I’m finding it difficult to write tonight. I am annoyed with several aspects of my day, and particularly with myself for allowing this to affect the way I work. I won’t discuss it further as it takes control and fills the blog. I have already written over 1,000 words on the inefficiency and stupidity of the NHS tonight and none of them are interesting enough to show to anyone else. In addition, my mouse, which I operate from a low table by my side (it is more comfortable than trying to use it on the computer table), has started throwing itself on the floor. It’s something to do with the way the wire has twisted itself with some others and I will have to spend ten minutes unravelling it soon.
We had a strange happening today. A couple of weeks ago the Irish Post Office sent a parcel back after it reached Dublin because the customs label wasn’t completed properly. I filled it in and I dispute this, but Irish Customs, since Brexit, have become very random. The customer waited patiently for us to get it back and resend it, but it never arrived. Eventually we agreed he could have his money back if it hadn’t appeared by the end of the week.
The Irish Post Office site showed it as being returned due to insufficient information on the form.Today, we got an email from the customer telling us that the parcel had been delivered and despite him having to pay VAT on it (having already paid once via eBay) he was happy. How a parcel with incomplete documentation, that was on its way back to the UK, managed to turn round and get delivered in the Republic of Ireland (with the same incomplete paperwork it had on the first attempt) we will never know.
However, it did.
Random Tree
The postal service here has its troubles, too. They are underfunded and understaffed.
Email caused a big drop in business for ours. eBay is helping them but eBay is now pushing its own delivery system.
I have solved the self-destroying mouse problem with a wireless mouse.
I, meanwhile, lost the bit you plug into the computer, and as a result I have a useless wireless mouse. 🙁
Oh no!! I continue to call what we are talking about ‘the bit you plug into the computer’ because I refuse to use the noun ‘dongle’.
I remember that word! Like you, I have no place for it in my vocabulary.
I guess parcels move in mysterious ways. Recently, my daughter ordered something that arrived at our post office in Winthrop, then inexplicably was sent to Vermont and finally made its way back to Winthrop. That was one traveling package.
Wite a YA novel on the subject Laurie! This is fate. 🙂
Tee hee!
This reminds me of the old joke about an Irishman replying to a question of directions with “I wouldn’t start from here”
I can understand the frustration on the package. I experience it too sometimes. Stay chill and have a restful weekend ahead.
😉 Thank you.
I was sent a book from Australia that got lost in the post. The sender was refunded as the postal service couldn’t find any trace of it and sent me another copy which arrived safely . . . and then the first one arrived too. Life is a mystery.
“The Secret Life of Parcels” is just waiting to be written. Did you enjoy the book?
It was ‘coffee table’ book of historic illustrations of the birds of New Zealand and I did enjoy it.
That’s good to hear. NZ has some remarkable birds.
That’s a convoluted story about the package. But with an actual delivery and a customer who is happy even though he has to pay VAT twice (!!!) I’d say it’s a happy ending.
I just had a customer from 2019 contact me and say she never got her package. (She must be very busy to be just getting around to mentioning it. lol) I checked the tracking info on the shipping label, and although it tells me it was delivered, if I click on the label and pursue the matter further, it is not able to tell me when such a delivery occurred. So I resent the package from 4 years ago.
You never know what the day will bring in the mail order business.
I try to stay cheerful and offer a good service, but after four years I feel I might struggle to be maintain these standards. Customers can be as big a mystery as parcels.