![Image](https://i.ibb.co/jk8qx7s/Boatride.jpg)
Allegedly, they crossed about 120 kilometers of ocean on this ....
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Sir,
Thank you so much for your help and prayers. I'm sorry I couldn't make it to Douala on time yesterday as we have discussed, the reason was the speed boat didn't move in time, plus the journey was hectic and very horrible experience but thank God we made successful trip to Douala. (I guess that truly are frowns in the photos, not happy smiling people)
We got to Douala very late at night and couldn't get any store to buy Cameroon network Sim Card to enable us communicate with you and Mr S.
We are presently lodging in a hotel at Bonaberi in Douala, Cameroon.
I am forwarding you photos of our trip to Douala Cameroon. We have also contacted Mr S to inform him of our arrival to Douala, Cameroon and we are now waiting for his response.
Thank you Sir for your kindness and generosity and May the Lord continue to bless you and your family.
Yours sincerely,
Good morning sir:
I just wrote that salutation and then realized it is morning here but afternoon there, so please forgive an old man for his mistake! But we are among friends here, so I know you will understand. I just had to share the news that several of our members are having a prayer meeting this morning (our time) to pray for you on your journey today. We are all united on this matter and we will lift our voices to heaven later this morning.
What is the name of the hotel you are staying at? Is it nice? Is Bonaberi a district of the city? You said your were travelling with a special friend, and I am assuming you stay together? It's always nice to have a companion on such journeys. Please ensure you stay hydrated and fed as delivery details are worked out.
Our virtual prayer meeting is at 930 our time.
Plog wrote: Dear mr
thanking for the emails. We are process the Biometrics now. I will updating on status.
Please, not be familiar in that area. On systรจme nav I cannot find that locations. Are you abling for giving me other landmark close by (with picture please)
- SENT FROM MOBILE TERMINAL -
"What can go wrong now"Plog wrote: Thanking for info.
Biometrics have process, and is OK.
I will try to finding location. If traffic on Wouri bridge is ok, Can be there 1700
Yes they willLad wrote: Ok Sir, we will be waiting for you.
One never knows when such a small detail could be used to advantage, so we might as well plant the first seed of doubt on the lad's character.....Sir:
I am pleased that you have made connections with Mr S. God willing, this will be concluded today! What a joyous moment that will be.
This is just a small thing, but your hotel "Lolita" is a strange name. In English this refers to the pet name a stepfather had for his 12 year old stepdaughter in a novel written by a Russian about abuse. He fell in love with her and that is just so wrong on many levels.
I know you didn't name the hotel and have no control over that, but please understand if I just refer to it as "the hotel" and not by its name. I do hope that hotel does not cater to perverts?!
Please keep me updated.
Mr S:
I am pleased that we had our short prayer meeting this morning for your benefit and that of the orphans. I feel God is watching over you as He cares for his lambs. You are an inspiration to so many people!
Walter
Plog Customer Support wrote:Code: Select all
--THIS IS AN AUTOMATED MESSAGE -- The delivery of your parcel has been delayed. Reason: 5. Unexpected mechanical issues with delivery vehicle We will update you as soon as possible Kind regards P-log Customer Support
Lad wrote: Thanks for your mail but please we expect this parcel to be delivered today or latest tomorrow morning because we donโt have much time to stay here in Cameroon
Hopefully the damage is minor and things will get straightened out soon. The lad clearly does not want to linger, he is anxious to get back on the boat and return home!Dear Sir
My friend Mr S just forwarded a message to me that delivery is delayed due to mechanical issues. If you could please advise whether it is a green, blue, yellow or red level issue, the recipient can better plan his time. I understand things happen, but as soon as details are available, please advise us.
Walter D ret'd PLOG manager
I expect the lad is wrong. Five star costumer service means just that...expect them to exceed your expectations...by days.
Kris Bacconne wrote:
Subject : Incident in Douala
Dear all,
I am writing to you to update you about the status of your parcel. I have asked Customer Support to forward all information to me directly, as I feel personally responsible.
Accident
I have been informed that our manager, mr. Sasamo, has been involved in an accident, while being en-route to deliver the parcel to mr. Saturday. Apparently, a child crossed the road without looking, and was about to be hit by the vehicle, driven by mr. Sasamo. By instinctively reacting and swerving to the left, mr. Sasamo was able to avoid a collision between him and the child. However, this manoeuvre caused him to lose control of his vehicle and he hit a concrete barrier at considerable speed. I was forwarded a picture of the damaged vehicle, and as you can see, there is substantial damage to the front of the vehicle. Mr. Sasamo was mildly concussed, but I've been assured that he will make a full recovery.
