SMS wrote:

M Q wrote:

snip

My normal residential UPS driver doesn't pull that s**t. She's
very good and reliable even though I am somewhat remote.


I've gotten the "exception" on the UPS web site when I've been home (not
that it matters with McMaster since they don't require a signature).
They claim no one was home, but in reality they never tried to deliver it.

Residential delivery is the last thing they do each day in my area,
after all the businesses have had their morning delivery and their
afternoon pick-up. They often come at around 7:00 p.m.. If they can't
finish by 7:00 p.m. then they give up and try again the next day.

One thing to be sure to do is if you pay for second day and it doesn't
arrive in two days then contact the shipper for a shipping credit.

Actually, if you look at UPS's tarif/terms of service
http://www.ups.com/media/en/terms_service_12312007.pdf
section V.P. on page 34, their service guarantee applies to ground
residential or commercial addresses, but not to 2nd day residential
addresses.
If UPS screws up, the credit is to the shipper, if the shipper
files a claim for it, not to the recipient.
I am not sure that many shippers actually bother.