A couple of months ago, I had a fairly public dust-up with the UPS over the fact that our building security cameras had caught the driver throwing the package over the fence, and then signing our name. Those packages were subsequently stolen.

Here’s the video again, in case you missed it the first time around:

So, so many people shared and retweeted that story, which I appreciate. Naturally, making a big stink is the only way to get any attention; it is an unfortunate fact that the squeaky wheel gets the grease. Anyway, I felt I owed you all an update as to what happened next.

The official response from the UPS was distinctly underwhelming. I received a voicemail from a customer service representative who had seen the ruckus online. She left no phone number or other way to contact her, and instead just said she’d call back later.

She did call back, and I think a 3rd time, at which point her tone of voice made it clear that I was trying her patience by not answering her call in the middle of the day while I was at work, and implied that they were doing everything they could because they were just so gosh darned upset about this, and why didn’t I have the decency to do this on THEIR timetable, when it was convenient for them? She did not call a 4th time.

I honestly forgot about the whole thing until last week.

I was walking with the kids not far from our house, when a UPS truck pulled over and the driver yelled out, “Hey!” I looked around, but he could only be talking to me. “I just wanted to say that I’m really sorry about what happened,” he said. “Were you able to get the items replaced?”

I was completely flabbergasted. I had no idea he knew who I was, I didn’t even know for sure if the message had even gotten all the way down to him. I have to admit, it kind of creeped me out a bit to know that he knows who I am, and that I am the one who possibly got him in trouble.

That being said, it is really, really, really hard to give an apology like that. This is clearly something that had stuck with him for the past few months, and he as clearly been waiting for an opportunity to bump into me and apologize. It would have been the easiest thing in the world for him to just keep driving by, and I wouldn’t have given it a second thought. To be totally honest, if I were the one in his shoes, I don’t know if I would have the guts to do it. You know how hard it is to apologize to someone you know, much less a stranger, and while I complained from the comfort of my computer chair, he apologized in person, to my face.

So, while the official UPS response left a little to be desired, and knowing that I will do anything in my power to avoid shipping with UPS, I’ve got to give props to the individual driver. If nothing else comes from this, I have a feeling he won’t be a repeat offender in the future.