Ebay Hi-jinks! Fun! Thrills!

[LouS]

So I need exactly one more reference to complete my line up of early Miura-cased Defys ('Miura' because like that particular Lambo, it is of its time and you either love it or hate it), the charcoal dial A 3642



Up comes a perfectly decent example on Ebay, for the first time in about two and a half years, maybe longer. Still has the orange lume in the paddle of the second hand, dial in good condition, case not too beat up. No bracelet, but that's alright, it's one of the easier bracelet & enpiece combos to find. The Zenithisti, with characteristic gentlemanliness, cede right of way - after all, I'm completing a model series here folks - serious stuff!

I go Ashley and fortunately, am not called on it - the auction is won for reasonable money. Paypal payment sent, the Canadian seller packages it up briskly and sends it off. I follow the provided tracking number with great anticipation...Toronto...customs clearance...Chicago...Nashua, NH (hmmm, that's a funny way to get to NYC)...Orford, NH...Orford, NH...aaaaand "Delivered" in Orford, NH!

I sent a calm email to the seller this morning...and another this evening...so far no answer.

This is a new one on me...Stay tuned for more zany fun as the story develops.

 

[Privateday7]

Whoa........the courier can get into WRONG city? That's new to me. Don't they use ZIP code?

 

[CanberraOmega]

I would also be contacting the shipping company.....

 

[LouS]

Privateday7

Whoa........the courier can get into WRONG city? That's new to me. Don't they use ZIP code?

Orford is no city - it is a two-cow town in rural New Hampshire (which by chance I happen to know as a result of circumstances very far beyond my control, similar to the present situation), and it isn't just the wrong city, it's the wrong state - NH & NY don't even have a common border. I can guarantee that watch is the only Zenith in town.

CanberraOmega

I would also be contacting the shipping company.....

Shipping company is the US Postal Service - I have a feeling they took the package exactly where they were told to. I'd like to hear from the seller what he actually meant to send to Orford.

 

[Veritas99]

But just think...in the next day or so, you'll get the used VHS copy of John Candy's immortal Armed and Dangerous meant for someone else!

 

[CanberraOmega]

if you squint, and zoom in, you can actually see the watch just outside Orford:

 

[MMMD]

CanberraOmega

if you squint, and zoom in, you can actually see the watch just outside Orford:

No, no, that's an octagonal outhouse, one of the region's signature architectural forms... eight seats, no waiting.

 

[cicindela]

I had this happen to me once. My eBay purchased Omega Constellation went from Miami to Dallas Texas and a Rolex went to me. The seller managed to reroute the Rolex before it got to me and the woman in Dallas resent the Constellation to me (nice of her).
In the mean time I was sweating it out.

 

[ulackfocus]

cicindela

I had this happen to me once. My eBay purchased Omega Constellation went from Miami to Dallas Texas and a Rolex went to me. The seller managed to reroute the Rolex before it got to me and the woman in Dallas resent the Constellation to me (nice of her).
In the mean time I was sweating it out.

It would have been a travesty if my future watch got lost.

 

[CanberraOmega]

cicindela

I had this happen to me once. My eBay purchased Omega Constellation went from Miami to Dallas Texas and a Rolex went to me. The seller managed to reroute the Rolex before it got to me and the woman in Dallas resent the Constellation to me (nice of her).
In the mean time I was sweating it out.

OMG. Dibs dibs dibs dibs. Dibs dibs dibs dibs.Dibs dibs dibs dibs.Dibs dibs dibs dibs.Dibs dibs dibs dibs.Dibs dibs dibs dibs.Dibs dibs dibs dibs.Dibs dibs dibs dibs.Dibs dibs dibs dibs.Dibs dibs dibs dibs.Dibs dibs dibs dibs.Dibs dibs dibs dibs.

 

[cicindela]

U ulackfocus

It would have been a travesty if my future watch got lost.

Believe me, if it had been side tracked to N.J. I would have been a lot more suspicious.

 

[ulackfocus]

CanberraOmega

OMG. Dibs dibs dibs dibs. Dibs dibs dibs dibs.Dibs dibs dibs dibs.Dibs dibs dibs dibs.Dibs dibs dibs dibs.Dibs dibs dibs dibs.Dibs dibs dibs dibs.Dibs dibs dibs dibs.Dibs dibs dibs dibs.Dibs dibs dibs dibs.Dibs dibs dibs dibs.Dibs dibs dibs dibs.

