by Claire Palmer
University of Worcester
Well, I've had another adventure! A few weeks ago, my family sent me a care package, including some essentials, and the drama that ensued is one of those "that would only happen to Claire" things!
Firstly, after tracking my package for a bit and seeing it was in a storage location on this side of the pond, I patiently waited for the status to change to "en route for delivery"...but it didn't. Then, last Wednesday night, as I was checking my school email from the US (which I usually do of the evening because of the time difference, plus I was sick and resting that day because I used the nasty-air underground too much in London), I saw an email from student services here saying that I urgently needed to contact UPS about an issue by the end of the day, or I would face a penalty...aaand of course it was 7:05, and UPS's contacts close at 7:00. So the next day at about 9:00 AM, after getting a response from student services that I was on my own and needed to contact UPS directly, I sat down with my breakfast and phoned the company to ask what was going on- just when my phone ran out of air time. After a run to the nearest grocery store to fill up my card, I came back, and spoke to a heroic employee who explained that I needed to fill out some forms and get them to UPS before my package could be delivered. Why they didn't contact me or my family directly instead of telling my school on the last day is beyond me! So I had to print off the forms, fill them out, spend about 30 minutes waiting for a proper computer and scanner to use, then send them, along with my certificate of registration for the University of Worcester to prove that I was a student, to the employee I spoke with on the phone to prevent any more delays and fines. The package was scheduled to come that Friday, but of course when I checked its status, it said that the first delivery attempt failed! So yesterday, I went to the campus post office after class to see if I could find out why it wasn't able to be delivered, but no one knew. I decided to come back about an hour before they closed to see if it had come, and, thank goodness, someone working knew what was going on! It turned out that when UPS came on Friday, they wanted me to pay my penalty in cash- which, of course, they did not tell me-, and left when I wasn't there. Apparently they left some information about it, which was never relayed to me. So I gave the post office my mobile number to call me when they did arrive, and when they called, I dramatically sprinted through the rain, gave the UPS guy his blood money (£28.80), and was finally united with my box. It was a beautiful moment that included the rain stopping and someone playing victorious-sounding music out of their flat's window on my walk back.
That took way more effort than it should have. So, to all students studying abroad who want a care package or anything else shipped to them from home, please be 100% sure that you know the procedures of the shipping company you're using! Look at reviews online, ask friends or the post office, or ask the company directly! I was quite disappointed that we were not contacted about needing to provide extra information, which pretty much forced us to pay almost $45 that we had no way of knowing about, then once again with them not telling us about needing to pay in person.
But on the bright side, I'm going to be making fried chicken by my grandmother's recipe with some southern sides for my New Zealander and Canadian friends tonight, so I will eat away my festering feelings of anger at the delivery gods. I also have some boxes of Jello chocolate pudding from my care package (which is nonexistent here, unfortunately for the English), and will be visiting Cadbury World (yes, the chocolate!!!) in Birmingham on Saturday, so hopefully after some chocolate induced comas, I'll find it in my heart to forgive UPS's heinous crimes of miscommunication.
See you, Space Cowboy!
University of Worcester
Well, I've had another adventure! A few weeks ago, my family sent me a care package, including some essentials, and the drama that ensued is one of those "that would only happen to Claire" things!
Firstly, after tracking my package for a bit and seeing it was in a storage location on this side of the pond, I patiently waited for the status to change to "en route for delivery"...but it didn't. Then, last Wednesday night, as I was checking my school email from the US (which I usually do of the evening because of the time difference, plus I was sick and resting that day because I used the nasty-air underground too much in London), I saw an email from student services here saying that I urgently needed to contact UPS about an issue by the end of the day, or I would face a penalty...aaand of course it was 7:05, and UPS's contacts close at 7:00. So the next day at about 9:00 AM, after getting a response from student services that I was on my own and needed to contact UPS directly, I sat down with my breakfast and phoned the company to ask what was going on- just when my phone ran out of air time. After a run to the nearest grocery store to fill up my card, I came back, and spoke to a heroic employee who explained that I needed to fill out some forms and get them to UPS before my package could be delivered. Why they didn't contact me or my family directly instead of telling my school on the last day is beyond me! So I had to print off the forms, fill them out, spend about 30 minutes waiting for a proper computer and scanner to use, then send them, along with my certificate of registration for the University of Worcester to prove that I was a student, to the employee I spoke with on the phone to prevent any more delays and fines. The package was scheduled to come that Friday, but of course when I checked its status, it said that the first delivery attempt failed! So yesterday, I went to the campus post office after class to see if I could find out why it wasn't able to be delivered, but no one knew. I decided to come back about an hour before they closed to see if it had come, and, thank goodness, someone working knew what was going on! It turned out that when UPS came on Friday, they wanted me to pay my penalty in cash- which, of course, they did not tell me-, and left when I wasn't there. Apparently they left some information about it, which was never relayed to me. So I gave the post office my mobile number to call me when they did arrive, and when they called, I dramatically sprinted through the rain, gave the UPS guy his blood money (£28.80), and was finally united with my box. It was a beautiful moment that included the rain stopping and someone playing victorious-sounding music out of their flat's window on my walk back.
That took way more effort than it should have. So, to all students studying abroad who want a care package or anything else shipped to them from home, please be 100% sure that you know the procedures of the shipping company you're using! Look at reviews online, ask friends or the post office, or ask the company directly! I was quite disappointed that we were not contacted about needing to provide extra information, which pretty much forced us to pay almost $45 that we had no way of knowing about, then once again with them not telling us about needing to pay in person.
But on the bright side, I'm going to be making fried chicken by my grandmother's recipe with some southern sides for my New Zealander and Canadian friends tonight, so I will eat away my festering feelings of anger at the delivery gods. I also have some boxes of Jello chocolate pudding from my care package (which is nonexistent here, unfortunately for the English), and will be visiting Cadbury World (yes, the chocolate!!!) in Birmingham on Saturday, so hopefully after some chocolate induced comas, I'll find it in my heart to forgive UPS's heinous crimes of miscommunication.
See you, Space Cowboy!