|
Friday, September 03, 2004 Farm Livin' Is The Life For Me ...
Were the hassles of this move worth it? Amazingly enough, after all we have been through, I still have to say, “Yes!” And, “hassles” do NOT even begin to describe the weeks of pure, unadulterated hell we have been through simply trying to make this move – a move that should have occurred in February, but just finally occurred last week. The day before closing, the moving company arrived to begin loading us. We had obtained estimates from six (6) moving companies and all six, although not within a close dollar amount, were ALL within one hundred (100) pounds on the estimation of the weight of our entire household, including the entire basement, which held my s.o.'s complete woodworking shop (that translates to large, heavy tools -- think Norm Abram's New Yankee Workshop!). So, to lessen the costs of the move CONSIDERABLY, my husband rented a 24' U-Haul, hired one of his employees, and they packed up my husband's entire workshop, and most of the basement (which consisted of boxes we had already packed and stored there), plus a riding lawn mower and other assorted tools, lawn equipment, etc. The estimation of the U-Haul poundage was MUCHO-HEAVY, to say the least. The moving company only had to load the main level and upper level living areas, all of which were already packed in boxes, with the exception of furniture. I-N-C-O-M-P-E-T-E-N-T does not even begin to define this group of five IDIOTS who were supposed to be loading our belongings. The “job-boss” was inventorying the house, attaching inventory stickers to all boxes, furniture, etc., and listing each item, along with any defects, damages, etc., that he noticed prior to loading. At one point during the day, I went upstairs and found the upper portion of my grandmother's 100-year-old antique dresser lying in the floor in three pieces along side the curved arms and swivel mirror. Now, that morning when I woke up, the upper portion of my grandmother's 100-year-old antique dresser was a single decoratively carved curved back piece that connected the two arms and supported the mirror, and was attached to the base of the dresser! I walked outside to find my s.o., who was loading the U-Haul, to tell him about the dresser, and I saw my grandmother's 75-year-old antique chair in the front yard waiting to be loaded on the truck. Now, I had placed a sign on the inside back of this chair – in very large letters – which read, "VERY FRAGILE -- HANDLE WITH EXTREME CARE." As I walked out of the front door, I saw one of the movers grab the chair by both arms and jerk it up roughly, at which time he literally snapped the left arm of the chair completely off. I walked over to the "job-boss" and said, "He just BROKE my grandmother's antique chair!" to which the guy replied, "Oh, well." I won't go on – but suffice it to say, the movers were totally incompetent, destructive, completely disrespectful and unprofessional (and, this was a franchise of a national moving company, not some local fly-by-night deal). After they had left, we found several boxes throughout the house that they had simply failed to even load onto the truck. We had to try to find some way to pack them into our vehicles, which was no small feat, as I had already packed my convertible with items I did not want the movers to touch, and it was at maximum capacity already. My s.o.'s pick-up truck was loaded as well, and the U-Haul was packed – floor to ceiling, front to back – with our entire basement. And, the next day, I would be driving our Jeep with a ½ filled aquarium full of fish, pet carriers with five cats, and two rambunctious dogs. On settlement day, the buyers were supposed to be at our house at 8:00 a.m. for a walk-through prior to us going to a 9:00 a.m. closing (we had back-to-back closings on the sale of our house and the purchase of the farm). The buyers “said” they could not be present at a 9:00 a.m. closing, but would go to the settlement office at noon to sign the papers. Since we were scheduled for 9:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. closings, we were also scheduled to meet the moving company at the farm at noon for the unload. Do you think things went as scheduled? FAT CHANCE on that! The buyers and buyers' agent didn't arrive until 8:30 a.m., and we had to leave to make our 9:00 a.m. closing. At closing, the buyers' agent calls and starts complaining about the most STUPID stuff imaginable! We had a personal mirror (not affixed to the wall with mirror mastic or permanently attached in any way) in the downstairs powder room, which we removed because it was OURS, which we brought with us when we moved in. The agent said that we had to return it or they would not sign the closing papers. We attempted to explain that it was a personal item; not a permanent fixture of the house. The agent began screaming that we were trying to "rip-them-off," and he hung up on us. He called back moments later and said they would close, but only if we replaced the mirror with a "like" fixture, and to ensure that would happen, they were holding back $200.00 in escrow to assure that we replaced the mirror. There was much screaming, yelling, and cursing back and forth between their agent and ours, and the agent hung up, again. Then, he phones back once more – this time complaining about missing lights from the deck. The "lights" he was referring to were decorative solar lights, which were NOT permanent fixtures, not wired in any way to the deck, were used in conjunction with our deck furniture and furnishings, and were NOT part of the contract. Once again, he starts threatening not to close. Needless to say, our closing on the