A Kindle held hostage...a long saga!

[Airan Gale]

I ordered a Kindle for my 15yo daughter for Christmas a couple of weeks ago. I watched the tracking and saw it had arrived in Australia early last week so expected it to be delivered around mid-week.
On Thursday, I came home from work thinking it would be here. It wasn't. My mobile phone rang and the number was local, but one I didn't know. I answered it, and a woman named Michelle introduced herself to me, said she had tracked me down via my former place of work and she had a package that belonged to me.
Idly, I asked what it was. She told me it was an electronic device from Amazon. Well, I sparked up and asked how she got it and could I please come and get it now?

It appears it was delivered to the wrong address, on the other side of town. It had her address on a label, which was stuck over the original DHL shipping label. She was also waiting on a courier delivery of a Navman, and had signed for my parcel thinking it was hers. But when she realised it wasn't, she peeled the local couriers label back to find my name and address there so found me and rang me.

Ok, the courier is an idiot, but at least I knew where the missing Kindle was and if I could just come get it now? Nope, she said she wasn't handing it over until she had her parcel. I kinda spluttered and coughed and said I'd call the courier.
Which I did. They were closed.
I called DHL, they said they'd put a trace on it. I told them they didn't need to trace it, I knew where it was and it needed to be retrieved from there and delivered to me. They said they'd get right onto it.....tomorrow.

I fumed and steamed and sent off complaints to DHL and Amazon, then spent an awful lot of time on the phone to DHL on friday morning trying to sort it out. They were trying to call the lady who had my parcel but she was at a Christmas function 2 hours away, according to her boss, and she wasn't retuning calls. I told the DHL customer care person it needed to be sorted out by the close of business otherwise I was involving the police as the woman holding my parcel was breaking the law by deciding to keep something that wasn't hers.

Eventually someone got hold of her and she told the DHL person she'd call me on Saturday and arrange a time to drop the parcel off. She also passed her mobile number on to me.

Saturday went by without a call. I sent an SMS requesting her to contact me with a suitable time to collect my parcel. Nothing. Sunday morning came and went and still nothing. So I phoned her and left a voice message that I needed to collect the parcel. Sunday afternoon came and went and I'm debating whether to call the police or not.

Finally, I got an SMS with an address and a time that she would be at work for me to collect my parcel on Monday (today). I planned to go there after workj as I finished work earleir than her. Then this morning at work I missed a call on my mobile and got a message on voicemail for me to contact the local courier. I did and the girl there said the coutirier was going to retrieve my parcel and deliver it to me.
I said "NOOOOOOO!!!!! NOOOOOO!!!!! Please don't give it to a courier, they'll just lose it again! At least I know here it is now."

But too late, he'd already got it and eventually delivered it to my work. Phew. I was never so glad to hold one small cardboard box in my hands as this afternoon! It's home now, charged up and loaded with books, and her M-edlge cover and light also arrived today so we're Kindle-complete now. Thank goodness!

[Karen_McQ]

Wow, Airan, what a nightmare! Unbelievable that she wouldn't automatically turn it over to you.   

Anyway, I'm so glad for your happy ending. Thanks for sharing your saga.

[TheSeagull]

That woman wasn't very nice was she, it doesn't matter if she was waiting for a parcel I would have called the police, the parcel has nothing to do with you and she has your property.

[kimbertay]

Wow, what a nightmare!  I'm so sorry this happened to you.  I can't believe some people are like that. 

At least you have it now.  Happy Kindling! 

[anivyl]

which part of aussie do you live? because I am about to go thump that woman on her head. that was utterly illegal and wrong to hold on to the parcel like that, also amounting to harassment. seriously, what a TWAT. *grrr*

but I am glad you finally got it phew!

[Varin]

Not to be violent, but if I knew where she lived and that she wasn't giving MY purchase back because she hadn't gotten hers, I would have gone over there and....

You fill in the blank.

[intinst]

I don't understand why she called you to say she had the package, and then wouldn't let you have it. She could have called the courier, that would have made sense, without involving you. Very uncooperative woman.

[LCEvans]

I can't believe that woman was so mean, especially at Christmas time. We all get so excited to know our Kindles are on the way and then to have to suffer through and wait longer, not knowing if you'd even get it in time for your daughter's Christmas--well, it's too much. Thank goodness you finally got your package from that Scrooge.

[Todd]

That is just crazy..i would have been so MAD!!! Glad you got the Kindle 

[MINImum]

That's awful.  She will be repaid for her meanspiritedness eventually, don't you worry.  I got a movie (dvd) in the mail two days ago that was wrongly delivered to me.  It never crossed my mind to keep it (which I could have and no one would have been the wiser) or to hold it "hostage" for another package I was expecting.  I just put it back in the mailbox with a note saying "delivered to wrong address".  That person was probably waiting for that dvd and I felt bad enough that it would be delivered a day later than expected.

Congrats to your daughter on her new Kindle, and I'm glad your saga had a happy ending. 

[RamTheHammer]

While I agree it was awfull - I also see the good part; she could have kept the Kindle!

[telracs]

While I agree it was awfull - I also see the good part; she could have kept the Kindle!

Yeah, she could have been dishonest and never called in the first place, but still, holding your package hostage when you didn't have hers wasn't really nice.  How much more clout did she think you would have with the courier company?

[MLPMom]

Wow what an experience!

I am so glad you were able to finally get it. I can't believe she wouldn't hand it over to you though, it wasn't' like you were holding something of hers hostage in return for goodness sake. Some people baffle me.

