A Song About Moving
So the moving people who have all of our stuff, including our computers with our hard drives containing all of the data we need in order to work with our existing freelance clients, these movers, these people who hold hostage my lovely velvet couch and my summer clothing with the pretty delicate stitching and every journal I've kept since I was four years old, even the one where I write all of my R's backwards, they haven't arrived in Utah yet. They were supposed to be here last Wednesday, and then they said Friday, definitely Friday, but then all of a sudden it would have to be Sunday, no later than Sunday.
Well, by my calculations, Sunday was yesterday, and we haven't heard a single word from these terrorists. And I know I should just be patient and that other people in this world have it much, much worse. But I haven't told you the part about how these mover people said it was going to cost one thing, but really, in real life, it's going to cost us triple that one thing. And it wouldn't be so bad if, say, that one thing had been $6, because then we'd only have to pay $18. But let's suppose, and I'm only supposing here, that the one thing was actually $1800. I don't know about you, but I've got a spare $5400 in coinage just lying around, in the pockets of my pants and in the cup holder of my car, it's just going to be a bitch to gather it all up and count it.
Then there's the part where they charged us an extra $700 for packing supplies, after we'd packed up everything that we thought was packable. I guess everything we thought was packable didn't include everything, because people, they packed everything. They put our 11 foot by 4 foot bedroom rug into a box. They put the futon matress into a box. They put boxed-up books into another fucking box.
So I'm trying to remain calm. I'm trying not to react as violently as I did when the locksmith came to open the storage unit that morning in Los Angeles, and after three days of not sleeping and three days of my dog not eating and three days of putting my entire life into small cardboard boxes, I took a look inside that storage unit, realized that we had an entire other apartment to put into small cardboard boxes, and collapsed into a twitching, drooling and writhing beast.
But if these mover people don't call within the next 30 seconds, and I'm counting down right now, they are so gonna wish that they hadn't encountered this volatile former Mormon from Memphis who isn't so concerned about her eternal salvation and whether or not God is watching.
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Heather talks about public tantrums (from kids) on today's Momversation.
- RIP Louis Mortimer Armstrong: http://bit.ly/1R4tv6
- Hugs and kisses to you, too! RT: @Monkey_Tree: @dooce he probably committed suicide because he was tired of LISTENING TO YOU WHINE.
- Our fish just died. And I'm sitting here crying. And it wasn't even my fault!
1. Paul Gutman said:
Of very little comfort, I know, but this goes to my theory that anything involving real estate in the least is full of crooks, shysters, and liars of some variety or another.
2. Ariel said:
Hmm. Triple charging and showing up six days late sounds like a breech of contract to me. I think America is calling and she's saying, "Dooce, be a good litigeous citizen and sue. SUE!"
3. deadking said:
reminds me of that richard pryor movie
moving.
4. the husband said:
Guess who just called?
5. zach said:
If you yell they will come
6. Marshall said:
Hey Dooce-O-Matic...I feel your pain. I just moved to Toronto from Vancouver, and had been given the heads-up on mover scams. I had a quality shipping scale with me at my house, and we weighed everything before it went on the truck. The driver signed off on the weights, and I got the movers to agree that my scale would not be more than 5% off. The upshot? My load was 40% lighter than they thought it was. I moved over 3000 miles for under $1500 CDN. They're all A$$H0LES, and you've got to watch their every move. Seriously.
7. brittney said:
Think you'll tip?
8. bucci said:
You need to rock their little fucking world so hard. So fucking hard. This shit pisses me off so much. The same crap when you take your car to the shop and they take advantage because they have all the cards. You must fuck them so hard they fucking bleed. Rage. Rage. RAGE!!!!!
9. Ken said:
I know the feeling. Try going through the process of buying a house and having the seller decide to not show up at closing date. But of course living arrangements were meant to end that same day. Oh the joy of, as "Paul" said; crooks, shysters and liars.
10. Antonio Monkerro said:
Moving's always a pain in the ass. That's why I insist on using a giant catapult instead of a moving truck.
11. the movers said:
We're gonna be another day or two on that delivery. Traffic. Sorry.
12. Benjy said:
Sounds like you're getting scammed. I saw something about moving companies doing this, so you might want to research... I could understand if it was something little like an extra $100 because you lived on the 4th floor or something, but triple?!? And $700 for boxing items that sure don't sound like they need boxing?
13. megchem said:
Dooce, rip them a new one...annoy them until they give back some money...and them file all kinds of damage claims....i'm sure there will be tons of damage...there always is...
