can you imagine if this happened in the states?
I returned from my trip to Morocco on the evening of August 16. There are a few ways to get to my house on public transit from the airport but I decided that this one particular route, though it takes a few minutes longer, it drops me off less than a block away from my house. I was exhausted and had all my bags with me so I did not mind a little wait to get closer to home.
I exit the metro at 10:05 and check the bus times, I was excited to see that the next bus was scheduled to leave at 10:15 which would put me home by about 10:30. Normally, since this stop is at the end of the line, a bus will pull up and sit there for about 10min prior to departure...there was no bus in sight. So I took a seat and put on my headphones to wait. About 10:17 a bus pulls up...there are no passengers on it and the sign on the front indicates "Sans Voyageurs" (No Passengers). Two men get off the bus, one of them wearing shorts conspicuously like a speedo, and they start chattin' it up with some other bus workers who were standing around. Those of us waiting on the "10:15" bus are getting a bit impatient and wondering how long it will be until we can leave. One man goes over and asks if we can get on the bus and is told "No, this bus is not for passengers" without further explanation. So then about 10:25 another bus pulls up, this one full of people who all get off and go into the metro. Everyone waiting decides this must at last be our bus so we start to get on...only to be told by the driver "No, wait outside, this bus doesn't leave until 10:56". What?! This driver then joins the cocktail party of 6 other drivers gathered in a circle, all smoking, and apparently having the time of their lives not to be disrupted by the fact that they have apparently canceled the next bus because...ummm...well there are only 6 available drivers and 2 empty busses, yes, this makes sense that we would ask the 30 hungry and tired people to wait another 30 minutes!!!
Then at about 10:45, 11 minutes before the next bus is scheduled to depart mind you, one of the drivers gets on the second bus and looks at us like we are crazy for not following...we quickly get on and find seats, a bit confused, but happy to be on our way home.
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The next morning I checked my mail and found that I had received a package, the paper indicated that it was at the central post office and that it was available for pick up at 11 on Aug. 17. Knowing this was a birthday package from my mom I quickly got ready and arrived at the post at precisely 11.
I hand the woman the paper and she replies "Oh, you can't pick this up until 15:00(=3pm)"..."oh, I thought that said 11h is it a 15h and I read it wrong?"..."No, that says 11h but we recently hung up this sign that says packages can't be picked up until 15h"..."Oh,well why does the paper that someone hand-wrote and put in my box yesterday say 11h?"..."because that is what time it used to be, but now we have this sign"..."Ok, is there any way you could just check in the back to see if my package is here?"..."No, they bring it to your house and if you are not home then they take it to this other place and it does not get here until 15h"..."Well, what is this other place? isn't this the huge city post office?"..."Yes, mademoiselle you must return at 15h if you want to collect this package"..."Okay, Thank you"
...But what I really wanted to say, and maybe will someday when I am more confident in my French, is that first of all they never try to bring the packages to your house- I have been at home all morning and then gotten a notice saying "sorry we missed you at 10am, come pick up your package".
Secondly, I am fairly confident that there is no "other place" where they send your package between when they notify you and when it gets to the post office for pick up--this is the place they sort and send out mail from, it is huge, why should there be another location?!
Thirdly, why is the guy still writing 11h on the papers if the time has changed till 15h? did he miss the memo? oh well, at least people will be notified of the time change once they take a 20 minute walk down there and see it on the door.
I exit the metro at 10:05 and check the bus times, I was excited to see that the next bus was scheduled to leave at 10:15 which would put me home by about 10:30. Normally, since this stop is at the end of the line, a bus will pull up and sit there for about 10min prior to departure...there was no bus in sight. So I took a seat and put on my headphones to wait. About 10:17 a bus pulls up...there are no passengers on it and the sign on the front indicates "Sans Voyageurs" (No Passengers). Two men get off the bus, one of them wearing shorts conspicuously like a speedo, and they start chattin' it up with some other bus workers who were standing around. Those of us waiting on the "10:15" bus are getting a bit impatient and wondering how long it will be until we can leave. One man goes over and asks if we can get on the bus and is told "No, this bus is not for passengers" without further explanation. So then about 10:25 another bus pulls up, this one full of people who all get off and go into the metro. Everyone waiting decides this must at last be our bus so we start to get on...only to be told by the driver "No, wait outside, this bus doesn't leave until 10:56". What?! This driver then joins the cocktail party of 6 other drivers gathered in a circle, all smoking, and apparently having the time of their lives not to be disrupted by the fact that they have apparently canceled the next bus because...ummm...well there are only 6 available drivers and 2 empty busses, yes, this makes sense that we would ask the 30 hungry and tired people to wait another 30 minutes!!!
Then at about 10:45, 11 minutes before the next bus is scheduled to depart mind you, one of the drivers gets on the second bus and looks at us like we are crazy for not following...we quickly get on and find seats, a bit confused, but happy to be on our way home.
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The next morning I checked my mail and found that I had received a package, the paper indicated that it was at the central post office and that it was available for pick up at 11 on Aug. 17. Knowing this was a birthday package from my mom I quickly got ready and arrived at the post at precisely 11.
I hand the woman the paper and she replies "Oh, you can't pick this up until 15:00(=3pm)"..."oh, I thought that said 11h is it a 15h and I read it wrong?"..."No, that says 11h but we recently hung up this sign that says packages can't be picked up until 15h"..."Oh,well why does the paper that someone hand-wrote and put in my box yesterday say 11h?"..."because that is what time it used to be, but now we have this sign"..."Ok, is there any way you could just check in the back to see if my package is here?"..."No, they bring it to your house and if you are not home then they take it to this other place and it does not get here until 15h"..."Well, what is this other place? isn't this the huge city post office?"..."Yes, mademoiselle you must return at 15h if you want to collect this package"..."Okay, Thank you"
...But what I really wanted to say, and maybe will someday when I am more confident in my French, is that first of all they never try to bring the packages to your house- I have been at home all morning and then gotten a notice saying "sorry we missed you at 10am, come pick up your package".
Secondly, I am fairly confident that there is no "other place" where they send your package between when they notify you and when it gets to the post office for pick up--this is the place they sort and send out mail from, it is huge, why should there be another location?!
Thirdly, why is the guy still writing 11h on the papers if the time has changed till 15h? did he miss the memo? oh well, at least people will be notified of the time change once they take a 20 minute walk down there and see it on the door.
posted by Bethany at 3:07 AM
2 Comments:
Yep, that's why we had to bail them out from the Nazis. Go America! WooHoo!
Maybe this will help you feel better...I had the exact same thing happen with FedEx here 2 weeks ago! I kept checking my online tracking number and 3 days in a row it said "Attempted delivery failed" but I was home every time! At least I could yell at them in English though. :) Miss you Bethany, hopefully I can randomly come visit again. :)
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