Take James Potten. The 37-year-old Brit had been looking forward to the delivery of a Kindle that he ordered recently online, however, when he opened the delivered package he discovered not an ebook reader but, of all things, a part of someone’s tumor.
“When I opened it, I had quite a shock,” Potten told the BBC. While the package showed his name and address, further inspection revealed it was destined for London’s Royal Free Hospital, which makes a good deal of sense considering what was inside.
FedEx, which handled the package, said it “regretted the error” and promised to “consider future changes to our processes.”
Potten said the tracking code on the delivered item showed the same first five and last three digits as his order, adding, “But it wasn’t my Kindle.”
He told the BBC he stopped short of opening the sealed box containing the tumor sample, opting instead to call FedEx – as well as the hospital – about the bizarre delivery mix-up.
Wow @FedEx. You’ve swapped my new kindle with a tumor specimen. Still waiting for collection #FedExFail #notmykindle pic.twitter.com/GlleuOYbiE
— James Potten (@jamespotten) January 9, 2016
The sample, like the Kindle he was expecting, had been sent from California. Potten had ordered the ebook reader from a company called Waterfi, which specializes in waterproofing tech gadgets.
Potten, who lives in Bristol in the south-west of England, said that while he was concerned about the whereabouts of his Kindle, which incidentally still hasn’t shown up, he was more worried about the person with the tumor who was apparently waiting for some very important test results.
“It’s really bad that this has happened, this really should be with the hospital, not with me,” he said.
As for the Kindle, Potten said he had no idea where it was, adding, “If it’s at the Royal Free, I’d be happy to do an exchange.”
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