sashinka | observation orientated, with a twist of lime | a blog

Telecoms modernity update

Well, seems like your Telecoms Rebbe spoke too soon.

I'd ordered the phone online from Carphone Warehouse, got it shipped to my friend's parents' in Edgware, we were all good to go.

Then, yesterday Dawn from the Carphone warehouse calls me.

"Due to postal fraud in the HA8 postcode, we can't deliver your item to the delivery address, it has to be the billing address."

What if I lived there, I asked?

"Oh, then we'd deliver it."

So can't you?

"No. postal fraud."

Sounds worse than the two usual-suspect excuses (dataprotection and healthandsafety).

Well, where can you deliver it?

"Your address. Billing address."

But my friend doesn't live here. It's a gift (I decide not to explain the international online bartering nature of our arrangement. It probably invalidates the order).

"Tough." Or words to that effect - would you like to cancel the order.

So, after a lot of negotiation, we agreed that it will be delivered to their Edgware shop. But then she said it would be for my attention, and I'd have to take my ID to Edgware to get it.

That's stupid, I say, you might as well deliver it to me, which doesn't work.

Eventually, we agree that it can be delivered for my friend's attention at the store. Except, then my friend has to go get it in person, and she's in Israel. Hence problem. Sheesh. So we agree anyone with her family name, and ID. And then, we have to agree a password for collection. Because, there's loads of people in Edgware trying to collect a thrity quid PAYG mobile phone.

And then, they send me email confirmation, and they have spelled my friend's family name wrong.

Who said modernity was seamlessly intergrated/easy. Never disallow for human error.