UPDATE to Services

For those that are wondering WHY, after 5 years, Downeast Hub and Package Depot have stopped accepting UPS, FedEx, and USPS DROP OFF packages. The letter to UPS below explains it all. FedEx received a letter from me 3 years ago on this same topic and we have not created a label from their account since. As for the USPS, well… Moving on. Now, it is UPS’s turn. We are very sorry for any and all inconveniences this will cause.
NOTHING as far as packages is changing for our Canadian PMB customers!!!
We are still receiving deliveries from ALL the carriers.
We are still signing up NEW CUSTOMERS on a daily basis.
We are still accepting packages to hold for you to pick-up.
We are still taking your returns but cannot guarantee a pickup time.
We are still VERY MUCH IN BUSINESS!!!!!

Our only change is: We are CLOSED on Monday’s and open 1 hour later Tue- Fri @9am now.

Enjoy the letter below. If you are a business using UPS or FedEx and reading this, I urge you to audit your accounts with them and go LINE FOR LINE on what you are being charged. You will soon see what this letter is about.

This is my letter to UPS. It is my opinion and is based on the weekly invoices we receive over the years. Sure, it says at the bottom of UPS WorldShip- “Your invoice may vary from the displayed rates”. But 15%-30% rate differences are the difference between small businesses making a profit and losing money on each shipment.

To Whom It May Concern at UPS,

We are writing to express our absolute outrage at the blatant predatory practices that UPS continues to inflict upon small businesses like ours across America. What started as a professional shipping partnership has devolved into a game of gotcha—where UPS uses hidden fees, dishonest invoicing, and opaque pricing schemes to siphon money from small business owners who are just trying to survive. Based on the small number of packages we do, we estimate these fees to be in the TENS OF MILLIONS of dollars over the 5.7 million packages UPS handles annually.

Let’s start with the constant nickel-and-dime fees that seem to multiply like weeds. Every week, our invoice is loaded with arbitrary surcharges that were never disclosed at the time of service. Your so-called “negotiated rates” are a farce—an illusion of savings that gets wiped out by the time we receive the weekly invoice. It has become a regular occurrence to see one price quoted when we ship, only to be charged more for that same service on the invoice. This is not a mistake—it’s a systemic pattern designed to exploit businesses that don’t have the time or resources to comb through every line item. The price we charge our customers is regularly LOWER than the weekly invoice UPS charges DEH LLC. This is a net LOSS on shipping for us while UPS makes a profit. Unacceptable!

Downeast Hub LLC uses the UPS WorldShip program. And in that system, we’re shown two rates: the so-called “negotiated rate” (what we pay UPS), and the “published rate” (what customers see on UPS.com). Here’s the scam—yeah, scam—that UPS is running.

Because of your endless pile of mystery fees and nickel-and-dime nonsense, DEH LLC is forced to tack on a modest 5% to the published rate—what our customers see and pay us. And guess what? That tiny markup and the slight discount to the ‘negotiated’ rate is our only profit on shipping. It’s crumbs. If we wanted to actually ensure a profit on every shipment, we’d have to jack that 5% up to 30–40%. Yes. You read that right.

Now tell me—how exactly are we supposed to explain to our customers why we’re charging more than what they see on UPS. com? How is any business supposed to justify that when we’re literally using your system to generate those shipping labels?

Oh wait—I get it now. You want us to look like the bad guys. You want us to look like the ones gouging customers, while UPS hides behind a broken pricing system that makes no sense and changes every time the wind blows. Classic bait-and-switch tactics dressed up in corporate jargon.

And then we get to the worst offenders—the infuriating, unexplained charges dumped under the ever-vague category of “Other.” What the hell does “Other” even mean? How is anyone supposed to audit or justify these charges when you provide zero explanation? Instead, we are stuck wasting hours—HOURS—chasing down your useless customer service team just to get a half-baked excuse for why we were charged in the first place. Again. Unacceptable!

And you know what that means? More costs for DEH LLC. Now we’re on the hook for paying an employee to act as our UPS account auditor just to make sense of your mess. In any sane business relationship, transparency is a basic expectation. But with UPS? All we get is a wall of obfuscation, scripted deflection, and zero accountability. Insufferable!!

But wait—it gets worse.

Let’s talk about the blatantly dishonest and completely unjustified “residential delivery fee”. We’ve been slapped with these charges even when we’re shipping business-to-business. Let that sink in. A clearly labeled commercial address—confirmed by Google Maps, official listings, and every public database out there—still gets magically flagged as “residential” in your system. Why? So you can squeeze a few extra dollars out of us. It’s not just inaccurate—it’s outright fraudulent.

Call it what it is: theft. Plain and simple.

UPS used to be a trusted partner to small businesses. Not anymore. You’ve made it crystal clear—you’re no longer an ally, you’re an adversary. You’ve weaponized your market dominance to bleed more money out of the very businesses that helped build your empire. It’s disgraceful!

Your pricing tactics aren’t just unethical—they’re a slow death sentence for small businesses already fighting to survive on razor-thin margins. And then, as if the endless mystery fees and pricing games weren’t enough, you slap on a $36 weekly fee for a “guaranteed daily pickup”—plus a fuel surcharge on that fee. Are you kidding? Your trucks pass by our building multiple times a day. You’re not doing us a favor—you’re already in the neighborhood!

We’ve demanded answers. We’ve asked for basic transparency in billing. We’ve called for accountability for these clearly deceptive practices. And what did we get? Nothing. Just more silence and stonewalling.

So, here’s our answer: we’re done. DEH LLC is no longer in the business of padding UPS’s bottom line. We’re not here to help you rake in your obscene $90.91 billion in revenue for 2025 while you squeeze every last dime from the small businesses that once trusted you.

Stop treating us like your personal cash cow. Start acting like the responsible service provider you once pretended to be—before you lose even more of the people who kept you in business in the first place.

Downeast Hub LLC sincerely hopes more business owners wake up and start auditing their UPS invoices line by line. Downeast Hub LLC encourages every single customer you have to dig through the lies, challenge every bogus charge, and demand their stolen money back. The more light we shine on these practices, the harder it will be for you to keep getting away with them.

We are tired. We are fed up. And we will not stay silent.

Sincerely,

Michael and Cari Anne Lawson
Downeast Hub LLC and Package Depot LLC
207 952 9328