MOOOOOVED!
Yay, we're moved.
Not without it's dramas...
The van turned up on time, but it was a 5-tonne Luton van - basically a bit larger than a Mercedes Sprinter. Connie had estimates about 40 boxes. The firm we used hadn't bothered to send someone to do a survey (cardinal error in any business!) and they had turned up with a van to take what she had listed as furniture and 40 boxes. No more, no less. And that didn't include a few additional items of furniture Connie had forgotten to mention.
I have actually heard that it is an industry wide scam - they under quote to get the business then charge extra for all the things they didn't include on the original quote, and of course most house moves are in a chain of bought properties with no option for the customer to go elsewhere or do the move themselves, so they get away with it. We were lucky: we said, "Oh don't worry, we'll move the rest ourselves!" to which they looked a bit blank, then offered to take the larger of the extra items free!
Connie just told me our new landlord - a really nice guy - offered us the use of his pick-up, except it was pissing down and it isn't covered!
Oh yes, it was pissing down most of the day!
We made several trips in both cars. Connie tripped over and cut her left hand open on a jagged stone! ;.; I wasn't there to help her up, which really made me feel guilty. She's fine now, and it is healing over nicely, but for a while there we were worried it might get infected or something! I told my darling I would be happiest if she went to A&E or at least to the doctor, but that it is her hand, therefore her decision. She elected not to.
Tuesday's cleaning went well. We weren't sure we would get it done. Connie kept telling all evening me how grateful she was that I helped her. My reply was "What sort of an arse-hole would I be if I didn't?" "A normal one!" was her come-back.
Yesterday I waited in for the cable guy while Connie went to the old place to give the wooden floor one last go-over and let the professional carpet cleaner in. The carpet cleaner was surprised we'd been there two years. He said the carpets were good and clean, then when Connie told him we'd been there that long, said "In that case, they're exceptionally clean!" Surprising, as they went almost a year without being vacuumed until we bought our new Hoover.
The cable guy from Virgin Media (I bet they get fed up with being called Virgin guys) showed up a bit later than I'd hoped, wired up the TV and telephone and left me with a Netgear wireless router wrapped in a box. He gave me a standard spiel about how to use the TV - we now have V+, which means we can record (something we used to be able to do before digital TV, using tapes), pause, rewind and fast-forward live TV! YAY!
I took a few minutes to unpack and set up the router (Existing BT and D-Link routers that I already have won't work, because they are for ADSL). Installed the software, went through the set-up routine, only to be told by the stupid program "Oops, we've encountered a problem, please call our customer help line...". Bugger that, I have to get to work!
Connie got home, and I called her to let her know what had happened. She spent an hour waiting, and an hour talking to their customer services - who are at least in the UK rather than in India - talking to a guy with a stinking cold, apparently, who eventually told her that the router was fucked and they would send us a new one, which would arrive Friday or Saturday. Connie told him that I wouldn't be happy with that and that if it was delivered Friday they would have to leave it in the porch.
Okay, so hands up who's spotted the continuity error here? Well, I'll come to that.
Today I went to work, Connie took the day to unpack loads of stuff in the kitchen and do laundry (beautiful day, time to try out the new washing line!). Meanwhile we are struggling to get some sort of agreement with ex-land-lord as to when he can inspect the property. He eventually tells us today that he can only do it tomorrow - a day when neither of us could be there. We think he did it deliberately, as if we aren't there we can't dispute his findings.
This was totally unacceptable and pissed Connie off big time. I emailed him (from work) and got his attention to the point where he "decided it would be best to have the inspection carried out independently". Well, duh! (He was going to have his sister-in-law who works for his so-called property management company do it). Connie spoke to the agent we let the place through originally and they are now doing the inspection.
So, I got home tonight and started the computer up, just to see what would happen, expecting nothing at all... And I was totally gob-smacked to see first MSN, then YIM sign in. I tried Firefox and what do you know! It connected!
So, it seems the problem went away on its own! We are going to keep the extra router as a spare - or sell it on ebay...
Tomorrow, Connie has to do the inspection anyway - she has a very understanding boss, fortunately, and has been allowed to take another day off. She will go in to work on the days next week which she had booked off.
