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In lugnet.market.shopping, Jeff Johnston writes:
> Well, after a long and frustrating bout with the US Postal Service, I
> came to the conclusion that my package from Walmart.com (containing my
> wife's coveted Highway Construction Set for something approaching a
> reasonable price) is gone. Where, I have no idea. Shipped on the 16th,
> delivered to the North Reading MA package center on the 21st, vanished
> somewhere between there and the Lowell post office.
>
> Anyway, I reluctantly called to ask for a refund, and the guy I spoke
> with asked if I wanted them to try shipping again. Of course, they were
> out of the HCS, but he did offer me 10% off and free overnight
> shipping...so the wife will have to be content with a Railway Express
> (which in my estimation is much cooler than the Highway Construction set
> anyway).
Well, I thought I'd post the rest of this long and sordid story.
In addition to the recap above, there were three packages to me missing,
also to be delivered by the US Postal Service. We'll call the Walmart
Highway set order Order #1 (for reasons that will become clear) and the
missing packages A, B, and C (to avoid confusion).
So, #1 had vanished, and #2 (Railway Express) was on its way with free
overnight. I eagerly watched the progress on the tracking site, figuring
that I'd have to go to the Airborne place to pick it up - I live in an
apartment building, surely they wouldn't just leave it somewhere. Or so I
thought.
The tracking site said 'delivered'. I got home from karate - no package
in the lobby. No package in front of my door. No package notice.
Nothing. I resolved to check with the office, but I had a sinking feeling
that I wasn't going to see that set. Called Airborne to find out if they
had really delivered it. "Oh, yes, it says it was left at your door. The
deliveryman uses his judgement in these cases." I got a bit upset, told
them that the package was missing, and exactly how irresponsible I thought
their deliveryman was for leaving a package where anybody could walk past
and take it. Their response: "Well, they should have sent it 'Signature
Required'
The next day, contacted the office and verified the package hadn't been
accepted there. Contacted Wal-Mart, and explained the story. They were
very nice and didn't even accuse me of scamming them, they just refunded
my moneyand sent another Railway Express - this time, to my work address,
which I should have done in the first place. (I didn't want to mess with
shipping to a different address than my billing one.)
Next day...I track on the website...it's delivered. I get a call fromt he
front desk: I have a package. FINALLY! I take it out to my car, verify
the contents...4561 Railway Express.
Now, through all of this I have also been battling the Post Office about
my other missing mail, packages A, B, and C. (Remember them?) I finally
get the number of the Lowell Post Office (all PO stuff has to go through a
central 800 number for reasons unknown to me). And it was then that I
discovered an interesting fact.
The Post Office three blocks from my apartment building is not "my" Post
Office.
This was news to me, since whenever I had a package notice, I always went
to that PO to pick it up. But it turns out there's a little tiny branch
PO *one* block from my apartment, not open to the public - and that's
where my mail carrier works from. And it was that post office that I got
the number for.
I explained what went on, and the manager checked...and then he told
me: "Your mail is on hold."
Now, my wife and I went on our honeymoon back in November - and put our
mail on hold 'until we come and pick it up'. We came back to a box
stuffed full with mail. I went to the Post Office - the one *three* blocks
from my house - to check, and they didn't have any more mail for me. We
continued getting mail fairly regularly from then on - although looking
back on it, it did seem to be a bit less than normal.
So, all of this mail has been sitting for a month or so in the Post Office
*one* block from my apartment. The one I didn't know about. Well, I make
arrangements to pick it up at the main Post Office the next morning, and
the wife and I start to set up the train...and there's a knock on the
door.
It's a complete stranger - a guy who apparently lives several
apartments down the hall. He says, "Hey, you had a package delivered here
the other day - they just dropped it in front of your door." Blink. "I saw
some kids messing with it, so I grabbed it and took it down to my place so
it wouldn't get stolen." Blink. "I tried to bring it by last night but you
weren't here." Buh.
My mind started to rattle at that point, but I went down to his place,
retrieved the package, and thanked him profusely. Glad to know there's
some honest people out there still.
Took the package (#2, if you recall - the first 4561 Railway Express set)
back, didn't bother opening it up - just left it in the hall to ship back
to Walmart.
Saturday morning, retrieved Order #1 from the Post Office, along with
Packages A, B, C, and metric buttload of mail D.
Called Walmart. Told them the story. Told them I was shipping #2 back to
them but I wanted to keep #1, would they put it bck on my card? It
actually took more work to get them to charge me for the sets than it did
to get them to refund my money. But eventually it all worked out - I was
charged for #1 and #3, the wife got a lot of LEGO, and all was happy, even
if we did get the packages in exactly reverse order.
J
There's an amusing postscript to all of this: when I opened up #2 to get
the 'shipback' label, it wasn't a 4561 Railway Express at all. It was the
Technic Silver Champion racecar. Murphy was working overtime for me this
Xmas...
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| Well, after a long and frustrating bout with the US Postal Service, I came to the conclusion that my package from Walmart.com (containing my wife's coveted Highway Construction Set for something approaching a reasonable price) is gone. Where, I have (...) (24 years ago, 2-Jan-01, to lugnet.market.shopping)
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