We contracted The Moving Company to take our goods from Virginia to california in mid-June 08 after reviewing the estimates of 4 movers primarily because they were the only company guaranteeing a date of delivery which was set on 7/17/08 and written on my service agreement. How wrong was I!
Based on that delivery date we looked for a house that we could live in starting mid-July. Pickup happened as planned on the 7th and 8th of July and went smoothly. My wife and 6-month old baby boy left on the 8th to join her family until the goods would arrive on the other side. My English bulldog would stay behind in Virginia for the same reason. I flew back to California for work hoping to be settled shortly. Then the endless saga started.
2 days after pickup I was confirmed delivery on the 17th over the phone. A day later I was asked if the 16th would work as well but it couldn't for me so I was told that the delivery would take place either on Saturday or Sunday. On Friday I was told it would be Sunday, maybe Sunday evening (?!). Sunday morning I was all prepped up and ready to roll. I got up early, released my corporate apartment downtown SFO and headed down to my empty house in Redwood City. I was just disturbed by the fact that noone had called me to confirm a time. At noon I started to be really concerned and called many times the director of operations on his mobile. At 3pm I activated plan B, went out to buy enough for camping in the house, an inflatable bed, basic cookware, some linen. They never came and I never got a call back. I was furious and concerned. What did happen?
The next day Monday I got through to the director. He acted as if he had not received any phone call or voice mail which I had bombarded him with. Then he told me that the delivery would be on Wednesday. Wednesday morning he called me and told me that the truck was in San Diego and would be in my area by the night. I should expect a call from the driver. My excitement waned rapidly, replaced by rage as noone showed up. I sent an email that night to both director of operations and owner for explanations that I still have not received. I called the owner the next day but he did not pick up and the VM was full and staid full for several days.
Eventually someone else took my call and tried to help me out. It was the first person to apologize for the situation and the first to tell me the story straight. I understood that my goods were still in the warehouse (?!) but that info and commmunication needed to go through the Dir of Ops. I was baffled by the news. Had everything been a lie until then?
On Friday 25 I got a call from the Dir of Ops apologetic and telling me that other families in CAL were impacted as well. I was told then that a truck was heading to California on the 29th or 30th and that I was going to get a confirmationc all from him. On the 30th morning I initiated the call anxious. Yes the truck had left and would be heading first to my house. I should get a call from him thursday morning. Friday I called again suspicious and asked for the name and phone of the driver since he had not called me yet. I got a name and I was promised a phone number later when he would be in his office. BTW the truck would be coming Monday after all not Sunday. Despite multiple messages on Friday afternoon and today Saturday I still do not have a phone number and nobody has called me.
Where are my personal properties then? Should I panic? Are my paintings, furniture, clothes and objects collected over a lifetime destroyed, burnt, stolen or simply stuck somewhere waiting for a deal between moving companies? Is it real or am I hallucinating? How can people lie so hard with no respect for others? Is it a crime? I start thinking so.
BTW the other gentleman who helped me is no longer with the company. He left or was fired after we talked apparently. So here I am, alone in an empty house, my dog in Virginia, my wife and baby boy in Arizona, all at the mercy of whimsical movers who can't handle a simple business correctly. Pathetic.
Jlv
Redwood City, California
U.S.A.
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