1. So people will stop asking me where the hell I have been and why I have been acting so nuts.
2. So I can look back, hopefully one day, and laugh my ass off.
3. So I can share this link with the WORLD and express how poorly we were treated by a professional moving broker.
People. Christian and I are ordering T-Shirts so that we can mark this journey with a little humor... "I survived the move from HELL!" I will upload a pic as soon as they arrive :)
I really don't know where to start, but here goes.
We moved back to Atlanta in April and had been renting a loft. I always wanted a loft but thought they were terrible investments... so, I thought if we are renting, let's try it! That way I can scratch that off my bucket-list. Well, let's just say we are glad that is over... A family of 3 and a dog in 600 sq.ft. with paper thin walls is a recipe for disaster. Our neighbors hated us - and we could have cared less. To paint the picture, we were watching Frozen on a Sunday afternoon at 3pm and someone knocked on the door to tell us that our "TV is too loud and they are trying to make a phone call.." What?!? It is 3 in the afternoon... seriously, get a freaking life.
We house hunted for weeks and could not find a place that we loved but definitely had to get out of that loft... we finally found a place and we are here.
Once we set our closing, it was time to set up the move from Iowa. We decided to work with a moving broker (first mistake). We arranged to have them arrive in Iowa and pack on the 19 and 20th and load the truck the 21st and 22nd. Then delivery could be set for the 24th.
We closed on our Atlanta home Friday the 18th. After closing we rushed back to the loft to get all of our stuff and drop it at the house before I headed to the airport for Iowa. While carrying a box outside, the door began to close on me and in an effort to catch it, I reached out and slammed my thumb COMPLETELY backwards in the door. I almost fainted and threw up. I was crying... like a baby. Bailey was confused and Christian was no where to be found. I just stood in the hallway, bent over, crying! My entire hand was trembling and my thumb was turning blue. Worst.
Moving on from that, we get to the house with our things and it is POURING down rain! Seriously. We are rushing to get stuff in the house because I have to be on a flight in like 3 hours. Christian races me to the airport, broken thumb and all and we part. He and Bailey head to the new house, and I to Iowa. When I finally sat down in the airport this wave of emotion just hit me. I couldn't decide if I was happy, sad, in pain, or suicidal. It was weird. I think people would call that just being plain overwhelmed. I was happy that we finally had a house and were out of the loft. I was sad that I was leaving Bailey and Christian behind and wasn't getting to fully basque in the joy of purchasing a new home. I was in pain because I thought my thumb was going to fall off, and I was suicidal because... well, I don't know... I think that is the entire thing about it.
Oh, and my flight got delayed... of course...
I finally arrived in Iowa. This trip was supposed to be easy. I was really only there to oversee the packing and moving and make sure that they got everything on the truck. I had made plans to see all of my friends while there and was starting to feel kind of excited about getting away :)
But, the problems were already rolling in.
Wednesday prior, I had called the movers to CONFIRM their arrival on Saturday. I didn't want to waste a flight if they weren't going to be there. They never called back and I called again, Thursday and Friday morning. FINALLY, Friday, while I am in the airport, I get a call. They tell me that the movers will not be there until Sunday to begin packing. That annoyed me because I would have loved to stay at home with my family in my new home Friday! Ugh! Anyhow, it was done.
I called one of my girlfriends in Iowa and we planned to have a spa day Saturday and go for drinks. After our spa we are sitting in the restaurant and I get the first phone call from the movers.
This guy seriously had mental issues. He could hardly talk and sounded like he was sleeping in the phone... anyhow, he said that they are done with their other move and that they wanted to get started on mine that night. We agreed that I would meet them at the house at 5.
An hour late, the finally arrive. I answer the door. Standing in front of me are 2 "boys". One, covered in tattoos, wearing a wifebeater and flip flops with a cigarette behind his earl. The other, same outfit, but two-crossed eyes and spoke NO English. They had NO uniforms, they were driving essentially and UNMARKED truck, and their paperwork was not specific to their company... just generic stuff.
I immediately call Christian and he is like, just get their info and call the broker and confirm that they are who they say there are. I do and they say it is fine. I told our broker that I didn't really think they appeared very professional but they insisted that they were legit.
The bigger guy spoke some type of Russian... I later discovered he was Bosnian and the little guy was Afghani - both from St. Louis. Seriously. More on that later...
That night they brought some supplies and worked for an hour or so and said that they would return they next day after they unloaded their previous truck that was supposed to unload that day BUT the storage facility was closed on Sunday (poor planning). They figured we would meet again around noon. Well, Sunday, 4 pm and nothing. I call and the "half-sleeping" driver answers and says that they are on the way... I am now worried because I have a flight out Wednesday at 6am... they were supposed to be DONE packing Sunday, but haven't even started.
They get there late Sunday afternoon and pack some more. They both wear headphones and and rap out loud the ENTIRE time. I seriously wanted to FREAK out. So unprofessional. As they are leaving, the one guy says to me... "They said that you only had 8 dish pack boxes but I packed 28 today..."
