I'll admit it. One of the things I love most about Christmas is the presents.
It's not so much getting new stuff -- when you're past the age of 12 or so and not getting toys but books and sweaters, the contents of the packages are usually not that exciting -- but the fact that someone thought to buy something special for me, and it's always so exciting to see the tree piled high with gifts on Christmas morning. This year, I will be spending the holiday away from my family for the first time, instead going to my fiance's parents' house to celebrate with them. So my mom sent my Christmas gifts to me via UPS.
This is where the warm, fuzzy story turns sour.
On Thursday, my mom tracked my package and reported that the address had been changed and UPS needed a suite number. I had, the day before, re-routed another UPS package from my home address to my work address, so I assumed UPS had applied the change to all packages going to me. I called to give them the suite number of my office, and I was surprised to learn that the address my package was sent to was neither my home address nor my work address but a place in a town somewhere between the two. I don't even know anyone who lives or works in that town.
I corrected UPS and asked them to route it to my work address on Friday, and I asked if they could give me a range of hours that their driver would be out with my package. My office closed early yesterday, so I wanted to know whether I could expect it before then or whether I would have to stick around or re-route it back to my home if it would be going out late. The lady said she had no idea what time packages go out in the morning and that if my mom had wanted delivery on a guaranteed date, she should have upgraded from ground delivery to air delivery -- at a handsome extra charge, of course. I told the woman I would just wait around at work, and if the package didn't show up in time, I'd go from there.
Imagine my surprise when the UPS delivery guy showed up at my office yesterday with no package for me. I called UPS again to ask what address my package was going to, and they gave me my home address. I told them no, this was a mistake; the address was not supposed to be changed again. The woman I spoke to this time offered to re-route the package back to my work address, but I explained that I was on my way home at this point and would simply hope the driver hadn't stopped there yet.
Yes, I said it angrily. Yes, I hung up on her. I know it wasn't this lady's fault, but considering the fact that UPS had now changed the address on me twice without my requesting or authorizing it, I think I had a right to be perturbed. I had done everything I could to make sure they brought the package to where I would be, and UPS took great pains to make sure the package came nowhere near me.
Holding on to the hope that perhaps it would show up on my doorstep, I sat at home all afternoon, waiting. I had errands to run, so as soon as my fiance walked in the door, I ran out, rushing around so I would be back before he had to leave again and someone would be home to sign for the package.
At 6:45, when nothing had shown up, I tracked the package online again, guessing that UPS had changed the address on me a third time. Bingo! They had. They had re-routed the package yet again, back to my work address.
At this point, I was beyond fuming. It was getting increasingly more difficult to refrain from screaming at the people who picked up the phone at the 800 number. These people refused to do anything to help. Because the package had been sent by ground and not air, it was not important to UPS to get it to me at any specific time.
I understand that they can't guarantee a time, but you'd think they'd guarantee that the package gets to where it should go. And when they had changed the delivery address three times now without my ever asking them to do so, they should have made special accommodations to get me this package the day it should have been delivered. My mom paid what was probably a good chunk of money to get me this package, and she sent it off in plenty of time for it to get to me by Christmas. It was not her fault, and it was not my fault, that the package had not reached me. It was UPS' fault, and UPS was refusing to make amends.
The last guy at the 800 number finally sent a note to the distribution center, and a woman from there called me to explain that my package was not to her distribution center yet but at another distribution center 10 miles away and would not arrive there until Tuesday morning, at which point it was to be delivered to my work address. I called the distribution center where the package allegedly was, and a woman there told me it had already left for the other one. But it would not be there until Tuesday; apparently, sending something UPS ground means that it takes three days to go 10 miles. I didn't figure those trucks went very fast, but I had no idea.
UPS' mission was accomplished. My Christmas gifts will be late, and there is absolutely nothing I can do about it. UPS is the Grinch, and I am Cindy Lou Who, except my attitude is not quite as forgiving as hers.
The worst part is, if my mom had simply sent the gifts late, I wouldn't have cared. I get gifts late all the time, and goodness knows I hardly ever send gifts out on time. (So perhaps UPS was sending some of my late-gift-sending karma back my way).
No, the fact that the gifts will be late doesn't bother me half as much as the fact that I have spent the past two days waiting for them and on the phone with UPS, trying to correct the errors they had made. They're just gifts; I'm sure my mom got me some very nice stuff, but let's face it. I'm way past the age where Christmas gifts are exciting toys, and there's not much I can do with a sweater or a pair of gloves that simply cannot wait an extra day. My Christmas has not been ruined by not having my gifts right away, but the past two days have been ruined while I've dealt with this mess.
So today, even though I had not planned to, I will bake some Christmas cookies to get myself back into the holiday spirit. If I can't be near my family, and I can't get their gifts on time, at least I can eat the cookies made from their recipes.
So what has "brown" done for me? Besides eaten up an hour's worth of minutes on my cell phone and made my blood pressure shoot sky high, not a whole hell of a lot. I am somewhat skeptical about the possibility of the package actually coming to me on Tuesday like it's now supposed to. But maybe I'll get the gifts in time for next Christmas.
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