WilliamJones.info

I was so excited when the One Laptop Per Child offered its Give One Get One program that I ordered one on November 12, 2007, the first day it was available. I checked my email last night around 7:15 PM and I see the email below from OLPC:

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From: OLPC Customer Care [mailto:service@laptop.org]
Sent: Tuesday, December 18, 2007 6:36 PM
Subject: Coming soon: Your XO laptopYour XO laptop is on its way.
We’re happy to inform you that your XO laptop has shipped.In order to help you get the most out of your experience with the XO and One Laptop per Child (OLPC), here are some important links. Please save this email for reference. To find out everything you need to know to get started with your XO laptop, please click here or visit www.laptopgiving.org/start.Your order reference number: 0000000000You can track your shipment on the FedEx web site http://www.fedex.com/TrackingYour FedExtracking number: 000000000000000

If your laptop is a gift for a child, click here to download a gift card that explains that a child in the developing world will receive an XO laptop, too, as part of this program.For Terms and Conditions of the Give One Get One initiative, click here.To learn more about T-Mobile USA’s offer to provide one year of complimentary access to T-Mobile HotSpot, click here. Please note that to activate this offer, you will need to enter your Give One Get One order reference number: 0000000000

From all of us at OLPC, thank you for your participation in Give One Get One. Your gift will help give children around the globe amazing, new opportunities to grow, explore, learn and express themselves.

We hope you enjoy your XO laptop!

OLPC Foundation
P.O. Box 425087
Cambridge, MA 02142

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Wow, my laptop is coming soon! I was really excited. I went to the FedEx website and typed in my tracking number. This is what I saw:

Date/Time		Activity	Location	Details
Dec 18, 2007	5:45 PM	Delivered	Las Vegas, NV	Left on porch. Signature Service not requested.
	6:54 AM	On FedEx vehicle for delivery	HENDERSON, NV
	5:50 AM	At local FedEx facility	HENDERSON, NV
Dec 17, 2007	7:02 PM	Departed FedEx location	PHOENIX, AZ
	2:21 PM	Arrived at FedEx location	PHOENIX, AZ
Dec 14, 2007	10:30 AM	Departed FedEx location	CHICAGO, IL
	7:49 AM	Arrived at FedEx location	CHICAGO, IL
	12:24 AM	Left origin	WHEELING, IL
Dec 13, 2007	9:08 PM	Arrived at FedEx location	WHEELING, IL
	6:15 PM	Package data transmitted to FedEx	LIBERTYVILLE, IL
	1:30 PM	Picked up	WHEELING, IL

After seeing this information, I rushed to the front door to check the porch…No package was there…I checked both sides of the house: nothing. I checked the front porches of my neighbors houses on either side of me and across the street: still nothing. I checked the doorbell and it rang just fine. It dawned on me that someone must have taken the package.

Now I have many questions to ask…

Why would a signature not be required for the delivery of this laptop? FedEx informed me that it would have only been $2.50 more for a signature. After paying over $400, a couple dollars more would not have made a difference and should have been included in the price.

Why was I notified only after the laptop was delivered? I think I should have been informed by email on December 13th. What in the world took them so long to notify me of the shipment!

Why did FedEx not RING MY DOORBELL?! We were sitting about 25 feet from the front door and had been down stairs all evening, and my wife’s car was in the driveway. This morning I talked to a FedEx rep about the situation and they told me that if a package has “Signature Service not requested”, that the driver is NOT REQUIRED to ring the bell and can just leave the package. WHAT?! It is Christmas time and people are mailing expensive gifts, and they are just going to leave the stuff sitting on the porch without at least ringing the doorbell?

They sent a message to the driver this morning and now I have wait 24 hours for the driver to contact me. They instructed me that if the driver does not get back with me, that I should contact the sender to file a claim. I can tell that this is going to be one drawn out situation and I probably won’t get anything for a few months. So, now I am without a laptop for my daughter.

I did a Google search to see if anyone else was having any problems, and they are. I quickly fond one person has the same situation as me. Another person recieved an empty box.

I hope I get all of this stuff taken care of and eventually get a laptop for my daughter.