Moving Horror Story #2

I got back to CA safe and sound, on 10/8/10. Relieved not to have to deal with the mess in my apartment, for at least a few weeks. This time I was able to be at home in CA for three weeks, instead of two :).

On Monday, I called the moving company to see if they could tell me when my stuff would be delivered. They said the driver would contact me. And, surprisingly, the same day, the delivery driver called to tell me that he would be delivering my 'move' that Wednesday, 10/13. On Tuesday, he called again to tell me he would deliver between 10am and 2pm and I should have a money order for payment. I told him I was supposed to be able to pay with the credit card and he said No, they wouldn't accept that for payment. When I argued, he said it was fine, he just wouldn't deliver my stuff until I could arrange to pay with a money order or cash. So, I caved. I got the stupid money order from my bank the following morning.

At about 10am, I called the driver to see if they were close. He said they were in the area but he had a few stops ahead of mine, and he would call me when he was enroute to my house. 2pm came and went with no call. I called again. Again, he said he had a few stops still and would call when he was getting close. 5pm came and went with no call. At this point, I'm getting mad. I'd taken time away from work to make sure I could be available when the delivery truck arrived. I called again at 5:30 and the driver said he was on his way, but was still 40 miles away. The delivery truck arrived at our house at about 8pm, 6 hours later than he said they would be there!

And when the driver greeted us, he asked for the payment, so I said I'd rather wait until he unloaded my stuff to make sure everything was ok and he said that he would not even start unloading the truck until I paid him. He said I could have a 'beef' with the company that didn't involve him and he didn't want me to withhold payment at the end if my stuff was damaged. If it was damaged, it wasn't his fault. So, again, I caved. I got handed him the money order and he said 'Oh, I'm gonna have to call and make sure I can take this.' I was ready to scream at that point! Pete almost had to restrain me. I said 'You told me you needed a money order and THAT is a money order!!!' Then he said he wanted a Postal Money order. The difference is that Postal Money orders are treated pretty much like cash, where the one I got, would have to be taken to my bank to cash. Sounded kinda sleezy to me.

After they started unloading stuff, Pete asked if there was an inventory list we should be checking. The guy said 'Yeah, it's in your envelope.' So, he wasn't even going to use the list if we hadn't asked. I started checking everything off the list and at the very end, my 37" LCD television hadn't been unloaded yet. The guy said 'Is there anything left?' and I told him and he said 'Well, you'll have to call the company because I don't have any TV on my truck for you.' Pete even climbed in the back of the truck to check and sure enough it wasn't there. I held it together pretty well, even after the driver said 'Well, sorry about your TV, but it's not my problem. Call the company.'

Pete treated me pretty much like you might handle very thin, fine china. Very gently. I told him I was ok and I would call the company first thing in the morning, even though I felt like I was about to lose my sanity, I was so mad.

I called the moving company in Atlanta the following morning and spoke to the manager there. The same guy who had raised his voice at me and threatened to cancel my move, when I wanted to pay for the pickup with a credit card :). He said he was sorry about the TV and he would call the delivery company and find out what happened. At this point, I was convinced that it had been stolen. I thought at this point, maybe it was time to write to the Better Business Bureau. So, I went to their website and started the claim process. I submitted the claim to them that morning by about 8am, Pacific Time. At about 9:30am, the manager called me again. He apologized again and said they would either find my tv, or someone would contact me to figure out reimbursement. I was happy with that. He said they would let me know by the end of the day. And sure enough, by the end of the day, the same, smart ass driver, who was 6 hours late delivering my stuff and who told me the tv 'wasn't his problem', called and said they had found my tv. He was very vague and said they found my tv and someone would contact me to deliver. NICE! That was on Thursday, 10/14/10.

The following Monday, I still hadn't heard from anyone. So, I called the company in Atlanta again. I spoke with the manager again and he said he would call the dispatcher of the delivery company. He called me back and gave me a number to call and basically told me not to call him again, that I needed to deal directly with the delivery company. Fine!

I started calling the delivery company and everytime I called, a nice girl with an Indian accent answered. Each time I told her who I was and why I was calling, gave her my phone number so she could look up my account and each time she didn't have the slightest clue what I was talking about. Also, each time she said I needed to speak with the dispatcher, who was magically never available. In the meantime, the elusive dispatcher called and left a message that my tv would be delivered no later than Wednesday or Thursday that week. And someone would call me closer to that time to give me a more specific time. Nice!

Tuesday came and went with no calls from the delivery company. I called Wednesday morning and spoke to the same sweet-sounding receptionist who didn't know who I was or what I was talking about, but called me by my first name even before I told her my name. And again the dispatcher wasn't available, but someone would call me back to setup delivery. I called again later in the day and was told that they would deliver later in the week. I said 'Ok, so that's tomorrow or Friday?' she said 'Yes ma'am, later in the week.'

I called the delivery company EVERY DAY that week, with NO calls back concerning a delivery time. Finally, Friday afternoon I called and spoke to a different receptionist who actually helped me. She said they had be scheduled for a Saturday evening delivery and she didn't know why no one had called me. In the end, my tv was delivered back to me the following Monday morning, at like 6:15am. And this time, the driver was actually very cordial and apologized for all the crap I'd been through. Most importantly, my tv was all in one piece and had not been damaged! And, the best thing for me is that I don't ever have to call or deal with either of these companies again!

Word to the wise: do NOT use Xpress Relocation, Inc., or Moving Solutions for your moving needs. I've been through enough hassle, worry and expense for anyone who may be reading this :).

On a happier note, I have made LOTS of progress with the wedding planning, and I'll be adding a page for those stories, like the one I added for House Hunting :)

Stay tuned and thanks for reading!

Easily Distracted :)