Lafayette Storage scores one for Atlas Van Lines
Written: Nov 30 '01 (Updated Dec 01 '01)
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Pros: Stuff made it
Friendly folks!
Cons: Scavenger Hunt
The Bottom Line: Not the nightmare others have made it sound.
Check out review for information and warnings
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| jnbmoore's Full Review: Atlas Van Lines |
Monkey, hubby, and I recently moved. We left the frozen land of Rochester, NY to the frozen land of Olathe, KS. (Yes I do realize that next summer I'll be complaining about the heat).
His new employer just cut us a check to pay for everything for the move --movers, hotels, meals, closing cost so we wanted to find the best movers with a reasonable price. When we moved from Taipei Taiwan three years before we had used two movers. For our shipment of stuff from Taiwan, we had used North American. But they lost many many points because they had delays caused by them that made the furniture arrive two weeks late. Then the day before it was to be delivered I got word that my dad was dying. (http://www.writtenbyme.com/content/18438) We asked to put off the delivery. They had delayed us two weeks, what was another couple of days? Nope, they wouldn't do that. Then since we just had them stack everything in and not really do anything we had tons of boxes. They'd come back for the boxes if I wanted -- for $75. No, I didn't think we wanted to go with North American again.
We also had a smaller mover from Atlas Van Line. When my hubby had left for Taiwan he left his junk (and I mean junk) in a storage place in Atlanta. The company arranged for Atlas to pick it up in Atlanta and move it north for us. In the small dealings we had with them, they were polite, efficient, and nice. So I decided to give them a call.
The Estimate
We went through the Lafayette Storage, the Rochester office of Atlas (The company is headquartered in Evansville, IN). Marietta came out and looked at everything. She said she was estimate weight and number of boxes high cause she rather give us a high estimate and have us be pleased than a low estimate and have us be shocked.
She explained that there are tariffs published by the government that regulate how much they can charge to transport everything. The difference between the different moving companies is the discount they gave us. She started off with a 63% discount but then when she realized what company my hubby currently worked for she moved it to a 65% discount (even after I explained that he was quitting that company). Later when I called to finalize the move, she asked if we were paying for the move ourselves or if it was going through the purchasing department at his new job. When I said we were paying it for ourselves, the discount moved down to 66%.
They would do the packing, moving, and at the other end re-assemble all the furniture. I asked about the china cabinet we had bought in Taiwan and was promised they would put that together too. They would take my car for an extra $170 fee plus whatever weight it had in. The car had to have no more than a quarter tank of gas (even though later the driver said he preferred it to have 3/4 of a tank of gas) and be completely empty.
We were told that the day before the packers would arrive we would get a phone call setting up a time. She scheduled us for a two day pack and one day of loading the truck (NO we do not have that much stuff)
The Pack
We were scheduled for a Monday pack. All weekend we never got a phone call. So we finally decided that they must have figured we didn't have that much stuff and would start after noon on Monday. We figured wrong.
At 7:30 the doorbell rang. They were there and they were ready. I quickly sent hubby to the kennel with the dog (they opened at 8). I ran around locking up the cat, showing the folks what to pack and what to leave. We made the kitchen and our bedroom off limits for that day. Then they started packing. They stayed until 4:30. Everything was packed in tons of paper (no bubble wrap) and put in boxes which were labeled. There were only three packers but by the end of the first day the only things not packed were the barn, the kitchen, and our room.
The times that monkey was around, they were always good with her. One of the packers even let her help pack up the videos. The entire packing crew was friendly and seemed to have blast working together. It's much nice having happy people in your house than folks who act like they hate their job.
Day two they didn't arrive until 8 a.m. I missed most of the action these two days because monkey and went to our last days at school (sniff, sniff -- I still miss my students). By the time I got home with the cake from my farewell party everything was packed up (even my computer!).
After everything was packed one of the packers went around with a roll of green stickers and numbered every box, bag, and stick of furniture. They then started on the loading the truck. They got most of it loaded by quitting time (which was a bit earlier than normal because hubby had a doctor's appointment because he was getting sick and I needed to take monkey to her last gymnastics class).
Wednesday they were only there for morning. They got the stove unhooked (even though they weren't supposed to) and helped get the washer out. (Marietta had forgotten to tell us they aren't supposed to unhook any appliances -- by the time we got to the appliances all of hubby's tools were packed...
Soon all we had left was an empty house. Well not completely -- I went through it and lots of monkey's Fisher Price Little People toys were still laying on the ground where they had been under beds or couches, there were old boxes we had had stuff in, and lots of dust bunnies (which I didn't really want moved). While hubby took monkey trick or treating that evening, I finished up so we had an empty house.
