Día de los Muertos and Day 36 of being a flea on the butt of Amazon, BNI Postmedia, and Intelcom courier

Mexico and other Spanish-speaking countries are celebrating la Día de los Muertos honoring their departed family members. It's a lovely tradition full of color, light, food, music, and family gatherings.

For me, November 1st is my 36th day of pounding my computer keyboard, trying to obtain a refund of $613.47 from the multinational megacorp, worth 1.9 trillion dollars. Amazon.  

Amazon contracts out deliveries to businesses like BNI PostMedia and IntelCom. Those companies are supposed to deliver all parcels safely to the designated addresses. 

September 12th: I ordered 655 copies of my 10 murder mystery novels in preparation for several upcoming Christmas markets.

September 25th: the boxes started to arrive.

September 26th: a box of 39 copies of CORKED was posted on my account as ‘Undeliverable.’  Then a box of 43 copies of SMASHED met the same fate, ‘Undeliverable.’ 

I have phoned the Amazon Customer Service Representatives 10 times.

I have emailed the Amason Customer Service Representatives, dozens of times. Each time being asked for the same information over and over again.

I have emailed, three top executives several times; Mr. Andy Jassy, Mr. Doug Herrington, and Ms. Candi Castleberry-Singleton. They have forwarded my pesky emails to their Amazon Executive Relations Team.

39 copies missing

I recently posted this notice on many Okanagan FaceBook groups asking if anyone in the South Okanagan had received my two parcels by mistake.

HELLO OKANAGAN FOLKS!

Just on the off chance .... BNI (Postmedia couriers) claims that they delivered my missing package to my address in Penticton on September 24th. I did not receive it. Has anyone, anywhere in the Okanagan Valley seen a heavy Amazon box, containing 43 copies of my mystery novel SMASHED? And there is another box that's missing, 39 copies of CORKED?

I am desperate to resolve this problem, which has been occupying too much of my time for over a month. Please message me if you know anything! It will be a huge financial hit for me if Amazon or BNI won't refund my money.

Cheers Lynda Lock, Penticton.

43 copies missing 

Yesterday I emailed the City of Penticton asking if by chance any of their employees at the Campbell Mountain Landfill (city dump) had noticed one or two large Amazon boxes of books. They are in the process of checking with their staff. 

I seriously doubt that I will ever find the boxes but I am trying to prove what happened to the two missing deliveries.

36 days later and I am still being stonewalled with vague responses such as these:

"Firstly, I apologies for all the inconvenience caused in regards to your shopping experience with us. During your free time please write back via email to us with the following information:" 

-Order number

-Name of the item or ASIN, quantity is applicable

-Description of the issue

-Assistance you may require Or please contact us via chats or calls for a faster resolution on it."

Email from the top boss! 

Jeff Bezos. Oct 30, 2024, 1:46 PM - Thank you for contacting us.

So, today I started sending out Letters to the Editor, for local newspapers.

My next task will be to send letters to any American newspapers that will post my letters. 

I am stressed. Very stressed. But I am not giving up.

Lynda

PS: there is a lot more information on my previous posts on this blog starting October 24th. 

Day 35 of being a flea on the butt of Amazon, BNI Postmedia, and Intelcom. Still waiting on a refund!

I had hoped that this problem would have been resolved a long, long, long time ago, but here I am still waiting for Amazon and their contract delivery services to do the right thing and refund me the $613.47 for two lost packages.

In the meantime, Happy Halloween everyone. 

Cheers Lynda. Sparky sends his woofs!

Day 34 of being a flea on the butt of Amazon, and their delivery services Postmedia, and Intelcom

 

Another parcel has been incorrectly delivered. It's not my parcel, and it wasn't shipped by Amazon. 

However:

It belongs to a person who lives in Okanagan Falls, 17 kms (about 11 miles) south of where it was delivered. We are going to meet up later this afternoon so that I can give her the parcel.

Why do I mention this? 

Today is the 34th day since I asked Amazon to refund my money for two lost packages, packages that their contractors insist have been safely delivered to my address. 

For the first two weeks, I was stonewalled by an ever-changing line of Customer Service agents until I started emailing the executives directly.

Now I get daily 'love letters' from a variety of agents who are part of the 'Amazon Executive Relations team.' 