14. Nonproductive said:
Come on now! You admitted that every journal since you were 4 yrs old is on that truck.
How do you expect them to read all that and *still* be able get through all those boxes looking for stuff to "lose" in only 6 days?
I bet if you let them pack it would've arrived quicker. Then they would already know where all the good loot was stashed.
15. Tammy said:
calm down and good luck!!
16. frumpple said:
careful, dooce. a friend had the same thing happen a couple years ago - except she couldn't come up with the extra dough. and she lost everything. didn't get one thing back. assholes.
17. heather said:
After having movers steal stuff during one of many familial moves, we went to moving ourselves. A pain in the arse, but I can pack a truck like no one's business.
18. Heather #2 said:
Fuck, that sucks. It's the not knowing that'll kill ya.
19. Some Guy said:
This is definitely a scam, and guess what? There is very little you can do about it. Why? Because the federal government "de-funded" the department that is supposed to police these people. In other words, in theory the department exists, but with no money and no people. Again in theory, they cannot by law charge you more than a certain percentage of the estimate. But in reality, they will hold your posessions hostage until you pay up. I know it doesn't help you much at this point, but for anyone else thinking about moving, your best recourse is to find a mover who belongs to the Better Business Bureau. As part of their membership they have to agree to arbitration over pricing disputes. And make sure to check with the BBB, not the movers, to make sure they're up-to-date members. Also watch out for companies that have names remarkably similiar to well-known moving companies, but aren't really well-known moving companies.
My heart goes out to you Dooce. I hope things work out.
20. terry said:
Packing things like boxed books and a futon in additional boxes in order to pad packing charges constitutes fraud. (I think 60 minutes or Hard Copy or some show did an expose on fraudulent movers who do this, among other things.) If they threaten to hold your stuff hostage until you pay, point to the extra boxing and tell them you're calling the police.
21. propagandist said:
remember when you lamented being back in utah?
well, now they're on your turf.
send THEM home in a box.
22. The Deuce said:
These movers deserve to piledriven, hit with steel chairs and thrown to rabid (Moon)dogs. (And given my background, I can have that arranged.) Hope you find some solace in the fact that others continue to feel the pain of your move. Parked snugly in front of your former aforementioned storage space on Saturday, again basking in the independence of my new space. Two hours later, noticed that i had been cited by an evil cock-sucking parking nazi; seems my VW was "one-inch" over the alloted space, carelessly blocking the path of dog-walkers and orthodox jews in the 'hood. sweet banana fuck. on the bright side, noticed that previous tenants left behind a broom and a near-full box of trash bags. life is good. i'm sure of it.
23. Kerry said:
Horrific events like these are exactly the reason why we have shows like 20/20.
24. exsouthern babtist said:
What is the name of the moving company? I'm sure that none of us would ever want to do business with them. Oh, and I would double check your stuff when it arrives to make sure everything is definitley there. People, go figure.
25. hilatron said:
I'm a recent mover myself, and my god, just reading that give me an anxiety attack. Good luck with your evil movers, Dooce. You need a girl with a mean temper and lead pipe, you give me a call.
I'm gonna go hug all my stuff now.
26. peggy said:
So *that's* what that big-ass truck trying to turn around in my driveway was all about.
27. April said:
i HATE moving.
28. The Mighty Jimbo said:
Anything involving moving is highly suspect, almost always unexthical. Wait till you get your stuff before taking serious action. And talk to a lawyer. And the BBB. And the Chamber of Commerce. And start watching the Soprano's for research.
29. cicada said:
If you paid for your move with a card, keep a close eye on your statements in the coming months. Another trick that movers sometimes pull is to wait a couple of months and charge you again. I've had that happen twice now. Bastards, all!
30. Erika said:
The website link is for the Department of Transportation regarding moving companies. Hope it helps. We are about to move from Cal. to Mass. and your story is pretty scary!
31. Erika said:
The website link is for the Department of Transportation regarding moving companies. Hope it helps. We are about to move from Cal. to Mass. and your story is pretty scary!
32. Erika said:
oops! hit the Think button twice. Sorry about that.
33. Stan said:
You got an ironclad legally binding contract signed by both parties specifying a fixed price and a guaranteed delivery date, right?
34. peggy said:
..I told them, "Look, you stinking robber barons, this here's Tennessee, and dooce is really pissed! Now scram!
35. Alexandra said:
Sic Bush on them... tell him that the movers are part of a terrorist network, that might work. Other than that you have my commiserations. :-(
36. Katherine said:
Some Guy is correct...for an interstate move there really is no one you can turn to. The crime is happening in Utah but the transaction happened in California. So neither state can help. For intrastate moves you can go the authorities.
