm trying to figure out how many it would take to make pallet-shipping a viable idea for a group.
Jess
p.s.: Another idea from a friend of mine...they found someone who was traveling to Reno the same time they were, and paid him to take their balls out in his RV.
Title: Re: USBC shipping service
Post by: mjames1229 on April 04, 2011, 05:55:22 AM
We shipped about 45 bowling balls (in their respective bags). I also looked at the paperwork from last year, and was closer to $15 per ball. However, that was a "round trip" price, and still quite a bit lower than UPS or FedEx. But with fuel surcharges higher and with different carriers in different areas and such, YMMV.