Order Online Store - Home Delivery is 9 -5 or Evenings

[waxonwaxoff]

Hoping to get some helpful advice from those in the know.

I am thinking about buying a refurbed MBP from the Apple Online Store in Canada but delivery might be a bit of an issue as I work 9 - 5 but have most evenings booked up with stuff I can't put off. I thought personal pickup might be the answer but that's not a service offered in Canada right now. Then thought I would just get the MBP delivered to my work but then had these concerns that I hope some of you might be able to put to rest.

1. Does delivery only occur in business hours or could I order delivery to work only to find they tried to deliver at 7pm
2. If delivery does occur but I am not there to sign for it what happens? Will they only sign it over to me with ID or could anyone sign for it? I would prefer that if I am spending 1000's of dollars that they just don't let anyone take recipes that's at ththe delivery address.
3. If they can't deliver what happens to the MBP. Like would I have to go to the postal depot to pick it up, do they try again a day later?

I am probably worrying about nothing but before I buy the refurb I want to make sure I can easily get it delivered to my work and not have to stress over the whole process so any advice you could give would be helpful.

Thanks in advance

 

[DaakuMaujii]

I only have answers to question 1 & 3.

1. If you let them deliver to a business address, delivery is only during business hours (so I assume that means between 9 to 5). Please take note that they only deliver to business addresses when the name of the business is present on the delivery address.

3. UPS will give three attempts for delivery. If you happen to miss the delivery, they will leave you an InfoNotice that you can use to change the next delivery attempt (and delivery address), or inform them you'll pick it up at their postal depot. This is true when delivery attempts are made to home addresses. For business address, they might just come back the next day without leaving an InfoNotice.

My guess at question number 2; either a receptionist will be allowed to sign for the delivery in your name, or they may ring you up if they have your telephone and ask you to come to the front office. At home addresses, spouses or roommates are allowed to sign for delivery. Personally, I've never had to show my passport at any delivery (except for mobile phone deliveries when it came with a new contract), I'm not even sure if you are supposed to identify yourself. I only had to sign for the delivery when my iMac arrived this week.

So one alternative to having it delivered at work is to have the first delivery attempt made to your home. Before the end of the evening or until sometime around midnight, you can than use the InfoNotice to change the next delivery attempt. Schedule it for a day when you are sure to be home. Unfortunately, UPS does not give and exact time window for delivery (it says 'delivered before the end of the day'; that is between 9.00 and 19.00 for home addresses). Although when you track your packages using their website you do have an option to get a delivery estimate on the time (but you had to sign up for an account, so I didn't bother). For me, the second attempt happened to be around the same time as the first attempt, but that may have been chance. And you always have a third attempt, after that I'm not sure. They may keep it at the postal depot for a little while to give you a chance to pick it up personally, or they send it back to Apple right away.

Another alternative is to have it delivered to the nearest Apple Store so you can pick it up yourself when you have time. Just not sure if this also includes Authorised Reseller.

 

[hallux]

As @DaakuMaujii said, you CAN get it delivered to your work address, you may need to register that address with your credit card company so they don't reject the charge. As long as the business name is in the address, ANYONE there could sign for it but if it's addressed to only you they MAY want to deliver to you directly but some drivers will release the package to anyone at the address. As noted by the other poster, if they can't make the delivery they'll leave you a tag to advise you of your options. After a certain number of attempts they will return it to the person/company that shipped it and advise it was undeliverable. Delivery attempts are typically made during business hours, even for homes (though if there are businesses on the same route as your home they will give those priority after the priority overnight packages), for business addresses they will ALWAYS make delivery attempts during business hours, it wouldn't make sense to attempt delivery to a business during non-business hours.

When I bought my MBP, I had it shipped to work, it was delivered with the rest of our normal delivery and I believe the signature was completed as a single transaction for the "stop" rather than individual for each package. It may have helped that the delivery was direct to my office by the FedEx driver that we normally have so he knew who he was delivering to. It was 3-1/2 years ago, I could be wrong.

What I've done is sign up for a free UPS account. What that allows me to do is ask them to hold packages requiring signatures at the distribution center in my area (20 minutes each way from both my home and my workplace). I have to do this for each package once it's shipped and UPS has recognized it's coming to my address (you register your address with your account).

 

[jermy4]

Not sure what your work hours are or how close your fedex/UPS depots are but after it ships you can call UPS or fedex and have them hold it for you at the depot and you can go pick it up during their pickup hours. I did this last year on my iPhone order because I wasn't going to be home in the afternoon/evening and usually the UPS guy comes fairly late in the day. It was waiting for me at 8:00am when the UPS depot opened which isn't too far from my house. I think the typical pickup hours are 8-6 or so during the week and weekend pickup hours are sometimes available too.

You could also have it shipped to you work like the other posters have said ...