The Delivery
I can only assume our belongings had a nice quiet drive to Kansas. Four days later we got a call from the driver. He'd be at our house at 8 the next morning to drop things off. So we got to the house at 8 -- no truck. Hubby went to run monkey to preschool while I waited before an empty house. As hubby arrived back at 8:45 the truck was also arriving. He pruned some of the neighborhood trees that were overhanging on the street with his truck but some how managed to turn the truck around in our cul-de-sac. He hadn't realized the distance from the local Atlas place to our house. He had picked up two local unpackers to help him with the work.
For a Monday in November we were blessed with a beautiful day. It was in the sixties so it was neither too hot nor too cold. They would take items off the truck -- then we had a "bingo card" to mark off the numbers to make sure everything that was ours came off the truck. Of course when they tried to pull some ironing boards off the truck I knew quickly they weren't ours. Suzy Homemaker doesn't live at our house.
On the Bingo card damage to items were also noted and a copy of the damage would be sent to the corporate office so they could fix or replace what was broken.
Now Atlas in Rochester will come and pick up your old boxes to get rid of them for you for free. Since we are so far away from the depot in Kansas they won't. So as they were unpacking, and hubby was marking the card - I worked on unpacking boxes. I got about 20 (out of 200) boxes unpacked while they were here. Those they would take back. The rest of the boxes we were responsible for getting rid of.
By about three (with a lunch break -- we bought them Subway) all the boxes were off the truck. They then started with the assembly of the beds, the computer desk, and the tables. They were ready to start doing final paper work but the china cabinet was still not assembled. I pointed out that was the one item I asked about. But according to their rules they can only unpack the mattress boxes because that's all the unpacking they charge from. It was a tense few minutes with me wanting the china cabinet assembled and he not wanting to unpack the glass. The major reason I wanted it done is to make sure none of the glass was broken. Finally we reached an agreement when I came up with a brilliant compromise. We would unpack the glass and let him assemble it.
It was after five when all the paperwork was done, the trash was loaded and they were gone.
The Damage
$8192.67 later we had our stuff from point A to point B. And surprisingly not much was damaged:
The love seat had a leg split
The pourer spout on the blender cracked off
The bedside stand in monkey's room had the door ripped in two
One of Hubby's speaker stands was in four parts
One of the knobs off of the antique Zenith radio was missing (that will be fun to replace)
We figured since this was reported to the company they would be contacting us with more information. After two weeks we contacted them. We had to have them send us an insurance claim form and after we fill that out and send it back they will start on the fixing of stuff. That was sent in Monday of this week. We'll see how long it takes to get a response.
As a side note the driver did point out to us that the packers and drivers are charged for all broken items. That gives them a good reason to make sure everything is packed well.
The Scavenger Hunt
For once in my life, I tried to be organized. I had started Christmas shopping early. I had also gotten the craft kits for the presents monkey would be making and we had started making a few. Before the packers got there I put all the Christmas presents in a box and put them on the bed in the guestroom. That way I figured when we moved everything would be together.
WRONG!!!!!
The things from that box were packed into no less than FIVE other boxes. The annoying part came when we were heading to my in-laws for Thanksgiving. I figured I'd be cheap and take them the Christmas presents so I didn't have to mail them. I could find everything except for the craft monkey had made them. I looked everywhere. I spent THREE days looking for this stupid craft. It was finally located in the Garage in a box labeled "Barn-- Books" Now how something that was in the upstairs guest room manage to find itself in a barn box I haven't a clue.
Same thing with the pictures off of the picture wall. Seems to be one picture in each box -- so far I've found pictures in ten different boxes.
The first night we wanted to sleep at the house it was fun because I couldn't find the bed sheets, blankets, or pillows. They were in a box labeled "Clothes". I guess they meant "Bed Clothes"?
I have been going from being amused about trying to find things to frustrated to amused again. This is an excellent case of not judging a box by it's label -- you'll never know what you'll find. I even found two empty juice boxes that monkey must have had stashed somewhere.
The Conclusion
I was a bit nervous when I read Epinions and found out that Atlas only had a 25% approval rating. But I guess moving companies are something most folks write about only if they have had a horrible experience. I just know the important things happened:
+ Our stuff made it from Rochester to Olathe ON TIME
+ There was minimal breakage
+ It didn't cost the entire moving allowance
+ Both moving crews only smoked next the truck FAR away from the house (I have asthma so this was important)
I could have done without the scavenger hunt but otherwise this move was not the nightmare many have made it sound to be. In a future move, we'd be sure to give Atlas another chance.
Recommended:
Yes
Lost Goods: No
Amount Paid (US$): 8192
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