Thanks guys for all your support – I didn’t document everything that happened yesterday in detail, but I can honestly and truthfully say it was one of the most stressful and awful days I’ve ever encountered, and I’ve encountered some in the last 1-2 years! 😦
The removalists finally left here at 7.30pm, after arriving after noon. I tried contacting the Australian Furniture Removalists Assn, after being referred there from a lady at the Fair Trading Assn the 2nd time I called – but it did no good, as they aren’t members … which surprised me very little! It did get really nasty yesterday during the phone calls to the trucking company … and I need to document everything in full before Lisa and I decide which way to tackle this. We did discuss the option of working out any way possible to widel and publicly advertise their appalling behaviour without being up for slander, and we’ll still probably go down that track (good idea about the website Susan). Lisa was so angry she was tempted to take legal action … but I’m out of pocket as it is, and I can’t afford to do that – plus, in some ways I just want to forget the whole thing – but then the other side of me wants justice … which means the stress will continue … it’s a catch-22 😦
Today I feel totally drained … but I must say it was incredible to sleep on my very own mattress, even though it was on the floor! I’ve managed to pack my bed screws etc somewhere very safe, never to be found again … well, probably until I unpack everything else, which might take a couple of weeks to go through every single box – ho-hum, but at least I got a good night’s sleep last night, well 6 hours anyway, which is good enough – my mattress is a wonderful back care big thick scrumptious mattress, and it was exquisite having it back in my possession again, on the floor or not! 😉
The guys who delivered the goods were really nice and very sympathetic … at the end of the night I was told the company would send me a receipt later and they didn’t have any paperwork documentation to give me, which I said wasn’t good enough after being literally held to ransom myself and being demanded to email them a screen dump of the bank transfer … another phone call to the “boss” at the end of the night and I ended up losing my cool – I burst into tears and Dion (the main removalist here) spoke to him. I felt like such an idiot, but it was just the last straw in a truly dreadful 24 hours. I’m just so very very glad it’s over for now … I just feel like crawling into a corner and sleeping for a month 😦
Anyway, that’s enough of my misery for one day – I know I still haven’t put all the finer details into words here … I just don’t want to sit and rehash it all just yet … but it will happen, and it has to happen, especially if we do decide to take it further via the Fair Trading Commission or some other avenue … for now I just want to forget that b*stard was born, and try to get out of this funk I’m now in. I’ve called up work an left a message requesting the last two days of this week off, and got all teary again leaving a message … I don’t think I’ll get the time off, but I really need it for my sanity and emotional sake if nothing else. But at the end of today I may have shaken the malaise off and be okay again … my stitching chair is in place with my Ott-lite and floor stand, so a spot of stitching later tonight may help to ease the tension 🙂
Thanks again for all your words of encouragement – I really really appreciate it! I think the thing I hate the most about all of this is that I was in such a wonderful frame of mind, really positive and excited about everything, and this whole affair has knocked the wind out of me and taken that away … I know that feeling will return once we get settled in here, and once Lisa arrives next week I’ll have some company face-to-face, which will help – anyway, this isn’t getting my stuff unpacked, so I’m off to have my morning coffee and have something to eat (I only managed to eat breakfast yesterday during all the stress and drama, so I know I need something in me to keep the energy levels up) … then I’ll start facing the day properly.
