This is mild, because it’s something that although an inconvenience and a mite perplexing, it’s not life-threatening or life-altering in the least.
I don’t mean this as a slam against FedEx in general, or even against shippers in general. I just am having trouble understanding this particular situation.
Last week I ordered a gift certificate at Giftcertificates.com. Because I needed it for this weekend, I chose second-day FedEx delivery. This would mean that the certificate would be delivered early this past week.
On Monday, I got home from work to find a tag on my door from FedEx stating that a delivery was attempted at noon. Now, for those of you not familiar with FedEx, they require a signature for just about everything, and understandably they won’t deliver if no one’s home. (Plus, I live in an apartment, so leaving it outside the door isn’t always a good idea.)
I didn’t quite understand why, if a signature was required, delivery was attempted in the middle of a work day. But hey, I should have known when it was being delivered, since it was a two-day delivery order.
Now, on the back of the tag is a brief form that, when filled out, authorizes the courier to deliver without a signature. So I filled it out, made sure I signed it, and put it on the doorknob, feeling sure that I’d get the certificate the next day.
On Tuesday, I come home to find another hang tag.
“Okay,” sez I, scratching my protruding cranium, “perhaps the driver didn’t notice I’d filled out the authorization!” So I fill it out again and attach this big note to the tag. “There. He won’t miss that!”
On Wednesday, I come home to find a third hang tag.
I zip over to the company’s web site and track the package. According to the hang tag and the web site, the certificate was at a holding station - 30 minutes away.
I’m a little miffed at this point, because the thing should have been delivered to me. Needless to say, I’m none too anxious to drive 30 minutes out of my way to pick up something that was supposed to be delivered. After all, I paid extra for delivery.
So I dash off an email to FedEx. When you contact them via their site, you’re asked how you would like FedEx to contact you: email or phone. I chose phone and provided the number.
It’s worth noting that I have a little letter holder thingy that hangs from my door knocker. It’s decorative, but there’s plenty of room to put a few envelopes. In my note to the courier, I asked that the certificate be placed there. I was very specific.
Anyway, I get an email from FedEx. After I’d asked to be contacted via phone, of course.
“Unfortunately, the airbill number you provided is invalid or not
found in our system.”
Hm, the number worked for me. I plug it back in and get the tracking info. I cut and paste the info into the email and send it back.
Late Thursday night (after I had dashed off another email asking what was going to be done), I received a call. The operator was very nice, and we sorted it all out. The end result was that she put in a new work order that was to place the certificate onto a delivery truck for the next day. So the envelope would arrive Friday noonish and would be placed where directed.
I hang up, and then I realize I’m going to be home, anyway, as I’d taken the day off. So I’ll be able to make darn sure this thing gets delivered. No more of this hang tag stuff!
Noonish, I’m glancing out the window, and I see the FedEx dude getting into his truck. I toss on some shoes and run out the door, but to no avail. The truck is gone.
My only guess is that the order never made it through; if the certificate was on that truck, I would have seen a fourth hang tag on the ol’ doorknob.
Resigned to my fate, I dashed another email to FedEx. Since I needed the certificate that day - leaving shortly for the weekend - I wasn’t going to run over to their holding site to pick it up.
I was very nice in the email! I figured it was no use being a bastard. There was probably just miscommunication.
When I got to my destination many hours later, I checked my email and found this (in part):
This wasn’t an auto-generated response; it came from a Real Person, although not the same person with whom I’d been dealing. It’s a commercial, though!
Anyway, I’ll probably wind up driving over to get this thing next week. I did wind up putting an IOU in a card.
It’s just a little perplexing, that’s all. I don’t know why the driver never delivered the thing, even with authorization to do so. I do not know why the order to redeliver was never received (apparently).