For those of you who have never been to Austin the main grocery store here is H-E-B (I don't think it's pronounced HEB I think you say the letters, and no, I don't know what it stands for). Well our first experience at an H-E-B wasn't very good.... kind of felt like a stop-n-shop. Derrick went out roaming one day and found one even closer to me that is wonderful! It is HUGE. We went today and I have got to tell you about our grocery store experience and you tell me if you have ever seen all of this in 1 store??
1. We walked in and the samples out for the day were crab, avocado, and tempura sushi (as a sample!?!) and lasagna! Where am I?
2. We were looking for corn tortillas to make fish tacos (yes -- delish, be jealous) and what to our wondering eyes should appear... but ... no not santa and his eight reindeer - even better! Freshly made, warm, just wrapped CORN TORTILLAS! As in someone just sat there and made them in the store and was wrapping them up! (Don't ask me how they were... I inherited my mom's genes and claimed they were "too expensive" to buy when all we were going to do was just fry them up anyways... but it's the fact of the matter that they had them!).
3. While we were shopping, there was a lady walking around with FRESHLY BAKED BREAD on a cart asking if you wanted or needed bread. Well I said no... but mmmm mmmm she was smart! When you smell that bread after she walks by I was kicking myself (kind of... although I knew that it would be "too expensive" when I could buy day old bread and put it in the oven and make it warm then..... yet again... thanks mom).
and last but not least
4. We bought these AWESOME tortilla chips that looked authentic to me (authentic as in very "mexican-ish"). Although they were .50 more than my usual Santitas (always $2 and love them) I thought I would get a little crazy and spend the extra money. Well.... I'll never go back to Santitas!! These things are SO light and airy yet amazing I felt like I was in a Mexican restaurant. I actually said to Derrick... "Where am I? In Mexico???" Almost.....
So yes, what a great Tuesday I had shopping at H-E-B. This weekend I'll blog I'll about my first week in school which has thus far been fantastic (minus the couple boys that are testing me... I will win this test).
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Loving life:)
So finally after being here for almost 3 weeks I am fully enjoying living in Austin! Although I still have not gotten back my money from the movers (they told me on Thursday I qualified to get back $167 in a voice mail.... well I am owed WAY more than that but for the next couple days I want to focus just on school... lord know they're not in a hurry to get me my money anyways and in the end it will all work out). Also, Mia still has fleas and I was told it will take up to 3 months to fully get rid of them in the apartment and on her (poor thing) but we are vacuuming daily, changing sheets and bedding every other day, and picking them off of her day by day, so again - I know in the end it will all work out. But those are the only things I have to "complain" about!
I LOVE my school - have I said that already?? - and the people I work with. I am so excited and feel like I am living in a dream! This has been what I have wanted to do for almost 2 years and on Monday, my first day of school, the dream will come true! Friday was our open house and I got to meet everyone and I am so excited. Things are so different than what I'm used to but I am eager to get in and get started! After open house the staff went to Happy Hour at a place called 'Abel's on the Lake'. Awesome view and the Bloody Mary's were fantastic:
Derrick and I went to a wine bar that night and enjoyed some "patio wine" - that's the category it was under - (don't mind me in the picture... it was a long day and I had not done much to my self before we went out for wine!)
and live music and ended it with raspberry cheesecake gelato. I have to say... there is so much to love about being here! Come visit and you will fall in love too!
I LOVE my school - have I said that already?? - and the people I work with. I am so excited and feel like I am living in a dream! This has been what I have wanted to do for almost 2 years and on Monday, my first day of school, the dream will come true! Friday was our open house and I got to meet everyone and I am so excited. Things are so different than what I'm used to but I am eager to get in and get started! After open house the staff went to Happy Hour at a place called 'Abel's on the Lake'. Awesome view and the Bloody Mary's were fantastic:
Derrick and I went to a wine bar that night and enjoyed some "patio wine" - that's the category it was under - (don't mind me in the picture... it was a long day and I had not done much to my self before we went out for wine!)
and live music and ended it with raspberry cheesecake gelato. I have to say... there is so much to love about being here! Come visit and you will fall in love too!
Sunday, August 15, 2010
I love my new school!
So through all of this mess with the moving company one thing has been a positive each and everyday and that is my school:) I LOVE IT! From what I gather it is one of the TOP schools to work at and send your child to in Austin and I am so grateful to have gotten in there:) When people ask me where I will be working and I tell them they always are so positive about the entire environment.
