FJRocket
Doctor Throckenstein !!!
Ok, I'm a whiney butt. I know it. I don't NEED what DHL was supposed to be shipping me. It's just a set of HIDs for my AE, for cryin' out loud. Fine.
I pay that exhorbitant shipping that seems so ubiquitous on eBay. The lights are coming from Shanghai, but there's no specifics on how the things are getting to me. Initially, I'm happy, things are cool, and I'm excited about trying out these tilting HIDS.
The vendor drags ass shipping them for like 4 days. I send him an eBay message. He politely responds back that they have shipped that day and gives me a tracking number, and explains that when they hit the US, there will be another tracking number for DHL.
Now I'm thinking this is cool. DHL usually gets me stuff right now. My cosmetic dental lab uses DHL both ways and it saves a lot of time, and I use them frequently. So I'm getting pretty jazzed at this point.
HIDs ship from Shanghai on Friday. They hit the US by Monday and it goes into the DHL system and shows a Wednesday delivery. That's just way cool. I'm amazed that I can get stuff that quick from that far away. Of course for some $40 in shipping you might expect that. But still, it is hard for me to believe how small the world is these days.
Now my regular Mr. Yellow just bid a new route and said his goodbyes over a month ago. He used to always come over my lunch hour and we would usually BS for 10 minutes or so.. that's a LOT of time for those guys! I was sad to see him go. He knew how I ran my office and usually was pretty accommodating about getting to me before or after those 20 minutes or so I closed my doors and went to lunch. Most times, I'm just sitting there at the desk waiting and reading FJRForum.com. I track everything coming and going as a rule, especially dental cases because the timing is somewhat critical to patient scheduling.
A couple new DHL guys later (they seemed to be rotating for a while), things are working pretty well. I even helped one guy find an address to help speed him along. No problem, happy to help. Things seem to be working pretty well, considering these guys start in Indianapolis and my little town is some 80 miles from there, and the route goes even farther from here!
So yesterday, I take a REAL quick lunch, looking for the big yellow van in my little town along the way just in case I can do an intercept. I can usually spot those things pretty easily (it's a VERY small town). Grab some Mickey D and rush back to wait for DHL to show. Finally a patient shows up and I'm back to work. No HIDs. Well, no biggie, sometimes if things are FUBAR, it might be 3 oclock or so before they get there.
After 3:00 I have a little gap, so I jump online just to check and see the status of my DHL package. Sure enough I see what I was afraid of... I missed the shipment because I was closed. But WAIT! The time stamp shows 1:21, and I WAS there, the office was wide open and lit and what not. Something's suspicious. Hmmmm... perhaps the driver does those comments in bulk and that time stamp was not the actual time at my office. I really have no idea, but I have to assume that they do all this stuff in chrono and geo order, but perhaps not?!?
The customer service number is not hard to find, I dial it and press ZERO a bunch of times to talk to a live body. I get a nice young lady and explain my problem and register a complaint (sort of). I also want the shipment, which is already tagged to come back on the next days route, to show that I will accept the package without being present to sign for it. I've done this before, and they will leave a package at a closed location with proper authorization. I agree to sign a note and put it on the front door of my office just in case I miss the driver. Actually, I have done this before with ALL the big couriers just in case I miss them, but rarely is the note necessary (I'm usually there... lurking here!). The nice young lady acknowledges my request and flags the package on the system. Thank you. We're set, back in action. Confidence is high.
The next AM there are two messages on my machine from different DHL people saying that my package WILL be delivered today. Nice!
Didn't happen.
I take an early lunch, run to McDs again (oh, my achin' arteries!) and run back. Of course before leaving, I tape the signed note with tracking number, etc., to the outside of the door. I'm back in 10 minutes. It's 12:30. Cool. Nothing at the door, sign still on the door. Put on the open sign, turn on all the lights, and check FJRForum.com. Nothing shows up package-wise. Patient shows up 30 minutes early. Cool, might as well earn a buck. Find extra work, use up the extra time. Head back to the reception desk, check out the patient and wait for the next one.
Since I have a slight gap, check the DHL tracking page and I'll be goddamed if it didn't say again that my office was closed at 1:21 and that they would recycle the package for delivery tomorrow. FUCKSHITFUCK! Yes, Matty is PISSED. After going to all that trouble the day before to ensure (or is it ASSure?) that the package would be delivered regardless of open status, I got FUCKED over. It just tripped my ugly switch.
