happyhappyhappyhappyhappyhappyhappy

I'm glad it's looking like we get a happy ending on this one.

Great to hear such AWESOME news!!
It truly pays to be persisitant!
congrats!

Wow, that is great news, Benzart ! Glad to know it will be a happy ending after all.

Great news Ben:)

Dang it, I still post under my old username (tikifreak) by accident sometimes. Sorry bout' dat...

Still, this is great news.

*On 2006-02-21 13:14, midnite_tiki wrote:

Good luck, it will be a bummer if lost, but I would guess it arrives directly. Then again, they never found Lindbergh's baby, oh wait. I was thinking of Jimmy Hoffa's baby.

$20 on it arriving safe and sound by Thursday...takers?
midnite the greek
*

What day is it? No takers, crap!

Sometimes it's best to go with the first impression. Unfortunately, that's what most people do when meeting me. I thought it was way fishy, that whole "totally destroyed/discarded" tale, but things looked grim there after a few reports from Ben.

Good going Ben, nice ending. Now, about my fee.

midnite esq, barrister, solicitor, soothsayer, seer, gadfly, hanger of drywall.

Super News!!!

That fortune cookie I got the other day was true...
"A Hand Full Of Patience Is Worth More Than A Bushel Full Of Action."

Ben, I'm sure you'll sleep good tonight. I'm glad to hear everything turned out okay.

Just have to add my joy and relief to the plie...kinda restores my (waining) faith in humanity.

That's so wonderful! Good on you for sticking with it; it's ridiculous that their customer service required you to be so ludicrously persistent.

The universe takes care of the good folks in the end, this is Benzart's awesome karma in action!

Deep sigh of relief My faith in humanity (and FedEx) is restored . . for now. Hope this is the only close call that you and/or any of your works ever experience!

"Snatched from the jaws of death . ."

Hooray! I'm happy to hear that this has a happy ending. I think the idea of clear tape over the tracking number sticker is an excellent idea. I've seen some ebay sellers do this for address labels too.

AHHHHHHHHHHHH,
the lows and highs of the TIKI lifestyle.

PRESS ON!!
Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence.
Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent.
Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb.
Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts.
Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.

Former President and Tiki Collector
Hon. Calvin Coolidge. given in a speech sometime around 1925

Were happy for you.

Thanks once again to Everyone including the Tiki Gods. They knew something was amiss. I Just couldn't accept their D&D answer either Midnite. Sabu, They have a NEW Foolproof, System that is supposed to eliminate lost lables. They have a clear plastic baggie type thing where you insert the lable and it has self sticky tape on the back so it doesn't come off. Foolproof??? Right. I am So glad I kept listening to that voice that said"Find it, Look for it, Track it down, Find the bastard who stole it".
HappyHappyHappy

Way to keep with it Ben! That's without a doubt the feel good story of the week! It's even better to hear that a fellow Marylander didn't suffer such hideous bad mana - congrats Foamy! I'll be holding my breath waiting for a complete happy ending and pics!

This thread is sort of like at Woodstock when everyone was chanting, "no rain, no rain", except the hippies got covered in mud and Ben got his tiki back. Way to go TC! We're more powerful than the hippies. And, our drinks taste better!

On 2006-02-23 13:36, Kailuageoff wrote:
And, our drinks taste better!

Amen! And I will drink to that!

And, most of all, one for the Tiki Gods smiling on Ben and Foamy. Just because they are omnipotent doesn't mean they can't get distracted for a minute.....

Hope to see pictures of the Damaged and Destroyed Tiki in its new home!

Whew! That's some powerful good mojo you carve into your tikis.

Ben this is GREAT news! I'm so glad that you found the package and now it's continuing on it's way up north.

My grandfather worked for the USPS and whenever he would ship anything to my family he would write the shipping and return address on multiple sides and put a ship to address and contact phone number inside the box as well. I always thought he was a little kooky and going overboard with the addresses...but after reading your terrible/relieving story I think I now understand why he did it.

Here's to a happy ending!

Awesome news Ben!

That guy was faaaar too nice to not find his way home.

