DHL — Delivering Happiness Late

Getting your books online has its rewards. By ordering through DCBS each month, I save a great deal of money (okay, it doesn’t actually save money because I put that savings right back into my comics fund, but you get the idea), I save a great deal of time because I don’t have to drive through rush hour to Mile High every Wednesday, and surprisingly, I get my comics in great condition. What’s not to love?

DHL, that’s what.

For the third time in a row my DHL shipment from DCBS has been delayed because of incompetence. There’s no other word for it. And there's also no excuses. Although I’ve already signed the waiver that allows them to leave the box at my front door, they once again left a note that states they’ll redeliver tomorrow. And believe me, this is beginning to piss me off.

I have a fairly stressful job, and when I get that happy email notice that tells me a box of comics will greet me when I get home, I get pretty keyed up about it. Like today. I was happy as a clam all day, laughing and singing as more and more crap piled up. Who cares about deadlines and irate customers when you have six pounds of comics waiting for you when you get home? Instead, I imagined myself enjoying a superhero yarn or two, or getting historic with Loveless. With as many books as I had coming, the world was to be my oyster.

But instead of a beautiful box of happiness, I found that fucking notice. It was stuck to my front door and I about tore it to shreds in a fit of rage (some super villain I’d be), especially when I saw the glue residue the sticker left on the door. Why can’t they just get it right? Is it too much to ask that I get my comics on time? And do they have to sick it to the door when the damn things are designed to hang from the door knob?

So I called DHL. I worked through some deep breathing relaxation while I waited for Marty, a manager at the local station. When he got on the line, I politely explained my problems, detailing how many times this has happened and how each time I was told that the “new driver” was to blame. After a little discussion of how upset I was, he called the driver to re-attempt delivery, which, unfortunately, is the same thing I was told the last three times.

I’m not holding my breath.

Now, before anyone leaves a comment to point out the fact that I already have stacks of comics and trades to read, let me say that I’ve thought of that already. And you know, for me, that reasoning just doesn’t cut it. I don’t have an explanation for why I feel this way (well, not a logical one anyway), but for whatever reason, I want something new. Those older books, well, if I haven’t got to them already, there’s something about them that’s making them unworthy of my attention. They’re yesterday’s news, so why bother?