The parcel
[/b]As for the parcel: other than some damage to the exterior packaging, we can not identify any other issues with the parcel. The parcel has been retrieved and has been stored in our secure facility in Douala. Your parcel is safe!
Delivery
I am liaising with the Douala staff and will try to arrange for delivery tomorrow. However, due to planned maintenance and a small Covid-outbreak, we are short on vehicles and staff. My people are trying to acquire external resources.
Of course, I will keep you closely informed about the status.
Apologies
Last of all: It seems that the delivery of this parcel has been the subject of Murphy's law. I sincerely apologise for the inconvenience caused (especially to mr. Saturday, whom has undertaken quite the trip if I understand right). It goes without saying that the costs of the accommodation for mr. Saturday(and any other costs) will be fully compensated by our company
Please let me know if there is anything that I can do for you!
kind regards,
This might be just the encouragement the lad needs to work harder to get the package. He must deal with the PLOG situation which is beyond his control, and now coming up from behind is his business partner who is worried the lad double crossed him. It should make for a peaceful night at his hotel of sin and debauchery.The package was to be delivered on Tuesday and now it's more than 24 hours late!!!! Have you double crossed me? If you have even think of doing that I will ensure you sing soprano for the rest of your miserable life.
Update me now!
With the agreement of PLOG, all that can be done is to focus on the important things like, will the driver be okay?Dear Sir:
I concur wholeheartedly! Mr Sunday needs to be afforded the courtesy and service the company is famous for! Please ensure his experience is a pleasant one and done as quickly as possible. I may be stating the obvious, but some extra $$$ may be in order for him.
Dear Friends
I am so pleased to see Mr S will receive more than what he would otherwise deserve. This is only fair and just. I look forward to happy news tomorrow morning when I check my messages. Due to the time zone differences I am always the last to know, but when it is good news, it is worth waiting for.
We had a little informal prayer for Mr S (the driver) and his injuries today and hope he will fully recover. He truly is a hero.
Bacconne wrote: Dear all,
A quick message between telephone calls.
I have been in contact with our Douala staff all evening. I can assure you that everything is being done to sort things out.
Given the circumstances, I agree that additional compensation is in order.I have authorised an additional USD 500 to be added to the Platinum Compensation already awarded.
I will keep you updated as things progress
Mind regards.
Walter is upset that his Nigerian friend is suffering. So he writes that he will take charge right this minute.....I wish to inform you that I am having a serious headache, please help us talk to the company to make sure that the parcel is delivered to us today, so that I can go back to Nigeria to treat myself.
I'm already sick hete.
Please help.
Walter used to work for PLOG and it is rare, but he will now unleash the full weight of PLOG's legal department to investigate this matter. Since his retirement though the rules have changed slightly. By opening an investigation, the company automatically freezes delivery of the package! Oops! But, the good thing is that resolutions are guaranteed within 24 hours. Now that is true 5 Star Service.I am sorry you are not feeling well. It could very well be the stress of being far from home with worries not normally found in one's daily routine. Please stay properly hydrated as failure to do so often leads to headaches. We need you at your best!
Here is what I will do for you in the interest of speeding this up. I will not just ask for the local people to assist, I will go over Chris B's head and launch an investigation into the poor service you have received in this matter. I don't like to take such action, but I do think it is necessary to get you the service you have earned and deserve.
II will find help from the company legal department to force a quick resolution. I need to track down some contacts and will be in touch within the hour.
Lad wrote:...please help us talk to the company to make sure that the parcel is delivered to us today, so that I can go back to Nigeria to treat myself...
Walter just sent a draft of the lengthy letter to Mr S to proof read and make suggestions/corrections. He needs the lad to be a part of process so that when the package is frozen, he can share in the blame of this unforeseen consequence.Mr S has not hear from them yet and please they should try deliver the parcel today because mr s is not feeling so he needs to receive the parcel ay and start coming back please .
thanks for all your assistance
regards
Obviously the lad is not able to focus! Walter gently reprimanded him withWhat will I tell him, what is his name, and what is his email address. Please let me know
At this point it remains unclear if the lad, who is a foreign country and short of money and time, and now ill, will concur that Walter is carrying the weight of this operation.You are not helping me at all if you don't read what I send you sir! I am not carrying the weight of this operation by myself! Please read what I say carefully.
Where the f*** are you?ย It is 48 hours past delivery day and you have vanished like a fart in the wind.ย Get your sorry ass to your keyboard and update me you s***.
and just after that, Bob receives this cheerful message from the lad (Walter gave the lad Bob's email address)Dear mr. Walter
I have been able to review the file and the logs and would like to update you about my investigation.
