November 11th, 2003:

Our contact information has been updated with our new cell phone numbers. You’ll need to know any of our old phone numbers in order to gain access. If you don’t know one, and believe you should have our new number, please email me.

Jess and I got a good deal on our new phones. I ordered them last Friday and was very happy about my purchase. The customer service people were friendly and helpful, despite that I called them 5 times in 5 hours to check on the status of my order. They shipped my package overnight the same day, just like they promised. I was more than pleased. I was jumping for joy. I was moaning their name in my sleep.

But, when I woke up Saturday morning, I realized something. "Overnight" doesn’t mean overnight in FedEx lingo. It means "by 3pm on the next business day". Oops. I called them right away. I informed the lady on the phone that I didn’t realize I wouldn’t have my package until Monday and that, with standard shipping I would have had it by Tuesday and that, if I would have known that I would have saved the $15 and went with standard shipping. She apologized. However, it was my fault. I bought something, not knowing what I was buying. So, I didn’t expect her to change anything. But, my initial desire was still there: I wanted my package that day: Saturday.

The item shipped from Grand Prairie, Texas, which, for those of you not up with the geography of the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex, is about 40 minutes from me. I knew that before I ordered my items and had already asked the people providing me the cell phones if I could just pick them up. The answer, of course, was "no"… and I understood that. However, because the item shipped from Grand Prairie, it was, essentially, already here. I asked FedEx if I could come pick it up from their location in Fort Worth, where it was currently being held. She said "no". I asked if I could pay the extra money for Saturday Delivery and have it arrive today. She said that it was too late to do that. I asked her what would happen on Monday when they tried to deliver it and I wasn’t here. She said it would go to the office that night and I could stop there and pick it up after work. If I didn’t it would be attempted again for 2 more days. I was happy with that. I told the FedEx lady that I would be there Monday night to pick it up. I got directions from her. I was satisfied.

Monday rolls around. I check the status of my package. It says its on the truck. Fine. No problem. Then I get busy, and I stop checking the status every 45 seconds like I had been all morning. 5:30pm rolls around, and I head home. When I get there, I find out that FedEx had been to my apartment. No surprise there. I also find that they left a delivery note. No surprise there. Then, I saw the note on the delivery slip "left at office". Oh.

Well, it was 6:30pm. The office is open until 7:00pm, so that’s not a problem. Jess got home before me and was one step ahead of the game. She’d already taken the slip to the office. The office was closed. Why, you ask? Because our apartment complex has been bought by another company, and the new company decided that 8:30am – 5:30pm would be the new office hours. Except that, I would guess, about half of the residents there are actually at work during ALL of those hours meaning that, aside from taking time off of work, all packages wouldn’t be picked up until the weekend. Great.

It’s no secret that I am easily annoyed. And when multiple things pile up on top of one another, I get pissed off easily. Well, I was pissed. I was more than pissed. What’s the point of paying for overnight if it actually means I won’t get the item for 4 days after is ships? And what’s the point of telling FedEx you’re going to pick the package up if they are just going to leave it with your incompetent office staff anyway. I called FedEx. They lady told me that I should have asked for the package to be held at location. I DID!!! No, she corrected me, I should have asked for the package to be held at location when it was initially shipped. What the hell is the difference? I asked on Saturday, that gave them 2 days to figure out how to keep it from getting to my door. And, if that wasn’t possible, then why did the first lady I spoke to tell me that I would be able to pick it up that night?

Incompetence pisses me off. Paying for things that I don’t actually get pisses me off. Processes and rules that exist simply "because" piss me off. Ugh. Thankfully, Jess was there to calm me down.

As far as the cell phones go, Jess picked them up this morning before her shift started. We have them. They work and are currently charging.

First and foremost, I’d like to thank Rachel for her purchase and generous donation. Thanks also to Rachelle for her donation. You’ve helped to restore my faith in this idea and gave me actual purchases to test everything with. So, even though you didn’t really agree to it, thanks for being my guinea pigs. *smile*

Another thanks is due to Emily. She has generously offered to handle printing for this fundraiser at one of DFWs best photo labs. Thanks to her, I’ll be able to send you much better prints than I had originally planned for only slightly more money.

Due to a suggestion from Jaclyn, I’ve converted the fundraiser site to a Shopping Cart style system. This will allow you to purchase multiple items easier. I haven’t had any purchases from the Shopping Cart yet, so I’m not sure how well it’ll all work out. If you happen to be the first to use it, bear with me and let me know if you have any problems.

Buy Reverend Jim a Camera!!!