There are several websites dedicated to the entire Moving industry and what a complete scam it is. I have a friend who just got taken as well. Moved from San Fransico area to Vermont. The movers left half the stuff behind, and they were 4 weeks late. She had to hire another moving company to take the rest of the stuff.
These moving company websites say that none of the companies are safe the only way to go is to hire day labors at each end to load and unload a rental truck and move yourself.
I am so sorry you are getting ripped like this Heather. Best of luck getting all your things in one piece.
37. shy said:
my advice to you is to make like you're capable of calling people. you know... THOSE kinds of people. the kind of people that would make them suffer. you know, THAT kind of suffer. i'm chinese. i know people. yes... THOSE kinds of people. but i can't help you because i'm full of it. but maybe some one else out there can make the calls for you. or maybe you can sick chuck on them.
38. Mo Money said:
Dooce, tell them that you will put their name and addresses on your web site telling people how bad they were to you. With the amount of traffic you get here, I'm sure we can combine resources and put them out of business! Of course, they will probably have changed names by then. You gotta do something though.
39. Beerzie Boy said:
Maybe I'm just anal, but I would have burned that data onto cds and stuck them in my jockstrap if they were my source of income.
40. Naaman said:
Do they have Snicker's candy bars in Utah? They must not, otherwise the driver wouldn't have been listening to pelicans screaming, "Save me", and wondering why they talk.
41. jimbob said:
it's damn shame.
42. Kat said:
I've heard of these types of scams before. In fact, I think that whole "triple charging" thing is a very common m.o. of these guys. Take a look at this site. It happens to a lot of people, apparently. http://www.movingscam.com/theScam.shtml
43. john said:
We spent $4000 to move 1/2 a house 80 miles and my wife still insists it was worth it (I moved the other 1/2 of small items in a rented truck for like $90). I don't think so. Movers suck.
44. Keith said:
Sic the ex-Congressman on their nuts. When I moved from Boston to Los Angeles, I sold off all my furniture, shipped five big-ass boxes via UPS to L.A., then piled whatever I could in my car and took off. I couldn't really afford to hire movers, even though I still miss my furniture very much.
45. Shanni said:
That's why I always move with U-haul. Must. Have. Control. From SF - Las Vegas a few months ago = $1,000.
46. dennis said:
reminds me of the last time i moved... an [unnamed company] paid for my relocation through their preferred moving company -- i had a bed, tv, and a computer/desk. for this they scheduled an 18-wheeler to drive 220km, otherwise empty except for my stuff jammed in the front (which occupied about 1% of the overall space). it ended up costing $2000 (CDN) or so. sheesh.
47. United Van Lines said:
I bet it was us. We do this to everyone. Bwahahaha.
48. heather said:
they're most likely doing what my movers did when i moved across country t'other way. gambling. yes, the movers called me from every single gambling emporium between montreal and san francisco. i'm surprised i had a pot to piss in by the time they arrived on my doorstep. still think my drying rack never showed up because they hawked in in winnemuca.
49. occasional kate said:
why is it that moving to improve one's life and plan for one's more fruitful future is so liable to break one's bank account at the outset? i did the same recently though i sold most of my crap before the move and uhauled my arse cross country. even that hurt the checking acct.
a friend of mine just made a big move. moving co set a date. and another. and backtracked. and told at least one lie along the way that one guy forgot he'd said and then contradicted himself. she paid them the ridiculous markup and is now regrouping to sue to get it back. keep your eye on your contract and Write Down Every Word They Say. and inspect every goddamned item when it arrives no matter how freakin' tired you are and how badly you just wanna move the fuck on with your life.
the assbackward loophole that gets you paying $700 for supplies is one of their sneakiest tactics. they'll just keep going and going and going and you'll have no choice but to pay. did i suggest writing it all down?
50. occasional kate said:
(nice new graphics by the way)
51. Slocore said:
Fer Chrissakes, who is this moving company? Let us know so we can avoid them.
52. Keith said:
Shanni: NEVER will I use U-Haul again. After the hell they put me through last month, I will never ever ever rent from U-Haul ever again, and I'm recommending to everyone I talk to that they avoid U-Haul as well.
53. Igor said:
I like the swearing in the graphic. It's so contemporary US.
On the movers : they're probably part of the Family themselves. Threatening them is like making a housecall at a good friend's place : hey, we've been there, come on in.
