Sorry for the long post, but I'm not ordering from OCS anymore, personally, because Canada Post is their only delivery option.
I've ordered maybe 5 times. Three of the deliveries were bungled up by Canada Post and they can't deliver on weekends, so your five day shipping time becomes seven or eight days. As others have noted, the delivery persons don't always "attempt delivery". They told me after the first time that I must not have heard the doorbell. They delivered the package to the farthest post office from me, on the complete other side of town, but that's not a huge deal since I'm in Thunder Bay and it isn't a big city or anything. What bothered me was being told by the clerk that the letter carriers "don't have to" actually ring the bell or anything. I doubt this is true, but as others have mentioned in this thread, these "public servants" are unionized, so it's possible that deliverymen and women collectively bargained their way out of pressing doorbells and knocking on doors to successfully deliver packages. Who knows.
These other two debacles that I reference above ended with my package "still being out for delivery" the day after the missed delivery notification stated my package would be available. When asked why package carriers who hold others' property in their trucks aren't asked to remove it from the trucks at the end of their shift (or mandated through common sense, or legislation, or both), the clerk just said that she doesn't make the rules...
This third (and last) time was enough for me. After issuing a statement that due to risk of corona virus their letter carriers would not be delivering packages and instead, they want everyone to assemble at their local postal outlet to pick up their packages. I didn't see a huge issue with this at first, thinking it might even be wise for Canada Post to limit the amount of exposure for everyone. You know, not having everyone touch that silly digital signature thing that they hand to everyone so it can make an illegible mess of your signature or whatever. Going to the post office put it in perspective for me though. Just line ups of people with surgical masks on. While other organizations are limiting the necessity for people to gather in groups, our national post service is encouraging it. In some cases, they are making it an absolute necessity for people to go out who, otherwise, would not have needed to. One of the people in line with me was picking up medication that it looked like she really needed. I would even hazard that this type of policy implementation is reckless, in light of the fact that this is a global pandemic.
Much to my dismay (though not my surprise) the package was "out for delivery". I asked Deborah at the post office how that is possible. I arrived after the time on the card on the day indicated. Additionally, Canada post isn't delivering packages, so why would the postal workers load them into trucks? She said that "This is what they always do." So if you always wake up and take a shit, but this morning you didn't have to, do you just sit on the toilet all day and night waiting? I didn't say that to her, but ... come on? I had always suspected that public servants aren't thinking... but this revealed to me that they are not thinking ... like, at all.
So I called Canada Post. Their menu to actually find the right department is a nightmare. Probably due to the irrationality of their decision to deny postal services to the tax base that pays their salaries, Canada Post was flooded with phone calls from irate people like me. After a 25 minute hold time I was put on the phone with someone who asked how he can help me. I don't remember his name because it sounded like he was having this conversation with me from a cellphone that someone was sitting on. I explained what had just happened with Deborah, so he said he was very sorry to hear that and asked for my tracking number. I gave this to him and he asked me to repeat it. Upon requesting his supervisor he insisted that I give him the tracking number he had just heard, so I gave it to him. He said I was going too fast so I insisted to speak with his supervisor. He put me on hold three times for 15-20 minutes each time. When he came back he would ask me for the tracking number again. I would tell him to review the call that is being recorded for "quality assurance" and ask to speak with his supervisor. Following at least an hour and a half on the phone, he hung up.
I attempted to reach another representative who ...
... asked me for my tracking number.
This is what taxes get. I'd rather go with a company that doesn't require government legislation to stay afloat - and still fails to deliver.
Until OCS offers a valid form of delivery, please avoid the frustration for yourselves: grow your own (as I have legally been doing) or find a black market source nearby - you'll be paying what Ontario Cannabis Store is charging regardless.
