The Loaghtan Books office is out in the countryside, which is lovely, but does mean that we occasionally have problems with delivery drivers who can't find us.  We have detailed directions which we email to delivery firms, although whether they actually reach the drivers seems unlikely.

A case in point.  Our latest consignment of books was due on Monday.  We knew it was on its way because the driver (who had delivered here before) had telephoned saying he was lost.  We worked out he was only a mile away and there are only three possible roads, so the senior partner phoned with directions and was standing by in case the driver took a wrong turning and needed more.  The junior partner was stationed on the road to wave at truck drivers in case they were him (that was fun!).  He'd be with us in ten minutes, he said.

We waited.  And waited.  It had started to rain slightly so the junior partner was getting wet.  The only delivery vehicle she'd seen was a furniture van coming out of a road she could have sworn was too narrow for it.

The senior partner tried phoning the driver.  No answer.  He tried again.  Still no answer.  Half a dozen tries and three quarters of an hour later there was still no answer and no truck.  A soggy junior partner abandoned her roadside vigil when it became obvious that nothing was going to happen.

The books were delivered the following day.

The delay didn't actually matter, but the lack of communication meant we lost an hour's work.  The silent disappearing act was at best inconvenient and frankly downright rude.  Was it really too much to ask that the first driver take two minutes to ring and explain he had to go back to the depot?

Come on Graylaw, you can do better than that...

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