A Postal Odyssey

Thursday, February 18th, 2016

Went to my wonderful Community Mailbox this morning to find I couldn't get my mail. Two of the three keys don't fit the lock for some reason and the third key, although it fits, will not turn in the lock. No give at all, no wiggle, the lock is seized.

Opened a ticket with Canada Post, they advised that a fix could take till Tuesday.

Friday, February 19th, 2016

Update from Canada Post!

They resolved my trouble ticket. But instead of fixing my mailbox, they replaced the lock for my landlord's mailbox!

According to their computers, my mailbox is listed as Module 2, Compartment 16 (my landlord), when in fact since they put the gods damned things in, my mail has gone to Module 3, Compartment 1.

I have the envelope my keys came in that says Module 3, Compartment 1, I've gone to it every couple of days and taken out mail that has my name and address on it. Despite that, the guy on the phone tried to tell me I'm wrong.

The ticket has now been reopened (they closed it without updating me, despite the email saying I'd be contacted) and I might be able to get mail by next Wednesday now instead of Tuesday.

After getting off the phone with "Andrew" I got an email to update me and confirm the ticket was closed. So I called back and spoke with "Chris" who could see that what I had said on my first call was correct, I was using the right mailbox and that we'd need to get it fixed.

He put me on hold and then told me he'd need to transfer me to a local agent who could get this addressed and the lock changed. He transferred me to "Nancy" who saw the problem and said that for some reason in one system I'm in the right mailbox and in another I'm assigned to the wrong one. It was 7:00pm on Friday so no one could fix it then. But she'd call me on Monday.

Monday, February 22nd, 2016

Canada Post update.

No callback from "Nancy" at the local office.

So I called this morning to check on my ticket and was told their entire computer system was down and the call centre agent couldn't access anything. I've been in a call centre in that situation, so nothing against the agent. Then she says, call back after 5pm.

Now that's brilliant, call after 5pm when no one can possibly do anything for my issue cause everyone local has gone home. So I have to call tomorrow.

Second to that, I had a package delivered today and according to the tracking information, it's waiting for me in the Community Mailbox parcel locker.

So my package is secured and the key to the parcel locker is safe in my mailbox, that I have no access to because the key doesn't work.

The comedy of errors continues...

I think tomorrow that I'll just camp out in front of the mailbox waiting for the mail carrier so I can get my mail.

Also that package contains 2 batteries for my camera, so help me if they are ruined because of spending days in a sub zero mailbox, I'm holding Canada Post responsible for their replacement.

Social (Media) Issues

Along the vast, virtual landscape, there is a wasteland filled with drama, hoaxes and food pictures. I'm of course talking about Facebook. There are many who flock to Twitter and Instagram and even some who use Google+ (whoever they are) but, without question the biggest kid on the block is Facebook. I like millions of others utilize it daily to talk with friends, see what people are up to and even manage a couple of pages and groups. I spend a lot of time on my laptop, but just as much, if not more time accessing Facebook on my iPhone or iPad. In the past few months, Facebook has been making changes, some good, but a lot of them are just plain bad.

A dissatisfied customer, yet again.

This story begins with me entering a contest on Facebook. I didn't think the things actually worked and then I got an email saying that although I didn't win  the grand prize, I did win a gift card bonus prize! Go me! Woo!

I send my shipping details and they send out the gift card. I did another rant a couple of years ago about my dealings with UPS/Purolator and that experience left me with a bad taste in my mouth with regards to couriers. Good news this time, the card was being mailed with FedEx, great nothing can go wrong with FedEx right? Right? right...

A story with a McCompliment

Earlier this week I read a couple of news stories and saw accompanying video of members of the public verbally berating fast food employees.  I couldn't believe my eyes and ears.

In one instance, an apparent customer yells at a drive through employee because he asked for no cheese on his burger but got one with cheese. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/17/wendys-customer-video_n_3455092.html

In the other, a customer berates and verbally abuses two employees, trying to make herself out as some kind of victim while the employees are polite, apologetic, calm and do their best to complete an order. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/10/dunkin-donuts-yelling-video_n_3416787.html?utm_hp_ref=business

Customer Disservice Part Deux: The McRant

I don't eat take out much anymore. Maybe once or twice a week I will treat myself to something. But sometimes you just get a craving, y'know?

Tonight was one of those nights. I work overnights so I live a reverse day. Evening is my morning, Midnight I get to work, 4am is lunchtime, and so on. Tonight I really wanted a burger, some fries, no big. Just a little grease as a treat for my lunch.  That being the case I paid a call on one of my local McDonald's restaurants, since they are the only burger joint in St. John's open 24 hours.

Customer Disservice

This story started last week with the entry I made about upgrading my connection from normal DSL service to Aliant’s FireOp service.  Getting nerdy for a min, it means in increase in my service from 7Megabits Download / 512 Kilobits Upload to 15 Megabits Down/Up.  A really, really nice increase for the service.  So I get off work at 8am yesterday and come home and make sure that the house is ready for the install and the tech won’t have any access issues.  My landlord even temporarily pulled back the siding on the house for access to where another cable comes into my apartment so the tech just needs to slide the FibreOP wire in alongside it.  So far, so good.  Then the fun began.