Online purchase delayed because of snow. Has this happened to you?

@mentalward (14691)
United States
December 23, 2009 8:28am CST
I just received two emails telling me that things I've ordered for Christmas have been delayed because of "external forces", a.k.a. SNOW. I expect to receive more of these emails very soon. For anyone who has recently had a significant weather event, have you had shipments delayed? Will you let that ruin your holiday celebration? I won't. I'm going to write down what I am expecting for everyone and place that in a card so the recipients of these delayed gifts will know what they'll be getting as soon as the trucks can get here. However, as we are supposed to get freezing rain on Christmas day, I may postpone our celebration for the following week and, hopefully, those delayed gifts will be here by then so it'll all work out for the best. Uh, hooray for freezing rain?
4 people like this
19 responses
@dragon54u (31636)
• United States
23 Dec 09
I hope you get them in time anyway!! Not delayed by weather but by poor quality control--I ordered a wallet from Tilly's for my son, a black one and they sent me white! Who the hell wants a WHITE wallet?!! I called them and they sent me a label to return it and I finally got the replacement on the 19th, a Saturday, after 5pm when everything had closed. Sent it on Monday to Arizona where he is and had to pay $15 to get it there by Christmas. Believe me, I left some angry feedback at their Amazon account. Apparently the whole shipment they received was white instead of black but doesn't anyone inspect these things when they arrive?! I thought that was SOP! Thanks for letting me rant. I hope your gifts arrive in time and you have no freezing rain on Christmas!
@dragon54u (31636)
• United States
23 Dec 09
Oh, I'm sure they will read the feedback. Last Christmas I had a gift arrive the day before Christmas and luckily my son was here to get it. Those people refunded me all that I had spent on the gift, they were great! I don't know if Tilly will do anything, though. Everywhere I have worked, I always inspected shipments to make sure we got what we paid for. I thought retailers did that, too. What a lame company, doesn't even check their merchandise! Weather changes constantly! We were supposed to have sleet today and Weather Bug alerted me to it--all we have is a few snowflakes and the advisory was cancelled. I'll hope your Christmas weather doesn't live up to predictions!
@mentalward (14691)
• United States
23 Dec 09
Oh, I would have been furious, too! Hmmm, black, white, yeah, it's hard to tell the difference. The worst part of that was you having to pay extra for shipping! I would have demanded that they reimburse me for that. Of course, I wouldn't expect to get it but I'd let them know just how much this cost me, not only the emotional part of it. Oooooh! That makes ME mad and I had nothing to do with it! I'm glad you were able to get that off your chest, though. Isn't myLot wonderful? LOL It looks like we will most definitely be getting freezing rain. You know how it is, we hear a prediction on the Weather Channel, then they change it 20 times before it arrives (or doesn't). Well, they've been saying freezing rain since Saturday so I'm pretty sure we're going to get it. I'll ask my son, the one who has to come early so he can leave early to get some sleep before working that night, if he wants to try it. If he says no, I'll postpone it for the following weekend. I won't let him know he's the decisionmaker, though. He can't handle that kind of pressure.
1 person likes this
@jambi462 (4576)
• United States
23 Dec 09
Yeah last week our community schools had three snow days in a row and our roads were so bad it looked like the mailman hadn't even came to our neighborhood. It frustrated me too because I had paid extra for express shipping on a couple of packages and I won't be able to get that money back.
@mentalward (14691)
• United States
23 Dec 09
I paid extra for two-day express and lost that money, too. I think they should reimburse us for that, although I'm sure they're doing all they can to get everything delivered as soon as possible. Still, they should reimburse us the difference between normal shipping and express. We PAID for express and didn't get it. Hmmph! Our mailman didn't make it here one day. Actually, I don't think he made it here on Saturday or Monday. We got very little mail on Tuesday, too. Very strange. I thought they were supposed to deliver no matter what! Neither rain nor sleet nor dark of night... blah blah blah. I guess they could argue that there's nothing in that statement about snow.
@GardenGerty (157629)
• United States
25 Sep 15
I hope this is not a harbinger of this coming winter. I am sure in the end all turned out all right.
@Chevee (5905)
• United States
23 Dec 09
Hi Marti, hope you are having a wonderful day. Yes I did order a book, and no it hasn't arrive yet, I am expecting it to arrive soon, the mail hasn't come for today I am hoping it will be here today. If not tomorrow is another day. I am sorry your gifts haven't arrived yet and are delayed, I am sure the recipients will understand. Take Care and Stay Safe for the holidays.
@mentalward (14691)
• United States
23 Dec 09
Hi Chevee. Yes, I am having a wonderful day, actually. I'm still hurting from the shoveling but I'm feeling much better than I was. I have a lot of energy and have already been able to get a lot done this morning. I hope you're having a great day, too! I sure do hope your book comes soon! I know what it's like to expect something and not have it come. Believe me, I KNOW! LOL My husband said that something he had ordered was delayed but is now out for delivery. It was delayed in the same town that mine is delayed in, but mine is still there while his is on a truck heading this way. Go figure! You know, the oddest thing is happening. The snow blower I ordered on Monday, which they said would take at least 10 days to be delivered (site-to-store) is sitting at the store right now for us to pick up! The gifts I ordered a week ago are still delayed. I just don't get it. Maybe it's because UPS is overwhelmed with all the packages being shipped right now and, with the snowstorm, they're even more backed up while the shipper who shipped the snowblower from the warehouse to the store doesn't have that problem. Oh, well. I'm thinking of this snowblower as the best Christmas gift I've ever received, even if I did buy it myself. LOL You stay safe and keep that wonderful, positive attitude you have. It's always nice to hear what you have to say. I wish you the very best Christmas and hope the New Year is your best ever.
