Carytown Pack & Ship

Joey and Vince are some of the best people I’ve had the pleasure to work with. My relationship with them has matured over the last year to the point where if I’m in a hurry or if I’ve got a weird request, they’ll go out of their way to help me out. I couldn’t recommend them enough!

Well, after leaving my package with this poorly run outfit I was unable to track it via UPS. The effort was put in by Joey to attempt to find my lost package and I was fine with that until I called and got the owner Vince. This is where my experience went south. After him passing the buck, and putting all the blame on UPS, and then inviting me to come to his store to look for my own package, he told me he sees this all the time in his 24 years running the business. I asked him did his establishment ever lose a package n those 24 years, at which point he became defensive, and told me he had two customers that needed taking care of. It was a simple question he never answered. I reminded him that I too am a customer. He asked me for my number and I reminded him Joey had it, and that’s when I received the dial tone. Regardless of what you think of my experience, would you want to do business with an outfit that’s run in this manner?
Take some responsibility.
You’re underlings shouldn’t be more professional than the owners.
Passing the buck, is not the way to handle customer service issues.
Hanging up on a customer with legitimate issues and questions is the height of arrogance, and poor customer relations.
Oh yeah, and you failed at what the main thing you market yourself in doing, getting a package shipped.
What a terrible establishment. I wouldn’t have known how bad until speaking to the owner Vince.

Contacted this location to do a shipment from Richmond to San Diego. The item was a small cuckoo clock, less than 3 lbs. Total cost was $ 104.60 If you think that a UPS surface shipment of this cost is fair, then good luck. If you think, as I do, that this is a total ripoff, then run, do not walk, to another place to have your items packed and shipped for a far better price.

I forgot to note the tracking number on my package. The staff person I spoke to was very helpful with information about standard shipping practices and what I should still expect for my package. And, every time I go into the store, I’m always greeted by friendly staff.

EXPENSIVE Took a box in, $ 41.00. Took the same box to another shipping establishment $ 31, for the same box, on the same day.

Vince the owner has helped me more than I can express. I trust him to ship anything, anywhere safely, efficiently, honestly and for a great price. When I leave the store I am always 100 pounds lighter. Please use them!

I am a freelance illustrator and went to this location to ship a painting for a client. Owner was aggressive and resistant to my questions about shipping. He was also weirdly condescending about how valuable the parcel was ($ 275) stating that the store had been around for twenty years and shipped paintings worth $ 2,000. He seemed to want me to know that my package was not worth his time. Then he insisted that my only option was ground shipping for $ 27 and dismissed me from the counter to help the next woman in line. I was so frustrated that I went to the post office and mailed it for $ 7. Save yourself a bizarre social encounter and $ 20 and ship with the USPS.

My elderly father came to the store last week to Fedex a letter for me. Standard overnight delivery, domestic, in a FedEx envelope weighing less than half a pound. The person at the counter initially rang it up for $ 98.23 and then reduced it to $ 73.44 when my dad said that price seemed very high. It still seemed high to him at the reduced rate, but being constrained for time and under the impression that these were standard rates set by Fedex, he reluctantly paid.
When my dad told me what he paid, I knew something was off. The shop was closed at that time so I called Fedex corporate and gave them the tracking number so they had all the relevant info about the package. They said that the rate for the exact same envelope if we had gone to a Fedex store would have been at most $ 38. They said that Carytown Pack and Ship would be invoiced $ 25 by Fedex as the wholesale rate for this shipment.
Yesterday I went to the shop with my father to get some answers. The owner was there, and he said that Fedex Authorized Ship Centers (FASCs) are entitled to charge whatever they want and are under no obligation to disclose their markup. He would not issue a partial refund.
I called Fedex again, this time the customer complaint line, and asked them if it’s acceptable for a FASC to markup standard rates by somewhere between 200 and 400 percent. Moreover, the receipt gave no indication of a markup or surcharge. It simply said the cost of «shipping» was $ 73.44.
Fedex said that this was way out of line with the markups that FASCs typically charged, and they apologized profusely. They said they are investigating this incident and will get back to me.
As a small business owner myself, I believe in supporting local shops. But it’s this kind of behavior that gives all small businesses a bad name — arbitrary and unreasonable pricing coupled with a deliberately opaque fee structure. I hate to say it, but shops like this deserve to go out of business.

Came here to drop off a FedEx package. Soon as I walked in, the gentleman behind the counter (who was dealing with another customer at the time) directed me right where to put it (on the table immediately to the right after you enter). Pretty efficient!
I can’t attest to anything else here, though parking was very easy and the storefront is attractive. Here’s hoping they have what you need too.
Overall: 5.0 stars
— — — — –
Pros:
— Convenient location at the edge of Carytown.
— Lots of easy parking.
— Knowledgeable staff.
Cons:
— None, really. It’s a shipping place, long as they get what you have to where it needs to go without any drama, it pretty much serves its purpose.

Not only did Mr. Vince, from Carytown Pack & ship, meet all my packing and shipping needs at an affordable price, he picked up my belongings right from my doorstep! Vince is very knowledge, experienced, and friendly. I will always use Carytown Pack & Ship if need be.
I never felt so right to decide Carytown Pack & Ship when transporting goods across the country!

Convenient location and hours so I stopped by after work on Wednesday to drop off my prepaid UPS package and get a drop-​off receipt. I waited and waited so peeked around the wall and the guy was fighting with the back door and told me offhandedly he’d be there in a sec. He pleasantly took the package and said I have proof of delivery if I have the tracking number — when I explained I needed proof that they received it, he said he just couldn’t do that, so I took my package with me to go to a place that could (any other UPS shipper).

Wow, had to get a proof to a client nearby and she does not have e-​mail. I called Tom and he was sweet enough to accept an e-​mail from me and print it out for her to come pick up-​at no cost! Guess where I am going if I have to ship stuff down in Carytown/​Richmond area! Thanks, Tom. –Beth/Stone’s Throw Studios

Went in with my 4 pound item and was quoted $ 8 for a box and $ 48 to ship it via one-​week ground. That seemed high so I went over to the UPS store on Cary St. and paid $ 6 for the box and packaging and $ 13 for the same shipping. $ 56 at Carytown Pack and Ship vs. the $ 20 I paid?

Carytown Pack & Ship is my go-​to spot for all my non-​USPS shipping needs. It’s conveniently located in the same shopping area as Ellwood Thompson and Burger Bach, thus sharing a parking lot with both businesses. That said, I’d suggest avoiding a package drop-​off during lunchtime, as you’ll be competing with market and burger customers for parking spots. Otherwise, parking is typically a breeze and you can be in and out in just a few minutes.
I often have prepaid UPS or FedEx packages, so I just run in, drop them off at the counter, and head back out to take on the day. I’ve never had the chance to really engage in a conversation since I’m usually jetting in and out, but the staff is always friendly and on the ball.
I don’t think twice about taking my packages to this conveniently located spot with quick, professional, and pleasant service!