Yekrats.com: Scotto’s Seafud Shanty

It’s the girls’ birthday this week, and like a bad parent, I did not order one of their gifts until early Monday morning. Aha, but like a smart parent, I ordered from Amazon, paying a little extra for their 3-5 day shipping option. That way, I could get the gift in time for their birthday party. I figured they might be able to process it that day, and I might receive it by Thursday, Friday, or Saturday at the latest.

But Saturday is here, and no package. In fact, the USPS site claims the package did not leave their facility until yesterday afternoon. Checking the Amazon site, it tells me to expect it on Tuesday, 8 days after my order, or 7 not counting the order date. So, what gives?

I called up Amazon (receiving surprisingly very prompt service there) but they explained how they count “3-5 days.” First, I can’t count Monday, because that is a fraction of a day. (Fair enough.) Also I can’t count weekends (despite the postal service running on weekends). I also can’t count the day it arrives, because — according to the Amazon rep — that’s another fraction of a day. So they count Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Monday … (hand waving) … TA-DA! You’ll have it on Tuesday! (Note, they said if I don’t get it by Tuesday, I get my extra $5 back.)

I’m still trying to figure out exactly what I paid the extra $5 for, to upgrade from “free” 5-10 service to more expensive 3-5 service. Maybe they should name it something different, like “regular” service and “gold” service, and not promise a specific number of days. Then I wouldn’t have the expectation of receiving a package within a certain number of days. If I pay extra for something within 5 days, I expect it!

Moral of the story: Caveat emptor.

Hey, if you didn’t already know, my wife has created a blog! Go there and show her some love, and tell her to write some more!