Now maybe I could get the package tomorrow. Seems Like I need to be at the frickin CURB at ONE TWENTY ONE, except that my office closes at NOON for the weekend. Frickin GREAT.
Back to the 800 number. I call, I lodge a complaint. Basically I tell them that I had been sitting there open a full HOUR before the logged time that the driver said I was closed. I informed them that I made a special point to be there WAY before the logged time from the day before, ASSuming that the driver would come at about the same time. I also informed them that I had in FACT had the signed authorization taped to the outside of my front door during the 10 minutes I was gone. And I told her that I was EXTREMELY upset that I went to all this trouble just to have the driver disregard the flagged instructions and LIE about my office being closed. Twice.
I got a mild apology. She acknowledged that the notes under that tracking number in fact agree with everything I'm saying. She called the driver. Oh no, he's too far out on the route to come back to deliver the package, even though the other driver had done this TWICE. It's an out and back, I know the basic route from talking to the other driver for a couple years. Of course the chick in the telecenter has no control over the liar at the other end of the phone (the driver, not me). And then she asks when I need the package. What a stupid question to ask. I pause to try to let my bp get down close to normal, and explain that I need the package yesterday, and she says of course... when it was scheduled to be delivered the first day.
She asked me what I wanted them to do. Since I was going to close at noon Friday, should they just reschedule for Monday? I informed her that the other driver had in fact been to the office before noon on more than one occasion, even during the Christmas season! So what I want was for my package to be delivered before the close of business Friday. She didn't think it physically could be done. I assured her it could. She asked if I didn't want to just pick it up at the depot. Well sure, I'll drive 90 miles one way to go there just because they screwed up.
It just gripes me to no end when I have to contend with incompetants or liars. After the first day, I really wouldn't have been upset regardless of circumstances. But to have jumped through hoops, make arrangements to make THEIR job easier, and then get exactly the same lie (and no HIDs) from their driver just burns my ass. I certainly hope I'm not stuck with this DHL driver very long. Perhaps the company feels the same way. But if this is the level of local service I can expect from DHL from now on, I'm going to have to stop doing business with them.
The saddest part of all this is that I was REALLY looking forward to testing the tilt-a-whirl HIDs to see if they compare to the telescopic HIDs on high beam. Guess we'll all have to wait a while longer. Can't wait to see how this debacle unfolds. :glare:
ITMT, I'll try not to blow a gasket or commit DHL drivercide over such a petty issue. :angry:
I pay that exhorbitant shipping that seems so ubiquitous on eBay. The lights are coming from Shanghai, but there's no specifics on how the things are getting to me. Initially, I'm happy, things are cool, and I'm excited about trying out these tilting HIDS.
The vendor drags ass shipping them for like 4 days. I send him an eBay message. He politely responds back that they have shipped that day and gives me a tracking number, and explains that when they hit the US, there will be another tracking number for DHL.
Now I'm thinking this is cool. DHL usually gets me stuff right now. My cosmetic dental lab uses DHL both ways and it saves a lot of time, and I use them frequently. So I'm getting pretty jazzed at this point.
HIDs ship from Shanghai on Friday. They hit the US by Monday and it goes into the DHL system and shows a Wednesday delivery. That's just way cool. I'm amazed that I can get stuff that quick from that far away. Of course for some $40 in shipping you might expect that. But still, it is hard for me to believe how small the world is these days.
Now my regular Mr. Yellow just bid a new route and said his goodbyes over a month ago. He used to always come over my lunch hour and we would usually BS for 10 minutes or so.. that's a LOT of time for those guys! I was sad to see him go. He knew how I ran my office and usually was pretty accommodating about getting to me before or after those 20 minutes or so I closed my doors and went to lunch. Most times, I'm just sitting there at the desk waiting and reading FJRForum.com. I track everything coming and going as a rule, especially dental cases because the timing is somewhat critical to patient scheduling.
A couple new DHL guys later (they seemed to be rotating for a while), things are working pretty well. I even helped one guy find an address to help speed him along. No problem, happy to help. Things seem to be working pretty well, considering these guys start in Indianapolis and my little town is some 80 miles from there, and the route goes even farther from here!
So yesterday, I take a REAL quick lunch, looking for the big yellow van in my little town along the way just in case I can do an intercept. I can usually spot those things pretty easily (it's a VERY small town). Grab some Mickey D and rush back to wait for DHL to show. Finally a patient shows up and I'm back to work. No HIDs. Well, no biggie, sometimes if things are FUBAR, it might be 3 oclock or so before they get there.