It is such a different atmosphere than what I'm used to. Supplies are at our fingertips (last year we had access "once a month" to go in with someone and were still super limited on what we could get). Color printers, unlimited paper, unlimited copies, unlimited laminating, and anything else we could need or want to make our classroom the best it can be. It feels amazing! The district is also super different than what I am used to. The people are so positive, from the superintendent to my principal, and they are so up-to-date with education. We are each given a laptop to use for school use and many things are done online (like the new teacher orientation... way better than sitting listening to someone read a power point to us). I don't want to brag.... but I am by far the LUCKIEST person right now!
In my school each K teacher has a theme that their classroom follows. They vary from the "hearts" to the "fish" to the "lion" or "bees". I chose the monkeys! Most other teachers have their matching their last names (French Fish) but I chose to do the monkeys and I am LOVING it! My room is turning out super cute! Here are some pics:
a view from the entrance:) art corner is in the way back left (not shown but its back there), housekeeping in the middle (so pumped that they have free choice centers EVERYDAY! - it's real Kindergarten!), my library is in the middle ("swing into reading"), and to the far back right is my literacy work area where I will work with students and "my desk" (I opted to not have a desk since my room is pretty small and it just gets filled with clutter).
our circle/calendar/whole group area - just need a group carpet which I hope to get from a parent
our behavior chart (we don't monkey around), safari guides (job chart) and up above I will write their names on the monkeys and hang their work from the clothespins.
my welcome bulletin board - Swinging into Kindergarten! I'll put their names on the monkeys swinging on the vine.
Later this week I will post pictures of my new apartment. We are hanging up pictures and maybe curtains later this week. Tomorrow I start my first day with the whole staff... a while day of professional development yuck! But luckily my room is almost done and I'm excited to get to know how the school is run:)
It is such a different atmosphere than what I'm used to. Supplies are at our fingertips (last year we had access "once a month" to go in with someone and were still super limited on what we could get). Color printers, unlimited paper, unlimited copies, unlimited laminating, and anything else we could need or want to make our classroom the best it can be. It feels amazing! The district is also super different than what I am used to. The people are so positive, from the superintendent to my principal, and they are so up-to-date with education. We are each given a laptop to use for school use and many things are done online (like the new teacher orientation... way better than sitting listening to someone read a power point to us). I don't want to brag.... but I am by far the LUCKIEST person right now!
In my school each K teacher has a theme that their classroom follows. They vary from the "hearts" to the "fish" to the "lion" or "bees". I chose the monkeys! Most other teachers have their matching their last names (French Fish) but I chose to do the monkeys and I am LOVING it! My room is turning out super cute! Here are some pics:
a view from the entrance:) art corner is in the way back left (not shown but its back there), housekeeping in the middle (so pumped that they have free choice centers EVERYDAY! - it's real Kindergarten!), my library is in the middle ("swing into reading"), and to the far back right is my literacy work area where I will work with students and "my desk" (I opted to not have a desk since my room is pretty small and it just gets filled with clutter).
our circle/calendar/whole group area - just need a group carpet which I hope to get from a parent
our behavior chart (we don't monkey around), safari guides (job chart) and up above I will write their names on the monkeys and hang their work from the clothespins.
my welcome bulletin board - Swinging into Kindergarten! I'll put their names on the monkeys swinging on the vine.
Later this week I will post pictures of my new apartment. We are hanging up pictures and maybe curtains later this week. Tomorrow I start my first day with the whole staff... a while day of professional development yuck! But luckily my room is almost done and I'm excited to get to know how the school is run:)
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Where I stand with World Moving Services
Alright - as of today you will be up-to-date with me with the worst moving company ever created.
August 2 my stuff was dropped off and put into the storage unit. I arrived on August 4 (left on the 3rd, drove through North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and then stopped in New Orleans because my sister was there over night for work so I got a free hotel!). I then left in the morning and drove the rest of the way to Austin. I stopped at Kyle's place to pick up the keys and information for the storage unit (climbed a tree and hopped a fence while in the process), headed to my apartment to sign paperwork for the move in the next day, and then headed to my college friend/sorority sister's place (Danielle and Alex).