Your only recourse would be an ironclad contract which I fondly hope you have. Other than inflicting serious bodily harm I don't honestly believe you can persuade these people. Do you have any family in South Central, LA ? I'm moving at the end of the month myself but nobody, I mean NOBODY is touching my computer but me. I'm not moving far, I'll take all the small stuff with me so there's nothing for the movers to steal. The rest is some big pieces of furniture which I can't possibly move myself.
Here's another suggestion, more practical perhaps : just follow the truck. Tell them you're right behind them "To show you the way". If movers in the US are that unreliable that's what I would do. And I would rather burn their truck than ante up PriceToMoveYour.Stuff = PriceToMoveYour.Stuff * 3. But you need a contract to prove it. All the best, girl.
54. Jwes said:
Dooce, not sure how you feel about this, and I don't mean to offend, Buuut....I'm sure a few of your viewers wouldn't mind throwing a couple of bucks your way to help defray the cost of the robbery. I've gotten more than my share of laughs, more even than your average movie and that cost eight bucks. I don't mind paying a little for my entertainment, just this once. A PayPal donation thing would be easy enough to set up. Just a thought.
55. Phoebe said:
D. What company is this? I just moved from Seattle to NYC last month (Seattle's not as cool as it seems, btw) and the SAME exact thing happened to us! Triple the price, had to have them repack everything and the delays. Apparently, they legally have 21 business days to get to you, but be careful, cuz they won't let you know in advance when they'll be there. And if you don't have the $$ cash on you exactly when they arrive, they'll put the stuff in storage, start the 21-day clock over again and charge you $100 a DAY for storage fees! AND when they did arrive, some stuff was missing, other stuff broken and there's little chance we'll ever see reimbursement. Feel free to email me if you want more info.
pm2117@columbia.edu
56. webgrrlie said:
when we moved from california to idaho, a very similar situation befell us.
instead of renting a u-haul (my choice), my fil insisted on using this friend of his who was is the shipping business to ship all of our stuff on a truck. it took motherfucking forever, and they busted stuff.
girl, i feel your pain.
57. Michael said:
I know you are paying triple, but you can't blame the movers for not wanting to come to Utah.
58. Austin said:
I can't believe you trusted a *velvet* couch to those heathens. They probably stopped every hundred miles to drag it out of the back of the van and sit on it naked. That's what I would do.
59. Zchannie said:
Movers blow the big one. If you have a written estimate, though, you should have a leg to stand on, and they can stuff their extra 3 grand up their nose. Bah.
60. Brian said:
You have my deepest sympathies. Ugghh. What a racket. Holding your material life hostage.
I just completed a move from Denver to Baltimore (!) and used a you-pack/we-ship company. That turned out suprisingly well. In retrospect, I'm glad I didn't go with Greedy Slack-jawed Yokel Moving Company (tm) - my other choice.
61. jimmypage said:
the movers obviously don't know that they're dealing with a cult leader. offer them some kool aid after the unloading is complete. and if any of your shit is broken or missing, send some d00ce aid to the mover's HQ. -jp
62. Kerry said:
That little holiday Dooce graphic is the cutest.
63. antisocial diva said:
anything to do with packing, moving, buying a home, unpacking - well, makes me twitch. i moved a year and a half ago and am still not recovered from all the bullshit. love the new graphic! :)
64. exsouthern babtist said:
Dooce, do you realize the impact you can have on this moving company with this many people checking your site? Getty up and GO! Set the wheels into motion...whatever you do ...don't back down for a second.
65. Cindi said:
couldn't help but think of you when i was just out for lunch downtown SLC and saw like 4 moving trucks...hope one of them was on their way to you!
66. Matt Seesquared said:
Well we'll have to chat. We went through something like this when we moved from DC to CA, and the end result was NOT good (you haven't even reached the end yet). I sued the bastards, and won, but of course they were scum and we never saw any money. But there IS a happy ending! The mover spent 10 days in jail for defrauding OTHER clients AND he was fined over $10,000 by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (the FMCSA sucks ass though; I'll fill you in if you want).
67. The Inmate said:
You know, living in the US really sucks because of things like that. You really hold so little leverage against the tide of that screwed up society. You should move.
68. Rob said:
Your account grabbed me by the short ones. My wife & I recently moved into our first home and had a similar experience -- all the bullshit, the scams, the lies, the way-low estimates, the holding hostage of your shit, all of it. Worst part is, every single day I pass their storage warehouse on my way into the city. Every damn day, I'm greeted by the company logo of those thieving hooligans, an unfurled banner that exclaims "Father & Son Moving & Storage". What a joke.
Thanks for sharing.