M ordered a MacBook Pro as a Christmas gift, but he says it didn’t show up when it was supposed to, despite UPS’s online report that it had been delivered to the “front door” of his apartment.

So began M’s hunt:

Where’s my package? After checking with a number of neighbors and the superintendent, no one had seen my package. I end up locating our usual UPS driver and asked him where it may have been left.

UPS: The seasonal worker delivered the packages to your building. He said he left it at the front door.

Me: What? Are you serious?

UPS: Yeah, these seasonal workers are trained to just leave packages at the door when no one is home.

Me: Well, it was an expensive laptop.

UPS: Sorry.

My package was stolen. I receive a call from the UPS depot stating that “It probably wasn’t anytime of value, that’s why we didn’t look for a signature”. Hmm.

Needless to say, I was upset. Not knowing what was left to do, I contacted MacConnection (from where I ordered the laptop) and share my story with them. The rep in Customer Care was Santa’s elf in disguise!

After sharing my story at this point in the evening, she mentioned that unfortunately…she’s seen this a lot with UPS. “Let me talk to my manager” she said. When the rep came back on the line, she said “I’m ending my shift in a few minutes, but I’m going to make sure this doesn’t ruin your holidays. I’m going to replace your order and have it overnighted to you tonight.”

I was overwhelmed with joy at the company’s response, but still upset that someone was able to steal my hard-earned purchase.

This morning, I received an unexpected call from MacConnection. “Hi…I’m calling to follow-up with you and let you know that the package did ship last night and I’ve been tracking it since walking in this morning. It looks like it’s on the truck for delivery.” This time, we made sure that someone was home waiting for the package.

M caught a major break. What’s the closest call you’ve ever had while ordering a big-ticket gift online?

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.