August 5 I woke up early, headed downtown to pick up my laptop for the district (WHO HOO FREE LAP TOP!), then went to another office to fill out my benefits packet THEN went to fill out my direct deposit information. Shew... all of that by 9:00am! I ran (not really although everyone else in Austin runs or bikes places) back, checked on Mia, then headed to my apartment to move in! My car was OVERLY packed and was in desperate need of unloading. I unloaded and then headed to the storage unit. What a surprise I was in for... I lifted up the door and about 9-10 boxes and a lamp came tumbling out all over the place. Awesome. I packed up my car with some stuff (broken and unbroken) headed to go get Mia and went back to the apartment to unload again. I made a couple more trips, unpacked the stuff, and got ready for another day and Derrick was coming in the next day for the night!
Throughout the next couple of days we did a ton of loading into the car, unpacking, moving into the apartment, moving into my classroom, cleaning out my classroom, flooded my toilet, flooded my washer, rented a UHaul to move the rest of my stuff (with Kyle's help again!), Derrick put together all of my furniture while Kyle and I slept off the super strong and awesome margaritas we had, and poor Mia became infested with fleas so we bombed the apartment and still to this day she has them. She has had 3 flea baths, lots of apple cider vinegar, and still has them. Grrr -- poor thing and super frustrating for me!
I have yet to receive any paperwork for my move (although I have requested it twice by email and through the phone twice). I am owed money still and yet no one has contacted me concerning it. I have been called 3 times by Laketa in the past week asking me if I have received my stuff yet... (uh... organized much???) and every time I tell her YES PLEASE GIVE ME MY MONEY. She told me she submitted a request for a supervisor to call me about my money (that was August 7 and it is now almost the 13 and no call). I have no minutes left to sit on hold and wait for someone to talk to me till the 15 when my cycle starts over so that is when I will begin the phone calls again. I thought I had already taken more pictures than I did of what was broken or damaged but I guess I didn't (sorry but you know what broken things look like anyways). They also lost many of my things for my home and classroom. Keep your fingers crossed for me that this process will become easier (although I highly doubt it based on what they have been though).
I will be in Chicago over the weekend for my sorority sister's bachelorette party. When I come back I hope to give everyone a great update about my WONDERFUL school and post some pics of my adorable little monkey classroom:) If anything about this move feels right it is my job. I could not be more excited and happy about the choice I made to switch to a different school. As hard as it is to feel that you have to "prove" yourself again and be the "newbie", I'm looking forward to every little bit of this new experience.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
The drop off and re-weigh
Alright let's do a quick re-cap again.
1 - my stuff was picked up and weighed in at 6900 lbs (my original quote was 3000 and then up'ed to 3762 lbs telling me it was WAY over estimated)
2 - I called to get a verification on where and when my stuff was being dropped off and how much I owed and never got an answer
3 - I'm not arriving in Austin until August 5
So they pick up my stuff on the 29th and off they go. I get no phone call on the 30 regarding my stuff until at about 7pm the movers call me and tell me they will be there tomorrow around 4. I tell them I still have no idea how much more they want me to pay (IN CASH MIND YOU) and until I get that paperwork I will not be able to pay them anymore than what my last quote was for (an additional $1100 after the deposits I had already paid). The movers tell me they sent them the new weight yesterday and they should be calling me (UH YEA... THEY WANT THEIR MONEY IN LESS THAN 24 HOURS!?!)
I get a phone call at around 10:30am but they leave a message because I was at work and could not answer. Her name was Laketa and she tells me to call back for my new quote that I owe at 4pm that day in cash or money order. I call back at 10;45, 12:00, and 2:00. Finally at about 2:15 she calls me back and tells me I owe and additional $3,100 due IN CASH in 2 HOURS! I tell her this is not possible as I am in Charlotte and I need time to get the money out there. She connects me to the moving company (I thought I was dealing with the moving company but apparently they hire movers to do the actual move) and the lady tells me they can drop it off on Monday August 2. I tell her no way. I have someone in Austin on the 31 because that is the day they originally told me and it is not my fault they took forever to call me and expect me to come up with that much cash WITH NO PAPERWORK explaining why (even after multiple requests for this paperwork it is now August 11 and I still do not have any). We also requested a re-weigh of my stuff because we didn't believe my stuff weighed that much. And... where exactly were they putting my stuff since I couldn't get into my apartment until the 5th? Laketa told me it was $250 A DAY to put it into their storage and I would not be able to access it or even know where it was until I paid the amount in full. Also, if I put it into their storage I would not be eligible for a re-weigh and I MUST have someone there in person to pay, sign, and be part of the re-weigh. Well after much talk I told her I would let her know what I could do because she was just plain pissing me off.
