TLC Moving = Total Lack (of)Care

We have finally moved with no help from our moving company, TLC Moving. TLC Moving made our move of 6 blocks way harder than the 533 mile move we made here two years ago.

(I tried to up the Goggle count for "TLC Moving" by repeating "TLC Moving" several times in this rant against TLC Moving. TLC Moving.)

Actually, our experience with TLC Moving began on that move that brought us to Misery. After showing up 4 hours late, the movers promptly unloaded the rental truck. It was the hottest day of the year, and there was little surprise when one of the movers for TLC Moving passed out from heat exhaustion. (Of course, it didn't help that the guys were drinking beer between each job that day. This was their fourth.) The manager did show up and provided us a refund and his workers more beer.

Despite that debacle, R and I wanted to give our business to a local company, and TLC Moving had the lowest price. Besides, we were only moving six blocks. What could possibly go wrong? So, R made the arrangements about two weeks prior to the move. TLC Moving would pick up our stuff on Saturday, store it on Sunday, and unload on Monday. Easy.

Being the smart person that she is, R set up the move with TLC Moving several weeks in advance after carefully comparing the prices of other local companies. She had settled over the phone on a price that was hard to beat, or that's what we thought. A office assistant from TLC Moving called R on the Friday before the move to make sure that R understood that she misunderstood that the fee for storing our stuff was $100 a night, not the $100 total that was agreed upon.

Now, if you know R, she is sharp. She did not happen upon her PhD in a box of Cracker Jacks or attended the University of Phoenix. (No offense. I'm sure it's a fine institution.) R is also very, very careful with money. She is certain to know exactly what she's paying for. R did not misunderstand TLC Moving. TLC Moving goofed and tried to change the agreed upon price a day before the move. This left us with no other option but to stick with TLC Moving.

We tried to get another company to move us. Every company we spoke with said that TLC Moving pulls this same shit all the time. One guy offered to call around for us just so TLC Moving would not get the business. Another told us that TLC Moving is pushing for legislation that would prevent any other smaller companies from breaking up their monopoly. Screw those guys!

Well, the Saturday of the move rolled around. I made a run for some breakfast thinking that we had plenty of time to prep our stuff for maximum packing. Upon returning, R informed me that TLC Moving was on its way...about 5 hours earlier than expected. I frantically ran around the house trying to prep our things.

TLC Moving arrived and got right to work. The driver offered to cut an hour off the bill, if we agreed to give a bigger tip. This only proved to be evidence that he was not the most honest guy working for TLC Moving.

The tip deal was not so strange, but several other events during this portion of the move were. First, the driver didn't want any plastic wrap on R's dressers. No big deal, but why not any of the other furniture wrapped in green plastic? Second, he didn't fit any items from our garage (including a new dining set) or the patio (grill, furniture), but he offered to come back on Monday after he unloaded to fix this problem free of charge. Third, the driver had to buy a lock for the truck. Shouldn't the truck already have a lock?

Then, the boys from TLC Moving tried to leave. The driver backed out of our steep driveway and rammed the back end of the truck into the street causing the truck to be lodged into the asphalt. The TLC Moving driver had no problem calling a tow truck and charging it to TLC Moving. "TLC (Moving) won't be making any money off of this move!" he snorted.

Thankfully, we have some good friends here in COMO. On Sunday, a bevy of our community gathered leftovers in their cars and trucks and carted it over to the new digs. What really helped was that a former co-worker of mine knew the sellers from high school and arranged for us to drop stuff off the day before we closed. I don't think we would have made this move without the help of several friends. Thanks for showing us some real TLC...Moving.

The closing on both houses went exceptionally smooth. There was a light in our basement that did not work, but the buyer (a colleague of R's) said that we would work it out instead of prolonging the negotiations. Nice guy. The closing on the new house went just as smoothly. this was the best part of the move by far. Monarch Title and Boone County Bank were extremely friendly, professional, and efficient. They'll get our business again...unlike TLC Moving.

The movers showed up Monday afternoon without Saturday's driver. Apparently, he had called in sick despite promising to take care of our extra stuff like he had promised. Luckily, as mentioned above, we took care of our things. This is more than I could say for TLC Moving.

As the movers unloaded, we noticed that several of R's clothing were strewn throughout the truck. We later discovered that her drawers had been emptied. We discovered later that all of her nice unmentionables had been taken. So, somewhere in Misery, there is a 40-something year old, possible meth addict wearing lacy women's underwear and a TLC Moving t-shirt. (BTW-A TLC Moving rep said that this gross invasion of privacy was akin to rape. Now that's some TLC!)

Monday's driver who helped load the truck on Saturday revealed to us that TLC Moving called him, looking for the truck with our things at 10PM! The truck didn't show up until the next morning. Panty raid! Woo-hoo!

In addition to the underwear, several of our pieces of furniture were badly packed and slightly damaged. The worst was the leather couch that was not wrapped at all. The result of this negligence was a giant gash in the sofa's back. We're still waiting for that leather repairperson promised to us by TLC Moving.

The move was finally complete, and we have little intention of paying TLC Moving. I guess the moral of the story is that you get what you pay for. I thought we were paying for TLC (Moving), but we got a total lack of care instead.

(BTW-The count for mentions of "TLC Moving" is well over 30. Be sure to click on a few of the links to see how I really feel about TLC Moving and for other moving companies.)