Thanks, Toll

So late last week I pushed the button on the purchase of the batteries for our solar power - the thick end of a cool $15,000 delivered. They were picked up from Exide in Sydney on Wednesday, and were scheduled to arrive here today.

So much for that plan.

It was a good plan too - the Bureau had been forecasting rain today for most of the week, but at the last minute they revised their plans and they're delaying the rain now until Saturday so it's perfect weather to get a truck in and out of the site.

Toll however, have other plans.

I've been tracking the delivery via their web site, and until Thursday it all looked normal. Picked up from Sydney, arrived in Melbourne.. but then it showed as having been loaded for Benalla. That's an hour and a half north of here!

So this morning I called the Melbourne company which I was told would be delivering the batteries from the depot, and they haven't seen them. A few phone calls later confirmed that yes, the tracking information is correct and the batteries are in Benalla because that's apparently the Toll depot for our region. Except the last-leg delivery company don't operate there!

Toll have admitted that the shipment has been "misdirected", and they're having them sent back to Melbourne! That'll be the third time the batteries have been within a few kilometres of our place - but no, they can't stop and deliver them. They have to go to the depot!

So to cut a long and frustrating story short, I'm not getting them today. I can have them "Monday or Tuesday" but the whole point of a Wednesday pick-up was so I could be here on a Friday to take delivery. Now it'll have to wait until next Friday...

... except now it's looking like we're going to get solid rain all next week. I seriously doubt we'll be able to get the truck in and out if it's as wet as it's promising.

Toll do one thing and one thing only - freight logistics. You'd think they'd be good at it by now...