While I was in France on our recent spring trip – feels like a very long time ago, now – I managed to lose one of my lens caps. I seem to recall attempting to lose another of my lens caps many years ago but I failed on that occasion since it finally turned up somewhere. I rather hoped that this latest attempt would also fail and that this one might turn up when I unpacked the car back at home but unfortunately not. This lens cap being for an expensive lens, I thought I should order a replacement before any serious damage might be done.
Good ol’ Warehouse Express had the required Canon E-77U in stock (£6.99) but I’d have to pay for delivery (£2.99). I checked on Amazon who offered one of their associated storefronts but was a little surprised to see delivery being mentioned at 7-23 days. Yikes! I ordered it from Warehouse Express. [I’ve since found the item being sold by Amazon itself but too late.]
Having placed my order, the following day I received an “item despatched” email. It was being delivered by good ol’ Royal Mail. The email contained both a tracking number and tracking link, which I tried. Unsurprisingly, since it had only just been despatched, I was presented with a message saying that no information was yet available.
The following day I again tried the tracking link and number. Once again I was presented with the “no information available” screen. This was less than expected – surely it had been received into one depot or another by now? I looked more closely at the screen and spotted this:
Recorded Signed For™ items are only tracked after the item has been delivered. Depending on whether the item was sent first or second class, this may be a few days after posting. Please try again later.
See the key phrase? [I underlined it, BTW, not the Royal Mail website.]
Can somebody please tell me the use of a tracking system that tracks a parcel only after it has been delivered? I think I’d know where it was by then, wouldn’t I?
More confusingly, my lens cap was delivered two days ago – not sure Carol had to sign for it – and it still says the same thing.
God Bless Save the Royal Mail!
Update: Carol DID have to sign for it so now I’m really bemused.
I too was waiting for a package. I tracked it and was surprised to see it had been delivered and signed for by me. I looked out of the back door and there it was! Seemed the delivery driver had signed for it. I suspect he was the same chap who in previous weeks had delivered, collected and delivered another package. During the collection process, he asked if he could leave a package at the back door in future.