Not How You Want Your (very expensive) New Laptop to Arrive

[lydamorehouse]

 
Image: a cardboard box that has seen better days... unfortunately, it is "brand new" and on the inside is thousands of dollars worth of a new laptop.

I have a reputation among laptops. All because of THAT ONE TIME I dropped a frozen turkey on a laptop (it's a long, sad story.) And, okay, maybe dumped coffee onto a keyboard or two... and that one I dropped on its hard drive, while it was running.... BUT FINE, the point is, there is no reason to suicide on your way to my house, laptop! You were going to be the special one! I was going to treat you right!! 

In all seriousness, the FedEx drive could not have acted more suspiciously. First of all, we were told we would be asked to sign for the package. I have been carrying a mask around the house so that I could be ready, at a moment's notice, to hop up.  When the driver showed up, he wasn't wearing a mask and  so I was hesitant to step outside. He never asked for a signature, dumped the thing on our stoop, and then was like, "Yeah, I just needed to know you were home..." all but ran away from the scene of the CRIME.

I am currently on hold at B&H photo. Technically, they're supposed to call me back once I'm through the queue, but my wait time was supposed to be an hour... over an hour ago.  

The problem, of course, is that I can't return the computer if I open the package any further. I don't KNOW if the computer has been damaged, but I would like to report this to B&H, so that they will allow me to return it. We took a ton of pictures of the package, but... you know, I would just like to talk to someone so that they can also make their complaint to FedEx, if need be.

The kicker? PASSOVER IS COMING.

B&H will be completely closed the entire TWO weeks for Passover starting tomorrow so I need answers FAST. (In a hilarious story, we didn't realize how Orthodox B&H was until we tried to place our order for this computer on a Friday night after sundown in NYC. We got a lovely little pop-up dialogue box that explained that our information had been saved, but they were now closed for the Sabbath. Which, I found deeply charming and so very New York, you know?)  Anyway, we will get no progress for two weeks, if we can't get through to someone before tomorrow.

I am so bummed.

AND THIS TIME IT'S NOT MY FAULT, I SWEAR!!

==========

UPDATE: They were only 10 minutes over their estimated wait time, I am just a complainer. Lyle (LeRoy?) at B&H was fantastic, we are best friends forever, and he's going to fix this. I have sent photos of the box damage to the shipping people and they will tell me what to do next and did I mention that I love B&H forever and they will always get my business.

Comments

[rachelmanija]

Nooooooo!

[lydamorehouse]

And PASSOVER IS COMING!! But, seriously, when I finally talked to the B&H guy, I was reassured that they feel my pain and that they would FIX everything.

[yhlee]

Oh no! That's so discouraging. I hope you're able to find a resolution soon.

[lydamorehouse]

I had a very funny conversation with Lyle(?) in which we discussed that the REAL problem is how everything is just numbers to all the other companies, but now that I am talking to a real person everything will be OKAY and I BELIEVE IN LYLE (or LeRoy.)

[sabotabby]

OH NO but at least they'll fix it?

[lydamorehouse]

I suspect I will have to ship it back? But, I can be patient. It will be fixed in some fashion, this I believe.

Well!

[lsanderson]

I had to return one motherboard to them, and it was quite painless. (While it ain't none of my business, I hope you threw caution to the wind and used their credit service, which covers the sales tax.)

Re: Well!

[lydamorehouse]

I... will have to ask my wife.

We missed the cut-off, so I haven't heard back from the shipping people. If it becomes available to me, I will definitely take it!

[pameladean]

That is a terribly dismaying sight! Yikes!

David orders photo equipment and supplies from B&H, and has for years, so he too has occasionally run into their closing times if he wasn't paying attention. They are overall, as you say, absolutely great.

FedEx Guy should totally have been wearing a mask, good God; and that is pretty clearly not his only transgression, either. I hope you get a working laptop in an intact box soonest.

P.

[lydamorehouse]

Well, soonest is going to be post Passover at this point, but that's fine.

[bibliofile]

Yikes! Glad you got to talk to a helpful person though.

(Two weeks for Passover? Huh.)

[lydamorehouse]

I guess if you are very Orthodox, there is a second Passover? https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passover#Second_Passover

Maybe?

[squirrelitude]

My guess would be that it got banged up in the distribution center, rather than in last-mile transit. I've heard that those 10-ft tosses of packages from curb to porch are nothing compared to what happens at the distribution centers. :-X

[lydamorehouse]

I'm sure that's true. I do believe the deliverer knew we would possibly be mad about something that was likely not his fault and did everything to avoid dealing with a confrontation. I mean, I maybe don't blame him? But, it was still a little underhanded, you know?

[squirrelitude]

Oh yeah, absolutely. Someone can be caught in the middle between things they can't control... and also be really kinda sketchy themselves, as well. :-)

(The not-wearing-a-mask thing is strong evidence for the latter all by itself. :-/)

[j00j]

Yeah, I've seen a lot of blase fedex drivers lately. An unmasked guy tried to *hand me a package* while I was also unmasked because I wasn't expecting a delivery and was just puttering in my own yard. I asked him to put it down many feet away and he did, thank you.
I'm wondering if part of this is that they get used to sketchy situations they see all day? I'd like to think it's not because the individual drivers don't give a fuck, but also please don't breathe on me, thanks.

[squirrelitude]

Yeah, it's so weird! These are people who are in a job where they're in close proximity to hundreds of people all day every day, with the only bright side being that they're not sharing indoor airspace with the customers. You'd think they'd be extra conscientious.

I wonder if there's any kind of class thing going on here? (I don't know what social and economic classes delivery drivers tend to correlate with.) I only know how people in my own neighborhood behave (pretty high mask compliance) but maybe there are a lot of neighborhoods where almost nobody wears masks. That could do it -- when enough people don't wear masks, other people tend to drop their masks too, because they feel self-conscious or like "well if you're not gonna shoulder any of the burden, I'm not gonna either". And delivery drivers are going to be exposed to people in all types of neighborhoods.

[pegkerr]

I had ordered some replacement dishes on eBay, and I happened to be on the porch when the FedEx driver arrived. He was apparently in a hurry, and he put the box on the step so carelessly that IT TUMBLED BACK DOWN A FLIGHT OF STEPS. Good thing the shipper packed it so carefully, but yeah, not impressed with FedEx.