Blogcoven

A picture of Snow near Lincoln Gate

Winter hit Ireland like a bomb again this year. I’m definitely in the camp of those who think it’s pretty for about six hours, but then would really rather get back to the things that need to be done. It’s probably principally a result of living in the city centre, where pure white carpets become projectiles and/or brown muddy slush far too quickly.

One immediate problem with snow around Christmas is that it can make deliveries extremely unreliable. That can be a major hindrance when you, like me, prefer to do all your holiday shopping in one intense burst on Amazon and related sites.

It’s a complete mystery as to how these things get resolved. Amazon.us continues to be the most reliable, getting stuff to Ireland faster than Amazon.co.uk, admittedly for a higher cost. I was relying on two other services for a new PC which I have ordered. The first was a fairly small parcel service, and the second was the far-better-known company.

In both cases, the services decided that they couldn’t reach the delivery site to hand over the boxes, which was infuriating because the second company had just dropped a box off in the worst of the blizzard without a complaint. I ended up driving out the the depot in Sandyford. That proved fruitful, they were very helpful in getting my parcel, but it was somewhat treacherous escaping deep snow in the Industrial Estate.

Far more annoying is the issue with the second service. It always annoys me when customer support people use an avalanche of jargon-filled text to try and put off complaints. I don’t feel satisfied by that sort of stock response, and it doesn’t solve my problem. It’s also an irritation to discover that they not only haven’t got any idea when your parcel is ready, but that they have also closed the depot to customer pick-ups.

“Not only have we failed to fulfill our service to you, but you can’t take matters into your own hands to resolve it. Double inconvenience.”

Here’s hoping that the tracking system will update over the next few days to say that it’s done, but with New Year’s Day in the middle, it doesn’t seem likely.