Chriss Bacconne
As mr. Bacconne was coordinating, I have been trying to get in touch with him all day, but have been unable to reach him. I will keep trying. As I have not spoken to mr. Bacconne, I have had to reconstruct the events from the information in the file.
The Status Quo
The parcel is currently in our Doula hub, and was originally scheduled for delivery in Nigeria. As you mention yourself, ongoing licensing issues prohibit us from delivering in Nigeria at this time. The parcel was then stored in our Douala facility for a considerable amount of time (free of charge, if I'm not mistaken) until arrangements could be made for a local Douala delivery. If I understand your email correctly, Mr Saturday travelled from Nigeria to Doula, just for this reason. Then, just as delivery was about to happen, tragedy struck, and the delivery could not be made. I can see that mr. Bacconne was making arrangements for a delivery today, but was unable to finalise things, for whatever reason.
Good news and bad news
The good news is that I am authorised to release the parcel for delivery. The bad news is that, apparently, we are currently short on equipment and short on staff in our Douala facility. As your parcel is a High Value Parcel, the handling of your parcel requires more resources than an standard parcel. At this time, these resources are unavailable, due to a combination of scheduled maintenance of our fleet, a Covid outbreak and the beginning of Ramadan (a large portions of our employees in the Doula hub are of the Islamic faith, and we allow an extra day of paid leave for this occassion). This means that delivery of the parcel can be done on Monday at the earliest.
Apologies
I understand that this must be a dissappointment for you and for the Receiver of the parcel. Certainly, this does not rise to the level of Customer Care that you may expect from our company. As a token of my sincerest apologies, I will waive all transport fees and duties for this particular delivery. I will have our accounting department reimburse you the full amount.
As for mr. Saturday: please inform him that he may check into a hotel of his choosing in the greater Douala area (ANY hotel) for the remainder of his trip here. Any additional costs for meals and beverages will be reimbursed.
The parcel will be delivered to his hotel this Monday, and our driver will take him to any location in the greater Douala area so he can continue his journey. Should mr. Saturday not yet have made arrangements for his return to Nigeria, please let me know, so I can take care of that too.
Please, let me know if there is anything else I can do for you. I will get back to you with further updates if more information about the whereabouts/situation of mr. Bacconne become available.
kind regards
A response will follow, certainly, but favorable??????Happy lad wrote: Dear Mr Lohblaw,
I write this message with a heavy heart because of what i have been through trying to retrieve a package sent by our dear friend Mr Walter.
I do not need to go through the details of this package but suffix to say that i am tired , drained and exhausted, i had a very tumultuous journey to travel from Nigeria to Doula by boat and it was a very terrible experience for me, on arrival we made another journey on motor bike for almost 2hrs before reaching Doula.
I arrived Teusday night and was assured the delivery will be made on wednesday, unfortunately we were informed about the accident and delivery was scheduled for today Thursday 23rd March, up till now we have not heard anything from the officials, we are tired and exhausted , and to make matters worse we are in a strange country where we do not know our way around, we are spending our limited resources with no concrete guarantee of getting a recourse.
This morning we were able to locate a transport hub that carries goods to Nigeria and was hoping that if possible the package can be delivered to us at the transport hub so we can register it and depart home, At this point in time we just have today and tomorrow to have this settled otherwise we would be stranded and not be able to make it over the weekend, incidentally Mr Sasamo had informed us that no deliveries can be made on weekends so you can see that we are in a very precarious situation.
If we can get the telephone number and possibly a location of where the package is , that will help us because the attendants in the transport hub can assist us in getting a vehicle to pick up the package,
YOUR URGENT ATTENTION IS NEEDED TO SOLVE THIS MATTER BECAUSE WE ARE IN A VERY TERRIBLE SITUATION.
Awaiting your favorable response.
Of course PLOG will leave no stone unturned to ensure full customer satisfaction. Putting a smile on the face of customers is what PLOG does best.Mr S, I just received this message from Mr L. They have changed the procedures since I worked there. Now when an investigation is started, delivery is frozen for 24 hours. This is a new procedure, and I apologise deeply for this unwanted consequence. I honestly thought it would hasten the delivery. It was a technique I used to employ in situations of confusion. Now it seems they use this time to figure things out thru bureaucrats rather than just acting more quickly.
Since HVP cannot be delivered on weekends, it would mean a stay until Monday. From the letter which you copied to me it would seem this is not feasible.
Let me see what I can do on your behalf. Don't give up yet, I still have a few connections and tactics. Sit tight while I pull some strings. I heard a rumour from my friend Dave at the Toronto office there might be new delivery options since when this started!