Every agent reassures me with similar words. "We are working to resolve this concern as quickly as possible. You don't need to take any further action."

Call me skeptical but I don't see this as progress. 

Cheers, Lynda

Day 31 of being a flea on the butt of Amazon, and now BNI Postmedia

Happy Monday, everyone:

Today's love letter from Amazon was slightly less annoying. 

Thankfully, this time I was not asked to supply the same information - again.

It's from someone who works for the Amazon Executive Relations team. I had a similar letter a week ago from a different person on the same 'team.' I responded to that one, and never heard from that person again.

Amazon seems to use a revolving system of assignments. I have never had a response from the same person twice in the 31 days of dozens of phone calls, and dozens of emails. It's damn annoying.

Fingers crossed I'll get my refund of $613.47 soon - before the stress kills me.

Lynda

Your Account Amazon.ca Message From Customer Service Hello Lynda L, This is Sirisha, with the Amazon's Executive Relations team. We received your email and are following up to ensure your concerns are addressed. I'm sorry to hear about the problem you've had with your Order ID: 701-3222033-3269060 and 702-8656836-714263. We apologize for the delay in answering your question. We can assure you that your question is being investigated. We are working towards providing an update to you as soon as possible.

My one-month anniversary of being a flea on the butt of Amazon, and now BNI Postmedia

 

HAPPY ONE-MONTH ANNIVERSARY TO ME FROM AMAZON! 

A pleasant person named Aparna from Amazon has sent me another form letter asking me to supply the same information that I have supplied, daily, since September 27th, through phone calls to the Customer Service line, or through detailed emails to at least 27 different Amazon Customer Service agents.  

So, in celebration of our long-standing association, I posted this on several Facebook pages.

HELLO OKANAGAN FOLKS!

Just on the off chance .... BNI (Postmedia couriers) claims that they delivered my missing packages to my address in Penticton on September 24th. I did not receive them.

Has anyone, anywhere in the Okanagan Valley seen a heavy Amazon box, containing 43 copies of my mystery novel SMASHED? And there is another box that's missing, 39 copies of CORKED?

I am desperate to resolve this problem, which has been occupying too much of my time for over a month. Please message me if you know anything! It will be a huge financial hit for me if Amazon or BNI won't refund my money.

Cheers Lynda Lock, Penticton.

Your Account Amazon.ca Message From Customer Service Hello, A pleasant day to you! This is Aparna from Amazon, the one who is working on your issue right now and it certainly is a pleasure assisting you today. I'd like to make an assurance that all inquiries are reviewed and taken seriously, and we're working hard to ensure a positive shopping experience among our loyal customers like you. Firstly, I apologies for all the inconvenience caused in regards to your shopping experience with us. During your free time please write back via email to us with the following information: (OMG!!!) -Order number -Name of the item or ASIN, quantity is applicable -Description of the issue -Assistance you may require Or please contact us via chats or calls for a faster resolution on it. Thanks for your understanding. Do contact us if you have any further queries. We can be reached by phone, e-mail and chat 7 days a week using the link below. We can be reached by phone 06.00 to midnight (local US time), and by e-mail and chat 24 hours a day: https://www.amazon.com/contact-us We look forward to seeing you again soon. We'd appreciate your feedback. Please use the buttons below to vote about your experience today. Best regards, Aparna Amazon.ca Did I solve your problem? Yes No

A flea on the butt of a multinational megacorp, Amazon, and now BNI Postmedia

TODAY'S UPDATE DAY 30 LYNDA VS AMAZON. "Email from Amazon Customer Service: [ITEM MISSING: It appears that the Carrier has recorded your package as delivered on September 24 to the correct location with the correct weight."

Amazon now claims that the delivery company BNI says that the package was delivered to my address, even though their email to me said Undeliverable, and I physically counted the books and only received 157 out of 200.

BNI, also known as Brunswick News Inc., was owned by J.D. Irving Ltd. until Postmedia acquired it last year. The company delivers Amazon packages not just across New Brunswick, but in other provinces, including Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.

So, now I have to fight with the BNI call centre. Around and around I go!

Missing!  43 copies of Smashed.

A flea on the butt of a multinational megacorp. Amazon part 2

AND TODAY'S RESPONSE FROM AMAZON, after one of the top 3 Amazon executives referred my problem back to one of their many Customer Service call centers.

