FED(up)EX-mas

So yesterday when I got home I found a FedEx non-delivery notice on my door. Not expecting anything, I called them up to see if I could have it delivered to another address. The FedEx guy said only the *shipper* could have it delivered to another address. Longer story shorter, I ended up calling FedEx again this afternoon to inquire about other delivery options, of which there appeared to be none, until THIS customer service agent asked why I didn't just give them another address to deliver it to. Um – maybe because the guy last night told me I couldn't do that?

So one of those two people is an idiot, but I won't know which until Tuesday, which is when it is supposedly going to be delivered to my work address. I emailed FedEx to explain that getting contradictory answers to the same question within 18 hours discourages me about FedEx's ability to provide straight answers, which itself discourages me from considering FedEx for the fair number of packages that I am responsible for sending out of my office.

With all of the delivery services that exist today, why does it seem like it's so much harder than it used to be actually to get hold of the packages being sent to you? Oh, that's right: because they can increase their profit margin if they restrict the delivery options so severely, and because customers are only a resource to exploit rather than a market to serve!