Fire Bug

Today's blip is a Fire Bug. There were several of them running around on the pavement at the bus stop when I went to the post office this morning. Unfortunately, a few had already been stepped on by less observant people.

When I got home from work yesterday, I found a note in my letterbox for another parcel. Just like last week, I'd missed the postman by one hour because I'd already left for work. The note said that I could come and collect the parcel today from 11 am on, which is what I did, but when I got to the post office and the employee scanned the bar code  on the note, I was told that the parcel was not there and to come back on Monday.

This is the conversation that followed between me and the post office employee (what I said is in bold ):

"The note says that I could come and collect it this morning so why isn't my parcel here?


I don't know.

This is the second parcel in as many weeks that I'm having a problem with. Is there an email address that you can give me where I can make a complaint?


I can give you the number of the customer service (attempting to give me a card with the number).

I don't want their number. They already couldn't do anything for me with the previous parcel when I had a working bar code and knew who'd sent it to me. They're going to be even more useless this time because now I don't have either.


Then I cannot help you.

Well, tell me who can help me then?


I can give you the number of the customer service (attempting again to give me the card!)

I've just told you I don't want their number because they need a working bar code which I apparently don't have and I also cannot tell them who sent me the parcel because I don't know. So, who else can help me?


I don't know.

(At that time I was starting to get very frustrated and was about to lose my patience because I was getting nowhere with the employee.)

Perhaps I'd better start to let everyone who can possibly send me a parcel in future know not to send me anything anymore that won't fit through the opening of my letterbox because apparently I have nothing but trouble with your lot otherwise trying to collect it !! (whereupon I left.)"


Seeing as the customer service is making me go around in circles both on the phone and with their online forms, the third and only option left to me to complain about both parcels is to actually write a letter to the address that I've eventually managed to find.

I suspect that the second parcel is from someone who's sending me a present for my birthday next week but I won't actually know who it's from until I've received and opened it.

Most of the anger and frustration about the post office's incompetence have gone now and I presently just feel hugely fed up and disappointed with them. So much for having a relaxed and stress free holiday!

My brother is coming over tomorrow and after meeting up with him at the station, we're going out for an early birthday lunch at the town centre.

A big thank you for all the comments and stars on my last two blips.

My apologies for the very long write up.