"Hello,

I am sorry for the inconvenience caused to you for order xxx-xxxxxx-xxxxx.

Upon checking this order was created on Canada store. I request you to contact via correct store.

Thanks for contacting Amazon.

We'd appreciate your feedback. Please use the buttons below to vote about your experience today.

Best regards,"

Today is day 28 of LYNDA VS AMAZON. (Give me strength!!! 😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫)

A flea on the butt of the multinational megacorp - Amazon!

 

I have discovered a new way to kill someone.

Try getting a refund from Amazon for a partial shipment that never arrived. Make that two partial shipments that never arrived.

Amazon owes me $613.47 and they refuse to refund my money. It’s a devious, untraceable way to kill a person.

My blood pressure and pulse rate soar every time I open another unhelpful email from their “customer service representatives.” Amazon is trying to kill me by proxy.

The trouble started in early September when I decided I would participate in several holiday gift markets, I enthusiastically ordered a total of 655 copies of my 10 mystery novels.

For my Canadian murder mysteries, Death in the Vineyards, I ordered 250 copies of CORKED. 200 copies of SMASHED. 150 copies of CRUSHED. These were given three separate order numbers on my Amazon account. (You’ll understand later in this article why this is important.)

For my Mexican murder mysteries, Isla Mujeres Mysteries, I ordered just 55 copies of the seven books because my Canadian fans prefer the Canadian series. These 55 books were given another order number on my Amazon account.

The boxes started arriving on September 25^th. Lots of boxes. Many boxes.

My books weigh about one pound, or 455 grams which is about half a kilo. No sane person would ship an order that weighs 250 pounds in one box. Which means that the orders arrived in 22 packages. Some boxes contained 43 books, others 39, or 16, and oddly a few arrived in separate padded envelopes containing just one book.

And now the trouble began.

A box of 39 copies of CORKED was posted on my account as ‘Undeliverable.’

Then a box of 43 copies of SMASHED met the same fate. ‘Undeliverable.’

There was no explanation from the delivery company why the boxes were undeliverable. All of the other packages arrived safely from the same printing company to my address.

Checking my Amazon account the message said to wait a few days to claim for the missing merchandise. On October 10^th I tried to do a ‘request for refund’ on my account but discovered I couldn’t because I didn’t have anything to return.

So, I called the Customer Service line, and the real fun began.

My first conversation included an interesting bit of advice: “You have to return the entire shipment if you want a refund for part of the shipment.”

So, that means that I have to find the people that I have already sold books to, refund their money, then package up all of the books, and send them back to Amazon, who will then send them back to the printer. Then I have to re-order the books from Amazon, and hope that nothing goes astray this time.

Wow! That is an amazing Amazonian solution. (Not!)

Earlier in this article I said, you'd understand later in the article why the three separate order numbers were important.

And here is the reason: When a Customer Service Representative receives a request for a refund, the Order Number and the Total Invoice must match. There is no accommodation for multiple invoices for one order number. Crazy but true.

Amazon does not know how to process a partial refund.

I have been in contact with Amazon via phone calls or emails every single day from October 10^th until today. Every single communication said, “I was unable to find the order you have issues with so I would request you to provide the following details for better assistance.”

Recently I found the email addresses for several of the top Amazon executives and tried sending them a letter begging for assistance. And guess what? They referred me back to the Customer Service Representatives, and their computer-generated form letters.

I have several times sent detailed letters with attached supporting documents printed from my Amazon account showing the four original orders, and the various separate invoices listing the contents of each box.

No joy there. I still get the standard computer general replies, “I was unable to find the order you have issues with so I would request you to provide the following details for better assistance.”

So, now I am wondering.

Does anyone in this multinational megacorp actually read letters from their customers?

Does anyone know how to compose a letter without the assistance of AI bots?

Does any of the upper management know how to solve a simple problem that is outside the parameters of their accounting system?

I will persist...if they don’t kill me first.

Cheers, 

Lynda

Bernina’s Eventful Adventures

Bernina and I are good friends.

I met this grand old lady when I was 18, and she has been my friend for 55 years. She’s tired and is scheduled for a checkup next week to see if we can revive her. She is a model 730 Record, Bernina sewing machine. We have been through a lot together.

