Serenity Now!

Somehow, I've gotten caught up today in a web of inefficiency that is none of my own doing. And I'm guessing that it's only through sheer good will that I have not exploded in frustration.

On Monday, I received one of those little cards in my mailbox...the ones that tell you they tried to deliver a registered or certified piece of mail, missed you, and now the package is sitting at the post office. It literally said all that, along with a mention that I could pick it up the next day after 8am. Well, I went the next day, stood in a line out the door as two postal workers tried to help everyone, got up there, and was told after ten minutes that they couldn't find my package and would call me. As of this morning (Wed), I hadn't heard back, so I called them. The guy who answered first interrupted my little tale to tell me that if I'd gotten one of those slips, I could pick it up between such-and-such hours at the post office. I told him that I'd tried that, and they couldn't find it. He then assured me that he'd look into this matter. He called back in ten minutes and informed me that according to the tracking information, the package had been delivered on Monday. Just barely reigning in a sarcastic whiplash of a response, I told him that I had it on pretty good authority that I had not received it. He hung up with more assurances to research the matter. So I get home today, check my mailbox, and guess what's in there! Another pink slip telling me that they tried to deliver a registered piece of mail, missed me, and now the package is sitting at the post office!!!! I am not impressed.

Next up? December 2, my husband ordered some shelving units from a national furniture chain store. We were told that they didn't have all the pieces in the store and so would order the rest from their warehouse. The pieces would then be ready for pickup in 5-7 business days. Today was the eighth business day, and having not heard anything, I called them. Get this: there is no record of our order. Anywhere. Despite my husband's finagling on price, despite a call back, despite them having taken our credit card number (I checked...nothing has been charged), there is no record. So, our furniture has not been ordered. I told the lady I was speaking with that it was a phone order, and she asked me if I had a receipt. I asked her how I could possibly have a receipt, and she admitted that she didn't know. So, when she 'volunteered' to reorder the pieces to have them available by the end of next week (three weeks after the original order), I asked her if there was a transaction number/order number/something she could give me. She admitted there was not. So then, I couldn't help but ask, 'What assurances do I have that when I call back, you'll have a record of this order?' Evidently none.

Gotta love it when a day comes together...