The Vent and Rant Thread

[ApK]

As it happens, I also have a package floating somewhere in the FedEx system, with info that keeps changing. I was just commenting last night that for a company who's entire job is moving and tracking packages, they seem to not do it very well, compared to the others. I certainly have the occasional issue with UPS, sometimes Amazon, and, rarely, the USPS, but lately when I see a package is coming by FedEx, I cringe, knowing that all bets on delivery dates are off.

[binaryhermit]

Originally Posted by ApK

Wasn't KitKat when they started trying to kill external storage? If so, I agree.

Yes, yes it was. But I was specifically thinking of the retirement of the holo blue theme (and then a bunch of feature downgrades later)

[poohbear_nc]

Originally Posted by ApK

As it happens, I also have a package floating somewhere in the FedEx system, with info that keeps changing. I was just commenting last night that for a company who's entire job is moving and tracking packages, they seem to not do it very well, compared to the others. I certainly have the occasional issue with UPS, sometimes Amazon, and, rarely, the USPS, but lately when I see a package is coming by FedEx, I cringe, knowing that all bets on delivery dates are off.

My Fed-Ex package just arrived - exactly 1 week!

My Amazon experience - up to last night - has been stellar - with most 2-day packages delivered a day early.
Last night I was on the watch for packages - as it was about to begin raining - and consulting the Amazon app I was astonished to discover that my packages had been "personally handed off to a resident at the delivery address". My Amazon delivery instructions are "Leave on front porch". So I checked the front porch = empty. I checked the back steps and found my packages strewn on the steps getting rained on. I hope our neighborhood hasn't gotten a new rogue delivery person.

[ApK]

Originally Posted by poohbear_nc

I was astonished to discover that my packages had been "personally handed off to a resident at the delivery address". My Amazon delivery instructions are "Leave on front porch". So I checked the front porch = empty. I checked the back steps and found my packages strewn on the steps getting rained on. I hope our neighborhood hasn't gotten a new rogue delivery person.

I also have recently seen the ""personally handed off to a resident at the delivery address" on some Amazon deliveries that have just been left on the porch of my empty house. No strewing across the steps yet fortunately, but I suspect Amazon has implemented some poorly designed incentive system that encourages the deliver folks to lie.

Other people just suck.

[silverraven]

Originally Posted by ApK

I also have recently seen the ""personally handed off to a resident at the delivery address" on some Amazon deliveries that have just been left on the porch of my empty house. No strewing across the steps yet fortunately, but I suspect Amazon has implemented some poorly designed incentive system that encourages the deliver folks to lie.

Other people just suck.

I must be very lucky with my delivery drivers. They actually take a picture of the delivery when it's one of the Amazon drivers. Of course, we actually have 3 warehouses within a 45 minute drive from my house, so maybe that makes a difference?
S

[BetterRed]

There was a time when all I needed to pay a bill was a cheque book and a pen, and to get some cash the same cheque book and pen, plus a bank branch and teller. Now I need a debit card, a credit card, a smartphone, a computer, the ability to figure out how to drive a dozen ATM variants, and a myriad of different EFTPOS terminals.

So, I had a problem with my account, it was blocked. The person on the phone tells me it is because I made a transfer to an account they hadn't seen me transact with before, and that I have to go to a bank branch to show them a 100 points of id - who knows what that is.

Back in the day, I could walk to a bank branch, now I have to take a 20 minute bus ride. So I go the bank, my satchel loaded with everything I have, photo-id, debit and credit cards, medicare card, passport, birth cert, marriage certs, divorce decrees etc etc.

I show the teller my photo-id, debit and medicare cards which she says is enough. She tap-a-de-taps on her keyboard, and then says: "There's a queue it'll be about an hour." I go: "Eh, whaddya mean there's a queue, there's only one person waiting and they're behind me." She goes "No, there's a queue on the phone - go sit over there and I'll call you when they answer."

A bit over an hour later she calls me over, we wait a bit, the phone squawks she talks to someone and then says "It's okay now, your account is unblocked." We wish one another a happy Christmas, flabbergasted I walk out shaking my head - 2 hours to undo something that I didn't do - the transfer in question was for a whopping $500.

I'm convinced that the more we rely on technology the less we get done.

BR

[cc_in_oh]

Sheesh - I could see a temporary hold on the transaction until they contact you to confirm, but that seems ridiculous...

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by cc_in_oh

Sheesh - I could see a temporary hold on the transaction until they contact you to confirm, but that seems ridiculous...

I think I missed an SMS on my mobile asking for confirmation, so they flagged it as a possible fraudulent transaction, hence the kerfuffle. That the teller had to wait in the same telephone queue as customers was the surprising bit - luckily I had something to read.

BR

[cc_in_oh]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

I think I missed an SMS on my mobile asking for confirmation, so they flagged it as a possible fraudulent transaction, hence the kerfuffle. That the teller had to wait in the same telephone queue as customers was the surprising bit - luckily I had something to read.

BR

In that case maybe not altogether unreasonable to block account, though their process could benefit from some streamlining...

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by cc_in_oh

In that case maybe not altogether unreasonable to block account, though their process could benefit from some streamlining...

They'd probably say their customer could benefit if he were a bit less gadget averse and remember to look at his phone more than once a day - and turn the volume up so that he hears it.

Have a good Christmas

[cc_in_oh]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

They'd probably say their customer could benefit if he were a bit less gadget averse and remember to look at his phone more than once a day - and turn the volume up so that he hears it.

Have a good Christmas

Thanks - merry Christmas to you and everyone who celebrates it...

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by cc_in_oh

In that case maybe not altogether unreasonable to block account, though their process could benefit from some streamlining...

I've had exactly this happen. I have a personal email account that is woefully neglected, as 99.99% of my email comes in to my business. And yup, my bank sent me an alert (to my smartphone, which I've told them umpteen times does not work inside my home, due to a cell reception dead spot and) to my email. Did I see either? Noooooooooooo, I did not.

And what happened? A whole boatload of issues when they locked the account. RIGHTLY, as it happens, mind you. It was an identity thief testing the account to see if smaller transactions went undetected--which was, inconveniently, followed by my own transactions at unfamiliar-to-the-bank vendors. (sigh).

It's inconvenient and infuriating when it happens, (3x for me), but they saved my ass.

Merry Christmas and Happy Boxing Day, for those who celebrate same.

Hitch

[CRussel]

FWIW, Hitch, I'm in a dead spot at home, too. But Rogers lets me enable WiFi in such a way that I get texts and phone calls even when I'm in a dead zone, as long as I have a solid WiFi connection. This _might_ be limited to iPhones, not sure, or only a Rogers thing. But worth investigating.

[issybird]

Damn it all, I did it again. Inadvertently bought a Kindle book yesterday. And I only discovered it when I checked the spam in my shopping email just now.

People really, really should be able to turn off one-click on Kindle purchases. It’s too easy for a random touch to activate it.

[cc_in_oh]

Although I'm pretty careful about monitoring transactions and balances and have credit bureau fraud alerts activated, I've started to seriously consider one of the identity protection services...