Gustavo Gonzalez was already nervous about shipping rare parts for a large hydrogen compressor. He trusted the familiar brown box truck to get it there without incident. After failing to deliver it to the right person, scaring Gonzalez, UPS actually sent the unit back to the sender. 

When he picked up the package, which he originally estimated at 100 pounds, it was light as a feather. And empty.

“Oh my God”

Gonzalez shipped three high-dollar boxes from a UPS Store in Hunter’s Creek, Florida, in February. Two arrived without drama at a client in Miami, Florida. The third did not.

That box held a spare safety component for a hydrogen compressor. It was a rare, heavy piece of specialized equipment worth more than $45,000.

Ultimately, he got paperwork showing the missing box was signed for by someone named “Gomez.” That signature raised questions.

Gonzalez said he repeatedly contacted UPS by phone, email, and even fax. He tried to learn who Gomez was and why the package appeared delivered. But he received no clear answers.

Then UPS changed the tracking status

Someone suddenly marked the box as “return to sender.” Shew.

Well, relief didn’t last long.

When Gonzalez went back to the UPS Store in Orlando, Florida, staff handed him a box that should have weighed more than 100 pounds.

It was nearly empty. He reported that the equipment had originally been bolted to a wooden pallet inside the box. When it came back, the pallet was gone. Only white packing material remained.

Gonzalez said neither UPS nor the store could explain who handled the box, how it was returned, or how a pallet-sized piece of industrial equipment vanished without a trail. He added that he was never asked to declare the value of the shipment. Cripplingly, he didn’t realize additional insurance was available.

After filing a report with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office in Florida and submitting a claim to UPS, Gonzalez received a check for just over $500

That amount covered the shipping cost plus the standard $100 of automatic coverage. He has since filed a lawsuit in Orange County seeking to recover the full value of the missing item. He reported the situation has been stressful for his family.

After Action 9 contacted the UPS Store, a spokeswoman stated the package appeared unchanged when returned, with no visible damage or weight difference noted. Hmm.

Gonzalez provided photos he said showed the box without the pallet. The store didn’t provide its own photos and said it doesn’t comment on pending litigation.

If you’re shipping a rare part, specialty tool, or high-dollar component, remember that insurance is cheaper than total regret.