Can I have my 3DO please?

A couple of weeks ago I was lucky enought to win a Panasonic 3DO console (FZ-1) model and although the seller was very prompt in despatching the parcel to me the courier company had made a right mess of delivering it

At one point it became almost comical!

I was actually hoping that To recieve the console prior to the Easter break but alas no. Maybe I’m a little impatient here but tracking information advised the parcel was at my local depot two days before Easter.

Sadly, I’d missed the delivery attempt after Easter due to being at work (by only 15 mins according to the failed delivery slip posted through my door).

Although not very clear on instructions, the failed delivery slip listed a website and automated telephone number to arrange a redelivery attempt or collection at the depot. Rather than miss another delivery I thought it best that I collect directly from the depot.

The first problem I encountered was the ref no. on the failed delivery slip appeared to be invalid according to the website! I must have spent at least an hour wrestling with the website. In the end I tried the telephone number in the event that I’d get to speak to a real person and explain my predicament. Sadly, if was an automatic system and like the website said my tracking number was invalid.

So here I am with no item, no way of knowing where it was and no contact information.

The next day I hit the Internet and pretty much from the 2nd hit on Google it looked like this was such a common and downright annoying problem that so many customers had had with this courier. Further surfing resulting in a rather interesting telephone ‘hack’ that allowed callers to bypass their automated telephone system and be put through to an operator….I kid you not!

Well, I tried it and would you believe it, it worked and was connected to real person.

After a few minutes my triumphant joy again returned to dismay as the operator announced that they had no reference to any parcel under my consignment number and no reference of any deliveries bound for my address.

Surely that’s wrong I said and pointed out that I’d even received a failed delivery slip throughout my door. The operator replied that the delivery was probably for another address and the driver had mistakenly posted the slip through my letter box by mistake. Rather angrily I replied ‘so how come it’s got my surname on it then?’ and her reply was ‘errrrmmm’!

I ‘politely’ asked her to search through her records again and this time, low and behold she located my delivery.

It’s at the local delivery she announced so I said I’d like to arrange to pick it up. She said that that would be a problem as the item was due to be shipped again the next day. At this stage I had no choice but to book a day off work and wait in for the delivery.

It never arrived 😦

Back on the phone, I had to go through the same routine of ‘I can’t find any record of you consignment’ pantomime again before we got to the bottom of why I didn’t receive my item this time. His answer, although rather apologetic was that the previous operator had misread the details on screen and no redelivery was scheduled. As you can imagine, this is becoming somewhat frustrating!

Any-ho, we arranged that I would collect the item from my local depot (well, a 30 mile round trip to the depot) the next day.

The next day came, I checked that i had sufficient identification/proof of address and eagerly set off to the depot during my lunchbreak.

When I arrived, the despatch officer said that, according to their records, I wasn’t due to collect the item until the next day and that the item ‘wasn’t ready for collection’. As you can imagine, I hit the roof.

Once I’d climb down out of my tree I explained in great detail all of the problems I’d encountered so far and demanded that they stop wasting my time and go get my *** parcel.

After half an hour looking through the depot the despatch officer said that she couldn’t find it and that it might still be on the lorry.

I asked to see the depot manager and again explained my situation. I also cautioned him not to use the words ‘maybe’,’probably’ and ‘could be’. He went very red.

After another round of apologises from him he said that there really wasn’t much he could do but take my telephone number and contact me later in the evening after another depot search that afternoon.

Grudgingly, I went back to work empty handed.

That evening, the phone never rang 😦

The next day was the wedding of HRH Prince William & Kate Middleton and therefore the depot was shut.

The next day (now two weeks after the item was shipped) I drove down to the depot again determined not to leave empty handed.

When I arrived, two weeks of frustration
from this whole silly game came out.

I roared and the depot manager went red again.

I also suggested that he rolled up his sleeves, gets out into the depot and start looking.

After over an hour, he came back looking rather worried and said that there had yet again been another mistake. Instead of placing my parcel (it was found earlier in the day) in the area awaiting customer collection, it was placed in the area due for redelivery.

You know I though that steam coming out of ears only happened in cartoons 🙂

The depot manager was now wobbling like jelly and raced to the office to try and contact the driver by phone.

Sadly, the driver wasn’t answering his phone and thus I once again was leaving empty handed. The depot manager said as I left that he would continue to try and get hold of the driver and tell him that I’m on my way home.

See me racing through city centre traffic on a busy Saturday afternoon.

I arrived home and headed for the letter box. Great no parcel, I’ve won the race to get home before the courier arrived. All I need to do is sit tight and wait.

Hold on, what’s that on the floor?

It was another failed delivery slip with today’s date on it. Hear me ROAR!

I flipped the slip over and in my anger hadn’t seen the hand written note at the bottom saying that my item had been left with a neighbour!

Could it be true? Was it some sick joke? Was I dreaming?

See we race to our neighbours house. She brought the item out for me.

See me jump in the air hollering and pumping fist….see neighbour slowly backing away.

Back home, I couldn’t bare to open it. What if after all of this hassle it’s the wrong item….or it’s broken?

I peeled back the outer packaging…..and am happy to report all is present and working 🙂

We’re not finished just yet though! 3 days later I had a voice message left on my phone. It was someone at the depot apologising that they still can’t find my item 🙂

See me pass out 🙂

Here it is –