A suit seeking class action has been filed in US District Court in San Francisco against UPS Inc., claiming that the Atlanta-based integrator “routinely uses an inaccurate measurement system that causes thousands of franchise store owners to be back-charged for higher shipping rates.”

UPS was not immediately available for comment. The lawsuit contends franchise owners measure packages in the store, charge the customer and ship the package to UPS, where the company re-measures the package using what the suit claims is inaccurate techniques and back-charges the franchisee for the difference. In the complaint, franchisees contend that since the re-measurement process occurs at UPS facilities, they have no ability to argue the revised measurements, nor do they have the ability to reassess the customer for the additional charges.