[Anju No. 469]

WOW this was worse than Prazzies getting held hostage by customs in South Africa, at least they were "nice".
And at least you did finally get the Kindle, but what a witch, hope she gets coal in her stocking    

[Susan in VA]

How frustrating!  The poor innocent Kindle, being taken hostage... 

[higdona]

Such stress and drama over a christmas present! I would have called the police if it happened to me. Let her rot in jail over christmas for being such a grinch.

[marianneg]

Yeah, she could have been dishonest and never called in the first place, but still, holding your package hostage when you didn't have hers wasn't really nice.  How much more clout did she think you would have with the courier company?

I'm thinking maybe she assumed that the labels had just been mixed up and the OP had gotten her package.

[Prazzie]

Airan Gale, I'm so glad the problem was resolved without you having to resort to violence 

Anju, "nice" would definitely not be the first word I'd use to describe customs!  But I agree, I'd much rather know that customs have it and they're just too inept to process goods in a timely fashion, than having some stranger get their hands on my package (and holding it hostage!).

I have to say, having received orders from Amazon recently via both DHL and UPS, I am not impressed by their services.  With the last DHL delivery, I checked the status and the site said my package was out for delivery.  By the end of the business day, I didn't have it yet, so I called them and they said they were 20 minutes away.  An hour later, nothing.  It turned out the delivery guy had driven all over town all day long and then decided not to deliver my package after all.  I had to drive out to the airport to DHL's warehouse and pick up the door-to-door delivery package myself.

Am I just getting grumpier as I get older, or are people really becoming more incompetent?  One would think that an important requirement for getting hired as the courier address label person is basic literacy!

[Seamonkey]

How frustrating that had to be!  At least she didn't open it up and pull that magic tab!

What always amazes me is how often a package is flung on my front step, with or without a doorbell ring and the driver seemingly RUNS away to avoid the mere possibility that you might see him or her.. and that can be very expensive items, too, even some that you expected to sign for.

But back to this woman... cannot follow her logic and holding hostage of your prized Kindle delivery!

[angelad]

How frustrating that had to be!  At least she didn't open it up and pull that magic tab!

What always amazes me is how often a package is flung on my front step, with or without a doorbell ring and the driver seemingly RUNS away to avoid the mere possibility that you might see him or her.. and that can be very expensive items, too, even some that you expected to sign for.

But back to this woman... cannot follow her logic and holding hostage of your prized Kindle delivery!

Wow, that's pathetic.

[Pushka]

Wow Airan, people make mistakes but that woman was deliberately with holding your parcel and that in Australia is illegal!  Which makes her the worst player in all of this.  She was holding your property to ransom and she cannot do that!  And yes, she should have called the courier immediately she realised the mistake had been made.  Who then would have contacted you.  The courier company would have ensured the kindle was handed back to the rightful owner as they know their law!

[drenee]

I'm glad the other woman's package she was waiting for was not a Kindle.  She doesn't deserve one.

Glad your situation worked out well in the end. 
deb

[Airan Gale]

The saving grace in this is that no one here would know what a Kindle is. They are very new in Australia, and where I live....unheard of. So even if she'd opened the package, she would not have known what to do with it.
I think she was holding my parcel as security to get hers....she had signed for a package and had she handed it over to me then notified the courier, they could have just said "Oh, but we delivered your parcel and we have your signature right here". But when I rang DHL and told them what had happened, they agreed she can't hold someone elses mail and refuse to hand it over, as that's mail theft and it's a very serious offence.

So glad I have it, but the potential new owner stormed out of the house a few hours ago, in a fit of temper, screaming that she's not living here anymore (she's 15, she's a pain in the neck right now) so I might have a brand new spare Kindle come Christmas day. If she doesn't come home, that is. I expect she will though.

[Pushka]

Ah. The joys of teenagers.

[drenee]

Wow, I'm so glad my kids are all adults now and I don't have to deal with teenagers. 
I hope she settled down and came back home. 
deb

[Anju No. 469]

I knew there was some reason I never had kids  probably woulda had a whole houseful of Dona clones 

[LCEvans]

So typical for a teen, but hopefully she'll cool off and return very soon. I was fortunate with mine and had only one who gave me trouble. But just when I thought it was time to start getting ready for the golden years, I had to step in and provide a home for my 9-year-old grandson. So now another teen to look forward to. If I can just get him interested in reading, maybe I will get him a Kindle of his own to keep him quiet, though Amazon will have to come out with an extra sturdy kid's version for this boy.

[Airan Gale]

We have our house up for sale, and yesterday we had a house inspection booked. I tried to call the one with the messy room to come home and clean it up, but her phone was turned off (which annoys me no end, as the reason she has a phone is so I can contact her). So I cleaned the room myself. It was absolutely disgusting. So I put all her clothes and other stuff in garbage bags and put them in the shed. She came home and assumed I'd thrown them out so had a big temper tantrum, stormed out and slammed the door behind her and went back to where she'd been.
When she eventually makes her way home (she's at her best friends house, she can stay there til she cools off), she can have her stuff back, one garbage bag at a time (there's 6 of them), and sort the stuff out properly and to my exacting standards, before she gets the next one.

This is child number 4, the last teenager I"m raising. Fortunately the other three turned out just fine and two of them were way worse than this one.

I expect she'll be home before Christmas, she knows she's getting the Kindle and she's very excited about it.

[kimbertay]

I'm very glad my two are grown and out on their own now! 

Now, I have a grandson and I'm finding that it is MUCH less stress when you get to see them long enough to do the fun stuff with them and not have the stress of raising them.