Around a month ago, I needed to send a package to New York via FedEx Ground. I paid for signature-required delivery and insured the package for its value. The first delivery attempt wasn't actually made, although the driver claimed that it was, but since the recipient was home at the time, that seems unlikely. The second delivery attempt was tossed into the lobby and signed for by "CCOVID". At least the recipient managed to find it before someone took it.

So last week, the shop that was repairing my Apollo unit finished the repairs and sent it back to me via FedEx Ground, signature-required delivery and insured. It was supposed to arrive Friday.

It didn't. Instead, the driver showed up on Saturday morning before anyone in the house was awake, rang a doorbell that no one upstairs heard (although Ruby the Dog did), and left a door tag. Great. At least he didn't leave the package, although the chances of it getting stolen off our porch were pretty low.

Now, Monday was the first day of spring break for the kids, so no one was likely to be getting up early. This meant that the most likely time for the FedEx delivery to show up on Monday was before anyone was awake and we could lather, rinse, repeat the Saturday morning fiasco. But the FedEx site gave me the option to redirect the delivery and -- although what I would have preferred was the not-available option to just go there and pick it up -- I directed them to deliver it to Walgreens on Monday and my tracking information said that they would do that.

They didn't. But they had warned that redirecting the package might cause the delivery to be delayed (I can't imagine why, given I asked for the redirect early Saturday afternoon for a package to be delivered Monday), so I waited through today, since my tracking information now said they would deliver it Tuesday.

They didn't.

I have now called FedEx. I have complained loudly. I have been told that I will get a call back within 24 hours.

Maybe I will.

But wait! There's more!

I had called FedEx on my work phone, because I was sitting at my desk and it was convenient. Some time later, I found a voice mail on my phone from someone in Utah who was looking for his undelivered FedEx package. It seems they had managed to cross the wires in their phone system and they had managed to connect him to *my* phone line which I (having gone downstairs for dinner) did not pick up, so he left a message.

I called the poor guy back and told him that FedEx had found a new and unique way to mess up and he'd have to try calling them again. We commiserated.

FedEx. When your package absolutely positively needs to vanish into the ether.