Updated to add something that is WAY too much information – but I learnt something new today … apparently there is such a thing as stress-induced diarrhoea! Go figure!! The griping tummy pains I started getting 30 minutes ago has nothing to do with food intake, ‘cos there hasn’t been any yet … so it looks like Dodgey Brothers R Us really HAS given me the ………!!! Sorry, but I couldn’t resist it … maybe that was a good thing to happen, as it’s given me a spark of my sense on humour back 😉
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But wait, there’s more … I’ve just gone out to start the car to drive in to work and pick Lisa up to sign the lease and bring her suitcases into the flat, and my car won’t start – I’ve tried everything possible to get it started, and it’s died a horrible death. I knew it needed to get looked at, but now I can’t even drive the bl**dy heap of scrap metal to the mechanic. It’s like Groundhog Day Year!!! Mutter mutter mutter … So now I don’t even know how I’ll get into work myself if I have to work Thu/Fri … I’m sooooooo over this day, like you wouldn’t believe!!! Sorry for whining on here, but it helps to get it off my chest 😦
Feather Stitching 
Please know that you WILL heal in time. Moving is always stressful even when it goes well, but over half the time it doesn’t go well at all. When we moved to New Zealand we shipped our seven trunks well in advance, only to have them sit on the docks in Wellington (we were in Auckland) for three months. (And losing our rental deposit on a truly wretched place that we moved out of in one day.) There was also a time in California when we told the Fly By Night moving company that we had seven bookcases of books and they brought exactly seven book BOXES. We didn’t get moved in until 3 am and they charged us twice what they quoted.
Even with all you have gone through, you will heal. DO NOT worry about slander! Just telling exactly what happened is a cautionary tale for others and since it is THE TRUTH, there is no way that they can dispute it. You even have Lisa as a witness. In the US we have the Better Business Bureau, Angie’s list and Yelp.com for reporting horrible customer service and believe me, I have done it many a time. I even have a horror story up on contractorsfromhell.com. Get your story out as many places as you can. I doubt they read these online resources or care, but you may save another from disaster from this or another ripoff company.
{{{{{{Anne}}}}}} I’m so sorry that you’ve had to deal with all this. I hope you get a resolution if you try to take it up with the relevant authorities. Hopefully you can now start to settle in to your new place and this will all be behind you very soon. Take care!
Oh poor Anne! So sorry to hear how stressful everything became. Try to focus on the good feeling of being with your own things again. I would definitely pursue whatever you can against the company. Sometimes people here to to TV stations and their consumer departments about situations like this. Good luck!
This is just ghastly……. you are right about the Catch-22 of justice and stress. It’s hard to know what to do, especially if it is also going to cost time, money etc. I’m not surprised about the stress-induced diarrhea, this is well-known chez moi also. I hope you are making good use of the mattress and the stitching chair, and don’t forget to eat! Take care!
Oh my god, Anne!! I’m just speechless!!
{{{{Anne}}}}
Oh you poor dear! I have had a time of it myself with the people the military hire, but never have I had this type of distress. And to hold your belongings hostage and to swear at you/Lisa is beyond what I would have put up with. I would have probably been in tears long before you were since I cry when I get really angy. Please make sure you document your physical ailments. I know in the US it’s part of a “personal injury” issue. Hugs.
Anne, this situation is so awful! Sending you big hugs and prayers that your nerves will settle and resolution will be forthcoming.
As for the stress-induced physical problems, my mother had the same symptoms every time she had to drive on slick roads. I know it’s for real! Hugs!!
Oh Anne! What a horrible time that you have had. I’m glad to hear that you have your stuff with you finally, though. Hopefully you’ll be able to put this behind you soon 🙂
Hi Anne,
I have moved 19 times and not once have I not had something been broken or stolen. The second to last time was with G@$^& Brothers a so called professional group, and we had a whole case of Grange Hermitage go missing???? That time was actually one of the worst times as we had a total of around 8 boxes go missing. Luckily I had an inventory but it was still their word against ours. My husbands company eventually paid for what went missing not the one’s actually responsible, that still annoys me to this day. The last move was the best and I asked our favourite antique shop who they used to move their furniture and I used them, they were fantastic. It is a shame you are in Melbourne as I have some furniture that you could have, I live in Adelaide? Sorry.
I am sorry that you had such a bad time with the movers. I have moved 20 times (I believe I even moved more, but just lost the count) and only got one table broken so far and that was due to my dumb BIL.
How absolutely horrible Anne! i hope that you can find a way to get some justice-because you definitely deserve to have some compensations for the terrible way you were treated. Thinking of you {{{{hugs}}}