sale of the house was delayed more than an hour and a half. The clock is ticking, and the truck is already in route to the farm for delivery of our furniture and other household items. I called the moving company and am informed that if I am not there to meet the truck, I will be charged $80.00 per hour for every hour the truck has to wait. Then, more “good-news” (said with loads of sarcasm!); the closing paperwork for the purchase of the farm hasn't been received from the mortgage company. Our agent calls the agent for the seller and is able to work out a deal (amazing, in and of itself!) for us to move in and close the following day, if necessary. During this time, we're in the process of tracking down a mirror to replace our personal one that we removed from the powder room of the house we're selling (just to try to make things go smoothly) when the settlement package for the farm comes into the settlement office. Of course, the settlement office has to do some additional paperwork after the package is received so, … tick, tick, tick, tick … the truck is heading to the farm and the dollars are racking up on a "wait" charge . . . Finally, all the papers are signed, I pick up the cats, dogs, and fish and head southwest to the farm. At the same time, my s.o. is at the old house installing a mirror in the powder room. Now, GET THIS! The buyers return to the house, say the mirror is "fine," and tell my s.o., "it was nothing against us" -- they just "hated" our Realtor! My s.o. said, even so, all their complaining only made it bad for us, and had no effect whatsoever on our Realtor. Talk about unexplainable behaviour! When I arrive, the trucks are waiting and the “job-boss” informs me that they cannot begin to unload until I pay them. The woman I dealt with at their company throughout the entire process had told us from day one, up to that very morning when we called her about the delay, that they would take a personal check as long as it was drawn on a local bank. When I took out my checkbook, the "job-boss" tells me that he cannot take my check. I explained to him that "Kathy" had said I could write a personal check because it is drawn on a local bank, and he whips out his cell phone and calls his supervisor. His supervisor tells him that, under NO circumstances are they to take my personal check. The "job-boss" hands me the phone and the supervisor and I spend a few minutes of "quality-time" discussing exactly what I think of their company, the fact that their representative (Kathy) has told us (repeatedly) that we could write a personal check, that they were overcharging us by at least $1,000.00 over the original quoted price since my s.o. packed and moved the basement himself, that his employees broke several pieces of my antiques, and that by holding my belongings "hostage" on the truck, they were basically committing extortion, especially since -- amazingly-enough -- the weight they are "claiming" the trucks weighed in at is EXACTLY the weight quoted during the initial estimate (which included the basement)! At that time, my s.o. arrives and I hand him the phone. The supervisor, it turns out, is actually the owner of the company. He tells my s.o. that I am a "bitch" who will, more than likely, stop payment on the check, and he isn't about to take a personal check from us. The "reason" he has labeled me a "bitch" is because the day before -- after his employees broke two of my grandmother's cherished antiques, plus left their lunch messes all over my kitchen for ME to clean up, I called Kathy to complain. I guess complaining about employees who break items they are paid to be taken care to move and leave messes makes you a "bitch." WHO KNEW? My s.o. informed him that we wouldn't do something so devious as to stop payment on a check -- we would be up front and sue them in court! Anyway, finally, by "securing" our personal check with a credit card, they began unloading our stuff. Now, I took the time to write the name of the room that each box went into on the top and all four sides of EVERY box I packed. And, I don't write small (over-compensation for low self-esteem -- wouldn't Freud love me?!?!?). In addition, many of the items were to be temporarily stored in the studio building out back BUT, I spent the entire time these guys were unloading sitting on the front porch, checking off each item from a checklist that they gave me (FORCED ME) to complete, and on occasion instructed them on the items that were to be put into the studio as those items came off of the truck. Now, although the studio is to the left and behind the house, it isn't a long walk, so it wasn't like it was any big deal. About half way through the unload, they brought off our refrigerator -- a brand new fridge -- $1,400.00 -- which they refused to bring into the house and swap out with the one already in the house. So, I instructed them to just put it into the studio, along with the upright freezer they had just put in as well. About fifteen minutes prior to finishing the unload, it began to rain. They dashed in with the last of the boxes, handed me the final paperwork, and left. My s.o. had left earlier to return the U-Haul and take his employee, who was helping out, back home. When he arrived, he walked into the house … FURIOUS! The movers had left our refrigerator sitting in the middle of the yard, in the rain! They had not said a word to me about the fridge. Not only that, they had left several other items in the yard as well. They just didn't bother taking them all the way into the studio for storage. In addition, upon leaving, the truck took off two limbs of a large old tree. Yes!, that's called property damage! The following