UPS Accidentally Delivers Drone To Some Random Guy

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United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) apparently isn’t too concerned about a major mistake it made in an important delivery. In a Reddit post by Seventy_Seven and spotted by Gizmodo, someone said he received a drone worth about $400,000 just dropped off on his doorstep. So what do you think happened when he contacted UPS? The package delivery service didn’t even care.

UPS insisted it was his

The Reddit user updated his post with the conversation he had with United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) regarding his unexpected delivery. The company said it was one of its undelivered packages and asked if any of his packages had ever not been delivered. He said no, but UPS insisted that it was his and that it was his decision whether he wanted to keep it or not. UPS reportedly said they had stored the package for quite some time.

UPS Accidentally Delivers Drone To Some Random Guy

The package was actually addressed to the person who received it. Kind of makes you wonder how common this sort of mistake is with the federal government. It also explains why United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS) wasn’t too worried. They delivered it to the person it was addressed to, so as far as they’re concerned, they did what they were supposed to do.

Recipient makes the right call

The package’s recipient decided to call the phone number included in the card that came with the package. The card stated that the drone was the property of the U.S. government and that it should be returned to the NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) Aircraft Operations Center at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa.

As it turns out, he didn’t receive the entire drone, as the propeller and several other parts apparently were shipped separately. Vice contacted a NOAA spokesperson, who reportedly said he wasn’t sure how the Reddit user ended up with the package. He said the package contains a control panel and wings for one of their PUME drones, which they use to measure debris in the ocean, monitor ocean habitats and conduct surveys of seabirds.

The NOAA spokesperson also said they had sent eight shipments for this particular drone, and UPS mis-delivered one of them.

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