I talked to our friend Kyle who lives in Austin and was a lifesaver to us through this whole process. He volunteered to help us out on Saturday and then said he could do it on Monday also. So we decided on Monday. Kyle found a weigh station AND a storage unit for them to put my stuff into so in the end it would all be in my possession.
August 2 I get a phone call saying they are about 60 miles outside of Austin around 9:00. I call Kyle (wake him up poor guy) and he goes to meet them. They go to a weigh station, weigh the truck initially, unload my stuff into the storage unit with tons of damage and missing things, then go back to the weigh station to weigh the truck again with nothing on it. Get ready... are you ready for the REAL weight....?? 3160 LBS! They totally scammed me and told me it was almost 3800 lbs more than it really was!!! So Kyle does lots of haggling and gets back $2000 of the $3100 they wanted me to pay. I then call the company and tell them what happened and how I'm going to get back the minimum of $650 that they owe me on top of the broken and missing items. She tells me nothing can be done that day and they will get back to me. (Yea right....).
So in the end the weight issue worked out. I probably owe a little over $1600 but I have paid over $2200. I have yet to receive any paperwork for any of these transactions from them and am still waiting patiently (kind of...). Tomorrow I will bring you up to date on everything that is missing and broken and post pics of the stuff and also let you know how inefficient (in case you didn't already notice) this company is. If anyone knows someone who wants to help me understand this company and maybe do some damage to them please let me know! I have contacted BBB, Federal Trade, and the Attorney General but this company must be stopped! More to come tomorrow!!
1 - my stuff was picked up and weighed in at 6900 lbs (my original quote was 3000 and then up'ed to 3762 lbs telling me it was WAY over estimated)
2 - I called to get a verification on where and when my stuff was being dropped off and how much I owed and never got an answer
3 - I'm not arriving in Austin until August 5
So they pick up my stuff on the 29th and off they go. I get no phone call on the 30 regarding my stuff until at about 7pm the movers call me and tell me they will be there tomorrow around 4. I tell them I still have no idea how much more they want me to pay (IN CASH MIND YOU) and until I get that paperwork I will not be able to pay them anymore than what my last quote was for (an additional $1100 after the deposits I had already paid). The movers tell me they sent them the new weight yesterday and they should be calling me (UH YEA... THEY WANT THEIR MONEY IN LESS THAN 24 HOURS!?!)
I get a phone call at around 10:30am but they leave a message because I was at work and could not answer. Her name was Laketa and she tells me to call back for my new quote that I owe at 4pm that day in cash or money order. I call back at 10;45, 12:00, and 2:00. Finally at about 2:15 she calls me back and tells me I owe and additional $3,100 due IN CASH in 2 HOURS! I tell her this is not possible as I am in Charlotte and I need time to get the money out there. She connects me to the moving company (I thought I was dealing with the moving company but apparently they hire movers to do the actual move) and the lady tells me they can drop it off on Monday August 2. I tell her no way. I have someone in Austin on the 31 because that is the day they originally told me and it is not my fault they took forever to call me and expect me to come up with that much cash WITH NO PAPERWORK explaining why (even after multiple requests for this paperwork it is now August 11 and I still do not have any). We also requested a re-weigh of my stuff because we didn't believe my stuff weighed that much. And... where exactly were they putting my stuff since I couldn't get into my apartment until the 5th? Laketa told me it was $250 A DAY to put it into their storage and I would not be able to access it or even know where it was until I paid the amount in full. Also, if I put it into their storage I would not be eligible for a re-weigh and I MUST have someone there in person to pay, sign, and be part of the re-weigh. Well after much talk I told her I would let her know what I could do because she was just plain pissing me off.
I talked to our friend Kyle who lives in Austin and was a lifesaver to us through this whole process. He volunteered to help us out on Saturday and then said he could do it on Monday also. So we decided on Monday. Kyle found a weigh station AND a storage unit for them to put my stuff into so in the end it would all be in my possession.
