Movers Review

Everyone wants a review when ever you buy something, anything, from a pack of 50¢ widgets on Amazon to a new car from your local Shubert dealer. And apparently moving companies. Our movers sent us an email asking for a review, with links to do it on their Facebook page, on Google and on Yelp, like practically begging for one. Well, I usually shun this marketing crap and I will this time too, at least publicly, I will reply directly to their email though. Here is what it will say:

A Mayflower crew packed us out at our origin. A United Van Lines driver delivered and unloaded us at our destination with the help of two local crew.

The Mayflower folks packed our items in wooden crates for local storage. Our estimator/salesman told it was okay to keep or pack our stuff in desk or dresser drawers if they were tight. The packing crew then told us all drawers needed to be empty. The crew was polite and respectful and did their job well with a couple of exceptions: Some jewelry items were packed in items of clothing and ended up in scattered between boxes. The plastic cabinet loaded with various nails, screws, bolts, washers and nuts in the garage was taped up in front, but not the back causing a substantial amount of screws/bolts scattered in a box.

The delivery driver opened all crates and disassembled a few items so he could pack them more tightly into his truck: an office chair, a computer desk, two leaning ladder-style shelving units and the wheels were removed from our 4 bicycles. Our household goods were packed tightly mid truck and that location was misjudged in a way that caused the unloading crew to spend the first 45 minutes or so trying to push, shove, wiggle, pry two dressers out the door so they could get to the rest of our items, not a pretty sight. It is amazing that not more than the one bent desk drawer handle and three hooks broken off a decorative towel rack were damaged. This delay along with a slight weather delay of the arrival, put them in a bind to finish because the driver had to be 400 miles further north by the next morning for another delivery.

Six people packed us out, but only three unloaded us, there should have had more folks, took way too long. It didn’t help that one of local crew was either very new, incompetent or lazy and had to be constantly instructed or corrected in the manner to handle the unloading. After nearly 5 hours everything was in the house, but they still had to assemble everything. They were struggling with the computer desk and fearing they would put it together wrong, I told them I’d do it (I had already put the bike wheels back on.) I also told them I would put together the shelves, so the driver could get going. He had the local guys put together the desk chair while he and I went over the inventory.

Even though both the chair seat and base were clearly labeled with the word FRONT, they still managed to get it together backwards. The two leaning ladder shelves were quite a challenge. These were made by a carpenter friend and were not mass produced, so all the screw holes were close but not exactly in the same place. This was like putting a jigsaw puzzle together. The first one took 4 hours, but second one only took 20 minutes. The vertical parts for each shelf were wrapped together, the horizontal supports were separately wrapped together, but the horizontal shelves were not. The screws were separately packed nicely, but he should have labeled each piece for each set.

Too Many Sweaters

We got around to opening the last few clothing boxes today. How many sweaters does a retired person need? A dozen? Nope, narrowed it down to five. Also kept 2 Hawaiian shirts out of 4, two button down casual shirts out of four and just 2 of 4 Lands End quarter-zip knit shirts. Some needy folks in Klamath Falls will be dressed a little nicer and warmer after we donate these.

We are down to just a dozen book boxes to open up and shelve. After that, it is figuring out where to hang the eleven-hundred framed photos, prints and completed jigsaw puzzles around the empty vertical surfaces. Sometime not long after that, they will come down again as we add color to all the beige walls.

The garage is still a mess, all the tools and what not will be needed, arranging still on the existing shelves in the back. I will also need to figure out how to store our half dozen bikes while allowing easy access to them and the two cars. Then there is reinstalling the RaceDeck tile flooring and possibly adding some more for under the Mini…

A Washer and Dryer of Our Very Own

Better 8-1/2 days late than never. But like most things we have run across in our move, it wasn’t that simple. First off we got another surprise arrival.

