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With Saturday’s iPad Launch done and dusted, UPS sit back and take a long breath and pat themselves on the back that there was a job well done for Apple.

Did every iPad get delivered? I don’t think so based on a small exchange on Twitter today with @ThomasAtUPS...

I was fortunate to have a lovely friend pick me up and iPad and post it straight into the UPS system for an express delivery to the UK. On Saturday, I got my tracking number and noticed that it had shown a collection scan at 1421 Local Time. Thank you Andrea, I value your friendship and help this weekend very much and am on standby for when and how I can repay your kindness.

UPS however appear to have been so focussed on the iPad that they may have missed a couple of the rest of their customers, well hey, its Saturday...Whose gonna notice?

I tweeted out this afternoon that despite having collected the iPad at 1421 on Saturday, the items is not yet shown as received in a hub for UPS. It may be still on the Van? Almost instantly, I received a Reply from @ThomasAtUPS who informed me...”@BritishTechNews We were delivering in Miami and surrounding until late in the evening. If you rec'd no iPad, it will be there Monday.”

Thanks Thomas, except I am in the UK and I am awaiting the item that my friend dispatched on a 2 day service at $122, and how interesting that there are two things in that reply which mean so much more. Clearly UPS did not deliver everyones iPad as was supposed to have happened as Thomas’ tweet clearly says, ‘we tried but you’ll get it on Monday don’t worry’...I am paraphrasing of course.

Does Apple know that it paid for Saturday delivery and not everyone got Saturday delivery?

Secondly Thomas’ instant assumption is that I am in Miami and awaiting a delivery, when actually, I am in the UK and wondering why UPS took the parcel with over 3 working hours left in the day and then did nothing else with it. Does UPS scan from van to depot on receipt? If so then my iPad is probably locked safely in the depot still in the van of the guy who was clearly out delivering “...until late in the evening” last night, but if you posted an item on Saturday and UPS collected, clearly they didn’t go back to the depot to process it in time as they were trying, unsuccessfully, to fulfill the terms of their agreement with Apple.

I hope I am wrong and that UPS have their ‘finger on the pulse’ and that I get my iPad on Tuesday as I paid for, but what is the really interesting part of the whole episode is the silence that followed from Thomas after there was no PR to be had.

I offer criticism...UPS Defends...I qualify the problem and the Social Media face of the large organisation wilts once it realises that there is no ‘social media capital’ to be had in continuing the discussion. Blogger Bob and Comcast Cares are all well and good when they can instantly challenge the incorrect slurs that social media can bring, but what they are really missing and what @ThomasAtUPS need to learn as a phrase is...

“Oh, OK, Sorry. You can imagine we were really busy, we’ll do our best to fulfill our promise”

Thomas, this would have been enough. Deep down, as frustrated and excited as I am I...I get it mate, you must have been really busy. All you have to do is say what we all think and generally, the reasonable people will be happy.

Ewen ‘Desperately & Impatiently Waiting’ Rankin

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Ewen Rankin

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