I sent my china and crystal by Fed Ex on Friday, and Fed Ex managed to smash six pieces. On one hand, six piece doesn't seem like a lot. But on the other hand, I loved every single piece as much as other people love their pets.
I suppose I could have taken every piece on my lap by airplane over ten years. I took a plate in my carry-on luggage, and it was absolutely fine. But then it was me carrying it, not some Fed Ex man chucking it around like a football.
Fed Ex wants me to believe their mishandling of the property they were paid over $500 to deliver is my fault, and to that end it has sent me a list of questions about how I packed my crystal. "With obsessive love and care" is probably not the answer they're looking for.
Meanwhile, even if Fed Ex sends me a cheque, the damage is done. Crystal I've had and loved for 14 years is smashed, and there's no putting it back together. I have cried many bitter tears, and blamed myself very much for not finding an expert mover. Despite my connections in the museum business, I just had no idea to whom else I could trust my crystal. And now I wish I had just left it in Toronto. Better that it be unused in Toronto than smashed to bits on its way to Edinburgh.
Which brings me to the subject of your heart. Are you going to wait until you find an absolutely top-of-the-trees specialty heart-carrier, or are you going to trust it to Fed Ex?
As you can no doubt tell, I really hate Fed Ex today. Possibly UPS would have been just as careless, but they didn't smash my beautiful things. Fed Ex did. But back to your heart.
Fed Ex wants me to answer a checklist about how I packed my belongings. I think its their way of telling me this is my fault. And the first thing I want to tell you is that if your heart gets broken, it's not your fault, exactly. If someone hurts you, he hurt you and that's the way it is. But my question is, why did you pick THAT carrier, or man, in the first place?
7 comments:
Cara, I'm so sorry, but I am lol :)
Is this a sermon spoof?
(I really am sorry about your stuff.)
You know, it COULD be a sermon spoof! But actually it is just proof that I am still not in a fit state to give advice out yet. I am too full of hatred for Fed Ex, and you just can't give out good advice when you're as mad as fire.
Oh, dear. That must be like losing photo albums or letters that someone wrote to you. :(
If you've seen the movie "Bottle Shock" (a wine-lover's movie about the development of the Napa vineyards), there is a scene in which the airline won't allow the vintner to pack wine in his luggage on the plane: there's a two-bottle per person limit. Therefore, he can't get his first-rate wine over to France for a wine contest (the great France/Napa showdown). The vintner, hardly dissuaded, turned to the crowd and started handing out the bottles, two to a person.
Swap out wine for crystal, and you have another alternative. :)
And now I wish I had just left it in Toronto. Better that it be unused in Toronto than smashed to bits on its way to Edinburgh.
Oh, that's not the way to look at it, Seraphic! I'm sure you feel differently, but would you rather that your crystal spend its entire life in boxes in Toronto, unused? Would you rather that your children (yes, I'm an optimist - you're still three years younger than my stepmum was when she had my baby brother) inherit more crystal, or fewer pieces that they remember you and Benedict Ambrose using in the Historic House? In 2100, would you really want a little McAmbrose getting a box full of crystal that hasn't seen the light of day in a hundred years, or sitting down and listening to your grandkids talking about how Grandma used it at memorable events - and, oh, by the way, she was so heartbroken when some of it broke during her trasn-continental move (oh, she fell in love over the internet and left her home country for BA)?
Stomp your feet and fume at FedEx - they screwed up, big-time, and you're the one who has to suffer. $500 is an awfully large amount of money to pay for shipping, and even if it weren't, it's not hard to avoid using your boxes as rugby goal posts. But you'll eventually be happy that you have some of it with you to entertain guests and enjoy, rather than none of it.
Are you sure they didn't lie about the insurance limit? Fedex transports race horses across the ocean - at least they used to - so it's hard to believe they don't insure for full value.
Can you find Fred Smith's address or email with your museum connections? He is still alive and kicking (founder of fedex).
I am very sorry about your stuff and will boycott fedex on your behalf; the post office has better service up here anyway for a lot less money.
Isabella of the North
I am not laughing. I am very sorry about your china. I had some stuff break in the mail recently, and it was very irksome, but it was regular mail, so I can only imagine how bad it would be if one had paid to have stuff sent carefully by courier and it *still* arrived broken.
And I like the point of the post too. We forget how fragile and infinitely precious we ... and others... are.
Dear S,
Sorry to hear about your things :( I don't know if this will help or not but here is what one Canadian man did in response to United Airlines breaking his Taylor guitar. He tried for over a year to get reimbursed and kept being turned down, they wouldn't even give him travel vouchers. So he promised them he would write and publish 3 songs about the incident and post them on the Internet, which he did. The story is hopeful, funny and highly educational when it comes to customer service...(in fact, apparently United Airlines now uses this story in their training to emphasize the importance of customer service!) He used his ability to write songs as a response after all means had been exhausted, and the public response was HUGE. And the songs are GREAT! I suggest mentioning this story to FedEx...seriously. You are also a writer - you could also write lyrics to a song and put it on youtube...just a thought ;) Definitely listen to the tunes! And post a link too :)
http://www.davecarrollmusic.com/ubg/
United Breaks Guitars (song 1) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YGc4zOqozo
Song 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-UoERHaSQg
Song 3 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P45E0uGVyeg
United Break Guitars! I forgot about that. It is a great song :D
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