Sunday, January 15, 2023

Off Track

 I boxed up Colin and Cara's Christmas to send to them. It wasn't all that much really. I'd purposely gotten them things that would be easily stuffed into their suitcases for their return home. Her birthday is this month as well. 

I shipped the package out on January 4th, Priority. 

The tracking information has showed the package as being in Chicago since January 7th. No updates. Day after day. Cara said that she could see nothing at all from her end, as if the package had never been shipped. 

I contacted the customer service number for the post office and got a bot. I was instructed to enter my tracking number. I did. The recording kept prompting me to put in the tracking number. On the third time, I was abruptly told that they were "hanging up to help other customers. Goodbye."

So, back on line I went. I tried to file an enquiry on line. It rejected my tracking number as invalid.  It wasn't. 

I went to the post office and stood in line with my receipts and tracking information. When it was my turn, I explained that I'd sent out a package 10 days ago, blah, blah, blah, etc. etc. He typed the number into his computer and turned the screen to me. 

"It's arrived in Heathrow." 

That's good news, but quite seriously, I've never been unable to track a package before. The fact that their customer service, both online and on the phone, are not working either is frustrating. 

(Latest update now shows that the tracking number has not yet been entered into the system!)


23 comments:

  1. Guess it's getting closer! Might have been delayed with all of the delayed planes. Linda in Kansas

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. To be honest, that is what I expected to hear. My frustration was not being able to track it. I've always been able to track a package. I've never had to use customer service before, but that was amazingly awful.

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  2. Lucky that it is going into Britain..Royal Mail has had a cyber attack and outgoing mail has been suspended!!

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    Replies
    1. Oh, I missed that news! Darned Russian cyber attack.

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    2. For pete's sake! It is news to me. Between the airline disruptions here, the mail strike there, and now a cyber attack...it will be a miracle if it gets there.

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    3. GZ! Sorry. I accidently deleted your comment! It did ake me wonder if perhaps we have been hacked as well and don't even realize it! Not funny/funny.

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  3. What rubbish. Similar happened to me when I ordered an Etsy mouse pad from the US. It was here, it was there, it was everywhere. Thankfully a mouse mat is not a life and death matter.

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    Replies
    1. Neither is anything I sent, but I do want it to arrive.

      Delete
  4. Odd. I have never had any issues entering tracking numbers. I have from time to time been able to track a package that seems to stall out somewhere along the way for a time before proceeding and occasionally they have disappeared into the ether never to be seen again. But at least I could track them.

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    Replies
    1. First time for me too. I always track my packages. Incoming and outgoing.

      Delete
  5. Sue has had a similar experience, with a cancelled credit card with points remaining. No one online seems to know anything about it, but the store could access information.

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    Replies
    1. Did she ever get her points? In that case, I would have gone to the store, explained what is happening and tell them to handle it if they ever wanted my business again.

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  6. I hope it gets to its destination. Weird how their online functions didn't function.

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  7. When things go off the rails they real get very bad. However, if you think about , it's not that long since we've had tracking numbers. The success rate of parcels being received must have been high without tracking numbers. We don't hear about the bad old days when many parcels were lost.

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    Replies
    1. I guess that it is not something I remember. We rarely received packages. Or sent them.

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  8. Post seems to take longer these days than it did when there was no technology and Internet.

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  9. I hate automated phone, anything. If you really did value me as a customer, you would let me talk to a human being.

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    Replies
    1. When my debit card was compromised, the customer service person was sweet as could be but is he did not understand what I was asking. That was scary.

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  10. That is VERY strange. I've never heard of online tracking not working when they can see the package from their desk at the post office. Wouldn't you think it would all be one system? Further evidence that post offices are falling apart at the seams!

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  11. That is the part I still don't understand.

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  12. That is such a pain, isn't it... So sorry.

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