August 2 I get a phone call saying they are about 60 miles outside of Austin around 9:00. I call Kyle (wake him up poor guy) and he goes to meet them. They go to a weigh station, weigh the truck initially, unload my stuff into the storage unit with tons of damage and missing things, then go back to the weigh station to weigh the truck again with nothing on it. Get ready... are you ready for the REAL weight....?? 3160 LBS! They totally scammed me and told me it was almost 3800 lbs more than it really was!!! So Kyle does lots of haggling and gets back $2000 of the $3100 they wanted me to pay. I then call the company and tell them what happened and how I'm going to get back the minimum of $650 that they owe me on top of the broken and missing items. She tells me nothing can be done that day and they will get back to me. (Yea right....).
So in the end the weight issue worked out. I probably owe a little over $1600 but I have paid over $2200. I have yet to receive any paperwork for any of these transactions from them and am still waiting patiently (kind of...). Tomorrow I will bring you up to date on everything that is missing and broken and post pics of the stuff and also let you know how inefficient (in case you didn't already notice) this company is. If anyone knows someone who wants to help me understand this company and maybe do some damage to them please let me know! I have contacted BBB, Federal Trade, and the Attorney General but this company must be stopped! More to come tomorrow!!
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
My life is consumed with lamination!
Sorry all - tonight there will be no update on the moving company! My apartment has been taken over with lamination and the sooner I can get it cut out the better I will feel:) Think of tomorrow as a 2 hour special for my move! Tomorrow I hope to be able to bring you completely up to date on where I stand with World Moving Services (get excited... I know you are!). For all of you teachers out there and even those of you that are not... here is a glorious picture of all the lamination I have cut, am in the process of cutting, and still needs to be cut! Monkeys galore!!!
Monday, August 9, 2010
4 days before my stuff is to be picked up...
And so the saga continues with World Moving Services...
A quick re-cap: Benjamin started off returning my phone calls but once I signed the contract and paid my initial deposit he stopped communication with me. I got back from vacation on the 25th and knew something was up when he still hadn't contacted me back after a week!
July 26... the day things got a little more sketchy and I should have backed out. I received a phone call from Lamar; a "Quality Courtesy Check" as they called it (PUH-LEEZ!) As we are running through the final check before pick up on the 29th (still no time frame) he starts going through my furniture list with me on the contract I signed. I tell him that furniture list is incorrect, I sent mine to Benjamin who by the way isn't returning my calls anymore, and Benjamin said the list on the contract was a generic one. Lamar laughs and says ... "there is no such thing as a generic furniture list ma'am". After a ton of back and forth with me saying: "I have the list on my email with the date I can prove it to you with his response!' he says he has to give me another quote. He said he is not Benjamin and he does not know anything that Benjamin told me but my quote is going to go up. My quote went from 3,000 lbs at $1,574 to 3762 lbs at $2,280. I start yelling (at work of course) saying this is ridiculous and I do not understand how this is my fault that the furniture list is wrong when I sent him the correct one. I should have received this quote the first time but Benjamin gave me a lower quote so I would sign a contract with them! At this point it was too late for me to back out or else they would've kept my deposit and I had no time to find another moving company so I was stuck (coincidence that they waited to call me till I was stuck in the contract... absolutely not). Lamar tells me that I will not have to pay for any weight over what my truck weighs in at. He is "absolutely positive" that he over-estimated so that I will not be stuck paying the excessive rates for every pound you go over. So I say okay... send me the new contract.
July 27 - He sent it to me on the 27 and I have 48 hours to send it back or my contract is dropped. I get it on the 27 and realize that nothing on the furniture list was changed even after I told him it was wrong on the first contract (for example they said I have a queen bed when mine is a full and I had 5 paintings with glass that I did not have)!
July 28 - I call him all day on the 28 (still no time frame for my pick up on the 29) to discuss my furniture. He finally calls me back at 5:00, apologizing saying he was on a lunch break (who takes a 7 hour lunch break?). Once I begin asking for a time frame he says "hang on, I'll call you back in 10 minutes with that information". NEVER CALLED ME BACK! Now I am stuck and I HAVE to sign the incorrect contract or else my contract will be dropped and my trucks won't show up the next day! I decide to call the customer service, demanded to talk to a supervisor, was told I was not "ALLOWED" to talk to Benjamin anymore but they could not tell me why, and was told no complaint could be filed against the company until my stuff was delivered. After an hour and a half on the phone in which nothing was accomplished except for the supervisor saying he talked to Benjamin and he claims none of the stuff I was saying was true, I about blew a gasket and just gave up. At this point I also received my time frame which was between 3-5pm.
