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The Movers Lost a Box :o(
My household was boxed and crated and packed and numbered and listed, starting in Portland Oregon...to Miami by truck...to Buenos Aires by ship...to the storage facility by truck...to our apt by truck.
Is it a miracle that only one box is missing? We have alerted the mover here, but my hopes are dim that I will see that box, with my french flower pot and my perfumes!! and my collection of antique perfume bottles and I cannot remember what else is in there..weeping. So this is a caution to anyone moving, whether it is from one street to another or one state or one country to another... label, number and insure everything. When you get your delivery, make them slow down and allow you to count and check your packing list at that time. It doesn't hurt to be able to speak the language too :) I will let you know if the box shows up..we will all toast the Box and I will douse myself in my favorite perfume ((F)) <i>yes, I am in bed with a bit of damage of my own and posting like a madwoman on Fodors...so what? :D</i> |
Scarlett, so sorry to hear that you are missing a box. ...and a special one too, it sounds like.
I hope it turns up. It has to be somewhere, right? YOu can stay in bed and post like a madwoman all you want!! Take it all out on the keyboard. And even pout if you want, and maybe, just maybe it will show up. Let's hope so. |
That's heartbreaking, Scarlett! What a terrible disappointment to lose such a precious collection.
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Okay.... Sorry to read about The Box, but what's this <i>I am in bed with a bit of damage of my own</i>??? Nuthin serious, I hope.
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Scarlett, I hear you. During our remodel (when I literally had to pack up everything in our house), I lost my mother's watch, which I had recently inherited (it was a gift to her from my father on their first anniversary.) I cried so hard over that, not only because of its enormous sentimental value to me, but also because I just felt so guilty.
When I told my neighbor (who has become my surrogate mom), she was so comforting and loving. I wish I could remember what she said, but basically, it was just that "it's ok." (Not much help, but I do know how you feel, I think.) |
Awww thanks..sniffle sniffle.
beachbum, I refer you to the thread titled Bathtub Re-glazing..stories of my days adventure are there ... it was not Pups fault! The Yankee called the owner of the moving company and they said they will investigate and will email us. I will just hope... thank you for all the kind words.. ((hugs)) <i>I reserve the right to continue to whine though...</i> |
Sorry to hear this. You made a good reminder though...to check off every item on the movers inventory list. I sure do hope it turns up for you. If not, then maybe you need to take a trip so you can replenish all those perfumes:) Too bad you can't bill the movers for that.
This will either make you feel better or make you laugh...or both. When we moved from ID to GA, the moving company lost the truck. Yes, the entire truck! Couldn't find the truck nor the driver for quite a while. I won't tell you the rest, but they did eventually show up. |
Scarlett-how horrible for you! I so feel your pain!
On my recent move to Colorado, the movers lost a wardrobe box with a combination of about 20 pairs of pants and jeans. They also lost a Sony flat screen HDTV. How the hell does someone lose a flat screen television! I let them know about both as soon as I knew both were missing. Apparently they made it to the warehouse in Denver, but after that, who knows?! I am in the midst of fighting these guys with a claim now. I can't stand these idiots... Anyway, sorry to ramble, but I can sympathize with what you're going through. Fingers crossed they find your box. Mine are long gone... |
Geez, mms, I and my family have had boxes missing when moving..but the truck and the drivers???
It must be quite a story..wish you could share it. Ah Scarlett, I sure hope the missing box is found. It is always items that we really cherish that seem to get "lost" or broken it seems. At least that has been my experience. Not a good day dear one..I am so sorry. |
Oh dear. I know you were so looking forward to having all your things after six long months of waiting, so how disappointing for you. Don't give up hope, though. You never know how or when this box might turn up. Never say never!
But this does make me think of something. When I am feeling down or distracted or trying to put off an essential task I really don't want to do, the thing I do other than posting madly (that part I totally get, LOL) is to talk on the phone. Scarlett, how do you go about that in BsAs? Which means, how do you talk to family and friends in the US without it costing a second mortgage? |
Come on, mms. Lost the truck? Tell us that story, please! It will help our friend in Buenos Aires if she can have a good laugh.
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I had clients moving to Florida from San Diego (which should give you an idea of how bright they WEREN'T), but in any case their truck was going down the highway when it got pulled over by the police. It seemed smoke was coming out the back. When the truck was opened, flames erupted with the added oxygen. Didn't make much difference as everything in the truck was totally ruined. They suspected a lit cigarette was put into the truck when it was packed -- get this -- two days earlier.
