Packing everything you have accumulated over the years into cardboard boxes and trying to protect all your precious memories in bubble wrap and packing tape!
So, we loaded the piano first, and DH's gun safe... they're REALLY heavy and REALLY big!
Then the appliances!
The boxes were next!
The mattresses and coffee maker were the last things on the truck, so as soon as we got to PA, we would have someplace to sleep and have a fresh cuppa Joe in the morning!
YAY!
We're on the road!!
Whoopee! We're making great time thru Virginia and heading North into Maryland.
THEN... the truck just decided it didn't want to "GO"...
It wouldn't shift out of third gear and wouldn't go faster than 45 miles an hour (on I-95, where traffic typically travels around, oh, 70 miles an hour or faster!)
We pulled over outside Hagerstown, MD and called Penske for Road Side Assistance.
The guy showed up in about 15 minutes... ran a "code checker"...
"Hmmm. I don't know what all these codes mean, they're not in my book!"
The main Penske shop is 10 miles away... we baby the truck to the shop...
They run another "Code checker"... "Hmmm... that's really odd, there are only 12,000 miles on this truck, it shouldn't be having a transmission problem!"
They weigh the truck to make sure we didn't "overload"... nope, that's not the problem.
"We'll have to get a new truck for you and will have our 'Professional movers' transfer your stuff to the new truck, because the transmission in the truck you have is having "emission problems"... (?????)
It's 8 pm... still no dinner...
We're travelling with 2 kids, 2 dogs, 2 cats and have a trailer on the back of our Chevy Pickup with all our cleaning equipment in it...
Last week, the kitty got VERY sick (something is wrong with her liver)... she is on medication (which is packed in the Penske)...
So, they put us in a hotel and at 9:30, we ate Burger King for dinner...
Fast forward to morning... 9 am, the 'professional' movers are at Penske to transfer our stuff to the new truck.
at 9:15, one of them falls off the truck... "We have to go get coffee and pick up another helper because he thinks he hurt his back"...
10am... movers back old truck up to new truck and start THROWING my things into the new truck...
My precious coffee maker is now buried at the very back and bottom of the load, under my mattress (which I wanted to get off the truck FIRST!!)
12 noon... movers say "It's not all going to fit in the new truck... your washer and dryer won't fit and we can't move the piano!"
1pm... ok... it's all loaded, you're ready to roll... we moved some things around and got everything to fit!
7 pm... arrive in Bradford PA and open truck to start unloading...
as I opened the back door, my oak headboard fell out and hit me... and everything that was leaning against it fell out!
Here's an example of their 'Professional' movers' work:
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| yes, this is my OAK dining room table and this picture was taken straight-on! |
Notice, there is no moving blanket between the STEEL tool chest and the OAK dining room table...
and isn't it lovely how the bunk bed frame is thrown on top of my upside-down table!??!
Called to file a damages claim... we'll see how that goes...
Maybe tomorrow, I'll show you the picture of what USED TO BE my dresser!!
