The UPS Store United Parcel Service Outrageous Shipping Rip-Off - Do not ship ANYTHING through this store! Martinez California

First let me say that I do not now or have I ever worked for this or any other "shipping" company, but I do
ship quite often. So in going over a few of your items.

You complain that they didn't call you about the charge. Did you give them any indication that they needed to?  Did you tell them if it exceeded a certain amount to call you? NO..you handed them the item and a credit card and told them to pack and ship it.

You complain that they didn't break it down into a smaller box. I have never once had any company offer to break it down, probably for the simple reason of liability. After all what would keep you from claiming that they broke it if they did?

As to the actual costs. Your shipping was $320, not $248. Yes, that $248 was the ground charge, but the $70 was the Large Package Surcharge which is part of the costs that is charged by UPS(and other carriers have similar charges).

The "large package surcharge" is a charge when your package when measured from length + girth(2x width + 2x height) exceeds 130 inches. If we take your dimensions as fact, we come up with 12 + (25x2 + 30x2) or 122 inches. That leaves you a grand total of about 1 inch per side for packaging, and 1/4 inch of that was the box thickness. Now yes I see you now so even if you ship it in the not ideal position, you would have 30 + (25x2 + 12x2) or 104 inches. Either way that is a very minimal amount of packaging to protect it. So if you pack it right it doesn't matter how you measure it, you would be subject to the large package surcharge.

Now, it is very possible that the size box you bought was the smallest possible box they carried that would fit. As it is physically and economically impossible to carry every possible size combination.

In short in the future if you care about the cost to ship an item, regardless of where you go, make sure you know exactly what it will cost BEFORE you leave.