Chapter 5. The un-delivery

Yesterday from the very morning I was waiting. I knew the bassoon has been shipped the night before with DHL and that over night it was transported to Capel Hendre from where it was supposed to be delivered to me. 

The day before I talked to Mike and Jeremy from Spiel Productions and we decided to try to make a short documentary about the whole thing; so as soon as I saw that the courier has taken the parcel out for delivery I let them know. They came to my place around noon and we were waiting. 

Somehow we started talking about all the un-deliveries we experienced but I remember saying "It's not with Royal Mail so there shouldn't be any problems this time.". I couldn't have known how wrong I was nor how prophetic the subject was. The time was flying by and we were waiting checking now and then if there is already a 'Sorry, you were out' note at the door. 

Then just after 2pm I checked the status again. Updated at 14:06 it read: status DELIVERED, signatory UNABLE TO PARK. Right, delivered. Not without trouble but we have found a customer service number and I dialled. Surprisingly soon I was connected to an advisor who told me that my parcel has been delivered and even if it wasn't it is not overdue yet so there is nothing to complain about. Then she admitted that in fact it hasn't been delivered which was due to the poor driver being unable to park his car and she offered that if I gave her my phone number she will pass it to the driver so he can call me tomorrow for help if he has nowhere to park again. I remember saying that I don't live in a centre of a very busy city and there is plenty of space around and if he has problems with parking here he might be better off calling somebody else for help, saying how ridiculous the whole conversation is and asking her to log an official complaint. Quite obviously she wasn't able to do so and instead I was given an email address where I should send my complaint. 

So 'that was it' we thought when I put down the phone. But then Mike looked through the window and started shouting 'Quick, there's a DHL van out there!'. At first I didn't believe it but Jeremy looked out and started running downstairs. Soon we were all in front of the house just to find out that it is another van with another parcel for another house. Down again. 

We all must have looked very disappointed which caught the other driver's interest and after we told him the story he offered his help. He called his office and established that it wasn't a DHL courier who had my bassoon at all but  a guy called John who works for the Home un-Deliveries*. Then he called John asking where he is and why didn't he do his job and was not less surprised then I to hear the excuse. The hill was too steep and he couldn't get his car up there. At this moment the kind driver looked really ashamed. He tried to explain to John that it is possible, that he's got his big van in front of the house right now and that there are two ways to 'do' Clifton Hill'. Either you drive or if you cannot you have to walk with the parcel up the hill. John had non of it. He said the most he can do is to be at the bottom of the hill in 20 minutes and I if I want to have my parcel I will have to walk down to meet him there. 

Did I have a choice? I walked down the hill. 

* There is a reason why I put a link to those undeliverers' website. It's not the first time I had trouble with them and I sincerely may recommend you not to use them. Avoid them whenever possible. If you think you cannot think again. It comes at the price sometimes but it is possible. Thanks to those guys I stopped buying off Amazon.