To clarify - we are paying them to pack and load. They charge by the box BUT each box is a different rate... for instance, a "dish pack" box is like 40 bucks because the boxes are sturdier and they require more work and stuffing... Plain large boxes full of random stuff are only like $12.
So, this guy is telling me that he has packed 28 boxes of "dishes" at $40 each... when the estimate was 8 boxes... My head starts spinning.
I begin arguing... "those aren't all dishes in there... you can't just put forks in a dish-pack box and call it a dish pack..." We go in circles to no avail... He leaves and I start looking at my contract. It said 8 dish packs, and like 20 small boxes... hmmmm... What is a small box? I look at the "dish-packs" that he did and the boxes all read "small". I call the broker and am like, "hey, these guys are using the wrong boxes... they are just putting my stuff in small boxes and calling them dish packs!" The broker tells me that I "don't have to pay for work that they don't do" so I begin taking pictures and documenting... jeez.
Monday rolls around and my guys never showed up... no real reason, they got caught up unloading that other truck... I call the broker, their dispatcher, EVERYONE. No one can offer me any solution. So now, it is Monday night and I have a flight out Wednesday and there is NO WAY they are going to pack and load 4000 sq. ft. of house in one day. They tell me that it is possible, and I like an IDIOT believe them. I tell them to be at the house at 5am. I told them that they needed to pull an entire day of work to meet their deadline - they agreed.
Tuesday, 5am. Not there yet. 8 am - still not there. I call the broker, they call the driver, he calls me. I ask him why he was late... he tells me "he overslept" but would be there around 11. I am FURIOUS. I call Christian and he tells me to fire them. If the BROKER is not going to work on our behalf, then I have to work on my own. So, I call the drivers back and tell him nicely, "hey, look, don't worry about coming today - you guys are fired and I am going to move on with another company." The guy yells in the phone "FUCK YOU BITCH!"
Are you kidding me? I am paying you $14,000 and you are telling me FUCK YOU?!?!?!? OMG. I just hung up and didn't even respond. I begin crying, call the broker, call Christian, call everyone. My chest was sinking and I literally thought I was going to faint. I run inside and puke... for 2 strait days. I was seriously so angry and stressed that I couldn't eat and my stomach was a MESS!
Long story short - I had to change my flight and the broker promised me a different company. This time, I get 3 Bosnians all over the age of 60 - again from St. Louis. They do the most HORRIBLE job of packing my stuff but I had reached a point that I just wanted to leave... I didn't care what happened... I should have held that thought...
They leave Wednesday and say that they will begin driving to Atlanta and will deliver Friday. Friday comes and SURPRISE! my stuff is not here... I call the movers and ask where they are and they say "St. Louis". What?!?!? He tells me that the truck that they loaded full of my stuff was UNREGISTERED and they couldn't drive to GA until they get the registration.
My head starts spinning... I begin crying and panicking. The realization hit me... EVERYTHING THAT I OWN IS ON A UNREGISTERED TRUCK SOMEWHERE IN ST. LOUIS. I come to the understanding that I will NEVER see my stuff again.
I cry more. Christian comes home and we just stare at each other... I told him,
"I don't care about furniture, clothes, toys or any of that. I just want all of Bailey's adoption paperwork. That stuff is IRREPLACEABLE.
I call the broker - they are no help. I just sulk.
Shockingly, they arrive Sunday... half of our stuff was scratched or dented, but hey... it is here and ALL of my important paperwork made it without a scratch :)
It wasn't over though... the broker still claimed that we owed the first moving company for the work that they completed prior to me firing them. I told him that was fine - but I knew I would dispute it.
The catch is, in order for the movers to unload the truck, you have to pay the bill in full. So, here I am in my driveway with a bill that I DISAGREE with and am FORCED to pay it. In essence, they take your freight "hostage" until they get your money.
The issue with payment was this. They said I still had to pay for what work company one did BUT that they couldn't split the invoice SO I had to pay the FULL amount to the second company and they would kick back a portion to the first company... Does that sound right to you? HELL NO. Christian is furious because this has FRAUD written all over it. The irony here is that Christian is a FRAUD INVESTIGATOR and FORENSIC ACCOUNTANT. But what are we to do? So we pay it...
It has been almost 2 months, the broker refuses to call me back, they have ignored all of my emails, and have not reimbursed me yet for funds PROMISED.
Christian said the other night, "I never thought it would be so hard to find someone to pack a box, put it on a truck, and drive it to another city." Quote of the year!
People, my health has severely deteriorated during the past few months. I am not lying. I have put on at LEAST 10 pounds. I grind my teeth at night. I feel like an elephant is sitting on my chest half of the time.
A part of me wants to just let it go. I feel like my body deserves to be free from this stress... but the fighter in me wants JUSTICE! I want what is owed to me. I am so conflicted.
There are MANY more details that I am leaving out. These people are nuts... so... we are currently seeking out a good attorney. If you have any recommendations, we would love to hear them.
Oh, and as for the Bosnians. Here is a little fact:
Outside of the city of Sarajevo - the capital of Bosnia, St. Louis has the highest concentration of Bosnians in the world.
Aside from that, we are finally in our home and back in our favorite city :) All is well that ends well.
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