July 29 - Get a phone call at 9am from the movers saying that will be there at 11am... awesome. I head to the storage unit and of course they cannot find it so I have to drive to meet them and then drive them back to the unit. They hop out of the truck (3 guys) one in jeans and a polo, the other 2 in plaid shorts and polos and they are all 3 foreign... what have I gotten myself into? I sign the paperwork, give them my inventory list (the correct one) and watch them load the truck. We then head to the weigh station to find out how much my stuff weighs to see how much I will owe. Remember... my initial estimate was 3,000 lbs and my second estimate was 3,762 lbs. Well.... my truck weighed in at 6,900LBS!?!? Well, the tears started rushing and I couldn't believe it! How did my stuff weigh so much and how were they off by almost 3,200 lbs!?! I was devastated. On top of that the movers ask me what time I will be out there tomorrow to get my stuff? Out where... Austin? I won't be out there till August 5. They say... "well, you better talk to your moving company because we will be there tomorrow". They get in the truck with all of my belongings and leave. I call my moving company (after calling my mom hysterically crying of course) and they first tell me my account shows it had been canceled, then they found it and they said it would be out there on July 31. I told them wonderful Benjamin, who I wasn't allowed to talk to anymore, said that my stuff would be put into storage for me and then brought back out when I arrived August 5 and re-assembled. She had no idea what I was talking about and said "she'd have to call me back" and in World Moving Service Language that means: we have no idea what you are talking about and are sick of talking to you so good bye.
The rest of the day was spent reading horror stories about World Moving Company and realizing that this scam is run on everyone that goes through them it seems. They give you a low quote then 3-4 days before your pick up when you are stuck in your contract they call and up your quote. Well - they were messing with the WRONG GIRL! We just could not understand how my stuff could weigh that much and they were that far off! I was emotionally drained for that day... I did not know where my stuff was going to end up, who had my money, how much money I owed now that my weight was so far off, or what was going to happen to my stuff when it finally reached its destination, and even worse... NO ONE WOULD TALK TO ME!
Shew... what a nightmare. Tomorrow will bring only more disgust! Until then and on a brighter note... today was my new teacher orientation and although little to nothing was done at it we did receive a pretty tasty lunch and I got a TON done in my classroom!
A quick re-cap: Benjamin started off returning my phone calls but once I signed the contract and paid my initial deposit he stopped communication with me. I got back from vacation on the 25th and knew something was up when he still hadn't contacted me back after a week!
July 26... the day things got a little more sketchy and I should have backed out. I received a phone call from Lamar; a "Quality Courtesy Check" as they called it (PUH-LEEZ!) As we are running through the final check before pick up on the 29th (still no time frame) he starts going through my furniture list with me on the contract I signed. I tell him that furniture list is incorrect, I sent mine to Benjamin who by the way isn't returning my calls anymore, and Benjamin said the list on the contract was a generic one. Lamar laughs and says ... "there is no such thing as a generic furniture list ma'am". After a ton of back and forth with me saying: "I have the list on my email with the date I can prove it to you with his response!' he says he has to give me another quote. He said he is not Benjamin and he does not know anything that Benjamin told me but my quote is going to go up. My quote went from 3,000 lbs at $1,574 to 3762 lbs at $2,280. I start yelling (at work of course) saying this is ridiculous and I do not understand how this is my fault that the furniture list is wrong when I sent him the correct one. I should have received this quote the first time but Benjamin gave me a lower quote so I would sign a contract with them! At this point it was too late for me to back out or else they would've kept my deposit and I had no time to find another moving company so I was stuck (coincidence that they waited to call me till I was stuck in the contract... absolutely not). Lamar tells me that I will not have to pay for any weight over what my truck weighs in at. He is "absolutely positive" that he over-estimated so that I will not be stuck paying the excessive rates for every pound you go over. So I say okay... send me the new contract.
July 27 - He sent it to me on the 27 and I have 48 hours to send it back or my contract is dropped. I get it on the 27 and realize that nothing on the furniture list was changed even after I told him it was wrong on the first contract (for example they said I have a queen bed when mine is a full and I had 5 paintings with glass that I did not have)!
