Our passports were lost by FedEx on Saturday morning.
All that I could think of was...THANK GOD WE WEREN'T LEAVING FOR OUR COURTDATE!
After 6 hours of waiting, our passports were finally found and shipped to the closest FedEx Hub. Just 3 hours shy of our plane tickets being able to be switched to a Sunday departure.
I talked to several people at FedEx and begged, pleaded, and cried for help. We waited one time, 1 hour for a call back and when we got it, it was a manager saying that it was lost....somewhere in Tennessee with no tracking at all to be found.
I can't tell you how much $ and time we've lost, but it's alot!
I have to say that I'm pretty upset at our travel agency Russian-American Consulting, which I've never used before. They made the plane and visa arrangements. They told me to send it on date "X" and that the visas would arrive Nov. 30th. Knowing that we were leaving on the 1st (because they also made our flight arrangements), they failed to send the passports/visas out on time, but assured me that a 9:30am pick-up at the FedEx Hub was fine (on the 1st just 3.5 hours before our flight)..."People have to do it all the time!" I actually had a very funny feeling about it once I heard that the visa's weren't sent on time.
I also can't tell you what a big emotional toll this has taken on me. It took so much for me to get up the courage to take this trip...without my family. I was totally packed and on my way to the airport, totally prepared to go to Russia.
I actually had a mini-panic attack that morning at about 4am. It's just so hard to leave, but I knew in my heart that this was a good thing for me to do. AND I was excited to do it!
Anyway, I don't really know where to go from here. I could tell that the person who planned the trip was very upset that we wouldn't re-buy tickets...$2800.00 last minute tickets. (granted our original tickets were just $900.00). I know alot was riding on us going and helping, but we just couldn't justify spending this kind of $ to volunteer...volunteer ourselves to this cause. We had already put our jobs, family, lots of $, and ourselves on the line for the cause. It was asking just too much.
I guess I'm venting a little, but at the same time I guess I would love to hear some feedback. What would you do in this situation...?
Plan to go on another date.
Cut our loses and move on.
Do you think the Travel Agency and the Fed Ex people need to held accountable?
I just need to hear what you all think.
We do have a phone conference with FedEx tomorrow morning.
Jen
