Customer-service hell

I PROBABLY should just eat something first, but I'm angry, and I need to get this out.

I had been getting boxes from Imperfect Foods, right? Mostly it worked, though I learned fairly early on that "delicate" things like berries or salad greens are not good choices - my boxes come Fed Ex and they tend to be knocked around a bit by the time they get to me.

Refrigerated things come in a big foil bag, sitting on an ice pack. It's worked okay so far.

It won't work this week.

Apparently my box got to Sherman, and met what they call a "delivery exception," and won't be here until Sunday - two days plus sitting in what I presume is a non-climate-controlled warehouse.

Most of the stuff in the box (other than the jar of spaghetti sauce and possibly the bagels) will be ruined.

I'm angry. I tried calling Fed Ex. Got a representative I could barely hear - sounded like he was talking into a tin can - and the best I got was the verbal equivalent of a shrug and a "not our problem." I explained that there were refrigerated items that would spoil.

I've  contacted "customer care" at Imperfect Foods but of course you have to do it all via e-mail and there's a time delay involved, so I don't know if they're going to do anything. The Fed Ex guy was like "maybe they'll overnight you a new box" but Imperfect doesn't work like that.

I mean, yes: it's a holiday weekend but I didn't think they'd take BOTH today and tomorrow off, and the box is in Sherman. If I were more aggressive I'd look up where the depot was and DRIVE down there and argue with the guy to just give me my box, seeing as I'll just have to THROW IT AWAY when it comes Sunday with nearly everything spoiled.

I am considerably upset about this, not just because of the impression I get that no one cares AT ALL about it.

So I don't know: Maybe in the heat of summer I just have to quit doing Imperfect Foods if this is going to be an issue. It's going to upwards of 95 F for the foreseeable future, so nothing that can spoil can be mail ordered. (No chocolate, for example, until October or November, so if I can't get it locally, I'm out of luck).

This is another problem with giant corporations running the world: you're a bug to them, and once they have your money, they stop caring about you.

I said on Twitter I'd consider unlocking my account long enough to tweet at Fed Ex and see if I get a response, but then I'd get a million pornbots trying to follow me and about eight reply guys deciding to 'splain my tweets to me or hit on me, and I can't deal with that.

The worst thing for me about the whole pandemic has been the sheer isolation. In normal times, I would go down to the natural-foods store and get a little more diversity of food, or to the Kroger to have a nicer big grocery store, but that doesn't feel possible now (especially not with Texas' cases increasing). And the feeling that those whose job it is to provide what you need don't care about you is a bad feeling. Because for me, it too quickly morphs into "nobody cares about me" and I dissolve in tears.

And yeah, it doesn't help that it's been loud at night here (fireworks) and I am not sleeping well.

Added: This kind of thing is why I have trust issues. I trust a company to do its job, and then it stops doing that job, and I feel like

Ah, well, from everything I've been able to find out online, the "delivery exception" could be "we are taking a long weekend" and while I still feel like they should have informed Imperfect Foods they wouldn't be delivering Friday, it was mostly a missed communication.

I just hope Imperfect will refund me for the spoiled food I can't use. But it's not something "personal" directed at me - I know I do sometimes tend to take things like this personally when it's just poor communication or someone being lazy or something like that.

(I did look up to see if the main "artery" highway between Sherman and here was closed - that happens at times, lots of bad wrecks - and it seems not to be, so I am assuming "holiday." Also, I guess the Imperfect Foods people are off today, I have not heard back. I guess I will go and pick a box of stuff as usual Saturday, and give them one more week....but if things get bollixed up again, I'm dropping the service, it's too annoying to depend on a delivery and not get it.

Mainly I am sad about the bagels; I ordered six Everything bagels and was looking forward to having one. Oh, they might still be edible when they finally reach me, but I was looking forward to one TODAY.

That's one of the hard things about living in a small town in a pandemic - things you used to maybe be able to get (I could have gotten bagels in Sherman, most places here don't carry them), you can't get now, and it does feel slightly unfair that on top of everything else, you can't have that one particular food item you might want)

I tried to live-chat with them, to emphasize that it's super hot here and food will not last, but they had a big thing (this being Imperfect Foods) basically saying "don't even contact us until your box is more than two days late" so I don't even know. That seems a little....dismissive. Especially for those of us in really hot climates.

I switched from the medium box to the smallest size for next week, and we will see - based on if my food arrives okay, or if it doesn't, based on if Imperfect makes it right or not, that will decide if I stay with them. If the food comes spoiled and Imperfect is not helpful (doesn't refund, or even if it takes a lot of pushing in my part to get a refund, or they are dismissive of me), I'm done with them. Life is too short to put up with really bad customer service and I have been a doormat for this kind of thing too darn long. (I am the kind of person who never sends food back unless it is unhygienic; I have choked down enough overcooked steaks or wrong-sides with my meal in the name of "not harassing the waiter or chef" to last me the rest of my life. Maybe this is how the lockdown breaks me? By unleashing my inner "Karen"? Okay, then.)