Back when the garage door opener was replaced we were told we would get a call telling us of their arrival about 25-30 minutes ahead of time. On that day we decided to walk the mile into town to check the mail knowing that we could cover the distance back in a half hour. So wouldn’t you know it, the guy called while we were downtown, but he was calling from our driveway! So I lied to him and told him we were on our way home (true) and would be home in 10-15 minutes (false.) We quick walked back up the hill and made it in 25 minutes.

For our appliance delivery we were told to expect them between 1:00 and 5:00 in the afternoon. So we decided to walk into town about 11:30 to check the mail figuring we had plenty of time to do that and stop to buy a couple of bagels on the way back. So wouldn’t you know it, the guy called while we were almost downtown to say he was about 20 minutes away! The bagel place closed at 1:00, meaning we didn’t have time to get home, get our delivery and make it back, so Plan B was formulated on the fly. Donna would continue with the walking mission and I would turn around to head home and meet our appliances.

At least they weren’t waiting in the driveway when I got back, but it wasn’t long before the knock came at the door. They were fast and efficient at unloading and placing our stuff in where they belong. The fridge was easy, but the snags reared their ugly heads on the lower level where the washer and dryer go. First off, they brought the “wrong” 240v dryer power cord. Whenever the house was wired for the electric dryer they used a 3 prong straight bladed socket which is now traditionally used for stoves and the cord they had was the usual dryer cord with one blade with a 90 degree bend in it. Staying with the dryer, the flex tubing they brought was enough, but because of the existing tubing location it would be hard to move a junction to connect the new to the old. To top it off, the drain hose on the washer was too short. For whatever reason, the house drain was over on the other side of the water heater, so we would need an extension to make it reach.

I checked the Home Depot website and they had the dryer/oven power cord no problem. The extensions for the washer hose and dryer duct connectors they didn’t have, I could order it and have it delivered to the store for pickup — in a week! We drove to Home Depot and returned the cord and dryer ducting for in store credit. Then on the off chance the web site was wrong we went looking for the three things we needed. Turns out the web site was wrong, they didn’t even have the power cord.

Crap, another trip or two to the local laundromat would be required, but then we remembered seeing ads on TV for a local chain of electrical and plumbing stores called Grover. Went in and explained our predicament at the service desk and within 10 minutes were out the door with all three things we needed. An hour after getting home we were washing a load of clothes.

Magnetic Mini

On New Year’s Day, we ran a quick errand to Home Depot and on the way back we stopped at Albertsons for a couple of items. As we were walking towards the store from the parking lot, a lady pushing her cart out of the store, waved us over and asked, “What year is your Mini?” When I told her it was a 2013, she said, “Oh, too bad, I have a car cover for a 2007 Mini and I was going to ask if you wanted it.” I told her that in fact it would fit our car as the 2nd generation Minis ran from 2007 to 2014. She said, “Well, I’m giving it away because I sold the car a while ago and it is just taking up space in my garage. Do you want it?” Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, we said, “Sure, we’ll take it.” She then said, “I live just up the street, when can you come get it?” We said, “We are just picking up a couple items. We could be there in 15 minutes?” She then explained where she lived and she wasn’t kidding about the just up the street thing, it was literally a half mile along the same cross road as the store…

After leaving her promising to see her in a few minutes, maybe two steps closer to Alberstons front door another lady comes up and says, “Did you just get out of that Mini?” We nod in the affirmative and she says, “How do you like it?” We both launch into how much we like the car. She said, “I have a older Ford Escape and I have trouble seeing out of it when trying to back up especially.” She was about Donna’s height, if not maybe a little shorter, so Donna told her about selling our bigger car, just to get this to be able to see more. So Donna said, “Would you like come sit in it?” “Sure,” she said. So we walked back over to the car and she sat in it and marveled at the view. She said she saw one at a used car lot and was going to go down with her husband to see about buying it.

We finally got to go inside and buy what we came for. After leaving there we stopped at lady number one’s house. When we finally got home we unloaded a step ladder, 2 gallons of distilled water and a car cover for the Ladybug.