Ask and Ye Shall Receive

As collectors of small, fragile squares of paper whose value is almost entirely based on good condition, I'm sure we all have out horror stories when it comes to building our collections - especially when we order cards through the mail.  Some mail carrier shoves an envelope into a box, a sorting machine rips through a PWE like a cheetah into a gazelle, a sudden and violent rain shower dumps puddles of water into a slightly cracked mailbox... it happens to the best of us.

The worst of all card-shipping sob-stories, at least in my humble opinion, is when the card(s) in question never show up at all.  What in the hell happened to them?  Does some fellow collector without a shred of a moral compass work at the post office and is pocketing our loot?  Did that same "lost forever" sinkhole that steals half of my socks suddenly open up at my mailbox too?  I understand that this is the risk you take when you order cards on the internet; I'd just like some closure, y'know?

So, after pulling the trigger on a card I was rather excited to find and spending a little bit more money than I normally do on such a purchase (doesn't it always happen this way?), the expected arrival date came and went... and then another week passed.  The tracking history did nothing to lift my spirits:

As you can see in the screenshot above, as of yesterday, the card I'd ordered on the 14th of January had been sitting in the same facility for 11 days... that's generally a bad sign.

After taking to the interwebs to do some research on CHICAGO 2CMETRO, I can't say that I was feeling any better about my little predicament.  According to the Ebay forums, this particular office has a list of complaints regarding lost parcels more than a hundred deep... as of last fall!  In the immortal words of Scoobert Doo:  "ruh roh."

However, in the course of my panicked search, I also read that the USPS has a rather stellar reputation when it comes to customer service on Twitter, @USPSHelp.  I'm generally skeptical of such services and was really just expecting to hear that my package had been evaporated; but, desperate times call for desperate measures.

By the way, this seems like an opportune time to mention that I've recently started a Twitter account to cross promote Wrigley Roster Jenga on social media; so, ummmm,  follow me?

Anyway, after waiting for a day, I didn't get a response from them.  Of course, I wasn't at all expecting to hear back so quickly; I'm sure they have hundreds upon hundreds of complaints come in daily.  Patience is a virtue after all.

Even so, I did make sure to check the tracking information again this morning:

Well imagine my surprise - that's quite the sudden turnaround, now isn't it?  Of course, this could all have easily been a fortuitous coincidence; that said, I'd like to believe that somebody from help called CHICAGO 2CMETRO in a huff, J. Jonah Jameson style, demanding answers and threatening punishment to save my precious cargo.

Yea, right.  But, does anyone out there in the blogosphere have any experience with USPS Help? How'd that go for you?

Anyway, I am once again a happy camper and the U.S. Postal Service seems to have an exceptional customer service department (if they truly had a hand in it).  Of course, I haven't been home yet to actually check my mail - so, this could all be some cruel joke and my card might still be MIA.  I highly doubt that's the case, but then you never truly know.

In summation, the moral of the story - don't be afraid to ask for help.