You can quote them til the cows come home. I'm first on that list if Steve ever decides to sell. The chances of that happening are slim to none anyway.

..... and Slim just got up and left.

cicindela

Believe me, if it had been side tracked to N.J. I would have been a lot more suspicious.

As soon as I heard the ominous baritone of a cello I'd skip town. The soundtrack is always the tip off to danger.

 

[pitpro]

I'll blame it on USPS until proven otherwise.
They are the worst. Had one take over 4 weeks to arrive.
And I have caught them claiming attempted delivery when
they did not. Avoid at all costs.

 

[cicindela]

pitpro

I'll blame it on USPS until proven otherwise.
They are the worst. Had one take over 4 weeks to arrive.
And I have caught them claiming attempted delivery when
they did not. Avoid at all costs.

I've watched one FedEx driver knock and run in one motion. She was down the street so fast I could not catch her.

 

[Nick F 05]

CanberraOmega

if you squint, and zoom in, you can actually see the watch just outside Orford:

Well a country club, how very cosmopolitan

 

[Nick F 05]

In Vermont!

 

[Alpenschneerot]

Hi LouS,
here it is,the missing thing to complete your "Miura" Defy collection....
Regards, Reiner

 

[MSNWatch]

pitpro

I'll blame it on USPS until proven otherwise.
They are the worst. Had one take over 4 weeks to arrive.
And I have caught them claiming attempted delivery when
they did not. Avoid at all costs.

I think they all have their problems - USPS outsources a lot of delivery (outside of the last few miles) to UPS and FedEx so they could be at fault. I have had FedEx lose a watch of mine and as for UPS have a manager tell me that to let of steam, employees pick out a few boxes marked fragile and stomp on them. All anecdotal stuff I know but have heard horror stories for all of them. I will say though that I have never had the postal service lose a watch or watch part(s) and other assorted things I either sent or had sent to me whether domestic or overseas - and we are talking hundreds of packages - so for me USPS is still the service to use. I have a friend who has vintage pateks shipped routinely to him via the postal service from all parts of the world and he has never lost one (and they are all uninsured btw) and he has dozens of these watches with no complaint.

 

[pitpro]

MSNWatch

I think they all have their problems - USPS outsources a lot of delivery (outside of the last few miles) to UPS and FedEx so they could be at fault. I have had FedEx lose a watch of mine and as for UPS have a manager tell me that to let of steam, employees pick out a few boxes marked fragile and stomp on them. All anecdotal stuff I know but have heard horror stories for all of them. I will say though that I have never had the postal service lose a watch or watch part(s) and other assorted things I either sent or had sent to me whether domestic or overseas - and we are talking hundreds of packages - so for me USPS is still the service to use. I have a friend who has vintage pateks shipped routinely to him via the postal service from all parts of the world and he has never lost one (and they are all uninsured btw) and he has dozens of these watches with no complaint.

My delivery is in a 40 story office building.
Our floor has at least 30 doors. UPS left
a package at the door in the hallway on Saturday(no one there of course)
and we found it there Monday morning. And a signature Was required.
USPS postal service carriers are patronage jobs and we've all heard the stories
of what they do with the mail. In other words their jobs don't depend on
Performance like the corporate carriers. I read on one of the forums
that an insured package has a color coded sticker as to value and that
it was like advertising that there is i high dollar item in here to steal as it passed
through processing.
All the high end dealers and Jewelers I have dealt with use FedEx overnight and have
supplemental insurance. Never a hickup with FedEx. And the carriers don't
know if it's a 100 page contract or a $100,000. watch. I also believe that some
Jewelers supplemental insurance only allows FedEx shipping. Or they can use
FedEx Declared Value Advantage which insures up to $50,000.

 

[LouS]

Nick F 05

Well a country club, how very cosmopolitan

It's very chi-chi country, the Upper Valley.

Alpenschneerot

Hi LouS,
here it is,the missing thing to complete your "Miura" Defy collection....
Regards, Reiner

I'd order it, but they would probably deliver it to backwoods Arkansas.

MSNWatch

I will say though that I have never had the postal service lose a watch or watch part(s) and other assorted things I either sent or had sent to me whether domestic or overseas - and we are talking hundreds of packages - so for me USPS is still the service to use.

Agree. So far, the burden of proof regarding delivery address rests with the sender - he ought to have a receipt, right? I've written to him twice. The answer so far: