Unhappy experience

I placed an order online for a JBL Extreme II bluetooth speaker on 12 August 2021. It was important to me to get it in time for my son's birthday. Rather than relying on a courier with an uncertain outcome, I opted to collect it myself. I only had 5 days' leeway since his birthday was on the 17th. S&S says to wait for email confirmation that the item is "ready for collection" before you can collect it. On 13 August I received confirmation and I drove 40 km to pick it up. Now when I was told the thing was "ready for collection", I naively thought it meant it was "ready for collection", meaning I walk into the S&S branch, ask for my parcel and sign whatever forms need to be signed, and walk out with it under my arm. One would have thought the item to at least be in or near the reception area "ready for collection". Well, this is what S&S means when they say a thing is ready for collection: It's not. Ready. For collection. Instead, expect something like the following:

I arrived to find an empty reception desk and no bell to ring to grab somebody's attention. I could hear lively conversation behind a screen wall, so there were signs of life. After about 5 minutes (which anyone knows can feel like an eternity) someone strolled into the reception area. I gave my details and she disappeared. After another eternity, a guy appeared and walked past me to the entrance doors and left. I thought maybe he was going out to get the item, because there was no one else looking like they might be doing something related to helping me. After an eternity, he returned without a sign of a parcel/box/package. Maybe I was wrong I thought; maybe he was not the fetcher, but then, what were they doing about my parcel? He disappeared again into another part of the offices and I was left alone again.

After 10 minutes or so, now with the cleaning lady for company but nothing else happening, and nobody coming to at least inform me of any problems they might be having with the order, I ventured into one of the offices and asked what had happened to my parcel. No explanation, no apologies. They looked at me as if I had done something wrong. I was told to wait while they find out what was going on. Another eternity passed. I had driven 40km after all, so I had no choice but to wait. Then the guy I saw first walks past me again, gives me the angry eye and disappears again through the entrance doors. After another exhausting wait, he appears with what looks like my parcel, but puts it on another desk far away and disappears again. Still no verbal communication, no eye contact, just a stern look. The lady comes in and gets my signature on a form (yay! it was actually my parcel lying there!) but still I am not allowed my long-awaited and long-suffering prize. Another guy appears from nowhere and opens the box and gives the speaker to me. No verbal communication. No "Sorry sir, we apologise for the delay/inconvenience". But the sense of relief is overwhelming. Eureka! I walk away feeling giddy that complaining had worked, but I cannot shake off the feeling that I am getting away with ******...