Anyway, I'm back... Now where was I...?
Not without it's dramas...
The van turned up on time, but it was a 5-tonne Luton van - basically a bit larger than a Mercedes Sprinter. Connie had estimates about 40 boxes. The firm we used hadn't bothered to send someone to do a survey (cardinal error in any business!) and they had turned up with a van to take what she had listed as furniture and 40 boxes. No more, no less. And that didn't include a few additional items of furniture Connie had forgotten to mention.
I have actually heard that it is an industry wide scam - they under quote to get the business then charge extra for all the things they didn't include on the original quote, and of course most house moves are in a chain of bought properties with no option for the customer to go elsewhere or do the move themselves, so they get away with it. We were lucky: we said, "Oh don't worry, we'll move the rest ourselves!" to which they looked a bit blank, then offered to take the larger of the extra items free!
Connie just told me our new landlord - a really nice guy - offered us the use of his pick-up, except it was pissing down and it isn't covered!
Oh yes, it was pissing down most of the day!
We made several trips in both cars. Connie tripped over and cut her left hand open on a jagged stone! ;.; I wasn't there to help her up, which really made me feel guilty. She's fine now, and it is healing over nicely, but for a while there we were worried it might get infected or something! I told my darling I would be happiest if she went to A&E or at least to the doctor, but that it is her hand, therefore her decision. She elected not to.
Tuesday's cleaning went well. We weren't sure we would get it done. Connie kept telling all evening me how grateful she was that I helped her. My reply was "What sort of an arse-hole would I be if I didn't?" "A normal one!" was her come-back.
Yesterday I waited in for the cable guy while Connie went to the old place to give the wooden floor one last go-over and let the professional carpet cleaner in. The carpet cleaner was surprised we'd been there two years. He said the carpets were good and clean, then when Connie told him we'd been there that long, said "In that case, they're exceptionally clean!" Surprising, as they went almost a year without being vacuumed until we bought our new Hoover.
The cable guy from Virgin Media (I bet they get fed up with being called Virgin guys) showed up a bit later than I'd hoped, wired up the TV and telephone and left me with a Netgear wireless router wrapped in a box. He gave me a standard spiel about how to use the TV - we now have V+, which means we can record (something we used to be able to do before digital TV, using tapes), pause, rewind and fast-forward live TV! YAY!
I took a few minutes to unpack and set up the router (Existing BT and D-Link routers that I already have won't work, because they are for ADSL). Installed the software, went through the set-up routine, only to be told by the stupid program "Oops, we've encountered a problem, please call our customer help line...". Bugger that, I have to get to work!
Connie got home, and I called her to let her know what had happened. She spent an hour waiting, and an hour talking to their customer services - who are at least in the UK rather than in India - talking to a guy with a stinking cold, apparently, who eventually told her that the router was fucked and they would send us a new one, which would arrive Friday or Saturday. Connie told him that I wouldn't be happy with that and that if it was delivered Friday they would have to leave it in the porch.
Okay, so hands up who's spotted the continuity error here? Well, I'll come to that.
Today I went to work, Connie took the day to unpack loads of stuff in the kitchen and do laundry (beautiful day, time to try out the new washing line!). Meanwhile we are struggling to get some sort of agreement with ex-land-lord as to when he can inspect the property. He eventually tells us today that he can only do it tomorrow - a day when neither of us could be there. We think he did it deliberately, as if we aren't there we can't dispute his findings.
This was totally unacceptable and pissed Connie off big time. I emailed him (from work) and got his attention to the point where he "decided it would be best to have the inspection carried out independently". Well, duh! (He was going to have his sister-in-law who works for his so-called property management company do it). Connie spoke to the agent we let the place through originally and they are now doing the inspection.
So, I got home tonight and started the computer up, just to see what would happen, expecting nothing at all... And I was totally gob-smacked to see first MSN, then YIM sign in. I tried Firefox and what do you know! It connected!
So, it seems the problem went away on its own! We are going to keep the extra router as a spare - or sell it on ebay...
Tomorrow, Connie has to do the inspection anyway - she has a very understanding boss, fortunately, and has been allowed to take another day off. She will go in to work on the days next week which she had booked off.
Anyway, I'm back... Now where was I...?