Awhile ago I read about the miracle that is the Fresh2 lightbulb - a compact fluorescent bulb that emits odour-eliminating particles when in use.  I dismissed it as interesting but unproven.  I looked into it again recently though, since our mammoth cats seem to produce even more mammoth smells in the litter box downstairs.  This time around there were more reviews from geeks like me who were saying “wow, this thing really works”.  Succumbing mostly to my curiosity I went online and ordered a pair of the lightbulbs to use near the litterbox.  The most interesting part of the story now becomes the ongoing logistics problems that the company seems to have in getting these bulbs to me.  I’ll outline the process below:

1. I received my fresh2 bulbs in the mail, and promptly installed one in the basement by the litter box, and another in the laundry room near the cat food.  To be honest I haven’t noticed much change in odour, but at least they are good energy-efficient lightbulbs.  Curiosity satisfied, and if they take the stink down a notch then that’s gravy.  They were not, as I kind of figured, an amazing invention that blew my mind.
2. I got a voicemail about a week later asking me to call them back.  Apparently the bulbs they shipped out were returned to them and they want to check with me to ensure the address was correct.  That sounds odd, because they were here installed and doing their thing.  I ignored the message.
3. Another couple of weeks passed, and Fedex shows up with a package that I wasn’t expecting.  The box has an odd “shattered glass” sound to it as the driver passed it over to Jodie.  It would be really cool if someone sent me Dan Akroyd’s big bag ‘o glass for christmas (from a SNL skit that was pretty funny), so I ripped it open.  A puff of white dust greeted me as I opened the box, noting the sticker that reminds you that mercury is dangerous and needs to be disposed of carefully.  How nice, the people at Fresh2 sent me two smashed lightbulbs!  I called them to let them know about the error.  Since it was now a Fedex insurance issue, they insisted on sending me a new shipment and I didn’t reject it.
4. Another couple of weeks pass, and Jodie accepts a rather large package from Fedex.  The box measures probably 18″ x 10″ x 12″ and is as light as a feather.  Sender is Fresh2, so I know that this is my replacement lightbulbs.  I crack open the box, and start rooting around in the mountain of packing peanuts for the prize inside.  I pull out one lightbulb, and go fishing for the second.  After making a huge mess of packing peanuts on the office floor, it becomes clear that they forgot to ship the second bulb!

Jodie thinks I should give them a call to let them know about the new screwup, but I’ve decided to let it rest.  I ordered 2 bulbs, now have 3 in my possession, and this company has wasted enough money on me already.  Let them believe that everything is fine because I’m not about to buy any more products from them anyways.  I’m impressed that they tried so hard to please me, but equally impressed at how well their good intentions got completely destroyed by incompetence in the shipping channel.