With six weeks to go until the house on West Walnut will be all ours, the stress is beginning!
After 3 weeks of packing boxes, I was told by a moving company representative that I either had to pack everything or nothing!
What a jerk!
On Monday we had a Moving Company from Lebanon come to give us an estimate. This is the same company that moved us into this house 3 1/2 years ago. We went from room to room with him, explaining what goes and what either stays or will be sold. He asked if they were going to pack for us and we explained that as in the last move, everything I did NOT pack, they would. The fact that we had saved our boxes from the move 3 1/2 years ago was a plus in his eyes. We would save $$ as far as he was concerned.
Not wanting to take the first and only estimate that came along, we called another company to get their spin on the costs. Today the representative from the "Family Owned" business in Mt. Joy showed up at our front door. Before he had even stepped foot into our front door, he looked at Jim and said, "I know which car you don't drive! You don't drive the PT Cruiser!" We didn't quite know what to say to that, and he went on to tell us he drove one, too, and hated it! It was too small, uncomfortable, had too many miles, etc. Jim told him he should have tried it out before he purchased it, to which he replied it was a company car, hence the number of miles. Then he came in.
Before he started the estimating he told us we had 3 options ~ we pack and they move our boxes and furniture, they pack and they move our boxes and furniture or we pack the boxes and they move the furniture only. I told him we wanted the 4th option, I pack some and what I didn't pack, they could and they move all the boxes and furniture. Impossible according to him! (Funny, it was possible when we moved from California with United Van Lines, and from Lebanon with Stevens, but not with a "Family Owned" business from Mt. Joy!) I wonder, should I unpack all the boxes I've packed, or should I give up my life and pack all the rest of our things?? Exactly what do you hire movers for ~ just the moving, or moving and packing??
I thought my next question was legitimate, but I guess it was not! Since we are closing on both houses in the morning, it is obvious that we must be out of the Lititz home when we close on that one, and we don't get possession of the Lancaster one until we close on that one. Pretty obvious to us. When I asked him if they could load the day BEFORE closing and deliver the goods the next afternoon after we closed on the Lancaster home, his expression was almost disgust and said that would take two trips (duh!) and cost us more. It was something they normally did not do! Let's see, Bekins did that for us in California with no qualms, the mover who moved us from Lebanon to Lititz did it with no problem, but it wasn't the way the "Family Owned Business" in Mt Joy normally did business. I'm wondering what people do in this situation? Obviously not hire the company from Mt Joy!
It went from bad to worse after that. He started in the Living Room and looked at my antique trunk and told me I would have to unload it for the move. I told him I had a shoe box with embroidery thread in it, and he told me it added weight to the trunk and it would put strain on the handles when they pick it up. I was shocked and asked him if they would really pick it up by the handles since they were leather, old and very brittle. He never did answer my question but told me I HAD TO TAKE THE EMBROIDERY THREAD OUT OF THE TRUNK. and he told me that emphatically. As he started to count the furniture he came up with three end tables in the living room. I told him I only counted two, at which point he glared at me and said he was concentrating on the trunk so he counted that as an end table!!!
Since I could take no more of his arrogant attitude I left the house and told Jim he was on his own with this man! (man??)
While I was sitting outside he told Jim that if they packed for us, they could not use the boxes we had saved from our last move because it "was against PUC regulations!!" Funny, United Van Lines furnished us with some used boxes as did Stevens Van Lines. He told us if he used our boxes and packed them, they would have to charge us for new boxes so we might as well use their new boxes!! Huh???
Jim finally told him that we weren't on the same page and perhaps it was best if he left.
At this point I came back in the house and Jim and I sat down for a glass of wine, and I normally do NOT drink!
Tomorrow we call some other Movers and see how the PUC regulates them!