@monkeylong (3139)
• Guangzhou, China
23 Dec 09
As far as I am concerned, there seldom happens to me. For I usually buy thing in the reality. But sometimes, I will buy some thing online which I can not find in the reality. I remember the last time I bought a toy which is so clever , But when the toy came to me was just a week late . I was so upset then, because I just wanted to give it to my girl friend as her birthday present. Happy mylot.
@mentalward (14691)
• United States
23 Dec 09
I can understand your being upset when your girlfriend's gift did not come in time for her birthday. The gifts I have coming are not that important. It would be nice to get them before Christmas but, if that doesn't happen, I'll make the most of things and let everyone know what they can expect to receive very soon. I am sure the shippers are doing everything in their power to get everything delivered as soon as possible but the snowstorm we had on Saturday that dumped 33 inches of snow on us has really backed things up.
@cycle6060 (118)
• India
23 Dec 09
Even I've ordered some gifts online and waiting for it to be delivered, hope it doesn't happen to me.
@mentalward (14691)
• United States
23 Dec 09
It is upsetting but I can understand it. I'm sure the shippers are doing everything they can to get all their deliveries made on time. The snowstorm we had on Saturday (33 inches of snow!) just came at a very bad time.
@gabs8513 (48686)
• United Kingdom
29 Dec 09
Hi Mentalward Lucky enough I did not have that problem everything arrived on time even though we had the Postal Strike everything was here on time even most Christmas Cards I hope that you have them by now though
@mzz663 (2772)
• United States
31 Dec 09
As much snow as we get here, seems we never have the mail delayed because of snow. I'm guessing you live somewhere where there usually is not a lot of snow and they might not have the plows and salt to put on the roads.
@greenline (14838)
• Canada
24 Dec 09
It has not happened to me, but I know these delays can happen in this kind of weather. Driving along highways and even along the roads in the cities is getting very dangerous with record-breaking amounts of snow falling day and night. Even mail deliveries could be delayed, I would think. The weather has been so bad, snow storm, blizards, freezing temperatures.
@commanderxo (1494)
• Canada
24 Dec 09
...and to just think...a while ago you were so worried that you weren't going to receive any precipitation over the holidays. Now you have MORE than you could ever hope for, with even more on the way. I think your idea about waiting a week, is a very perceptive one. With all that recent downfall, added in with tomorrow's freezing rain...let's hope too, that those gift trucks are equipped with ice breaking chains on their tires. Either that, or perhaps have your gifts be sent by bob sled, instead! ;-D Wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas... commanderxo
@paula27661 (15811)
• Australia
26 Dec 09
I don’t usually purchase gifts on line although I have done so once or twice and I have always made my order months in advance because I am a worry wart! (LOL) It never occurred to me that the weather would delay deliveries but it makes perfect sense. It’s a good idea to postpone the celebrations until the weather clears, that way you won’t be worrying about the odd guest who is running late and may have got stuck amongst the elements. As I’ve told many MyLotters it is so hard for me to envision freezing cold conditions as I sit here in my living room under the cool air conditioning because it’s boiling outside! Hope you had a lovely Christmas whatever you did!
@JenInTN (27514)
• United States
27 Dec 09
Yes!!! I have a gift for my daughter that I am still waiting on. I was very disappointed that it wasn't here by Christmas. I just told her she had a gift on the way. I was really worried about that freezing rain and just left Indiana on Christmas evening so I would be sure to make it home. Thank goodness the most I run into was some nasty wind.
• China
25 Dec 09
until now, i havent met such a condition. after all, the weather here now is very good. just yesterday, i got my first order from amazon. it's on time. and the goods are good, so i think i'll buy more things online from now on.
• United States
24 Dec 09
Usually when I buy things online I receive them hastily, unless they are from another country of course.
@winterose (39887)
• Canada
23 Dec 09
I haven't ordered anything for christmas so it hasn't happened to me but I have ordered clothes from the usa only to get that stuff is out of stock would be a detail of several weeks to several months. It is awful because it happens so often to me.
@crazynurse (7482)
• United States
23 Dec 09
When I read about the large amounts of snow that many sections of the United States received recently, I immediately thought about the grounded planes and closed roads and the effects those would have on Christmas shipments. As an adult, I have no problem waiting for a gift, but I can't help but think about some children who may not quite understand why Santa forgot them!
@AmbiePam (85662)
• United States
23 Dec 09
I'm thinking I'm going to start to get those e-mails. A couple of presents that should have been here by now, are not here. Sadly, those presents that have not come in are all for my dad. So basically he has nothing to open for Christmas. He doesn't care, but I care.
@Jakywoo (102)
• China
24 Dec 09
So,Merry Christmas firstly!I think in many parts of our life are affected by the weather.Take 2008 as an example,so heavy sonw so that we were take the holiday before the plan.Because if we still obeyed the plan,then we had to have the New Year in the school.Though wonderful but strange!Hope you can get you gifts as soon as possible!
23 Dec 09
Yes, many of my purchases ordered to arrive over the last few days are yet to arrive- and if they don't come tomorrow I'll be forced run out and buy replacement gifts- postponing christmas isn't an option for us.