Whew

Long-time readers know that, every Christmas, I buy the yearly ornament offered by the Campbell Soup company. I've been doing this since the first one was offered back in 1980. I have all of them still. I think one is in a fragile state, but the others are fine. If I could haul the whole tree up from the basement, I think it would be neat to put them all up on the tree one year. The girls really don't bother the tree so I wouldn't have to worry about coming home and finding it on the floor with 20 years of glass shattered.

I ordered the ornament back in November. It took them longer than usual to process my order and to get it shipped out. They always use the postal service and I've never had a problem with the ornament coming broken. Usually, by ordering by mid-November, the ornament arrives in time for decorating the tree around the first of December. This year, it didn't come and didn't come and didn't come.

I'm thinking, "What recourse do I have?" One of the things that really sticks in my craw are companies that seem to force a "tracking charge" onto your final total. It's highlighted in bold and marked as "recommended". I am making it a policy to not do business with companies that do this. If you are shoving a "tracking charge" onto my order, which, in a couple cases, exceeded the total of my order, it says to me you are not confident of your own service. I understand shipping charges because my office ships equipment. That cost should be passed on or, as with some companies, waived if I buy enough goods. Handling I can also understand as it represents a fee to pay the people who pick the item off the shelf and box it up for shipping. But "tracking charge"?

So, the days dragged on and there was no sign of my ornament. My credit card had been charged and I'd received an email that said the ornament had shipped. Finally, on the 19th, here was the box.

See what it says there, on the bottom? It was sent to Allen Park, Michigan, the Detroit area's processing center. That's kind of a ways from Chicagoland. The exterior box was bent and dented. I looked at it and my heart just sank. What if the ornament is broken? Will Campbell's replace it or will I have to buy a new one.

But, as you can see, the ornament appears to be okay. I gingerly opened the interior plastic container where the ornament was and it was fine. 2012 came through whatever the automated processing machine could deliver in flying colors. Here it is on the tree looking no worse for wear.

Maybe next year, I can put all my Campbell's Soup ornaments out.

Beverage:  Irish Breakfast tea

Deb