I Think You Mean Last
At the start of the week, I ordered a TV-tuner card for the MythTV machine I’m building. Yesterday, when I got home there was a “we tried to deliver a parcel” card from the Home Delivery Network. It just told me that they’d try to deliver it again today, and after that I could arrange alternate delivery or collection.
Today, there’s another card. Good to their word they’ve tried to deliver it again. But I’m working away from home at present, so there’s no-one in during the day.
Still. This sort of thing has happened many times before, and it isn’t the end of the world. The card even proclaims “Putting the customer 1st” at the top.
There isn’t a website listed on the card, so I can’t check where the depot is - all I can do is phone the number on the card and quote my parcel number at them. So that’s what I do.
The depot is in St. Neots. Not particularly far, but not as close as any other parcel firms I’ve dealt with. But it isn’t open on Saturday, the day that would be best for me to go and collect it. Okay, maybe I can divert via St. Neots on my way to or from work… but it only opens at 9am, and closes at 6pm.
Excellent. So, because I’m busy during office hours and so can’t be at home for delivery, I can go and collect it any time during office hours. I’m sure there’s some problem with that logic…
Then it gets even better. They can’t give me the address for the depot in St. Neots, because I have to arrange with the depot before I collect the parcel. How long does it take to find a parcel on a shelf in a warehouse?
Finally, we reach the point where I’ll be phoning Dabs.com and getting a refund. The guy on the phone is quite keen for me to agree for the depot to phone me tomorrow to arrange when I’ll collect it; something I don’t want to do because I’d rather choose a time when it’s convenient for me to be interrupted at work. “But”, he protests, “if you phone tomorrow to arrange it, you won’t be able to collect it on Monday.”
Monday!?! It’s only Thursday today. My parcel started its journey back to the depot this morning. Yet if I phone tomorrow to arrange to collect it, the earliest that they’ll let me is Tuesday.
Can somebody explain to me how anyone can have the audacity to claim that any of this is “putting the customer 1st”?!?!!