But Scarlett, I think the Yankee should cheer you up with a bottle of your favorite perfume. Would I be right in guessing that like everything else the price on it would be low in BA? |
lol, I think I know the lost truck story..thanks! It is true, it was only one box and not the most valuable but I was so looking forward to spritzing myself with my Cartier ....
The movers in the US were reported... they waited til they had our things on the road and we were here then they tried the Old Moving Company trick..add a big fee to the already big bill. I agree divewop..movers are not the most trustworthy people imo. |
No Patrick, imported items are either the same price as in the US or more... weep weep...
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Ok:) But first...I never would have mentioned it until I knew the rest of Scarletts stuff had arrived safely.
When the movers packed us up in ID, our stuff was to go into storage since we were not going directly to GA. So everything was packed into boxes and then into the big wooden overseas types crates. Then put in storage. Fast forward almost 5 months later, we arrive in GA and tell the base we have a place to live and would like the movers to bring our stuff. They call us into the office. The moving company can't find the truck or the driver. Last heard from them somewhere in the midwest. Then about 3 weeks later the moving truck shows up at our door one evening! Yes, at night...and with just the driver...no help. So DH helps unload stuff. But there is a problem. Nothing is in the crates...and a good portion of our stuff that was in boxes was no longer. Such as the coffee pot. Which was packed in a box with various other kitchen stuff. BUT...it had a filter and grounds in it. NOT how it was packed. ICK!!! Our stuff had been used!!! Yup...best we can figure out, a lot of our stuff was being used while it was supposed to be in storage. So we call the inspector...but of course the base doesn't send him since it is out of normal working hours. The driver says he doesn't want to unload the rest of the stuff, but if we sign off, he will come back in the morning with the rest. LOL! We refuse to sign. We knew we would never see the rest of our stuff again if we did. Very early in the morning, DH left for a deployment. But another friend arrived in town, so he moved in with us til his place was ready. So that morning, DH was gone, but here was another guy at our home, lol, when the mover arrived. Then the inspector arrived. It was ugly. But we got our stuff, had a huge claim, and yes, I was left to deal with it all with DH gone. I have many moving stories. I could write a book, "Moving gone bad" or something:D |
Oh you poor thing (I did read your other thread -- talk about insult to injury). :(
I hope your missing box shows up and it is amazing that more was not lost. In some small way I feel your pain. Yesterday, I nearly lost it while trying to figure out which box the can opener was packed in. I <i>really</i> wanted some canned corn and DH was ready to go buy another one, but alas I found the box I packed it in!! I hope your booboos heal very quickly too. Have a few of these on me ((d)) ((d)) ((d)) When will your kitchen be done? |
Well, Scarlett, in that case what's your favorite Argentinian perfume?
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mms, if I find something strange in the box, I will tell them to send it to you :D
Write that book! Seetheworld.....it is a stressful time..from the moment you decide to move until you arrive and unpack..but thankfully, the good times waaay outweigh the little bad ones. And think of all those tourists who got that fall on film lol The kitchen is actually 3/4 done..painting is being finished, fridge goes in..washerdryer goes in..new little bath goes in..oy..by Friday? |
When did they start your kitchen?? Oy, perhaps I should pour myself some ((d)) ((d)) ((d)) !! We have a ways to go. :(
You just must STOP entertaining the tourists, scarlett -- too dangerous. ;) Take care. ((f)) |
When I read the title of this thread before opening it I was so hoping it wasn't you. I'm sure my face fell when I opened it and saw that yes, it was!! I'm sorry Scarlett. Hopefully it will show up still, they'll find it tucked in a dark corner in storage or something. Did the rest of your stuff arrive in good shape?
We had one move where the truck didn't show up when it was supposed to. Then they didn't have a full sized van for us and sent a local truck to take our things to storage until they could find a regular van. The last time we saw our king-sized Simmons Beautyrest mattress it was tied to the outside back of this truck! :( Weeks later, after I contacted ICC they miraculously found a van to move us, but the mattress was never to be seen again. That left us arriving in New Orleans in the summer, me 7 mos pregnant and only a double bed with foam mattress for us to sleep on. Sigh. Movers...there is a special place in you know where for them. Anyway...don't give up yet but start calculating how much they owe you!! Every single solitary penny's worth too. |
The entire renovation has been 2 moths and these past couple of days.
