The Computer Fiasco

So I sent my computer and my screen from Victoria to Montreal. It is an expensive machine designed for editing video. It has all my work on it. So this was just after my surgery, which I am now nearly healed from, so I couldn't carry more than 10lbs. My brother had to carry the 60lbs monster into Canada Post. I paid $200 for the send and the insurance. It was given to the Canada Post on Sept 6. When I gave over my baby to them, they said 1 week for delivery, but it isn't guaranteed. That should have been my first clue.

I left Victoria myself and I arrived in Montreal on 12:10am Sep 8. I had expected to wait a bit for the computer, but I hadn't expected to grow a beard and my teeth to rot out of my head in the time it took CP worker to make multiple clerical errors. The story of the screen is relatively un eventful...here is the path of the screen as recorded by Canada Post.

I'm now quite happy I have my screen but also quite unhappy that no computer came with it. I figured that the packages would be linked together, to simplify, as they came from the same sender/location at the same time and were going to the same sender/location. But no, that would make thinks too easy...2 completely different tracking no.s. I figured the computer would follow the screen within a couple of days. Yeah....no. 

On Tuesday the 19th....I checked tracking on my package and my brain skipped a cycle:

The idiots had shipped it back. I was on the phone quickly, thinking did I get the address wrong on one package but not the other, because it seems only the address on the package is checked, not the data entered in the system...As I was waiting on the phone for customer service I read the disclaimer on the site again. "Our telephone agents have access to the the same information presented here".......I should have read this as: "the person you will speak to on the phone has been trained to make you believe that they have less information than you. In addition, they cannot connect you with anyone else that has any relevant information. However, they will attempt to sooth you by telling you that now they have opened a service ticket relating to your package, everything possible is being done to resolve your problem. Any further calls will result in reiterated unessential information. And no attempt whatsoever will be made by customer service to put you in touch with a relevant person at the plant where your package is."

Here is an example of one of the conversation I endured: 

M I'm not interested in opening a service ticket. I've already done that.

CP Could I have the service ticket # ?

M Can't you trace the service ticket # with tracking # of the package. 

CPOh, I see it here. SO you haven't receive your package yet?

M No. I haven't received my package.

CP Well, It says here it was shipped to Montreal and then it was ........shipped back to Richmond.....and then back to Montreal. 

CP So we are tracking the package and someone will call you about your inquiry

M Excellent. So can you give me a ballpark date of when someone will call me.

CP Someone will call within 10 business days.

M So could I have the number of that person.

CP I'm sorry sir but I don't have any more information. You will have to wait for someone to call you regarding your service ticket. 

(Later)

M Can you tell me, what kind of protocols you have in place to safeguard against this?! I can understand the mistake being made once, but my computer will have traveled 6x across the country to arrive here. What shape are we thinking it will be in?

CP II'm not at the plant, sir so I can't tell you, although I see here Oct 13th is the date set for resolution.

M So what you're telling me is that I may not receive my computer until Oct 13th! 

CP That is not what I am saying, sir. I am saying, we will most likely be able to provide a resolution for you by that date.

M So basically you've lost my package, and you're telling me things are fine and not to get worked up when you are giving me no info past what I can already find on the tracking data on the website, no person to contact who can help more?! 

CP Actually sir it's not lost!

M WTF! Of course it's lost. Oh excuse me, It was lost in the plant in Montreal and now you've found it. Unfortunately, you've found it in Richmond. You just don't know where you found it because a machine checked it in.

CP All I can say is that you should have used guaranteed mail.

M I paid to have it insured. I didn't even need it to come in a week. I could have waited longer. But what i didn't expect was my package to pick up a lifetime of frequent flier miles!

To the credit of Canada Post, I met a postie on the street who spent time looking for me and called 2 days in a row with no helpful news, but at least he was calling. Again though, he was the only helpful person I encountered.  .In case you're wondering why I kept calling, it is because the person or person who was handling my ticket called once, offered little and hung up before I could get a number. Every call I made, regardless of the number, was routed to the customer service queue.  

 I'm going to use a story to illustrate the logic loop I became trapped in whenever I called Canada Post customer service.....

What if I was sitting in a restaurant and someone told me the price of the meal I was ordering and the meal never came? Then I asked the waitress where the food was and she said:

 "I don't know. My best guess is it's somewhere in the restaurant. Delivery of your food is not guaranteed. Next time you should use the guaranteed service to ensure your food gets to you."

So for some reason, you decide to order food at the same restaurant a second time, maybe it's the only place serving food  in a 500 mile radius, and you pay more for guaranteed service.

And then, when you haven't received your food the second time and you ask about it the waitress says:

"Sir, have we told you about our platinum members service? You pay twice the amount for your food and not only is there the promise of it arriving, it actually arrives!"

So that is a small example of the Monty-Python-esque bureaucracy I navigated through. Thankfully, my computer seems fine, the apple box itself was dirty but unscathed when I received it.

The second to last screenshot of tracking data, I was happy....but not until it actually came 2hrs later:

The moral of the story is, if you are going to use CP to ship something important...I highly recommend all services other than Canada Post.....I would even recommend Greyhound, who I have found quite reliable, but unfortunately they don't ensure electronics.

And as there were almost none in the rest of the post

Here are few random pics avec graffiti........