The Package or What Customer Service Part 2

I didn't want to do another post about frustrating things but I need to get this off my chest. This was actually happening at the same time as the tv thing so it was doubly maddening. I was expecting a package that I needed by Thursday night. On Monday night I got an email saying there was a problem with it so I rang the package delivery service on Tuesday (I won't name names out of the kindness of my heart but it is a major delivery service in Australia, but not Australia Post). They said they don't deliver to post office boxes so I had to give them my home address. Not a problem. I gave it to them and asked when I could expect it. They said it will be delivered Thursday, which I thought was a little strange since their depot is only 20 minutes from my house, but no big deal, I was getting it Thursday and I was happy with that. So on Thursday I planned to stay home until the package came then take the tv back to the store. Best laid plans hey?

We have a big fence out the front with 2 gates, one the car goes through and one visitors can go through. You can't see through the fence so just to be sure I couldn't possibly miss the delivery guy, I opened one of the car gates and sat in the front room with the window open so if I didn't see him, I would hear him. I waited and waited. At 12:30pm I thought I would ring the depot and ask if they possibly knew the approximate arrival time. The guy tells me he's already been. I told him he hadn't. He tells me to go look in my letterbox to see if there is a card in there. I go outside and sure enough, there is the 'Sorry we missed you' card. I told the guy that I had been sitting at home waiting all day and he didn't even step onto my property. He has obviously parked the car where I couldn't see it, gotton out of his car and just stuck the card in my letterbox without even bothering to knock on the door! He told me he would get in touch with the driver and ask if he'll come back. He puts me on hold and when he finally comes back on he tells me the driver has agreed to come back and drop off my package. He'll be here by 3pm. I love the way the driver 'agreed' to come back. If he'd just knocked on the door in the first place and done his job he wouldn't have to come back.

So I sit and wait again. It gets to 3pm and he's still not here. At 3.30pm when he's still a no show and I am late picking up the kids, I ring the depot again. The chick tells me there is nothing written on the computer about my last call and the driver couldn't possibly come back as he has a set route. My package will be delivered tomorrow.

I was livid! Not only did this dingus take off with my package, the guy on the phone outright lied to me! I bet he didn't even speak to the driver at all. And his lie made me wait around all day for nothing!

I was so mad I rang the depot and asked for the complaints department. She says 'do you have a complaint with a driver or a delivery?' I said both. She says she'll put me through. Some guy answers and I said 'Is this the complaints department?' He goes 'it can be.' I said 'wow. A smartass. That explains a lot.' He asks me what the problem is. I start to tell him but I'm not more than 3 words into it when he cuts me off and says he'll take care of it. I asked him what he was going to take care of. He says he'll take care of my problem. I said how can you take care of my problem when you haven't even heard the story? He says 'ok tell me the story'. So I tell him what happened and he says 'I don't know what you expect me to do. I just work on the dock. I don't even have anything to do with international deliveries.' Aaargh! Why did the women ask me if I had a complaint with the driver or the delivery if she was just going to put me through to some random depot worker anyway???? I mean, would it have made any difference either way???

Luckily (or unluckily depending on how you look at it) he gives me a number to call to speak to the guy in charge of international deliveries. I ring him and repeat my story once again. He tells me I can drive down to the airport after 6pm and pick it up myself. Since I had a prior appointment after 6pm and due to the fact that I didn't relish an airport run to pick up a package I had already paid delivery on, I asked him why I should have to. He tells me its the only way I'm going to get my package today. I told him, fine, I will come and pick it up but he can refund me the money I paid for postage. He says to me 'you haven't been charged for delivery'. I said of course I've been charged for delivery, you don't work for free do you? He's silent for a few seconds as though he's trying to contemplate how he manages to earn a wage when nobody pays for the service. Then he says my supplier has paid the postage. I tell him that the supplier paid the postage because I paid it to them, that its included in the purchase price. I said to him 'when you buy a book from Amazon, you pay for postage. Amazon don't just send you the book out of the kindness of their hearts. They don't pay the postage for you'. Again he is dumbfounded for a while then tells me my package will be delivered tomorrow.

The next day I am overly excited because I so desperately want to have a chat with the driver. When he arrives (actually entering the property and knocking on the door this time - who would have thought a delivery driver could do that?) I asked him 'what happened yesterday?' (BTW I was very nice, not as narky on the outside as I felt on the inside) He acts like he doesn't know what I'm talking about. I said 'why didn't you come onto the property yesterday to deliver the parcel?' He tells me he wasn't the driver yesterday, that the driver called in sick this morning and he was called in at the last minute to take his place. I didn't know whether to believe him or not (after all they'd already outright lied to me). I'm not sure if the driver really was sick or if he just didn't have the guts to face me or if the driver from the day before was indeed standing in front of me right now and was just pretending he was a replacement because he was afraid I would cause a confrontation. I didn't know but I just took the package and went inside. I was too tired to argue anyway (I was going through the tv thing at the same time remember). Once again I get stuffed around and big business goes on as usual. Thanks big business...

I e-mailed the people who sent me the package to thank them. I thanked them for their helpfulness, the quality of the product and how fast they got it to me (apart from the delivery once it got to Australia of course). Then it hit me. I was just profusely thanking someone for doing the job I paid them to do! Not that they don't deserve a thankyou but when did this world become a place where doing your job became a reason to have your butt kissed? Its only noticeable because of how many people DON'T do their job.

People I am begging you. Please remember that you are not doing something for me because you think I'm fabulous. You actually get paid to do stuff for me. It is your job to do what I ask. And I am not being unreasonable with my demands. Just deliver my package when I pay you to. Don't lie to me and tell me someone is coming back when you know they're not. Why would you want to waste my time like that? When I ask for a Big Mac and a coke I would like a Big Mac and a coke, not a sprite and a chicken nugget. And is it too much to ask that the food be edible? Or that you don't sneeze on my burger? Or that its mildly warm? And once in a while, even though you may not feel like it, why not toss me a smile? I promise it won't hurt a bit. I wouldn't even think about treating you any other way.

I know this has been long and tiresome and it might not even seem like a big deal to you. But I was already stressed with the tv and Mr 16 causing me grief about school and Mr 6 being sick and everything else that has been going on and it just felt like one more thing that was sent to drive me crazy. But I feel so much better now that I have let it all out. Thanks bloggy friends. :)