day, instead of unpacking, we had to spend it moving boxes into the rooms that they actually went into. I guess when a box is labeled "Kitchen Pantry Canned Goods," the best place to put it would be in the upstairs master bedroom. And, when a wardrobe box is labeled "Clothes Master Bedroom Closet," the best place for that is in the kitchen. Kitchen Dishes in the Living Room, Family Room Electronics in the Dining Room -- well, of course, you can see how the labeling can be SO misleading! In case you're wondering -- I've contacted the State Attorney General's Office and have been told that I have grounds to file a formal complaint for fraud and extortion. I've also contacted the Better Business Bureau. I'm also suing for property damage in small claims court. You don't mess with this fiery Irish lass without getting a fight on your hands! And, all of this was just the FIRST day we moved in. You wouldn't believe what else has happened in the week since we've been here. Horrendous hassles galore! But, as Scarlett says, "“I'm not going to worry about that today. Tomorrow is another day." With all of the hassles, headaches, ulcers, migraines, etc., the peace and tranquility of this 1898 Victorian farmhouse and acreage is AMAZING! I've met the cows next door (even petted a few). I have little baby flying squirrels nesting in my attic. There are assorted birds in abundance. The flowers are blooming everywhere. The whole side yard is filled with trailing ivy. The hundred-year-old maples in the front yard have canopied the entire yard. We've already had a rainstorm that was music on the tin roof. I may still be buried in boxes, but I'm in a place I can truly call "HOME!" * Thank God I'm A Country Boy, sung by John Denver, written by John Martin Summers Originally published Thursday May 15, 2003 (bw) 2003 © Copyrighted Materials - All Rights Reserved. Susan Reno-Gilliland A Southern Belle's Life # posted by Kitty : 3:40 PM
|
Comments:
Post a Comment
 
   A very special THANK YOU to coolmattyg for making these wonderful banners for me! The ads that appear through this ad-exchange do not necessarily reflect the views of the author of this page. Promote your blog for free
READ.THIS --  Skin created by Tuskudrusla. Skin slightly "tweaked" by "A Southern Belle's Life" author. |
About Me
"a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma" --- Miss Kitty, an Irish lass, a true Southern Belle; writer, photographer, artist, interior designer, animal-lover, dreamer, stargazer, cop-groupie, 70's junkie, cbc, slightly obsessive iNFp with stories to tell! ... (fascinated by forensics, human behavior, pushing all the right buttons of men she finds interesting, and seeking utterly-sweet revenge without any repercussions. ) --- "Darlin', don't ever take a Southern woman for granted!" [tm] Feeling the uncontrollable urge to shower me with gifts?!? Check out my Amazon 
Friday's Child is loving & giving We've been accepted by Chase's Calendar of Events to promote the annual event each April for Southern Belles' Month! A Southern Belle's Life "Darlin', don't ever take a Southern woman for granted!" (tm)                          ![[ Registered ]](http://www.diarist.net/registry/button3.gif){kind=small}
  This Writer's Works
~ A Southern Belle's Life e-mail me either at:  or the address we are using for all of our activities for the upcoming annual Southern Belles' Month event each April  
Feeling generous? Donate through Your donations are GREATLY appreciated! Thank you for reading my blog. ♪ 51313 Harbor Street ♪ All About Amber ♪ An American Housewife ♪ Bad Monkey No Banana ♪ Coffee Table Declarations ♪ Fractured Somehow ♪ In High Cotton ♪ I Wasn't Always Like This... ♪ Knight Writer ♪ Nickle Annie ♪ Patricia Paris ♪ Sigmund, Carl and Alfred ♪ sugarfused.net ♪ Trixie's Home ♪ Unexpected Liberation ♪ War Child ♪ Why Not - Right? ♪ World According To Tish, The Blogroll Me! ♪ IMBd ♪ PostSecret ♪ Urban Legends ♪ Wish Jar Journal ♪ Breast Cancer Research Foundation ♪ Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, The ♪ Leary Firefighters' Foundation, The ♪ Michael J. Fox Foundation ♪ National Center For Victims of Crimes, The ♪ Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN) ♪ Red Cross, The ♪ Victory Junction Gang, The  "Blonde" I May Be Blonde, But ... (don't let that fool you!) Many of the entries you will read in this blog were originally published under my alter-ego (pictured above) during the last eighteen-plus months. Sometimes we realize that what began as one thing mutates into something else entirely. Therefore, I wanted to salvage my previously published works on a site that was strictly controlled by me. I hope you will enjoy at least some of what you read, and will leave your comments along the way. Thanks for your indulgence. When a Writer’s integrity and a Site’s standards ultimately end up at diametrically opposite ends of the spectrum, it is time for the Writer to sever the association if the Writer hopes to maintain their reputation as a legitimate Writer. "To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong." ~ Joseph Chilton Pierce "Art, like morality, consists in drawing a line somewhere" ~ Gilbert Chesterton (1874-1936) "This kind of certainty comes but once in a lifetime." ~ 'Robert Kincaid' [TBOMC] "Love that we cannot have, Is the one that lasts the longest, Hurts the deepest, And feels the strongest!" ~ Unknown And, on that final note, I will (once again) leave you with a very wise quote from Oscar Wilde ... "Do you really think it is weakness that yields to temptation? I tell you that there are terrible temptations which it requires strength, strength and courage, to yield to." Archives |