July 28 - I call him all day on the 28 (still no time frame for my pick up on the 29) to discuss my furniture. He finally calls me back at 5:00, apologizing saying he was on a lunch break (who takes a 7 hour lunch break?). Once I begin asking for a time frame he says "hang on, I'll call you back in 10 minutes with that information". NEVER CALLED ME BACK! Now I am stuck and I HAVE to sign the incorrect contract or else my contract will be dropped and my trucks won't show up the next day! I decide to call the customer service, demanded to talk to a supervisor, was told I was not "ALLOWED" to talk to Benjamin anymore but they could not tell me why, and was told no complaint could be filed against the company until my stuff was delivered. After an hour and a half on the phone in which nothing was accomplished except for the supervisor saying he talked to Benjamin and he claims none of the stuff I was saying was true, I about blew a gasket and just gave up. At this point I also received my time frame which was between 3-5pm.
July 29 - Get a phone call at 9am from the movers saying that will be there at 11am... awesome. I head to the storage unit and of course they cannot find it so I have to drive to meet them and then drive them back to the unit. They hop out of the truck (3 guys) one in jeans and a polo, the other 2 in plaid shorts and polos and they are all 3 foreign... what have I gotten myself into? I sign the paperwork, give them my inventory list (the correct one) and watch them load the truck. We then head to the weigh station to find out how much my stuff weighs to see how much I will owe. Remember... my initial estimate was 3,000 lbs and my second estimate was 3,762 lbs. Well.... my truck weighed in at 6,900LBS!?!? Well, the tears started rushing and I couldn't believe it! How did my stuff weigh so much and how were they off by almost 3,200 lbs!?! I was devastated. On top of that the movers ask me what time I will be out there tomorrow to get my stuff? Out where... Austin? I won't be out there till August 5. They say... "well, you better talk to your moving company because we will be there tomorrow". They get in the truck with all of my belongings and leave. I call my moving company (after calling my mom hysterically crying of course) and they first tell me my account shows it had been canceled, then they found it and they said it would be out there on July 31. I told them wonderful Benjamin, who I wasn't allowed to talk to anymore, said that my stuff would be put into storage for me and then brought back out when I arrived August 5 and re-assembled. She had no idea what I was talking about and said "she'd have to call me back" and in World Moving Service Language that means: we have no idea what you are talking about and are sick of talking to you so good bye.
The rest of the day was spent reading horror stories about World Moving Company and realizing that this scam is run on everyone that goes through them it seems. They give you a low quote then 3-4 days before your pick up when you are stuck in your contract they call and up your quote. Well - they were messing with the WRONG GIRL! We just could not understand how my stuff could weigh that much and they were that far off! I was emotionally drained for that day... I did not know where my stuff was going to end up, who had my money, how much money I owed now that my weight was so far off, or what was going to happen to my stuff when it finally reached its destination, and even worse... NO ONE WOULD TALK TO ME!
Shew... what a nightmare. Tomorrow will bring only more disgust! Until then and on a brighter note... today was my new teacher orientation and although little to nothing was done at it we did receive a pretty tasty lunch and I got a TON done in my classroom!
Sunday, August 8, 2010
The beginning weeks of World Moving Services
Okay... my plan for the story of my moving company will be broken down into a couple different posts for multiple reasons. 1 - because it would just take up too much space for 1 post. 2 - it will be much clearer if I break it down for you. and 3 - this will keep you on the edge of your seats wondering what will happen next! (Yep... it's that bad that it really does keep on getting worse...) I found this picture and I'm pretty sure this what I looked like at the end of everyday from July 26-August 2nd.
So let's go back in time to July 3rd. The day I sent my sales rep Benjamin from World Moving Services, a complete inventory of everything that would need to be moved on July 29 from my storage unit. The wonderful day that Derrick and I moved everything out of my apartment and into my storage unit I took an EXACT inventory of everything I moved (and for those of you that know me... it was very exact just like when I take an exact inventory of what I wear every day to work to make sure I don't wear the same thing twice in 6 weeks or less... total dork but that is my way of wearing everything I own!). I emailed him my list and he responded saying he "updated his inventory and my quote still stood at 3,000 lbs which was their minimum they could do for $1,574 - full service meaning they will load it, unload it, and put everything back together that needed to be." Well heck - SIGN ME UP! Who would want to drive their own stuff out and then carry it up to the second floor and put it all together for only about $200 less? This made total sense! And here I'm thinking ... JACKPOT!!!
A weight was lifted off my shoulders and I felt so much better about being able to relax the rest of the summer! Benjamin sent me my contract and I noticed that the furniture list was wrong. I told him this and he told me "that is a generic list we use for people who fall 3,000 lbs or under". Oh! Perfect! So I signed the contract and Benjamin told me someone would follow up with me on a pick up date (either July 29 or 30).
