Time passed. The sun shone, the sky was blue, etc.

So today, the day before the expected delivery date, I thought: these companies sometimes have flawed systems (ha!). I'll check everything's OK.

So I rang them, and lo! the order was going to be delayed. Ah, I say, good thing I phoned. When were you going to tell me it was delayed, like it says on your web site you will? Ah, they say, we're not sure. It's a new system. It doesn't always notify people. Well it's crap then, I say, and they chuckle.

Never mind, I say, please replace these out-of-stock bits with the following in-stock bits, as per your own advice. OK, they say, and they alter the order. Everything's now in stock, they tell me, so it will all definitely be with you tomorrow before 12. Definitely.

Great, I say, and I hang up, knowing in my heart that this can only be doomed to fail catastrophically.

I was not wrong.

Next I hear is a text message at 8:25. That's EIGHT TWENTY FIVE PEE-EM, if you please, telling me there's been a delay, and to check my email. So I do.

And guess what? The whole order has been delayed because an article is OUT OF FUCKING STOCK.

It's not even an article I NEED to build the fucking computer.

I am particularly riled by the fact that they have such an incredibly polished system for notifying me that THEY HAVE JUST FUCKED UP. I'd rather they had spent the money on a system that SENT ME MY FUCKING ORDER.

So tomorrow I shall phone them. I will be tempted to tell them if they can't have it delivered today AS PROMISED then to cancel the order, but I need the components, and they do them for a damn good price. I suspect if I do tell them that they will say 'Bye then', and I will have one nose less on my face.

Reality means that I am going to have to take ANOTHER fucking day off to build this computer.

I fucking hate disorganised unstreamlined uncaring anonymous boxshifting companies like this when things go wrong.

Thank you.

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