Now I Know What Happened to my Harry Potter Book!

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It finally arrived!

The last time I had heard anything about my copy of the Harry Potter book that was supposed to be delivered to me last Saturday was when United Parcel Service (UPS) called me Saturday morning to inform me that they don't deliver to post office boxes. Well, duh, I knew that! They were supposed to deliver the book to my post office who, as it so happens, does deliver to post office boxes! UPS wanted my residential address, and said that they would not be able to get my book to me until sometime this week. GAH! Which of course, made me all snappy and cranky and bitchy even after I went out and bought another copy of the Harry Potter book.

As it turned out, the Harry Potter book that Amazon sent to me was not delivered to my apartment on Saturday, as Amazon promised, nor on Sunday. Nor was the book delivered to my apartment on Monday, Tuesday or even today, as UPS said they would do. I also checked my post office box each day, hoping that UPS had delivered the book there, as they originally should have done.

After all my angst, it appears that UPS did finally get their shit together because delivered my book, along with 125 others, to my post office branch yesterday -- only three-and-a-half days late!

WTF?? The postman told me the details of the delivery itself, and also informed me that the UPS man had asked the post office clerk to sign a postdated delivery slip showing that UPS delivered the Harry Potter books on the 21st instead of the afternoon of the 24th, nevermind that the post office already had hundreds of Harry Potter books that were delivered to them last Saturday, as they should have been.

"Well," I told the postman. "It looks like UPS screwed up because Amazon guaranteed they would refund the purchase price for any Harry Potter book that was not delivered on Saturday."

"Oh-HOH!" said the postman appreciatively. He was clearly eager to share this little piece of information with his colleagues.

I wonder how many other people also had similar experiences? I wonder what Amazon is going to do about this? I mean, I thought this entire thing was Amazon's fault, but it appears that UPS was the culprit instead.

Avada kedavra UPS, you lying deatheaters!

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Hmm. Perhaps you could find out who was responsible for this cock-up, and then ring them and explain that the book arrived late, and whereas you had arranged the weekend to read it, you're now too busy. So, could they give you a summary of the plot.

I would suggest pursuing this with UPS: your post office should be able to help you find other people who had the same problem (I reckon they've been getting it in the neck for the past few days too).

Bob

As I have commented on other Harry Potter discussions, if you like that, you should really move on to Jonathan Stroud's "Bartimaeus Trilogy". I mention this often, because everyone I have given the books to has loved them. Occasionally I meet other commentators on sites who have read them, and they all recommend it.

It is Harry Potter with a cynical edge and very funny.

http://www.bartimaeustrilogy.com/about.html

Here in France, it's the postal service which is unbelievably bad; so bad that private services like UPS are rather commonly used despite the extra cost (especially for any sort of package).

As one notable example, La Poste actually managed to destroy a (small) reenforced plastic protective shipping case. Those things are tough: You can jump up and down on them and, at the most, it will slightly dent. The one I got was smashed flat--completely destroyed--albeit it did do its job, the actual contents were Ok.

Late delivery is routine (including mail from La Poste itself!). Missing letters and magazines happen. Astonishingly late delivery (i.e., months and months late) sometimes happens. The queues in the post offices are not of Italian proportions, but can still be rather daunting.

I still don't understand what UPS was doing with Amazon deliveries in the first place ... everything I have ever ordered from Amazon (including my HP) comes USPS.

But I guess they do things differently in the Big City!

And I heartily second that Jonathan Stroud's "Bartimaeus Trilogy" recommendation.

Similar experience. I made the mistake of having a pair of books shipped to my office address. I actually went to the office and waited there until nearly noon before I said screw it and went to Target and bought a copy for my wife. We checked two more times through the day (around 2PM and around 8PM).

Sunday, UPS claimed on the their tracker that the delivery person had failed to deliver on Saturday because no one answered the door and that they had left a notice (the tracker wasn't updated at all on Saturday). They actually delivered on Monday. And looking at the box, it was clearly marked that it should have been left EVEN IF NO ONE ANSWERED THE DOOR. And we never saw a notice on the door.

Hey - I might actually be eligible for the refund since they actually noted on the tracker that they failed to deliver....

By Benjamin Franz (not verified) on 26 Jul 2007 #permalink

I've bought mine from a british on line store.
Usually things need 5 days to come here in south Italy. But this one is taking a lot more since has been shippend the 16 july (don't ask me how).
Few weeks ago here some postal office workers has been arrested here becouse find stealing from the pakages so I'm afraid I will never see that books :(

After a few days of angst about the availability of the book without special order or a reservtion at a local bookstore, I stopped in at the Galleria B&N in Houston on Saturday morning after buying G/S some chocolate-covered espresso beans at Chocolate designs to find dozens of copies stacked up. Sheesh. Now I am about the last reading person in America who does not know how Harry Potter fares in the end, although Grrl Scientist gave away one spoiler to me already and may have passed the biggest one to me in a private conversation yesterday(good thing you are 1500 miles away, G/S). I have been too busy with other matters to have read further than p. 168, but I am savoring the story a little at a time. Being a convert to the Harry Potter books only in late May 2007, and having read all six of the preceding novels by the end of June, I want to enjoy this last one without rushing.

By biosparite (not verified) on 26 Jul 2007 #permalink

After a few days of angst about the availability of the book without special order or a reservtion at a local bookstore, I stopped in at the Galleria B&N in Houston on Saturday morning after buying G/S some chocolate-covered espresso beans at Chocolate designs to find dozens of copies stacked up. Sheesh. Now I am about the last reading person in America who does not know how Harry Potter fares in the end, although Grrl Scientist gave away one spoiler to me already and may have passed the biggest one to me in a private conversation yesterday(good thing you are 1500 miles away, G/S). I have been too busy with other matters to have read further than p. 168, but I am savoring the story a little at a time. Being a convert to the Harry Potter books only in late May 2007, and having read all six of the preceding novels by the end of June, I want to enjoy this last one without rushing.

By biosparite (not verified) on 26 Jul 2007 #permalink

Thankfully, Canada Post handled the HP books for Amazon, and they seemed to do just fine.

By steppen wolf (not verified) on 27 Jul 2007 #permalink