Did you find something about your new home that you couldn't stand and had to change before the movers unloaded the van?

I was lucky enough to have access to the house I was renting a month before moving in. I painted and removed carpeting before anything arrived and installed the appliances. Then I was able to move stuff in slowly. I uprooted all my plants and brought them too
I was too scared to tell the owner I had dogs when I looked at this place (20 acres), but when she offered me one, (she raises them on a farm), she was pretty happy I was a dog lover too. My dogs were the last to get here.
Not too many people around here think I rent this place, I take care of it inside and outside better than some homeowners in town. Even put on shutters. Its gone from a rundown overgrown eyesore to a cute little cottage.

A little over a year ago my Company relocated me from Warren County, NJ to a suburb of Buffalo, NY. We used - - and THOUGHT they were the most qualified moving company that came to bid. We were wrong! They showed up late on the packing and moving days, broke items as they were packing, showed up THREE DAYS LATE in NY (this was after at least 5 re-schedules on their part)...at 6pm on a Saturday night, with only two men (there were six to pack the truck) and unloaded until 3:30AM Sunday morning - and then had the nerve to complain to both myself and my husband that they were overworked, and that they didn't think they could unload everything. My husband ended up having to unload boxes and furniture off the truck, just to get them out of our driveway. It was probably the worst experience of my life.
There is nothing worse than waiting for the movers to arrive with all of your belongings. You are totally at their mercy.

[This message was edited by mod_ivy on 03-31-05 at 05:44 PM.]

When using moving companies, I never use the big guys. I have moved several times in the last 12 years and never had a problem, except with the big guys prices! It is best to network among friends and acquaintances. I found a great company thru my house inspector. They never broke anything, but maybe a small dent at the most on one move. They were strictly professional, no complaints or boo hooing on the job and always, always on time. I guess I lucked out here in Michigan. They even were 1/3 the price -. It doesn't get any better than that.

[This message was edited by mod_ivy on 03-31-05 at 05:46 PM.]

The scary thing was I hired one moving company and another one showed up to do the move with, I swear, trolls from under a brige somewhere. I was terrified to let them in but what can you do? I had to be on the road that day. I couldn't get ahold of the original mover. The move turned out okay and they lost my deposit so I ended up saving 750.00. So the 24 hours I waited afraid I'd never see my stuff again was worth it.

I wish I had the opportunity to look over the house before we closed because if I had I wouldn't have gone through with the closing. You see I stayed in North Carolina while my husband went to Texas to start his new job and to hunt for a house. I knew ahead of time that I would have to paint but that is is minor compared to the rest of the things that either have to be replaced all together like the front door or the things that just need new parts or pieces like new faucets. The fence has to be replaced, the floors need new vinyl or tile or something, the kitchen sink needs to be replaced, the walls need to be re-mudded to make them smooth and the list just goes on and on. After 30 years of marriage I trusted my husband to pick our my next house. Never again. He thinks its just fine.

dedelein

quote:

..at 6pm on a Saturday night, with only two men (there were six to pack the truck) and unloaded until 3:30AM Sunday morning - and then had the nerve to complain to both myself and my husband that they were overworked, and that they didn't think they could unload everything.

Chances are those guys in your driveway WERE overworked! They worked for 9 hours at your house and probably worked somewhere else before that.

The actual movers are responsible for the packing and the moving, so yeah, they are at fault for things that get lost or broken. But the scheduling, etc, is out of their hands.

My husband worked for a moving company for one summer. Some days he would work 6 hours or less. Other days he would work 7 am to 10 pm without a lunch break. Some of that was driving, but most of it would be packing & unpacking, loading & unloading. And these guys DON'T make very much money. Some get paid based on the weight of what they move, not on how many hours they work.