Somewhere the tiki gods are smiling, and all is as it should be.

On 2006-02-23 07:13, Benzart wrote:
HOLD THE FORT, STOP THE PRESSES Last night I tried to reach the Lewisberry office who had the last entry in the tracking log. Could not get anywhewre.
This morning I called FedEx again and asked to speak to someone in the Lewisberry office and thay said we have no phone Public listings, what is this in reguards to. I gave the tracking # again and said I just wanted to find outn what happened to the package. The person said it was damaged and discarded. I said, then PLease let me talk to the office who had the remains. Finally I was transferredthrough 3 more places and Finally spoke to a Real live person in the Lewisberry office. Her name was Peggy and I gave her the tracking # and she asked me to describe the contents. I gave her a description of the tiki and she said " It's RIGHT HERE" "Part of the lable came off and they could no longer track it andthe carving was so nice I Knew someone would call.."
After all that The package is Finally, once again on it's way to his new home. I will believe it when Foamy see's it but I almost cried.
Thanks everyone for not letting me give up!!!

That's so awesome! Glad you didn't give up either and found #5 like that, wow! What a story! So glad "#5 is alive" (hey, that's a quote from that movie "Short Circuit"). So cool.

Finally, we can close the book on this wandering tiki. FedEx finallydelivered the package and ONLY 8 days Late. However Better late then NEver. I can finally sleep tonight. Thanks again to everyone for your support and understanding. What a Fantastic Family.
YESYESYES

zazz!!!

Hey Ben!
What did Peggy say when you told her that you were told it was damaged and discarded? I'm curious as to how "apologetic to sarcastic" she might have been.
Also, what's Foamy's take been on all of this? He's been mysteriously quiet thru all of this.... ;}

I have to say that I am happy for a good ending to what could have been a very sad tale however I do have one little question. Doesn't it bother anyone even a little bit that the package was opened? Clearly it was not damaged? And if it made it from one destination to the next they should have been able to figure it out by I don't know, going back to the prior destination? The label would have to have been completely destroyed with no information on it & that is just not plausible at all. I'm thinking that Ben's persistence just caught them "stealing". The fact that they opened the package would convince me never ever to use fed ex!!! Anyone?

On 2006-02-24 18:03, Tikisgrl wrote:
... Clearly it was not damaged?... The label would have to have been completely destroyed with no information on it & that is just not plausible at all. I'm thinking that Ben's persistence just caught them "stealing". The fact that they opened the package would convince me never ever to use fed ex!!! Anyone?

I got to wade in here, as a EX-20 year management employee of UPS, I can tell you that no one was trying to steal a TiKi, (even Benzarts) Theft is very uncommon, it happens but its rare, employees are watched too closely, cameras are everywhere, facilities have guards who check you in and out, checking everyone’s purse, lunchbox etc. Also these companies prosecute heavily and quickly, making examples of these people. Also why would a person throw away such a good job over some thing.
I will tell you that there is tremendous volume traveling through these facilities, especially in the over-night operations, they only have a few hours to process the packages and get them to destination. I would estimate less than 1/100 of 1% of packages get lost or damaged and most of the time it was due to improper packaging or labeling. I cannot tell you how many packages I have seen with 2 labels on it. Or glass wrapped in newspaper in a used container. Cardboard boxes lose like 85% of their integrity in the first use; newspaper only transfers the shock into the item. The rule is also if the item is irreplaceable, don't use a common carrier, pay the big bucks and have a private trucking service deliver it. Fed-X and UPS were not designed to carry personal items, rather they are designed to carry business goods, packaged as such and are readily replaceable. Both companies are excellent at what they do, their price is reasonable for what you get and service overall is remarkable, and especially when you consider what mammoths these companies are and how much volume is handled overnight! It does stink that when reduced down to the personal level, especially our beloved Benzarts, that there was a service disconnect, but, on the same personal level there was Peggy waiting for the call, keeping the TiKi warm and safe. Typically the address clerks are the sharpest tacks in the box and really try to fix any problems. I have seen them go above and beyond the call of duty daily. Most employees of UPS bleed brown and are proud of the service that they render as well as UPS overall.
ATLANTA, Feb 21, 2006 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- UPS (UPS) today was rated "America's Most Admired" company in its industry in an annual survey conducted by FORTUNE magazine.
The company also ranked in the Top 10 across all of corporate America in seven of the eight criteria used by the magazine to rank companies, including a No. 1 ranking for social responsibility for the third straight year.
UPS was ranked No. 2 in the United States for "product quality." It was rated No. 3 in each of the categories of "best use of assets" and "financial soundness." And it ranked No. 5 for "people management;" No. 6 for "management quality,"

