A desk job

I love shopping on the Internet. It was designed for people exactly like me who hate crowds, hate struggling along smelly, dirty streets weighed down with packages, and get ratty when we're overheated. Malls are good. Close parking, relatively clean, lots of watering holes and a good choice of shops. But online shopping rocks, and the choice is virtually limitless (see what I did there?)

I know some people have horror stories about Internet shopping that has gone wrong, lost money, missing goods but, without wanting to put a jinx on in, we've been pretty lucky. Especially since moving in here. Our new bedroom furniture cost the thick end of £3,000 and that was all purchased online; all delivered without a hitch. That's the most expensive example since moving in here, but we also bought our fridge and freezer online, and the new Topfield. In the past we've purchased a plasma TV and a top-of-the-range PVR and all of this retail therapy went like clockwork.

So I guess some would say we were overdue for a problem.

A couple of months ago, Nikki wrote about some changes we were making to the use of space in the study, and included a picture of her new desk. Only at that time it wasn't quite her new desk yet: it hadn't arrived. We ordered it on December 4 last year and the money left my credit card account way before Christmas, but there we were in February and still no sign of her desk.

I'd chased it twice already. Problems with the suppliers, apparently. In fact (and this did nothing for my confidence) they'd had trouble with them once before and stopped carrying their items for a while, but the quadrant desk was so popular with their customers they had to start accepting orders again. I wasn't surprised at that - you try finding curved corner desks. There aren't many, unless you want to pay stupid prices. After the latest phone call I was promised it would be arriving in their warehouse by mid-Feb and, because we'd been waiting so long, would be sent out by "emergency courier."

It never did arrive that time round. Whether the boat had sunk or not I can't quite remember, but there was an excuse a reason. We were assured it would be on the next boat. Then it was in the warehouse. Oh! no, it wasn't in the warehouse. Yes it was, it was being sent out next week. It had already gone out. It hadn't gone out. Oh! yes, it had, but it had had to go up to the courier's depot in Newcastle first. It would be with us first thing next week. By Tuesday. Definitely on Thursday.

Thursday (today) was fine with me, I told them the last time we spoke, as long as it was after 9am. It arrived at 7.25am. But you know what? At least we have it, in its brown paper bag, in the hall. Four months to the day (almost) after we ordered it. The longest wait ever, but proof that perseverance pays. Just don't let anyone tell you that shopping at the speed of the Internet is a guarantee of fast delivery!