We have been here 5 months and just want to be Home..so it seems like a much longer renovation because of that..but let me tell you, I have nothing but good stuff to say about the workers that we have here..clean, polite , quiet!! and just nice..not to mention, thoughtful..they think of little things that I might like as they are working on something so these small touches are added...the kitchen was a kitchen and laundry..the closet was the maids room .. it is all coming out as I pictured it though..it will be so great when finished. Yes. lots of photos are coming.. :) |
OO ((L))
yep, they done gone and lost my fancy french toilet water :D Some of the bigger pieces of furniture are gouged and scratched,,,that is because the numb....s didn't wrap them up, just shoved them into the truck with other pieces on top. But the really fine pieces managed to come through in good shape. I used enough bubble wrap to pack up every FodorGirl on here and so far, all the contents of the boxes are in good shape...just missing one :( |
Good For You! They are moving very quickly -- you must have a large crew there everyday. For the most part I am happy with our contractor, although we thought the sheetrock and taping would have moved a bit quicker. The electrician was a huge disappointment (compared to the one we used for our addition/whole house reno). I don't know why he asked for our phone numbers, he never called and made some decisions which are irritating the heck out of us. That is the downside to not being home when things are getting done. Our contractor keeps apologizing, but I'd rather he didn't have to.
I can't wait to see your pictures! |
Wow, Scarlett, I'm sorry that happened! It makes me realize how incredibly lucky we were during our move across the country.
I had a wonderful cleaning lady in Toronto - she had worked for me for nearly 40 years and we were more friends than employer and employee. Her son worked for one of the bigger moving companies and when he found out what our plans were, he got us a really good deal with his highly reputable company. Not only that, but he came over himself one day shortly before we moved, threw us gently out of the house for the afternoon, and packed everything for us. He refused any money and just said it was what he would do for friends. His one stipulation was "If there's something you don't want me to pack, put it over here in this corner or put a note on it, or somehow let me know that you don't want it packed." He explained that the reason it took him so little time to do such a huge job was very simple - "I don't look. I just pack. People packing up their own stuff look at it before they put it away, and it takes them ten times as long." We were very grateful, and our stuff arrived intact, even sooner than we had expected it once we arrived in Victoria. However, our dear friend had ignored some of the "do not pack" instructions, and there were several boxes full of stuff that I thought had been thrown away or otherwise disposed of. We emptied a number of carefully-packed cartons of various kinds of garbage. We're still finding some of it in the garage, and the move was two years ago! But that's nothing but a minor inconvenience. We will always be grateful to him; we know how some of these moving companies operate, holding your stuff hostage until you pay some kind of ridiculously-inflated fees. I think one of the TV news shows did an investigation on the subject a few years ago. Here's hoping your box turns up. Somehow I have a feeling it will. :) |
mms, I had to laugh. I remember many moves with my dad (a lifer in the 82nd Airborne)...lots of happy and not so happy memories.
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Well, yours is a very moving story - but what's a person to do?
Answer: pack everything in a 20-foot sea/land container and <i>seal</i> it. Then turn it over to a bonded international freight forwarder. I used <b>Kühne u. Nagel</b> for my Taiwan imports with nary a problem, but there are many others. They will guarantee the contents across truckers, shiplines, whatever. They will also display the instantaneous location of your container on their web site. |
We used Allied Van Lines out of Florida so when we were leaving Portland, we called them again. Big Mistake. Dishonest from the word Go.
They got our things to Miami and there everything was taken over by the Trading Co that we used to ship..we had a container til it got to BsAs..then it all went into a storage facility, owned by the shipping co. My husband says, if there is a Next Time..we are leaving everything here lol.. Our crew is good, a couple of painters, one electrician, one plumber and 3 other guys that do everything..nothing like looking into the kitchen and seeing these 7 men, sitting on the floor or standing around, sipping their cups of Maté..and when they leave, I get the kiss on the cheek .. they are all giving me Spanish lessons and give me big smiles when I get an entire sentence out..<i>I think they are smiles of She Got it Right and not just controlling laughing at me :D</i> |
cmcfong--Yes, you know what sort of stories I have, lol! But I figure if I could survive all of those then I am doing pretty well:)
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Old Dept. of State adage for Foreign Service Officers, who lose things in moves constantly: "Three moves is equal to one fire."
Condolences -- have moved several times myself and lost some treasures. But it's only Stuff. |
HKP...that's a saying in the hotel industry too, evidently. And here I thought my husband was being so original and inventive! :)
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Scarlett, you packed all your boxes yourself, right? So this was just "lost"...they didn't know what was in there and want the items??
(LOL...you liked my eau de toilette story, oui?) |
Scarlett, I am so sorry to hear about the missing box with your antique perfume bottles. I have a collection of antique perfume bottles that all have a story attached to them and I would be very upset to have them turn up missing.