This should give the lad some hope. Poor guy is suffering a great deal!I have sent your note to Mr Sunday. However, I also received a note he sent to you explaining in the most basic human terms the situation he finds himself in. Waiting for the weekend to pass is rather inhumane don't you think?
Are you sure you have thoroughly examined ALL delivery options in this instance? I understand your specialty is not delivery. However, can you make some gentle inquiries please. My contacts at the Toronto office told me there are other solutions at hand at no cost to Mr Sunday.
Bob, Plog wrote: Dear Mr. Walter
Dear Mr. Saturday
Thank you for your email.
I fully understand what you are saying, and I am more than willing to explore any option that would enable us to deliver the parcel.
However, we have to take into account the following:
- There is no realistic scenario in which I can effectuate a delivery before Monday.
- Currently, delivery in Nigeria is impossible
If mr. Saturday is unable to accept delivery on Monday, I can see only two options:
1. A delivery is done at a later date
2. delivery is done in another (possibly more convenient) location
Looking at the map, perhaps delivery through our Cotonou (Benin) could be an option. A delivery at the Benin/Nigerian border would be something that could be set up quite easily.
I welcome any thoughts you might have on this matter.
Kind regards,
Walter wrote back full of enthusiasm for the new proposal.Thank you for your response, at this point we are confused, how can the package be delivered through Nigerian -Benin border when we are currenty in Doula? cotonou is on the other end of Nigeria so that will mean another set of logistics, to me its not just feasible.
We will run out of cash tomorrow and can no longer afford to wait, the only way we can wait further is if the company can pay for hotel accommodation for us, at least since they have been saying that we are entitled to platinum compensation, the least they can do given the circumstances is to pay for us till Monday when they are sure they can deliver.
We have gone through a lot just to get this package and it seems there is always a stumbling block along the way, previously we travelled to the border town and waited for 2 weeks spending on lodging and feeding , and at the end had to go back because they weren't ready yet, now we have been asked to come only to encounter another set of hurdles.
We are tired and frustrated at this point and just dont understand what is going on.
Hopefully the lad returns and agrees on a second safari. Even if he just disappears at this point, we have had a fun ride with a successful safari. The rest would be gravy!I read your recent messages from both of you and am excited with the possibilities here. In recent conversations with my contact at the Toronto office, I heard there was a small "satellite" office opening in Benin in Cotonou as a direct response to the Nigerian officials being obstinate about bribes etc. I was told this would be opening around late March. It was after we had made arrangements with Mr Sunday and even then, there was no guarantee it would open on time.
Today in frustration, I checked with Dave O. and he double checked that it did open this week. It is a small office with limited staff, but is a truly viable option here.
Here is what I propose: Mr S return home to his family in Lagos. He will then delegate either himself or an associate to quickly "nip" across to Cotonou and collect the package. Being a new facility, they will not be swamped by volume and can therefore give Mr S the attention and consideration he deserves.
Given his limited resources affecting a prolonged and thoroughly unnecessary stay in Douala, I suggest we take advantage of the new facility.
With his good graces and permission, can we at least consider the new office as a viable option?
Lad wrote: Thank you for your response, at this point we are confused, how can the package be delivered through Nigerian -Benin border when we are currenty in Doula? cotonou is on the other end of Nigeria so that will mean another set of logistics, to me its not just feasible.
We will run out of cash tomorrow and can no longer afford to wait, the only way we can wait further is if the company can pay for hotel accommodation for us, at least since they have been saying that we are entitled to platinum compensation, the least they can do given the circumstances is to pay for us till Monday when they are sure they can deliver.
We have gone through a lot just to get this package and it seems there is always a stumbling block along the way, previously we travelled to the border town and waited for 2 weeks spending on lodging and feeding(Wait, what??? That guy had another last name.....and died of cholera (or something?!?!) , and at the end had to go back because they weren't ready yet, now we have been asked to come only to encounter another set of hurdles.
We are tired and frustrated at this point and just dont understand what is going on.
Bob wrote: I apologise for the situation you are currently in. I understand this must be frustrating for you.
Clearly, you are misunderstanding my previous email. What I was suggesting is that, if you are unable to receive the parcel on Monday, we deliver the parcel at the Nigerian/Benin border at a later date (to be agreed upon). I was merely trying to find a solution for the current situation.
Should you decide to receive the parcel in Douala this Monday: please feel free to check into any hotel you would like (and I really do mean ANY hotel regardless of price). Please forward me the receipt and I will make sure that our driver has sufficient funds on them to pay for your stay and any food or beverages.
Please let me know what you decide.
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