So does anybody know what this means?

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Date / Time               Location       Delivery Event Description

11 August 2003 15:30  NEPEAN, ON  The item has been received by CPC.



11 August 2003 19:51  OTTAWA, ON  The item was processed at this CPC location.



12 August 2003 01:54  ST-LAURENT, PQ  The item was dispatched from Canada.



15 August 2003 12:47  OTTAWA, ON  Delivery of the item was attempted in the destination.

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As far as I can tell that says my dock was delivered on the 15th to somewhere in Canada. I find this a little confusing seeing as I live in California. Is this just Canada Post being weird or did my dock make a U-Turn and head home to Mark?

-Mike

I wouldn't guarantee that they got the "address" right in the status page -- there's lots of chewing-gum and string in the connection between CanadaPost and the USPS. But if I were you, I would visit the local post office to see if they are holding the parcel.. Yours was shipped "Express", and should be there now.

Cheers

Here's a similar example, that eventually made it:


05 August 2003 09:33 NEPEAN, ON The item has been received by CPC.

05 August 2003 19:45 OTTAWA, ON The item was processed at this CPC location.

06 August 2003 02:57 ST-LAURENT, PQ The item was dispatched from Canada.

06 August 2003 12:36 UNITED STATES The item has entered the destination country.

08 August 2003 13:25 OTTAWA, ON Delivery of the item was attempted in the destination.

11 August 2003 08:19 77532 UNITED STATES The item has been successfully delivered to the customer.

Oh yeah, I just noticed that my script was showing the "shipping method" incorrectly -- fixed. "Express Post" was being displayed as the slower "Expedited Parcel". Rest assured that it really is going Express.

The "CE" designation in the tracking number means "Express".

Cheers

Here's a similar example, that eventually made it

Thanks Mark, I'll give it a couple more days before I send out the search team

-Mike

Ok... Is this weird?
11 August 2003 15:30
NEPEAN, ON
The item has been received by CPC.

11 August 2003 23:16
OTTAWA, ON
The item was processed at this CPC location.

I didn't really expect to recieve my dock yet, but 8 days with no posting seems odd.

Maybe it's because these two hosers are in charge of shipping for all of the Great White North.

Yeah, those two entries (Nepean and Ottawa) are correct, and expected.

But seriously, you should contact your local post office and collect the parcel. It really should be there NOW.

Cheers

But seriously, you should contact your local post office and collect the parcel. It really should be there NOW.

OK, maybe I am just spoiled by FedEx/UPS/Airborne/etc, but why should I have to contact the post office? Do packages really sit at post offices anymore waiting for collection? I have no idea where my local post office is or for that matter if there is more than one of them. Every other piece of mail (wanted or not, you should see the piles of credit card applications I get sent) seems to find its way to my door without assistance.

-Mike

I don't know much about how the USPS works, but here in Canada they attempt delivery ONCE, and then mail out a pick-up notification a day or two later if you weren't home at the time. Often, the notification gets lost in bundles of flyers or junk mail, and so the parcel just sits there for a couple of weeks, and eventually may get returned to sender.

I'm sure there must be a web site somewhere that you can input your ZIP code into to obtain the address of the corresponding office..

Cheers

That would be about how the USPS works too. Only sometimes they don't bother to attempt delivery at all and don't notify you to pick it up.

Royal Mail over here in the UK are good at that. They've managed a few stealth deliveries which consists of them gently knocking on the door, waiting 5 seconds, shoving a card through the letter box and then running like hell.
My current postman however likes to just leave my stuff on the doormat outside! Luckily nobody has stolen anything yet.
The best one I've had was where they said that I no longer lived there and the parcel was refused. This was at my parent's house which they've had for the last 21 years!

The best one I've had was where they said that I no longer lived there and the parcel was refused.

The USPS did that to me too. I was only living there for 3 years though.

>I have no idea where my local post office is

1.7mi W. Hacienda Station, 925-847-9308,
4682 Chabot Dr, Pleasanton, CA 94588

1.7mi W. Hacienda Station, 925-847-9308,
4682 Chabot Dr, Pleasanton, CA 9458

Well, that is physically closest, but if you check usps.com (where you probably got that from) there are four others within five miles of me. The one you listed isn't actually in the same city as me which may or may not make a difference. Add to that the fact that I can't go to the post office during the week (they close early and I work 45 miles away) and you can see why this is inconvenient at best.

Edit: I called and that post office doesn't handle residential mail (don't ask me what they actually do). The next on the list is not currently answering their phone.

