Deliver Us From This Bad Service

I am waiting for a parcel to be delivered at home. From the notification I received, the courier should be at my place between 3 PM and 5 PM, and for my own peace of mind, I am home since 2 PM.

The clock strikes three, and I get an email “your parcel has been delivered”, but I have seen no courier at my door. Thinking that maybe the courier has marked the delivery as completed while on the way, I wait. And I wait. And I wait. 

5 PM arrives, and I have seen no courier or my parcel. I check outside, just in case it has been dropped outside without ringing the doorbell, but there is nothing in sight. I even check in the bin of the recycled paper, as it once happened that a parcel was dropped there, and it just contains folded cardboard boxes to be disposed of.

I get inside and notify the shipping company that I haven’t received the parcel. 

Two days later, a courier from the company rings my doorbell and, as soon as I open the door, in a rather brusque tone and without letting me talk, tells me:

Courier: “You reported me for a missed delivery, but I have delivered your parcel!”

Me: “Really? Where?”

He smugly goes to my paper bin, opens it, and looks inside, seeing what I saw: just paper and cardboard to be disposed of. Without missing a beat, he goes on a rant:

Courier: “Listen, I deliver thousands of parcels every day, and I can’t remember every single one. But I delivered your parcel!”

Me: “If that’s true, where is my parcel?”

He goes into his van, screaming:

Courier: “I delivered your parcel!”

Shaking my head, I relay the entire story to the delivery company and the shop that sent the parcel, who both tell me they will investigate further.

After three days, I get a notification that my parcel has been left at the neighbor’s living three houses down the road. Apparently, giving me that information in person was too much.