The printer we purchased less than a month ago ran low on ink. We needed to print important papers for a meeting the next day. We planned to drive to Target or OfficeMax to buy printer ink, but Amazon offered to deliver ink by 10pm that same day.
I texted my parents: “We ordered printer ink at 4:36pm today from Amazon. It is supposed to arrive by 10pm tonight.” At one point, Amazon’s site indicated the delivery driver was three stops away.
The Delivery
After watching a movie about a woman who delivers supernatural powers, we checked on Amazon’s delivery. A 7:48pm message on its website read, “Your package was delivered. It was handed directly to a resident.” But no one had rung the doorbell. We didn’t see a package at the front door. I walked outside and didn’t see a delivery. I checked the mailbox. No delivery.
At 9:31pm, I spoke with someone at Amazon and expressed my concern that someone delivered the printer ink to the wrong house. She asked if I had checked with my neighbors. I explained I didn’t want to start walking neighbor to neighbor, knocking on their doors at nighttime. She asked if we were willing to wait until tomorrow to receive the printer ink. I pointed out if Amazon couldn’t deliver the ink that night, we simply would buy the ink at a nearby store. When she repeated the same question, I asked to speak with a manager.
The Manager
The supervisor, Junrey, asked if I had attempted to communicate with our neighbors. I said if Amazon could determine which neighbor might have received our delivery, then I could try to contact that specific home. She asked me if we have a mailbox.
“I checked the mailbox,” I said. “It’s not in there.”
Junrey then looked at a map and asked if we had checked with a specific neighbor. I checked Google Maps to clarify which neighbor she referred to. The building she appeared to be talking about is our community’s clubhouse. Junrey then tried to contact the carrier.
The Carrier
She told me the carrier had accidentally marked the package as delivered. She said the driver actually had not delivered the package and was still on the way. Junrey asked if we were willing to receive the package by “probably” tomorrow.
I asked, “Is she still delivering packages at this hour or did she go home for the night?”
She said the carrier still might deliver the package “within this day.”
“Do you have any idea what time tomorrow she would deliver it?” I asked. She said by 4pm.
“Do you know what went wrong,” I asked. Junrey said she didn’t know.
“Are you saying it’s still possible they could come tonight?” I asked.
“Yes sir,” she replied. “According to the carrier sir.”
“It’s 10pm here already,” I explained. She then discussed providing us a replacement or refund.
The Envelope
We decided to walk to the clubhouse to check if the delivery driver dropped off the printer ink there. As we walked toward the clubhouse, I noticed a large envelope resting against the light post at the end of our driveway. The envelope included our printer ink. The confusion delivered us questions: Why did the driver leave the envelope at the end of our driveway near the road instead of dropping it off at our front door as usual? Did the driver leave the envelope earlier that night at the end of the driveway? Or did the driver drop the envelope off while I spoke with Junrey on the phone?
I shared this story with my parents. My mom explained a problem she and my dad experienced with a pet food company delivering dog food for their golden retriever. She asked the pet food company to no longer employ third-party drivers when dropping off their dog’s deliveries. I already knew this and told my mom this was the third time she had delivered me that story.
