My Google manager Anoop quickly approved my request for a MacBook on Monday. On Tuesday, it was shipped. By Thursday, there was a fancy new 2021 M1 Pro getting itself configured on my desk. Friday afternoon, I decided to call in a favor with my dad; at 1pm, we drove to SJC2460 to drop off my old Asus C302 Chromebook and pick up my new vendor badge.
Swapping my old badge for the new went smoothly. Unfortunately, dropping off the Chromebook did not. What was even more frustrating was that I had double-checked with a Google TechStop IT specialist beforehand. The lady who answered my chat request seemed certain that SJC2460 had return lockers and that everything would be fine.
That was not the case at all. The receptionists in SJC2460 informed me that the closest Google tech return locker was in SVL-TC1. My dad and I talked it over and decided to make the 17min drive to Sunnyvale. (Since we were already out and about, might as well finish things.)
At SVL-TC1, there was indeed a tech locker. However, it did not accept my Chromebook. The receptionist told me it was full and redirected me to SVL-TC4. The TC4 receptionists looked at me funny and told me there was no locker in their building. I was redirected yet again, this time to MOT1.
MOT1 was a little farther (think a 10min walk) so I was reluctant to go. But when I saw my dad waiting patiently on the phone for his own issues (aka hospital billing), I decided to jog to MOT1 in a last ditch effort to make things right. Long, sweaty story short, the locker in MOT1 worked. At 2:40pm, I was finally able to rid my hands of the Asus.
The afternoon outing took a toll on both my dad and I. The one good thing (besides the snacks and sodas I snagged while searching) was that it demonstrated that my badge still worked on the non-vendor buildings. If I ever get forced to return to the office, commuting daily to Sunnyvale where my team members work (on a better bus route compared to SJC2460) could be a possibility.