Like many females of my era, I learned to sew in Home Economics class in Grade 8, making the obligatory multi-pocket apron. As I advanced through high school, my sewing projects included several dresses, then in Grade 12, a tailored plaid wool skirt and matching plaid wool jacket.

Unusual grad dress!

Using my mom’s old pedal Singer Sewing machine that lived in the basement of our home, I created my high school graduation dress. The tunic design and the multi-colored fabric might not have been my best choice, but when the artsy owner of the fabric store and my creative mother ganged up on me, I acquiesced to their suggestions; their very persuasive suggestions.

The summer I graduated, I was chosen as Miss Merritt, an ambassador for the town of Merritt at various British Columbia festivals and events. I designed and sewed the costumes for myself and the three young women, referred to as princesses, who shared responsibility as ambassadors.

Many events required a long formal dress. I didn’t have a lot of money, so I made whatever I needed. Some of the dresses were cute, and some were oddly formal and too mature for an 18-year-old, but again, my creative mother and the artsy fabric store owner thought I looked divine.

A formal dress. 

That same year, I moved to Penticton, living with a family based there but scattered. The husband worked as a cook in the camps up north. The daughter was married and living in Michigan. The oldest son was at university in Vancouver. And, the wife and younger son lived in the family home. They had extra bedrooms and rented one to me at a low monthly rate in exchange for minding their youngest son while his mom played bridge a few nights a week. The mother let me use her sewing machine to create the formal dresses I needed.

One year later, Mom decided to buy me a sewing machine. I planned to move to Vancouver with another Penticton girl and share an apartment. Mom went into the Bernina sewing machine dealership at 418 Main Street in Penticton and purchased two 730 Record machines: one for my sister Judith in Vancouver and a portable version for me.

In those days, the machines, without cabinets to house them, were around three hundred dollars or more. It was a lot of money for a recently widowed woman to be spending, but she insisted that we needed sewing machines. Judith’s machine was in a cabinet. Mine was a portable. I was single and moving frequently, and I didn’t want to deal with a bulky piece of furniture.

Ladies and me in costumes that I made

My next project was curtains for the Vancouver basement suite that my Penticton friend and I shared for six months.

Friends asked me to make bridesmaid dresses for them. A year later, I made a wedding dress for myself. Then my first husband, Sandy, asked me to make him several cozy wool shirts.

My portable Bernina sewing machine moved from Penticton to Vancouver, West Vancouver, North Vancouver, Bowen Island, back to Vancouver, and back to Penticton in 1992, when Lawrie and I bought a home and acreage here.

Lawrie, sofa that I recovered.

All along I sewed. Clothes. Reupholstered sofas. Slipcovered chairs. Upholstery for cars that Lawrie restored. Duvets. Curtains. Drapes. Tablecloths and napkins. And repairs, of course.

When Lawrie and I moved to Mexico in 2007, I left my Bernina with my oldest sister, Val, in Gibsons. I didn’t want to subject the machine’s delicate electronics to the high humidity and salt at our oceanfront home. Val is a fabulous seamstress, and she had several specialty machines and didn’t need mine, so it languished in her basement for twelve years.

When I returned to Canada in 2020, my sister reminded me that she still had the Bernina, but she wasn’t using it. I retrieved it from her home, all thirty-five pounds of it, and brought it back to its origins in Penticton. It seems that both the Bernina and I are destined to live in this city.

The old girl doesn’t respond when I plug her in. I have an appointment at the same Bernina dealership at 418 Main Street to see if the current owner, Wes, can repair her. Let’s hope she’s up for more adventures. As it turned out, she needed about $300 in repairs. I have put my Bernina back in the cupboard for now.

December 2025: I gave my Bernina to a local friend, Kerri Younie, who creates the gorgeous costumes for the annual Sound Stage Productions in Penticton, BC. She has taken it to Wes at the Bernina store on Main Street to be reconditioned and put back into service. Thank you so much, Kerri, for giving the old girl a new life.

Cheers Lynda

Relearning the art of cycling

KVR Trail trestle in vineyard, Penticton 

Last November, I purchased a Norco Indie VLT e-bike. I had visions of zooming with my new e-bike up the many hills surrounding my home in the Okanagan Valley (perhaps with a lovely glass of champagne in one hand, and a plate of strawberries in the other).

