OK, well we didn’t get very far with that, did we?! Bad news doesn’t get better with time, so here it goes!
David and I arrived to Columbia Sunday afternoon. The movers were scheduled to deliver our HHGs Wednesday morning. We were also working on setting up cable, Internet, and getting some other items switched over. The cable/Internet folks couldn’t come out until Wednesday either, so we were both a little bummed about that…but with our luck so far, we weren’t surprised at all.
The movers arrived, as promised (thank God!) The supervisor of the movers was the same gentleman we met in Florida, except this time he had two different helpers with him. David had an appointment that morning, so I was the lady left in charge to manage the movers, check off all the boxes and furniture on the receiving list, tell the movers where everything should be put, etc. A tough job, but someone’s gotta do it, and that someone might as well be ME =)
No sooner than David walks into the house, I hear a LOUD CLUNK-THUD-THUD-CRASH-BANG! Uh oh. I look outside towards the moving truck and I see one man standing on the unloading ramp of the semi trailer looking down. My first thought was, Dang, that really stinks for who ever THAT belonged to….then I realized what it was =/
A few days before the packers came, we decided a brand new Browning gun safe would be a nice OCS graduation gift for David. For those of you that don’t know, David is an avid competitive shooter and it is a sport that is near and dear to his heart. Boys and their toys, right?! So, we splurged and got one that was a little nicer than we originally intended to purchase. Mistake? You decide.
So, yes, as you have probably guessed by now, it was David’s brand new, never been used, gun safe that was dropped off the truck…literally dropped off. It face planted like humpty-dumpty face first onto the concrete parking lot / curb and definitely will NOT be put back together again…the locking mechanism and fire proof material inside has all been damaged, rendering it useless for its primary purpose (locking and fire protection).
…David was furious. Wouldn’t you be?! This entire situation CONSUMED our emotions, along with the rest of the afternoon and well into the next day.
Along with the brand new gun safe that was damaged beyond repair, here is a list of other items that were broken, dented, scratched, gouged, etc. etc. etc. : our bed, dresser, mirror, chest, table, bookcase, love seat, washing machine (it was shipped without the shipping rod, when we explicitly told them to insert it), treadmill, and a multitude of other weight training equipment.
To make it even more interesting, the supervisor attempted talking David into just “buying the safe” off of us so that we would not file a claim. Mmmm hmmm, yeah RIGHT. With that said, we have spent the last two or three days, documenting and taking photos of EVERYTHING so that we can file a claim. And, it was submitted this morning =) We will SEE what the company comes back with as far as a counter offer is concerned.
So, a few other things I have learned through all this:
1) I’ve said it before, but people really do not care or have any respect for your belongings – WATCH them, stand over them, babysit them…and if you are going to do all this, you might as well do it yourself.
2) When your hired movers break or lose your stuff (and they will), FILE A CLAIM. The paper work is ridiculous (purposefully, I’m sure…) but do it anyway. Eventually, these companies should get a clue.
3) Get renters insurance BEFORE you move. We spoke to USAA today regarding renters insurance and they informed us that if we would have had it last week, ALL of our belongings that we damaged during shipment would have been covered. It is worth it!
Interestingly, remember about the cable/Internet folks not being able to come until Wednesday? Well, let’s just say that was a divine appointment to say the least. Rich, the gentleman who came out to do our installation, was just what the Big Man upstairs ordered =) David had been really questioning how he handled himself and the situation regarding the movers damaging the safe. Rich helped encourage and remind us both that God is always in control, regardless of whether or not we see it (or remember it) in the moment. Up to this point, everything had been so overwhelming with the move, it was a relief to have someone in our home to talk with and be encouraged by. Rich shared with us his military stories and how God worked in his life – everything truly DOES work together for good to those that love Him (Romans 8:28) <3 Here’s a pic of the Cable Guy ;-) THANKS Rich for all you do! Keep up the super work =)
The past week has been one giant learning experience. Perhaps we just had a good streak of bad luck with this whole move…or maybe this is just how all of them go. David and I are still scratching our heads about the whole situation. It is just unfortunate that companies – professional companies – do business this way. I mean, WHY hire a professional to do something that we could have done better on our own? In the long run, it is still costing us just as much time, energy, and effort as it would have had we just embarked on this our own. I will post the outcome of all the claims paperwork once it is finalized and hopefully that will be sooner rather than later =)
So, take NIKE’s advice and JUST DO IT (yourself!)
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This thing is very alarming. If we buy the goods but the goods were defective when delivered, this is the most annoying. If you have like this, we do have to file a claim with the company. But there are a few companies are cheating and no will replace it. Therefore, we also need to choose a good and reliable company to avoid likes events experienced by David.
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