Well after the contract signing I headed to Deep Creek with my family - awesome time seeing everyone and relaxing! It's always nice to get away from everything and just spend the day laying by the docks and then roasting marshmallows and hanging out outside with mountain air not too hot, not too cold... a perfect picture huh? And on top of that - I turned 26 while I was there! Still mid twenties so I was okay with getting a little older.
So I get back to Charlotte on the 13th and get a phone call that my stuff will get picked up on the 29... but I had no time frame. I had a surprise vacation coming up from Derrick on the 18th and wouldn't get back until the 25th so I wanted to get this all squared away before I left so I could fully relax (separate post about this vacation!). So, I called wonderful Benjamin on the 16 and left a message. I also emailed him just wondering if they had a time frame for me. He was usually so good about returning my calls but he didn't on the 16. So I tried again on the 17th.. phone call and email... and got nothing. I kind of forgot about it for the entire week on vacation which was great but the second we came back to the states and I turned on my phone... I got a bad feeling. No message from Benjamin and I can't explain why it bothered me so much but I knew right then and there something wasn't right with this situation.
And so that is where this blog will end tonight... leaving you hanging on July 25. What will happen next? Oh gosh... what WON'T happen next! Stay tuned!
So let's go back in time to July 3rd. The day I sent my sales rep Benjamin from World Moving Services, a complete inventory of everything that would need to be moved on July 29 from my storage unit. The wonderful day that Derrick and I moved everything out of my apartment and into my storage unit I took an EXACT inventory of everything I moved (and for those of you that know me... it was very exact just like when I take an exact inventory of what I wear every day to work to make sure I don't wear the same thing twice in 6 weeks or less... total dork but that is my way of wearing everything I own!). I emailed him my list and he responded saying he "updated his inventory and my quote still stood at 3,000 lbs which was their minimum they could do for $1,574 - full service meaning they will load it, unload it, and put everything back together that needed to be." Well heck - SIGN ME UP! Who would want to drive their own stuff out and then carry it up to the second floor and put it all together for only about $200 less? This made total sense! And here I'm thinking ... JACKPOT!!!
A weight was lifted off my shoulders and I felt so much better about being able to relax the rest of the summer! Benjamin sent me my contract and I noticed that the furniture list was wrong. I told him this and he told me "that is a generic list we use for people who fall 3,000 lbs or under". Oh! Perfect! So I signed the contract and Benjamin told me someone would follow up with me on a pick up date (either July 29 or 30).
Well after the contract signing I headed to Deep Creek with my family - awesome time seeing everyone and relaxing! It's always nice to get away from everything and just spend the day laying by the docks and then roasting marshmallows and hanging out outside with mountain air not too hot, not too cold... a perfect picture huh? And on top of that - I turned 26 while I was there! Still mid twenties so I was okay with getting a little older.
So I get back to Charlotte on the 13th and get a phone call that my stuff will get picked up on the 29... but I had no time frame. I had a surprise vacation coming up from Derrick on the 18th and wouldn't get back until the 25th so I wanted to get this all squared away before I left so I could fully relax (separate post about this vacation!). So, I called wonderful Benjamin on the 16 and left a message. I also emailed him just wondering if they had a time frame for me. He was usually so good about returning my calls but he didn't on the 16. So I tried again on the 17th.. phone call and email... and got nothing. I kind of forgot about it for the entire week on vacation which was great but the second we came back to the states and I turned on my phone... I got a bad feeling. No message from Benjamin and I can't explain why it bothered me so much but I knew right then and there something wasn't right with this situation.
And so that is where this blog will end tonight... leaving you hanging on July 25. What will happen next? Oh gosh... what WON'T happen next! Stay tuned!
Officially fell off the face of the earth!
Hello from AUSTIN! (Or should I say Howdy??) This past month has been ridiculous for me and I have had little to no down time (other than my week long amazing surprise vacation where I was cut off from the world and loved every bit of it!). I plan to update my blog each night this week to fill everyone in and those of you that already know the story can reminisce with me on what I went through and am still going through thus far. In the end... I am here:) I made it! I'm officially a resident of Austin, TX!
I'm all moved in and ready to begin my first day of training tomorrow! But I'm getting ahead of myself... let's start from the beginning... around July 3rd the story begins of my moving company: World Moving Services, the moving company (or lack there of ) from hell.
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