I didn't start riding until May 1st, because I am a fair-weather rider. I don't do ice, snow, rainstorms, or wind! As it turns out, there are different types of e-bikes. Some that have a throttle, and some that don't. I have the latter. My Indie VLT has pedal-assist. If I don't pedal, the bike will stop, and I would probably fall over while I waited in stunned surprise for something to happen.

The last bicycle that I owned was in 2009, when I lived on Isla Mujeres, Mexico. I only rode it for a year or two before the constant maintenance took the fun out of riding near the Caribbean Sea. Hot, salty winds can play havoc with anything metal. This out-of-condition-seventy-something body has also forgotten how tough bike riding can be on a person's private bits. Two days in, and I bought a softer gel seat. 

Using my old-school paper calendar, I've carefully tracked my progress this summer. On May 1st, I accomplished a shaky twenty minutes and four kilometers on nearby bike lanes. By May 31st, I was traveling about fifteen kilometers, from Skaha Lake to Okanagan Lake, and back. Not far, and not fast. But at least I was doing it.

On June 11th, while cycling home from a fifteen-kilometer bike ride from Skaha Lake to Okanagan Lake, and back, I decided to take a shortcut through the Walmart parking lot. A female Mule deer passed me! In the parking lot. Just as calm as could be, walking quickly and heading in the same direction as me. My speedometer said I was pedaling at twenty-three kilometers per hour. Was she speeding?

KVR Little Tunnel view north 

Later in the summer, on August 22nd, I was able to cross off one of my goals—reaching the Naramata Little Tunnel, on the KVR Trailway. Built on the abandoned railway bed, the trail has a steady incline from where I live near Skaha Lake Park, all the way to the tunnel. The panoramic views of Peachland, Summerland, Penticton, Naramata, and south, to Skaha Lake were worth the effort. The forty-seven-kilometer round-trip is a steady grind on the way up and a cool, breezy downhill cruise on the way home.

Entrance to OK Falls on trail

A week later, on August 29th, I crossed off another goal—riding south to Okanagan Falls and back, via another section of the abandoned railway lines. Running along the edge of Skaha Lake, this trail is flatter but rougher, and quite narrow in some spots, necessitating a bumpy detour into the weeds to bypass walkers, cyclists, or occasionally horseback riders.

Then on September 6th, I cycled on yet another section of the KVR to the entrance of the Pine Hills Golf Club on the West Bench. This trail is considerably rougher, with several small washouts. The views are fantastic. Riding this section made me realize I need to learn how to repair a flat tire.

Near Pine Hills Golf Club

Since May 1st, I've pedaled my butt an impressive 720 kilometers (448 miles) and spent 40 hours on my trusty steed, averaging about 18 kilometers per hour.

My rides have been fantastic; however, the physical results have been mixed.

On the plus side:

My leg and back muscles are stronger. I'm regaining strength in my arms and hands.

I enjoy experiencing the sights, the sounds, and the smells in different parts of my community.

I love the rush of the feel-good endorphins from the physical activity.

Forgot my lock, had to pee

On the negative side:

I've done a header over the handlebars, only once, though. Skinning my hands, knees, and twisting my left thumb. I always wear a helmet to protect my noggin.

I haven't lost any weight, not even a little bit. I haven't increased my food intake or changed my eating habits. I don't snack. I eat 90% fresh fruits, fresh veggies, and a bit of protein. It seems as if my body has gone into survival mode, storing every last calorie in anticipation of a worldwide famine, or some other catastrophic disaster that only my metabolic system knows about.

And my right foot constantly hurts from the increased physical activity. I've been plagued by arthritis in that foot since I accidentally dropped a large bottle of cheap Schloss Laderheim Riesling when I worked at the Snug Cove General Store on Bowen Island in 1980-81. I instinctively stuck my right foot out and saved the bottle from smashing on the concrete floor. Many times, I have wished I could change that split-second decision and let the damn bottle break, splashing cheap wine everywhere.

1980 Lynda, Snug Cove Store

But. Who knows, maybe if I had altered my reaction to that falling bottle, it would have somehow had a cascade effect in my life, and I wouldn't have had the wild adventures that I've experienced.

Maybe it was a cosmic trade-off.

Cheers

Lynda

Sparky sends his woofs!

Isla Mujeres Mysteries or Death in the Vineyards 
Available on Amazon as e-books, paperbacks, or hardcovers.
Grab your copy today!