Frustrated.

[ladynisa.livejournal.com]

I'm so frustrated with customers. Srsly. Someone got pwned on the common sense merit.

CM: "The website won't let me select ground shipping!!!!"

Me: "Where are you sending it to?"

CM: "Hawaii! What's wrong with it?!?!?!"

Me: "... Nothing's wrong. You can't ship ground to Hawaii!"

CM: "That's BS! Why can't I?!"

Me: "Because there's a decided lack of ground between the pacific coastline and Hawaii. What with the ocean in the way and all. It's an ISLAND."

CM: "... That doesn't make sense!"

Me: *headdesks*

Comments

[garpu.livejournal.com]

That's kind of like a person who was trying to send European-sized print jobs to a printer loaded with US-sized paper and complaining that either it would make the printer freeze, or it would resize incorrectly.

[dartpoly.livejournal.com]

wow, almost sounds like you work for the same company i do!

[azzy23.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry for your pain, but this made me laugh a lot, and very hard.

[fixerkitty.livejournal.com]

I'd send the customer a map with their order. Make sure it clearly shows the relationship of the Hawaiian Islands to the mainland US. >:D

That's right up there with "Do I need a passport to go to Hawaii?"

[licon.livejournal.com]

That's not actually as stupid as it sounds. If you're flying from the continental US, you don't need a passport to fly to/from Hawaii until January 27, 2007. It's *recommended* and makes it easier, but any photo ID will technically work till then.

[fixerkitty.livejournal.com]

Hawaii is the 50th state. You don't need a passport to fly there at all, anymore than you need a passport to fly from Los Angeles to Chicago. You do, however, need a state issued photo ID to get on the plane.

[licon.livejournal.com]

Which is what I said - UNTIL January 27 when the requirements change.

[fixerkitty.livejournal.com]

From what I understand, you'll need a passport to get into Mexico and Canada. Not into another state, unless they want to set up border checkpoints on every state border in the US.

A state issued ID is required to get on a plane NOW. They make you show it several times as you go through security.

[licon.livejournal.com]

My understanding (from various notices) is that from January they're cracking down and will require a passport for all flights outside the contiguous US.

[fixerkitty.livejournal.com]

Hmm. Lower 48-Hawaii/Alaska flights are still considered domestic, unless Congress suddenly decided to revoke their statehood. :/ Now, flights to Canada and Mexico, and ground border crossings, *will* (ideally) require a passport.

I say 'ideally' 'cos I live three hours from the Mexican border and people jump the fence into the US all the time. Not too many seem to jump the other way though. :/

[fixerkitty.livejournal.com]

Hah, found it. I pulled the following from http://www.marathoncorporate.com/tips.html

All emphasis is mine:

PASSPORTS
New Requirement

The U.S. Government is implementing provisions to the Intelligence Reform Bill, passed in December 2004, which requires that the current Western Hemisphere passport exemptions be phased out. That means the new Passport rules for all U.S. Citizens, and other travelers coming to and leaving from the United States, will be put in place.

The new rules will be phased-in as early as January 2007.

Going forward, a Passport will be required for U.S. Citizens who travel by air and sea to and from the Caribbean, Bermuda, Central and South America, Canada and Mexico.

Subsequently, Passports or other accepted travel documents will also be required for U.S. land border crossings to and from Canada or Mexico.

With cruise vacation booking windows lengthening, it is more important than ever that you recommend to your clients that they act now!

By 2007, all U.S. Citizens departing and returning to the United States will be required to have a valid U.S. Passport. The Passport office is already busy and this will undoubtedly cause a backlog that could result in lengthy issuance delays as these rules take effect.

Remember, without a Passport, your clients will not be able to travel outside of the United States and you will be limited in the International leisure vacations that you can market and sell - particularly cruises. In addition, after the implementation date, U.S. clients who arrive at their Port of Embarkation Port without a valid U.S. Passport will not be permitted to board the ship. Information you can share with every client on obtaining or renewing a U.S. Passport can be found on the State Department's Web site at http://www.travel.state.gov/passport/passport_1738.html .

Alaska and Hawaii are not on this list. However, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands *might* be, as they're in the Caribbean. For that I'd talk to the passport office or your travel agent. But yeah, the only ID you'll need for AK/HI flights is any state/gov't issued ID card.

[ebtb.livejournal.com]

lol I don't know which is making my head spin more - they dayquil or that...

[loosechanj.livejournal.com]

What, they don't send stuff by boat anymore?

[ladynisa.livejournal.com]

No, actually. It *all* goes by plane.

[megpie71.livejournal.com]

I have this wonderful image of someone insisting on being able to get the ground shipping rate to Hawaii. It would probably be pretty high. First, you'd have to water-proof and pressure-proof a truck. It'd have to have its own fuel and a food supply for the driver. You'd need a very accurate survey of the ocean bottom between the US west coast and the Hawaiian islands, and you'd also need to get some really good headlights on the truck. Even so, it would take a while.

Of course, there's always the "cheap & cheerful" method. This involves a raft for the package (make sure it's well wrapped, or alternatively it's something which won't suffer from being splashed by salt water) and a bloke with a surfboard paddling the whole way. For registered post, we give him a club to beat off sharks.

[kallell.livejournal.com]

see, one of my shipping interfaces allows me to choose international ground, even if i ship from US to France or Japan. No problem, its a glitch in the programs. Then the company issues a directive that all shipment should be ground. I know it cannot be done, you know, and i know that managment somewhere would still try and see if they have a "ground rate" anyways. So i called and apologized for the stupid question, and asked. the answer is no, and only one manager asked.

[255-255-255-0.livejournal.com]

Brilliant !