After 3:00 I have a little gap, so I jump online just to check and see the status of my DHL package. Sure enough I see what I was afraid of... I missed the shipment because I was closed. But WAIT! The time stamp shows 1:21, and I WAS there, the office was wide open and lit and what not. Something's suspicious. Hmmmm... perhaps the driver does those comments in bulk and that time stamp was not the actual time at my office. I really have no idea, but I have to assume that they do all this stuff in chrono and geo order, but perhaps not?!?
The customer service number is not hard to find, I dial it and press ZERO a bunch of times to talk to a live body. I get a nice young lady and explain my problem and register a complaint (sort of). I also want the shipment, which is already tagged to come back on the next days route, to show that I will accept the package without being present to sign for it. I've done this before, and they will leave a package at a closed location with proper authorization. I agree to sign a note and put it on the front door of my office just in case I miss the driver. Actually, I have done this before with ALL the big couriers just in case I miss them, but rarely is the note necessary (I'm usually there... lurking here!). The nice young lady acknowledges my request and flags the package on the system. Thank you. We're set, back in action. Confidence is high.
The next AM there are two messages on my machine from different DHL people saying that my package WILL be delivered today. Nice!
Didn't happen.
I take an early lunch, run to McDs again (oh, my achin' arteries!) and run back. Of course before leaving, I tape the signed note with tracking number, etc., to the outside of the door. I'm back in 10 minutes. It's 12:30. Cool. Nothing at the door, sign still on the door. Put on the open sign, turn on all the lights, and check FJRForum.com. Nothing shows up package-wise. Patient shows up 30 minutes early. Cool, might as well earn a buck. Find extra work, use up the extra time. Head back to the reception desk, check out the patient and wait for the next one.
Since I have a slight gap, check the DHL tracking page and I'll be goddamed if it didn't say again that my office was closed at 1:21 and that they would recycle the package for delivery tomorrow. FUCKSHITFUCK! Yes, Matty is PISSED. After going to all that trouble the day before to ensure (or is it ASSure?) that the package would be delivered regardless of open status, I got FUCKED over. It just tripped my ugly switch.
Now maybe I could get the package tomorrow. Seems Like I need to be at the frickin CURB at ONE TWENTY ONE, except that my office closes at NOON for the weekend. Frickin GREAT.
Back to the 800 number. I call, I lodge a complaint. Basically I tell them that I had been sitting there open a full HOUR before the logged time that the driver said I was closed. I informed them that I made a special point to be there WAY before the logged time from the day before, ASSuming that the driver would come at about the same time. I also informed them that I had in FACT had the signed authorization taped to the outside of my front door during the 10 minutes I was gone. And I told her that I was EXTREMELY upset that I went to all this trouble just to have the driver disregard the flagged instructions and LIE about my office being closed. Twice.
I got a mild apology. She acknowledged that the notes under that tracking number in fact agree with everything I'm saying. She called the driver. Oh no, he's too far out on the route to come back to deliver the package, even though the other driver had done this TWICE. It's an out and back, I know the basic route from talking to the other driver for a couple years. Of course the chick in the telecenter has no control over the liar at the other end of the phone (the driver, not me). And then she asks when I need the package. What a stupid question to ask. I pause to try to let my bp get down close to normal, and explain that I need the package yesterday, and she says of course... when it was scheduled to be delivered the first day.
She asked me what I wanted them to do. Since I was going to close at noon Friday, should they just reschedule for Monday? I informed her that the other driver had in fact been to the office before noon on more than one occasion, even during the Christmas season! So what I want was for my package to be delivered before the close of business Friday. She didn't think it physically could be done. I assured her it could. She asked if I didn't want to just pick it up at the depot. Well sure, I'll drive 90 miles one way to go there just because they screwed up.
It just gripes me to no end when I have to contend with incompetants or liars. After the first day, I really wouldn't have been upset regardless of circumstances. But to have jumped through hoops, make arrangements to make THEIR job easier, and then get exactly the same lie (and no HIDs) from their driver just burns my ass. I certainly hope I'm not stuck with this DHL driver very long. Perhaps the company feels the same way. But if this is the level of local service I can expect from DHL from now on, I'm going to have to stop doing business with them.
The saddest part of all this is that I was REALLY looking forward to testing the tilt-a-whirl HIDs to see if they compare to the telescopic HIDs on high beam. Guess we'll all have to wait a while longer. Can't wait to see how this debacle unfolds. :glare:
ITMT, I'll try not to blow a gasket or commit DHL drivercide over such a petty issue. :angry:
