I’ve paid for UPS Next Day Air through the same supplier 3 times, totaling $408.16 in overnight shipping charges. Not once have the packages arrived within the paid delivery window. Two were marked as weather delays.
Most recent shipment: UPS tracking shows the package was received in Fort Worth, TX at 10:17 PM on 04/28/2026. One minute later, at 10:18 PM, UPS marked it delayed due to weather.
The package then showed no meaningful movement until 8:05 PM the next day, when it departed Fort Worth. It later departed Dallas at 9:58 PM and arrived in Rockford, IL at 11:58 PM.
I checked DFW/Fort Worth weather history. There was weather earlier that evening, mainly around 5:00 to 6:30 PM, but reports around the time UPS marked my package delayed did not show an active severe weather event. The closest reports showed improved visibility, broken clouds, and no active thunderstorm listed.
I also checked public flight history for the likely UPS DFW to Rockford route, UPS755 / 5X755. The flight appears to have departed, only later than scheduled. If the aircraft still left, the delay alone does not explain why my package was not loaded. A delayed departure should have given UPS more time to process and load eligible Next Day Air packages already in its possession.
This feels like a bait and switch type practice: UPS sells a premium Next Day Air service with a delivery commitment, then when the package misses that commitment, UPS applies a broad weather exception without identifying the specific weather event, affected location, route, hub, flight number, or reason associated with the delay.
I filed refund requests on the 1st and 3rd shipments. Both times I was given the generic “weather” explanation.
UPS has previously paid at least $29 million in government settlements involving allegations of inaccurate delivery times, improper exception codes, and practices that prevented refunds for late guaranteed deliveries. That history makes vague exception codes worth questioning.
I filed a BBB complaint, posted a BBB review, and filed a complaint with my State Attorney General’s office.
Has anyone else had UPS deny Next Day Air refunds with vague weather exceptions, especially when the flight or route still operated?