Goin' Pro Nutz! Phase I - What can BROWN do for you?

As an aspiring photographer I thought it wise to purchase a second camera and after much debate I finally settled on the Nikon D90. My Nikon D60 has been my life blood since I got it and has really built my loyalty to the brand so when it came time to make my second purchase there was no doubt that it would be a Nikon - which one was the issue. I strongly considered the D5000 but ultimately went with the D90 due to the better specs and the in body motor for Auto Focusing non-AF-S lenses.

D90 from Nikon

With my mind made up I went to my trusty amazon.com DSLR Store to seek out the best combination kit. After loading the cart with the most suitable options I finalized my choice and processed the order. Damn, that was costly but with my new investment on the way I felt inspired. The next day I received an email notification that my order had shipped - the scheduled delivery date was TODAY - 3 days later (order placed on Sat. - delivery scheduled for Tue.). This was exciting news until I noticed that the tracking information said signature required. Well, I am at work and the package is going to the house - I will not be able to sign. I get on the phone with UPS to see if they could hold the package at their shipping center, which is about 5 mins away from where I work. After a brief battle with the automated system I was finally able to speak to a living person who after consulting with the system, informed me that the package was out for delivery and that I would have to wait until the driver had made a first delivery attempt to try and have it held. Seemed logical so I waited. A few hours later, I decided to track the package again and saw that the driver had made an unsuccessful attempt at delivery. Called UPS again, fought with the auto bot system and finally spoke to a CS Specialist and made my request to have the package held. I was notified that the shipper had placed restrictions on the package that required UPS to deliver it to my home or to a designee at my address and to have it signed for. Further, they were required to make 2 more attempts before being obligated to return the package to the shipper - WTF!!! This made no sense - I will be at work I said over and over but to no avail. I was told that I could contact the shipper and have them lift the restrictions and then the package could be held. OK! Boy, for a company that only makes right turns as a part of its route for drivers to cut down on fuel consumption this particular aspect of the service seemed positively inefficient.

Dutifully, I found the number for the shipper, placed my call and vowed to get those stupid restrictions lifted so that I can get my package, save UPS from itself and win the day. No such luck - the shipper promptly blamed UPS for the restrictions, suggested that I call the local shipping center and hung up - WTF#@k!!!

Calming myself and finding the humor in all of this I called the local service center only to be immediately inform as before that the shipper's restrictions Blah, blah, blah!!! Sensing my frustration, the individual on the other end of the phone said, "could you hold on a sec?" - sure!

He comes back on the line and says "can you meet the driver at 653 Madison Street in 15 mins?" - Errrr, sure.... Where is that? "Do you have a GPS?" was the response. I do but its not in my car today. "The driver won't wait, so hurry"

I jump on to Mapquest and speedily find driving directions to the designated meeting spot. In my hurry I put in the directions from the destination to my current location - Duhh! I was rushed. The pages were barely out of the printer and I grabbed them and ran like the wind to my car - it was a brisk walk! I looked at the directions (which were backward) and struggled to figure out where I was headed (those of you who know me know that I have the worst sense of direction known to man and can see the irony in this situation). I broke every speed limit on the route as I made my way to the meeting point. I was quite proud of the fact that I was able to navigate the route backwards working out where a right became a left etc. But as I made my way down the street where I should be making my final right turn on to Madison Street and my now well deserved package I noticed with horror that there were absolutely no street signs on this street. I saw victory snatched from my grasp and shouted Noooooooo! As I drove hopelessly down the street. When I figured I had gone far enough I turn around feverishly searching for some one to ask for directions. Oh, a guy working on a bike in the street. I pull up right next to him - "excuse me, EXCUse me, EXCUSE ME!!!" I thought he was deaf. Finally he looked up - "Can you tell me where Madison Street is?" desperation in my voice.
"One street up - I think!"
"Thanks!"

I head up to the intersection and look right - nothing; I look left and there, in the distance, could it be? Yes, a brown truck - the UPS guys was still there! I race o meet him only to find him casually sitting under a tree reading a magazine. I rush out of the car and thank him, show my ID, sign the electronic thingy and get my package. I profusely thank the driver again for waiting and head back to work using the right directions. I look back in the rear-view mirror expecting to see the truck driving away only to see the driver return to his post under the tree with his magazine. Hey whatever, I got my package - D90 Babe!!! That's what Brown did for me!