-Mike

The next on the list is not currently answering their phone.

OK, got ahold of post office #2 where a very nice lady looked up the tracking number and claimed a notice was left on the 15th (I never received that notice of course) and that the package may have been returned to sender at this point. She then referred me to #3 where the package would actually be if it is still in the area.

I called number 3 where an extremely rude woman spent 10 minutes arguing that they wouldn't have left a notice because they just leave the package at the door if nobody is there. After she got over that phase she moved on to arguing that I must have received a notice and continually asked me what the notice said. This lasted for another 5 minutes or so. She finally took a description of the package ("ummm, it is a box, probably about 16 inches on the biggest side?") and my phone number and said somebody would call me back sometime tomorrow (she was going to leave a note for somebody that would then have to find and talk to the carrier that actually delivers my mail).

Ughh, how much more would it have cost to just send these things UPS?

-Mike

The box is brown cardboard, 10"Lx8.5"Wx3.5"H. ExpressPost, with a tracking number.

>how much more would it have cost to just send these things UPS?

Oh, only about $45 more.

-ml

Oh, only about $45 more.

Ouch. Well, we will see what happens tomorrow, but it may be on its way back to you

-Mike

Here's what it looks like:


That is actually dock #200, not yours, but the packaging and labeling are identical, except that it will also have a gray postage stamp in the upper right corner.

Cheers

Woot! Mine came yesterday... Very cool.

Huh? I thought yours was sent out, like, months ago!

???

We did some queue shuffling...

I bought his before he moved to OK, then Russmeister bought mine when I came up in the queue, so when Russmeister's name came up in the queue recently, it got sent out to mwest, who wanted one again....

I've had three different docks in my possession, even used each one, only to have financial situations force me to trade queue spots with folks after delivery.

Here's what it looks like:

Thanks for the pic and dimension info.

To continue the story nobody ever called me today. Around 2:30 I called and spoke with the same rude lady again. She told me that my carrier did not recall leaving the package or a notice and that she needed to speak with someone else about it and asked me to call back in half an hour. So I have been calling about every 15 minutes since 3:00 and their phone has been busy every time and they close in 5 minutes.

This would be amusing if it wasn't so pathetic. I wonder how it is possible that they don't know where a trackable package is? Shouldn't it get scanned or whatever on its way out if it was returned to sender? If I did go to the post office in person to pick it up as Mark suggested how would they find it? Arghh, anyway it looks like I will have to go there tomorrow and see if they are any more helpful in person.

-Mike

Don't you love when you have to deal with a place that seems like they've never done what it is they are supposed to do before in their lives? Reminds me of when my car was stolen in San Jose... when i called the sherrif's dept. and the police... neither seemed to have the foggiest idea about who i should talk to or what the proper protool to track down my car, find out where it was found, or to get it released. I was floored. Don't they do this for a farking LIVING?

Don't you love when you have to deal with a place that seems like they've never done what it is they are supposed to do before in their lives?

Yeah, this drives me crazy and it always seems to happen with any sufficiently large bureaucracy. I have the worst luck with getting the new guy or the guy that was just transferred in and has no idea what he is doing. This lady I have been talking to at the post office actually said to me something along the lines of "how am I supposed to find your package, do you realize how many packages there are here?". I was floored. I realize that dealing with the massive amount of packages and mail they process must be tough, but what do they normally do in a situation like this? If nobody knows where the package is, the tracking number is basically useless, and they aren't willing to go look for it where does that leave me? I am trying to get some guidance on how to get the package and what the normal procedure would be and this lady wants me to tell her how to go about finding the package! I haven't even been able to get a consistent answer on how long the it would stay there (assuming it is even there) before being returned to Mark!

-Mike

Mine came today!!!! Totally stoked!!! (yes the extra ! are necessary)

I've been using it non-stop - literally - before I fly off to NY for a week. I'm "testing" the StrongBad clock.. yea...

I will have to go there tomorrow and see if they are any more helpful in person.

Got it! It took them about 10 minutes to find it. The trick was finding someone that new that Canadian "ExpressPost" turns into "Priority Mail" when it enters the US. They (and I) had been assuming that ExpressPost and Express Mail where the same thing which had them looking in the wrong spot I guess.

The dock itself is quite nice. Like everyone else I am impressed with the craftsmanship that went into it.

-Mike

WooHoo!

I'm happy for you that you got it first visit there!

Enjoy!

-ml