Sit down, let me tell you all about a little company called Parcel Force...
Once upon a time, Uk customs received a parcel from the US. Once they'd finished arsing about with it and kicking it around the floor in the office they decided to send the offending eventual receiver of the parcel a bill for the priviledge of delaying it's delivery for around a week. The receiver of said bill was ok with this, having had dealings with receiving large rc related parcels from the US before. He was also used to the parcels getting the 5,000 miles or so across the US and Atlantic in around a day and a half, then taking two weeks to get the 200 miles to his front door when in Britain. It was just something he had to accept if he was not going to wait a paint dryingly long amount of time for a release over here.
So all this is over, he's paid the customs charge, as well as a £14 clearence fee to a company called Parcel Force, who say they have the package in a warehouse in Fareham in Essex, and on the website give an option for a delivery date. He picks the 10th of July, and waits with baited breath. Nothing. Assumes a slight delay for the Isle of Wight delivery (though being a Portsmouth postcode there is little excuse) but still nothing. Misses the weekend and assumes a Monday delivery, simmering below the surface. Nothing. Eventually loses rag and yells down phone at customer service agent X, who notes a payment made on the 9th of July, yet a lack of delivery. Chases up package, sheepishly admits to a now slightly irate man lacking a package THAT THE BLOODY THING IS SAT AT THE DEPPO ON THE BLEEDING ISLAND AWAITING DELIVERY, AND HAS BEEN SINCE THE TENTH OF MOTHERING JULY BECAUSE THE ****ING WAREHOUSE IN FAREHAM HAS HAD A COMMUNICATIONS BREAKDOWN AND FAILED TO NOTIFY THEM THAT THE ****ING CHARGE HAS BEEN PAID AND THEY CAN RELEASE THE PACKAGE FOR DELIVERY. 'Can we set a date for delivery sir?' NO WE ****ING CANNOT, I'M GOING TO COME UP THERE AND PRISE THE PACKAGE FROM YOUR SWEATY LITTLE HANDS MYSELF.
And breathe.
I really, really should have learned not to trust Parcel Force the last time this happened when I brought the E-maxx into the country. The insult to injury is that Parcel Force's charge has actually doubled, yet the system is still comprehensively broken. The depressing fact is that it has taken a parcel since the 1st of July, when it hit the UK shores, over 2 weeks to make it to the point where I can go and pick it up myself from somewhere else... My friend in Germany ordered one of these and got it from the US in just 3 days, door to door. I hate this country.
On the upshot I shall definitely have the Slash tomorrow, so expect pics and dribbling over how awesome it is.
