As part of my move cross-country, my movers lost some items on me. Two of them weren't all that important, as they were replaceable, but the third was a lock box that had the "dreaded irreplaceable items": a 50-sheet photo album and a collegiate award. When I first told the moving company, they told me it would take six weeks to trace, and after six weeks I was told "sorry - please fill out a claim". In the last episode of this story, I was left furious and without much hope of having this work out - the story now continues...

First off, thanks to all the people that have contacted me via voice, face, or email on this - your sympathy and empathy were (and are) appreciated!

So, after I left a scathing message in the voice mailbox of my moving rep, and posted my Rant, I decided to drop a line to my relocation specialist within Microsoft. She told me a couple of times that if any of the people contracted to handle my re-lo weren't behaving that I should tell her, if only from a feedback point of view. This was definitely within that category, even if it was a full two months after the move itself. She responded straightaway and told me that she would contact the re-lo coordinator; she worked as the coordinator that managed the entire thing, hiring other people. So my movers were selected by this other company - and not Microsoft directly - and they too would want to know about it, too.

During the Monday that followed the Voice Mail I decided to give the movers a call. I gave them my tracing number and was shuffled to a manager in the lost items group. We talked for a bit about what was missing and what happened. She asked me for a description of all three items, which I gave her, and she told me that she would start to track down the specific movers that handled the move and see where everything ended. I find this to be an odd suggestion since they told me that they had done this already, but OK whatever. I guess the list of "all possible people" to check grows the higher up the food chain you are.

She also tells me that this problem is one of her top priorities and that her, and her manager, were on the case now. I expressed my thanks to this, but she didn't stop there - she quickly shot herself in the foot. "Boy, I wish I had gotten this information sooner..." I quickly pushed back that this was their idea and that I don't really care why it was later than normal - not my problem. I got her off the phone and went back to work.

A couple of days after that, the same manager calls me back to tell me that she had a little bit of hope: all of the other stuff that came over from the east coast was now in a vault. Not in storage, but in a vault, and would be there for a while. Um, OK - first I've heard of that, but whatever. She then asked me for a description of the items, again. Now, call me crazy, but what the hell? Four time I've had to describe these items to two different people, and these are the people that are supposed to be looking for them? Argh!

She then went on to say that it would take a couple of weeks before she could get over to this vault, with some guys, to check it out - something about how time had to be scheduled and she screwed up her ankle and that I would hear from them on the 10th [of September]. Meaning, wait another couple of weeks. I offered to look with them, but she deflected that... before she hung up, she let me know that I should still fill out a claim for my losses and get that in, since there's only a certain amount of time that I can wait before filing.

I spent some quality time with IE and my printer... found the original album, bowling stuff, bass stuff... that came to like $300+... and then - what to do about the irreplaceable pictures? Hm. I figured that $500 a picture sounded OK. After all, how much is a lost "tangible memory" worth to someone? And there were 50 pictures in the album, so there you go. Made for a $25,300+ claim.

I sent it into the insurance company, but I didn't hear anything much back from them. I didn't expect to hear anything from the movers for another couple of weeks, but they surprised me. At some point around 5pm last night, my hip started to vibrate and sing to me, letting me know that I have a call. Unknown number, but who cares on a cell? It was the manager's manager - my direct contact was still out with the ankle problem - and he had some good news: he thinks that they found the lock box and the bowling bag! I remain calm, as he starts to ask me questions about what they look like (again) and he tells me that they were in a local storage area - um, OK... again, wasn't this checked already, given the letter and prior conversations? And ask him "what about the bass case?" He doesn't know what I'm talking about. !! So I thank him and we decide that the movers will bring it by my house tomorrow (meaning today) at 5:30.

Happy! Happy! Joy! Joy! They found the stuff! They found the stuff! They found the stuff! Annnnnnnd, this is where it gets funny.

I get a call today at 10:55am - "Hi, we've got your stuff for you - you'll be home in 35 minutes, right?" Um. Blink. Blink. No...? I thought 5:30? "Oh, they didn't tell us what time to deliver it so we'll see you are your house, unless you want us to leave it for you?" I believe the expression "NO FREAKING WAY" popped out. I zip home. Takes three phone calls to get the guys on my side of the complex and since I live on a square block, I'm unsure what to think of that. Then the movers themselves get there, all chatty and happy to return my stuff, and they say "Gee, we tried to deliver this stuff to you at the temp housing in Seattle, and they told us that you didn't live there anymore so we didn't know what to do with them!"

Riiiiiight. People need to talk less out here, I think... they only dig deeper holes when they speak.

I'm taking this as a glass is 3/4 full. I have to and I willingly doing so! I got my photo album - I got my school award. I got my bowling crap and I've got a claim in still for the bass stuff. I've even got an extra award on the way, since my University was kind enough to replace it for me (and it's too late to cancel the order). And I'm watching a thunderstorm in Redmond, even though thunderstorms don't happen in Redmond! Even on the day after the biggest loss in Yankees history, things are looking pretty good - sorry George, but even I can't stay mad at them after all this other stuff happening in one day.

Lastly, this is the 500th post on this Blog... may the Ranting continue!