Moving is a nightmare and moving companies are scary. I recently moved and I was very lucky. All 3 movers were great, however, 13.5 years ago I moved and one of the movers stole checks out of my checkbook. Note: Never leave your purse out in the open. He forged my checks. One was for $400 for AUTO PARTS. I went to the bank and said do I look like a woman that buys auto parts and is going to work on her car? Thankfully, it didn't cost me any money but I felt uneasy for a long time because he knew where I lived. Fingers crossed that your perfume bottles will show up. |
I'm sorry about your missing box. But with a move like that and some of these stories you may be lucky.
I shouldn't be reading this. We're moving in two weeks. Right now the house is full of all these boxes. The only experience I've had with movers is a bad one. I hired a cheap mover to move about ten items about 70 miles. The driver got pulled over and was arrested. I called Highway Patrol and they told me if another driver didn't arrive within a certain amount of time they were going to impound the truck and contents. Five worry filled hours later my stuff showed up. This time we're using Mayflower. I hope they're good. |
Buenos dias!
Thanks for all the handholding and caring messages! It is raining, we are waiting for the architect and there are more men working here..we should be finished by the end of the week after all ... yay!! I have spots on me that are an amazing shade of purple, but I feel ok. Movers: We used Allied but one gets the company that is part of the Franchise..so ours in Fl was Bluebird. There is a law that they cannot add a charge after the truck has taken your stuff, that they have to stick to the amount agreed upon. But there are many unethical companies that try it anyway. They were great the first time we used them, the second time was the bad one. The amount of times our things were moved from one truck/storage facility to another is where we had the problem..most families who move don't do this..no need to worry. Just research your mover and get recommendations ..Better Business Bureau will have a list of places that have complaints that you can get.. We still hope to hear from the shipper.. It could have been much worse, the jewelry ! the photos..all those baby photos !! and my handbags :D |
Oh Scarlett, thank heavens the handbags made it there safely! Perfume can always be replaced but not the perfect bag. Can't wait to see the photos.
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Svcarlett--Well, we all know if those handbags didn't make it, you would not be here posting. The Y would be busy resuccitating you:D Seriously...yes, it is all those sentimental things that get to us. And most moves are not as involved. But when you have to give everything up to a mover, it is not fun. I think you are doing really well with all the chaos you have had the last 6 months or so!!!
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Yes, thank goodness for the safe arrival of those handbags! I read in a British tabloid last week that the average woman has about 100 handbags over her lifetime. Of course, Scarlett, you are way above average in every way ;-), so I assume (hope!) you plan to exceed that amount, if you haven't already. All quality ones, of course, and no fakes.
So sorry about your missing box. We too used Allied when we moved overseas and for us, they were great. Their international moving team in the Philly office were all ex-Marines who really knew what they were doing. Their policy was that if they didn't pack it, it wasn't insurable, so all I had to do was keep them well supplied with soda, water, pizza and hoagies. Plus have one of the Alien movies playing on the TVs as apparently many Marines are huge "Ripley" fans. Our boxes and furniture went straight into a shipping container that was locked when they left our apartment. Our easiest move ever. Getting it delivered in Brussels was a bit odd. Their team was not up to scratch and the guy unpacking kitchen items was not all there mentally. He'd put three forks in one draw, others in another drawer and the rest in a cupboard. Took us days to sort out everything afterwards. Fortunately nothing went missing. |
Sorry to hear about your missing box, Scarlett. :( I hope it shows up.
When we moved to St. Louis from Manhattan our things arrived more than a week late. The driver pulled our large, live ficus tree out of the truck first... he said the president or general manager of that office (Jersey) wanted to keep it in his office and told the driver he did not "have" to take a tree. Divewop, a big screen TV does not simply get lost in a warehouse because all the boxes for a particular move are stored together. Your TV was almost certainly stolen, and I hope you are fairly compensated for it. |
Oh boy, do I wish I could have brought my plants with me! Mine found good homes with friends in Portland but I think of them here when I see plants like a healthy jade plant..mine was huge! Oh well, my new one will be South American Jade :)
The workers have gone, new changes in the apt..they are figuring Friday will be the last day. Our contractor came by and gave us his moms apt keys and told us to go there and shower and watch tv and relax...we are going! ((L)) Scarlett and the Gang |
Now YOU made ME laugh! Your plant is still alive. Which is a MAJOR accomplishment!!! I touched it a few times...and it started to die. DH told me I couldnt go near it again. So it came back to life. Yes, I am known as the plant murderer in our family. So DH takes care of it, and it is still alive and turning green again, lol!
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