Can people find you?
I don't mean on the internet or in case of need but if it comes to receiving mail and more specifically parcels.
It all depends on who delivers it if I receive my mail. I should make a list of the best or worst companies if it comes to that. I wonder how come some can find it without any problem (the postman and GLS) and others can't and do not even go to the trouble of making a phone call or... worse. Indeed there's worse. They call, ask for the road and next send a message the address is wrong. I guess saying the address is wrong is always better than saying: I'm running out of time, I'm not in the mood to search or ask for the way, I leave will go to the next address on my list. You can forget about your parcel.
If the package cannot be delivered some organisations like UPS do not even have a depot in the area where you can pick up your parcel. They simply send it back to the sender and if in that box is something you paid for you may be lucky if you receive your money back.
If it comes to parcels I'm the unlucky one unless I have a delivery company (GLS) or a chauffeur willing to make a call and ask for the direction or a place where we can meet (express.one or sometimes DPD). If it comes to it everything depends on the driver.
I understand that if you get paid for the number of parcels you deliver you drive on and dump them where you can. UPS is one of those companies. They even write it on their site 'You don't want to find your parcel outside'.
I'm not saying this is the worst company but they are getting close to it. Same bad habits as PostNL who by now no longer leaves a message where they delivered your parcel or the letter you need to sign for. You have to figure it out yourself and ask all your neighbours. What if those neighbours keep your parcel? What if these neighbours say they didn't receive anything? What if the postman lies? (That happened before and I can tell you it causes a lot of stress. You name it and people steal it and sell it. It only got worse in the past years.)
Signing for a letter is no longer done. Not by the addressee. Someone signs and if that someone isn't you, you are in trouble. That signature says you received it in a good condition. If it broke, a scam, then it's bad luck for you. I have experienced that too. You can forget about PayPal they will not protect the customer. They don't care about you and your wallet. Big companies rarely do.
So long story short I cannot pick the delivery company and all I can do is hope it will be delivered one day instead of sending it back to the sender (been there before more than once).
So what do I do if I order something? I give my phone number at times even two.
If possible I let the parcel deliver at a pick-up point or meet the driver at a certain spot.
I check and use 3 different track and trace sites to figure out where the parcel is and when it will be delivered and if they call I answer the phone. What more can a person do as next to this staying home for days in the hope that driver will come?
What is wrong with UPS?
Their updates are always over 24 hours late. Delivery on February 24 failed. Next no delivery time, a few hours later 24th again. Next nothing all info deleted. Next delivery on 28th, next nothing, new delivery on March 2 and this was the same status today. So March 2 it is, next I receive a phone call the driver asks for the way. I explain it and tell him to call again if he can't find it. Next, no one shows up, no phone call. I check all the different sites to trace what's going on and read: the address is wrong!
My address is wrong? It is not.
I decided to figure out my GPS. I used three different options each one in a different way. Each time the site (maps with or without google) is wrong! Totally wrong! It's not even in the right direction unless you go for the east part of the country. So if those drivers used the same systems as I did I understand why they can't find it although I learned something as a child: you have a tongue and can ask for the way!
That's what they always told me and what I tell my children too. If you don't know the way ASK! There's always someone who knows where you live. Is it a male thing not to ask for the road? If it comes to the men I know it is. It nearly feels as if they feel ashamed to ask for help. Personally, I don't care. I ask if I can't find the way no matter if it's on the road or in a shop. The only thing I want is saving myself time. I don't see any point in spending time to search or look for something someone else knows and wants to tell me.
Today feels a bit like a wasted day just like last week.