A.I.

Have recently joined a new site on line, my daughter Meghan set me up on it, so I could sell my second-hand items.

I decided to buy an Oasis tote bag, as I am not able, to get to any of their fabulous concerts.

When I paid, it gave me a choice of where I wanted to pick up from. I chose a metal unit, that has sprung up all over the place, I hadn’t used these, until I joined this site. We have one inside our Tesco and inside our Morrisons stores.

These metal boxes, they are a clever way of dropping off parcels, or sending parcels. To post in them, you show a barcode or type one in, and you choose the size of the box you want to put it in, extra-large, large, medium, small extra-small. The extra small, is very cute.

It didn’t give me a choice of where to pick up from, but it said, it was in an off-licence, with one of those huge metal multi-sized boxes/units. It did state that it was open 24 hours for pickup.

I didn’t know where the place was, so I put the post code into my sat nav and went to get my Oasis bag.

There were double yellow lines, so I was unable to park outside the shop. I had to park quite away from the store in a side street. Where I was, seemed like a rough area, and I didn’t feel safe, but I knew once I was inside the store I would be ok.

When I arrived outside the off-licence, I saw that the it had shut down! The huge metal box/units were outside on the path!! This was a first for me. I knew the area was a rough place to be, and not a place I wanted to be at 9.30pm at night. I was nervous, but I knew what to do, as I had done it before at the one inside Tesco.

I wasn’t sent a barcode from the buyer, which was odd, but I knew what to do from the other times I have bought things or sold things.

I pressed, collect as the other times it was always very straight forward, where it is all completed in seconds.

I pressed collect, and it asked for a barcode, I had my back to the world, the crazy, rough world behind me, with my mobile in my hand and my handbag! I was very conscious of that, I felt very venerable, but I had to concentrate, on the job at hand.

It asked for my phone number, there were cameras at either side of the unites, so they could see me, and my phone number, I wasn’t about to type that into this machine.

I pressed other buttons until I saw a barcode, after I had put in my email, I didn’t mind putting that in. I took a picture of it, in case I was unable to find it again. But no matter what buttons I pressed, I was unable to open any of the boxes. It was very frustrating. I decided to go back the next day, before I went to work, but when I remembered the double yellow lines, I decided to go after work. I went after work.

I pressed the button, so that I could collect, it asked for a barcode, so I went into my photos and scanned it, it said, “Unrecognizable,” Barcodes had worked before, so I was confused. How could it be unrecognizable, it was taken from their machine.

With no joy, from the barcode, nor my precious mobile number, I decided to use the last resort, and ring the help line number that was there.

I rang the phone number and the voice said, “Hello, I am AI, I am an AI in training, for even us AI’s have to learn.” Fed up, I ended the call!

I went home, and told Meghan when she came home from work. I had text her earlier, so she was a wear. Meghan said, “I will go there now, and get it,” She took from me a long digit number, the barcode, and she already know my phone number. I said, “Let me go with you, it is not safe there,” She said, “I have got items from there before, it is ok.” Then off she went.

Meghan came back, she too was unsuccessful, tomorrow would be the final day, and then my item would be returned to the seller. Meghan explained to me, “Mum the barcode that you gave me, was only an example, it wasn’t a real barcode.” We laughed; we thought that was SO funny.

The next morning with me there, at home, Meghan rang the help-line. It answered, “Hello this is AI, I am in training, even us AI’s have to learn too,” Then it asked some questions and Meghan replied, it asked for my phone number, and what the item was, then AI said, “I will put you through to someone who can help you.” It was wonderful to hear a human voice!! Meghan explained that she was unable to collect her item, and that this was the third day. The man gave her a five-digit code, he said, “Use this number and the box will open.” Meghan said, “Thank you, I will go now and collect it.”

Meghan went in her car, parked on the side street, and came back with my parcel. It was as described. I was very close to making a complaint to the delivery company, but won’t now. I don’t plan to ever use that postal unit there again.