My youngest brother Matt is getting married next week. He's in his early
20s, and has done remarkably well for himself. He's come a long way from
being a punk-kid to a hard-working dedicated "hubby to be". They're
struggling financially to put the wedding together, and have really
pulled off quite a feat so far. At the risk of being tacky, I decided it
was probably a good idea to send my wedding-gift "early" so that they
could use it to relieve money worries. I know, I been there.

Seemed the best thing to do was fed-ex the money ($500) to him. Sure,
sure, I know, there are other ways, but, having cash "right now" is alot
better than having a check to deposit, to clear... I wrote a nice card
to them, put the money in a nice wedding-envelope, and sent it via
fed-ex. I know better, but, well, I chose Next day delivery & Required
Direct Signature. Done. I got my tracking number, and I saw that
everything went perfectly well. Package delivered 10am this morning. All
goodness.

We were chatting this morning, and he was flaming angry with Fed-Ex.
Why? They had ordered several wedding items, and they were "delivered"
this morning, at least according to Fed-Ex. The fed-ex ppl were telling
him "it was delivered. end of story. driver said he left it at your
door." and were not helping him hunt down where/who/when all this
happened.

Wait - you didnt get my delivery either?
Your delivery? You sent me something?
I'll call you back Matt.

Now I call FedEx. Ask what the story was. I explain that the package was
"delivered" but not received. They tell me it was. We review the address
several times. "But, Ma'am, my receipt says 'Direct Signature Required'
and you dont have a signature. The item was not delivered. Please call
the driver and ask him to explain where he left it."
"Oh no sir, we dont do that. We'll set up a tracking issue..."

Wait - this is for a wedding. Just ask the driver where it was
deposited. Thats all - I'm sure he left it somewhere not-obvious.

All day I got bounced through various levels of "Customer Service", each
one insisted that the package was delivered correctly. Each one verified
the address. They apologized for the "oversight" in the signature, but,
rest assured, it was delivered.

No, no it was not. No signature, and my brother most definately doesnt
have it!

Sorry sir, our records indicate it was delivered correctly. You wish to
file a claims then?

No, just call the driver. Please. Thats all. We just want to know where
he put it.

We cant do that sir. Hold please, I'll transfer you to Claims.

Working the phones and emails from both the East and West Coast, we
spoke with the local fed-ex station mgr. That person was very beligerent
that we had the nerve to call and politely want to know where the
package was deposited. "CALL CLAIMS!"

Matt eventually got a CEO on the phone. They were very angry to hear
what had been happening. They promised "heads would roll", and seemed to
make good on threats, as Matt recv'd weasel-apology calls from the nasty
mgr. But, still no package, and still, nobody would simply call the
driver.

An hour ago, (12midnight, East Coast Time), someone knocked on his door.
"Are you Matt?" stood an older person holding a ripped-open FedEx
package. "Sorry I opened it, I thought it was for me - but when I saw
the address on the card inside, I knew it wasnt. I live a few blocks
over that way..." and handed my brother the un-opened wedding-envelope.

What is so wrong with this picture? Why is corporate America so
back-azzwards that the simple little thing of asking the guy "where is
it" is so very difficult, but, they have a up-to-the-minute transaction
log of each phone call we made to inquire about the package that was
incorrectly delivered? And what is with that arrogance that says "We
Delivered it!" when clearly, they did not. Ugh.

it's actually amazing he received it at all...

honest neighbors are hard to come by.

Yeah - we were stunned. I would have returned it, and I do go out of my
way when a peice of mail arrives that isnt mine.