25 May 2008

Swiss Customer Service

This afternoon GLH and I made another trip to the FedEx office at the Zurich Flughafen. Some of you may remember our last trip here.

Today they once again exhibited fine customer service skills.

We had to mail a small box of stuff to the US and had to use either FedEx or DHL because it had to be tracked from door to door. (When mailed through Swiss Post, things only get tracked to the US post office in NYC, not to its final destination.)

So we walk up with the box and explain we have to send it via FedEx.

Swiss Guy: We cannot send that.

GLH: Why not?

SG: That is a box. We can only send documents.

GLH: Are you certain?

SG: Yes.

GLH: So you are telling me that I cannot send this box from this location.

SG sighs and walks into a back office. He returns a couple of minutes later.

SG: We cannot send a box.

GLH: Who did you just go ask? Can I talk to them?

SG: I just went to check the dimensions of what we can send. That box is too large.

GLH: So you do have boxes? Can I see one of the boxes?

SG, sighing more heavily this time, once again goes into a back office and returns with a FedEx box.

GLH: I think I can make that work.

SG: No. It will not work.

GLH: Yep, I think it will. Let me try.

SG reluctantly hands GLH the box. In a few moments GLH has transferred everything over and it is ready to send. After filling out a whole lot of information about what we are sending and where, SG runs into another problem.

SG: I need a telephone number at the destination.

GLH: I don't have one.

SG: I cannot send it without a telephone number.

GLH: I have sent packages without telephone numbers with FedEx before. Are you sure?

SG: This package cannot be sent without a telephone number.

GLH: OK. I've got a telephone number.

GLH writes down our Skype telephone number. SG accepts the number and we are finally able to end the transaction.

Sometimes it is just easier to give 'em what they want, even when it makes no sense...

2 comments:

The Big Finn said...

Does your FedEx office accept credit cards? Our local office always requires that I pay cash, AND I have to have exact change because they don't have any money in the office.

Pointless Drivel said...

I don't know...something tells me that box may not reach it's destination. Something tells me that box may not leave the original post office.