 |
| Isla Mujeres - "not really part of Mexico" |
Every once in a while you
just have to laugh at the absurdity of “it’s the rules” that really large
companies, the behemoths of consumerism, operate by.
Recently we decided to
replace two eight-year-old appliances, a stacking washer/dryer and a small
fridge, that were showing signs of age due to rust and corrosion.
(On the other hand, our big GE Profile
refrigerator has been replaced three times, and we finally got smarter and
switched to an LG model without all the fancy electronics.)
 |
| Isla Mujeres. I'm pretty sure we live in Mexico |
Lawrie had discovered Costco
Online shopping with lower prices than the stores, better choices in brand
names, and best of all - direct delivery to your front door, anywhere in
Mexico.
Anywhere.
A phone call to
Costco confirmed that, yes they would be delighted to deliver to our front door
on Isla Mujeres, at no extra cost.
Encouraged, Lawrie ordered the
new Frigidaire washer/dryer combination, plus a Frigidaire wine fridge that
would fit perfectly into the under-counter spot recently vacated by the demise
of our third dishwasher. The dishwasher
was not going to be replaced. We decided
that for two people and two pets we sure as heck didn’t need another electronic-nightmare
princess-of-a-dishwasher. I mean,
really, how difficult can it be for our dog Sparky to clean a few plates, pots
and pans? The utensils, well, that’s a
bit more of a challenge because he has to be careful of the sharp knives and
pointy forks, but he gets the job done.
 |
| Bird of Paradise in paradise. Isla Mujeres |
I was excited about the new
appliances. A new rust-free washer/dryer
would be nice to have in hopes of preventing more rust stains on our clothes,
but in my humble opinion, the wine fridge was a necessity. Confirmation of our order came through our
email. We could expect delivery of said
appliances in about twenty days.
A few weeks ticked past without any more
information, then we happened to be shopping at the Cancun Costco store. We stopped at the customer service desk and
they referred us to a very helpful English-speaking employee. She checked the status of our order and
pointed out that the invoice said: twenty working days, not twenty days. Saturdays and Sundays were considered
non-working days.
 |
| Looks like Mexico to me .... |
“Oh, okay, so that would be around November 5th?”
“Well, more likely around November 9th,
because there was also the October 31st, November 1st and
November 2nd national holidays to celebrate the Day of the Dead.”
“Perfecto! Thank you so much for the update.”
Then on November 3rd we received an email from
Costco. The appliances were now on their
way from the distribution center and would be delivered to our front door by
Almex, a worldwide ginormous transportation company whose modernized company
name is a shortened version of All-Mexico.
Another week ticked past and still nothing, but the online status showed
that the appliances are out for delivery and should arrive on Isla by November
16th. Okay, a little later
than promised, but no big deal.
 |
| Oh look, there's Cancun in the real Mexico, I guess |
November 16th comes and goes, and once
again we happen to be shopping in Cancun at Costco. The Store Manager gets involved this time
along with two other very helpful employees.
They attempted to reach the Almex trucking company distribution center to
find out the status of our order.
An hour and many minutes later on his cell phone the Store Manager
finally gets through to a person at Almex.
The response: “We don’t deliver to Isla Mujeres,
it’s not really part of Mexico.” Well, that’s strange: our address says Isla Mujeres Quintana Roo Mexico, the
islanders speak Spanish, and the local currency is Mexican pesos. Who knew we weren’t really living in Mexico?
 |
| Stacking washer/dryer |
Very patiently the Costco Store Manager explained to
the Almex branch manager, “Yes, you do deliver to Isla Mujeres. It’s in your contact. It’s listed on our online webpage. You deliver to anywhere in Mexico.”
“No. We don’t!”
Really, a trucking company giving Costco, another
worldwide ginormous corporation, the proverbial finger? Wow!
Eventually, the Store Manager fought his way through
the maze of Almex personnel to reach someone more important in the hierarchy who
very grudgingly agreed, "Yes, we will deliver to Isla Mujeres." The Costco manager told us the trucking
company would call within an hour and arrange a date and time convenient for
us.
Lawrie and I do a mental eye roll, and chuckle to
ourselves. Sure. Sure they’ll call.
 |
| Finally arrived. 7 weeks after ordering |
For the next few days, we hung around the house,
concerned about missing the delivery. By
November 21st our patience is getting a bit thin. We would like to join our friends for Happy
Hour, not be stuck at the house waiting.
Lawrie sends off yet another email asking Costco Online what is the
status of our order. They in turn say
that Costco Head Office has had a very up-close and personal conversation with
Almex Head Office.
We will be getting our appliances delivered on
Saturday November 28th. Guaranteed! Costco Head Office apologized profusely for
the delays.
Well, just when we thought it is never going to
happen - it does. A day early. On Friday November 27th at 8:30 in
the morning, when both Lawrie and I happened to be out – the appliances
arrived!
 |
| Thank goodness for strong friends! |
Fortunately, Lawrie was just
next door at his sister Linda’s casa having coffee. His brother-in-law Richard noticed the
truck at our house. Whew! If we had missed the delivery I am pretty sure
that Almex would have refused to try again.
They would have been only too happy to give those pesky islanders, and
Costco, the middle-finger-salute!
We have to say we are delighted with our purchases,
especially the pretty 42-bottle wine fridge.
The Costco staff went out of their way to help us out.
The Store Manager even called on the
following Monday to make sure that we received our order and that we were happy
with the new purchases. Yes, and yes.
 |
| Fisherman cleaning catch and feeding bird |
Almex on the other hand might need a lesson in
geography. Isla Mujeres really and truly
is part of Mexico.
It would be interesting to hear from other
islanders, or residents of Isla Cozumel or Isla Holbox if you have successfully
had a large delivery from Costco Online, or did Almex cause you some
hair-pulling moments too?
It’s all part of the daily fun of living in
paradise.
Hasta Luego
Lynda &
Lawrie
(Updated August 2024)
We
hope you enjoyed this post. If you did please feel free to share it with
your friends and family.
4 comments:
Wow! you DID get it! I may start shopping Costco on-line. Once it happens once, it might turn into a policy??
Hi Maggie - the Costco staff at head office, on-line, and Cancun store were amazingly helpful. Everyone tried their very best to get the order to us in a timely fashion. The trucking company was the holdout. But eventually I think the threat of Costco moving their contract to another company made them see the error of their ways. Cheers Lynda
Your subscribe link isn't working, but I would like to keep up with your paradise!
Hi Lisa - I sorry to hear that .... I'm not sure how to fix it, but will try fiddling around with a few things tomorrow. Cheers Lynda
Post a Comment