On 2006-02-24 18:03, Tikisgrl wrote:
. Doesn't it bother anyone even a little bit that the package was opened? Clearly it was not damaged?

nope. in fact, it is a GOOD THING they looked.. because some cautious folks put another address label inside, just in case the original packaging is damaged..

i'm so happy for Benzart.. that his tiki made its way home..

Good to know such a sweet tiki is okay. But their management of customers and damaged labels, it kinda leaves something to be desired doesnt it? Good on ya Ben for ya persistence.

I guess that I am a little cynical still!!! As the result was finally good I guess the lesson we can all learn from this is the one Dogbytes mentioned, be sure to have an extra label with your name and information on stuff you ship. Or in the case of a hand made carving like Ben's, if found call my creator at: insert number and information here.

Usually I DO place a business card inside with a packing slip or invoice, but I get lazy sometimes and put Nothing inside this time. . Of ALL Times.
When Peggy heard the package was "Damaged and Discarded", She was genuinely Flabbergasted. She said, We Never discard packages and couldn't believe they gave that conclusion.
They opened the box to Hopefully find some information inside that would send the tiki on his way. I Believe the tiki was packaged very well and securely.
Once I had Peggy on the phone I felt 99% comfortable there was No malcontent and that the tiki was safely on its way. I reserved the last 1% for when he arrived at Foamy's home.
Foamy, in the meantime has been Very upset about the whole deal. Sick about losing #500, about Losing his Benzart before he even got it, Angry at the thought of some crook laughing and enjoying His tiki in their living room. HAPPYHAPPYHAPPY can only Begin to describe the feeling I got from his first email after tracking down the tiki.
Perhaps he will chime in here and give us His side of the story.
I know it really was a wild emotionally roller-coaster ride for me and Sherry dealing with Customer service, which should be Re-Named to something more appropriate.
Bananabobs assessment was right on, I think and the ONE thing that would have prevented this was another address and contact info somewhere else on or in the package, so I take responsibility. FedEx/s failure was their lack of communication between Customer service and the FedEx offices.

LESSONS LEARNED.

"FedEx/s failure was their lack of communication between Customer service and the FedEx offices."

Hindsight being 20/20, that was the only real problem as it turns out. They shouldn't scare people like that. I was genuinely distressed. "Damaged and discarded" has a very bad sound about it. I was preparing to travel to Lewisberry and beyond today if the phone didn't yield results. When I got home last night, he was sitting patiently on my front stoop. No signature asked for. Now that he's here—everything is good.

Image Missing: http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b6dc04b3127cce973fb3a59a3100000015108AcN3DRo5aNs

Here he sits in his new home. He'll be hanging or sitting in the middle of the wall you see behind him. The Vortex will be gradually transformed into a more tiki-like environment (it's all sailing right now). In fact, a bar is slated to reside where the coffee table now sits and this fella will be the center of it all. But, anyway, this is his new home.

I have to say, this tiki has a vibe. A real good vibe. It's palpable, you can feel it. I can anyway.

Ben, thank you and Mrs. Davis, for your persistence. And, for the GREAT tiki. It's Mai Tai's and Chincoteaque oysters tonight, in celebration.
Almost forgot, HappyHappyHappy!!!

[ Edited by: foamy 2006-02-25 08:16 ]

Happy Happy Happy too....this means Ben can still feel reasonably confident about shipping
the BigBenz...and guys in the far-off places like wisconsin can eventually own one!
Hapeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.

[ Edited by: johntiki 2006-10-05 21:49 ]