Yesterday my colleague dumped a huge package on my desk that came in the mail. Addressed to me personally. From the bookstore that we usually use to order course material and other research related books from. I unpacked the package and this is what was in there.

That would be a friggin US$ 175 book that I did NOT order. Cos ya know, me being a management-assistant at a Clinical Epidemiology department “Electron Microscopy” really isn’t my thing… So I called my contact at the bookstore

Bookstore Guy: “Yes hello?”
DutchBitch: “Yes, this is DB. I got this book in the mail today that I am sure I did not order”
BG: “Was it addressed to you?”
DB: “Yes, but I didn’t order it”
BG: “But the invoice has your name on it right, so maybe someone else ordered it in your name?”
DB: “Nobody ordered it. It is not our area of expertise. Besides, an order like that could not be processed without me knowing about it”
BG: “Well, I checked the order number and it IS in your name”
DB: “Obviously as my name is ON the invoice and the package, but I did NOT order it”
BG: “Well *I* can’t ferify that”
DB: “But I can. I am telling you now. I did NOT order it. I just want to arrange for me to send the book back to you and for the invoice to be credited so I won’t be getting one reminder after another”
BG: “But it must be ordered by someone in the medical center. I think our administration just used your account by mistake. Can’t you find out?”
DB: “Isn’t that why I am calling you?”
BG: “I can’t see that in our system, who ordered it”
DB: “Wow, cool system. Then again *I* surely can’t see it from here. You surely don’t expect me to go round all 8,000 employees at the medical center to find out who ordered it right?”
BG: “umm… well… no… Can’t you take it to the Sales Desk at the medical center, where they receive all orders?”
DB: “Oh yes, sure, they will love me walking in waving a book nobody knows who it is for. Chances are that they will give it right back to me and tell me it’s my problem as MY name is on there”
BG: “Well, maybe they know who it is for?”
DB: “THOUSANDS of employees order stuff thru them every fucking day. Seriously! I will go over there when you can tell me which one of the 24 employees of the Sales Desk to turn to and are sure they can find out who the book belongs to and AFTER you have credited the invoice that is in my name”
BG: “But if you just go there”
DB: “Look YOU made a mistake here and you are asking ME to solve it. I will happily take the book to it’s rightful owner ONCE you can exactly tell me WHO that is. I am not running round half the medical center with this book. Can’t I just send it back to you?”
BG: *Typing and sending me an email as we speak* “It is credited now. I will call the Sales Desk and get back to you on where the book needs to go”
DB: “Thank You” * SIGH *

And hour later one of the guys of the Sales Desk in the medical center called me that they had found out who the book was for and could I drop it off at his office on my way home. I could, I did.

Cos “Electron Microscopy” -which I am sure is exhillirating if you are into that kinda stuff- reaaaallly isn’t my thing…

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