Soap Box Wednesdays

For today's post, I've decided to create a very special type of post.  I'm starting a Soap Box Wednesday posting every week, of course, and today is the very first one!  I've decided to do this because it is starting to get a bit ridiculous out there in the world.  Why is it people never do what they are supposed to do?  I just can't understand this.  If I say I'm going to do something, I always do it!  Even if its something as small as returning an email or phone call, I still do it.  Am I the only one now that does this? 

There are many things I could randomly rant about...injustices I have suffered by incompetent people and companies however, we have to thank a particular shipping company for the creation of Soap Box Wednesdays.  Now, I won't name names here, but I assure you, it is a VERY WELL KNOWN shipping company. So now, let me get up on my soap box:

You see, as you may have read in my previous posts, I have been working on my immigration papers so that I may join my husband, whom I've not seen since our honeymoon by the way, in Ireland.  I painstakingly put together a binder, with 100 pages of supporting documentation to go along with my immigration application, or more specifically, my EEA Family Permit application.  I filled out the online application, went to my biometrics appointment and then shipped my 100 page binder to the British Consulate in New York.  I paid to have this overnighted since it contained such sensitive information and documents like my passport, birth certificate, etc. 

Well, as you may have predicted by now, even though I paid for overnight shipping, it was not overnighted.  In fact, it sat in the shipping company's air terminal for a good 36 hours before it was shipped to New York.  There was no reason but incompetence and I could not be given a straight answer as to why this happened.  The weather was perfect, so it couldn't have been a weather delay. 

So,why?  Because no one did what they were supposed to do!  Yes, my package did finally arrive in New York 36 hours after it was supposed to.  But, I'm still out the cash I spent for overnight shipping and I'm just plain miffed about it.  What's the point of spending money on a service, when that service will not be provided?  I mean, would you go to a hair salon and pay $50 for a shampoo and a blowout and just leave not having the blowout or the shampoo without demanding your money back or at least a partial refund?  Of course not!  You should get the service you prepay for! So, why would any other service be different?

 I guess the good news is that it has arrived and now I'm just awaiting the decision on my permit, but I do have to say, the path to this permit has not been an easy one.  Oh well, the things we do for love, eh?