Friday, June 22, 2007

Soo Closeee!


My fellow expats will recognize this photo. It's the ticket left in my apartment mailbox saying that my package was there! But I wasn’t! How I could be so stupid and not be home at 2:20 in the afternoon to receive my package. So it's in Brindisi, now the hard part. I have to get it from SDA. You know how Fedex shows their commercials where the Fedex guy goes through the jungle or climbs Mt Everest to deliver a package. Well not in Italy. In Italy, Fedex turns over delivering packages to SDA and you get to climb Mt. Everest.
I was raking my brain last night trying to remember how I got the last package from them. The easiest time was when they delivered it to me at work because they recognized my name. The toughest time was when I went to one of their offices to get it myself. The office was cleverly disguised as a marble cutting plant. I kid you not. Their office was inside a gated area where they cut marble down into countertop-sized pieces. I drove back and forth in front of it twice with complete confusion. Finally I stopped and asked at the car dealership next door. “Where the hell is this place?” They were a little unsure themselves but they yelled over the fence to someone. The gate opened and I went in and got my package.
I called this morning to try to set up the delivery at work thing but the lady said to call back later. I didn’t like that but I know SDA delivers here at work in the afternoon so I’ll wait. I’m going out to the security guards to get them to call me if the guy shows up. There’s only one guy so he’ll have the package if he comes to my work today.
Work is slow right now. It’s supposed to get up near 40C today (that’s around 100F for you Americans). I can understand if the guys in the shop aren’t moving too fast.

4 comments:

Michelle | Bleeding Espresso said...

I've actually never seen one of those slips; I think if no one is around my SDA guy just waits another few weeks before trying again. Oh, and then bitches about having to carry the packages all the way to my door (200 meters) instead of my meeting him in the piazza. EVERY TIME. In bocca al lupo!

Annika said...

Not only in Italy... I think it's a Fedex thing. I ordered food supplements from Honduras, that first got stuck in customs for three weeks (what? what's there to be suspicious about; capsules from Honduras *lol*) and which Fedex then tried to deliver to my house twice - in the middle of the day, without calling first or anything. Then they called me, and asked if I wanted the package or not. Well duh, said I, of course I want it! But you can't expect me to stay at home all day, every day for a month just in case you feel like delivering it! I work full time, mind you!
Well, eventually we had to pick it up ourselves, in a place I didn't know existed.
So take it easy. Even in super-organized Sweden, these things happen.

Anonymous said...

Same goes for delivery in Canada. I had an ipod shipped and since they couldn't reach me (in the afternoon while I was working!) they left it with a neighbour. Thankfully he is an honest chap and brought it over to me.

Jeff Gromen said...

Sognatrice,
I can just see that. The delivery guy bitching about how tough YOU are making it for HIM.

Annika,
I think that's how I got a package once from SDA. I stayed home all day waiting for him. He didn't even buzz my apartment and was about to leave the slip in the mailbox and go. I yelled from the balcony before he got away.

Ms. violetta,
Canada! I caught a rebroadcast of the USA vs Canada soccer match last night. The USA stole that one. I didn't know the Canadians played such rough soccer.