Archive for the ‘Rant’ Category
Tuesday, November 21st, 2006
Do you ever get home and see that post-it note on your door when you’re expecting a fun or important delivery? Post-its are nice, but I really prefer packages. Then after reading carefully your heart drops when you see that the sender included a signature requirement.
I have some serious frustration issues with packages that are sent via UPS or FedEx with a signature requirement for residential deliveries. Today I got just such a post-it for a UPS overnight delivery. They were willing to pay the big bucks to ensure that it got there the next day… at 10:30 AM… at my house. Wait - a better way to say it is that they paid to guarantee that the package would get there the next day with a virtual guarantee (10:30AM M-F … don’t other people work at that time) that I would not be there to get the package, with a guarantee that I actually got it (signature), if I happened to get it. I suppose my frustration should be with the sender - but why is there customer demand for this service.
I called UPS at 7:30 to change the delivery address to my workplace. Because it was after the 7:00 closing time the address change would not go through until Friday (since Thursday is a holiday). Well nobody is going to be at my office on Friday to pick up the package because it’s the Friday after Thanksgiving. Since UPS doesn’t deliver on Saturday or Sunday my overnight package will have reached me in six short days.
I remember when I ordered my iBook a couple years ago Apple put this same requirement on the package. Shocker I was not there between the hours of 10:30AM and 2:00PM with a smile on my face and pen in hand. I called UPS and there were further instructions on the package that the destination could not be changed and it could not be picked up at the UPS office. So it needed to go through several delivery attempts, then three days back to Cupertino. After calling Apple they would not ship it to my work because that address was not the billing address of my credit card, so I had to call my credit card to get that address added, then call Apple back to schedule delivery.
Perhaps I sit up on a pedestal in my white-collar world, but don’t most people work 9-6 type hours like I do? You’d think Apple and UPS would be spinning their wheels constantly because of this issue - but I am made to feel like I am unreasonable by working 9-6 and by not taking a day off of work to accept a delivery. I mean, wouldn’t it serve residential customers of UPS, FedEx, and retailers better by choosing different hours?
UPDATE - UPS broke their rules and called me back at around 8:15 with someone who promised to get my delivery redirected to my work for tomorrow.
Posted in Rant, Service | 2 Comments »
Friday, October 6th, 2006
A mac keyboard is funny. It has F14, F15, and F16 keys… that is unless you’re on a notebook computer in which case they’ve admitted that those keys are useless. On the flip side - the keyboard contains home and end keys, which for some godawful reason just plain don’t work (unless you’re using a Microsoft product). My suggestion - get rid of the F14, F15, and F16 keys and actually make home and end work.
A typical PC keybard is not without its gems. The red-headed step-children of the keyboard are in exile in the upper right hand - SysRq, Scroll Lock, and Pause. Then you’ve got the Num Lock - couldn’t we have gotten rid of this once all keyboards had arrow keys built-in. Does anyone ever NOT want num lock on? I like how it’s so strange to have num-lock on, that it warrants a little LED light to tell you that its on - just like caps lock. My suggestion, get rid of the arrows on the number keys and subsequently number lock - then turn the step-children keys into ctrl-alt-delete to make life easier on Windows.
Posted in Computer, Rant | No Comments »
Thursday, August 3rd, 2006
Blogs are used to vent, so here are some statistics that enrage me. Through this honest expose’ I hope to squash the fire within.
No RSVP Sent: 36.9%
RSVP Sent: 63.1%
Coerced Response: 14.3%
Unknown: 23.8%
Now, these were self-addressed stamped envelopes. All people needed to do is write a number and drop the thing in the mail. They were given a month to perform this onerous task. For those who are technologically savvy (or suffer from USPSphobia) we provided an email address people could use (special shout-out to the one person who used it - you know who you are).
With these percentages you may be asking yourself if we just invited random people out of the phone book. Believe it or not, we actually know these people. I am not sure what to make of all this.
While I was trying to coerce a response, one person declared that according to the etiquette books he read (you know who you are), you are to only send an RSVP if you will be attending. I did a quick search on Amazon for etiquette books and kids, there are some good ones out there. The first hit is a book by Emily Post, a well-known authority on the subject. I wonder what she has to say about the subject:
From the French, it means “Répondez, s’il vous plaît,” or, “Please reply.” This little code has been around for a long time and it’s definitely telling you that your hosts want to know if you are attending. Reply promptly, within a day or two of receiving an invitation.
How about the second hit, Etiquette for Dummies? Surely an etiquette book connoisseur like this wouldn’t miss that treasure trove of excitement. Well that book says (in a special TIP section):
RSVP means respond either way, yes or no. Regrets only means the guest should contact the host only if not attending.
Maybe he (along with 36.9% of you) read the slightly less popular Etiquette for Smarties.
Posted in Rant, Wedding | No Comments »
