Everything was planned to go down yesterday so once J left for work I shifted things around to make room for the second fridge and was very excited to get it all done. I then walked the kids to school as usual and walked the dog. I relaxed the rest of the morning and went and got the kids from school and we had lunch. Then Mom, M and I went to Nice Lady's house and paid her for the fridge. The movers were late so Nice Lady and I chatted about stuff for a half hour until they arrived. It was a pleasant visit and I will do my best to focus on that instead of how the rest of the day went when I think about yesterday in the future.
The movers arrived a half hour late and loaded the fridge onto the van but then there was a delay while on of them talked to their boss on the phone, they asked for money so I gave them the $60 that they guy had told me. I went to find out what was taking the guy on the phone so long and he got off the phone and handed me a bill for $221!!! I flipped "I don't have this! Your boss told me $60!" the guy got his boss back on the phone and I proceeded to tell him the same thing; "You said $60 to move the fridge! It's a 10 km room, what is this?!?" So he says "I meant $60 deposit." I hung up on him and proceeded to tell the guys to take my fridge off their van and that I wanted my $60 back. Of course I used a few swearwords and this was at the top of my voice. The one guy was trying to get me to be quiet but I kept yelling. They took my fridge back off their van and refused to give me my $60 back and still handed me the $221 bill and had the gall to say I still owed that!!! I ripped it in half, crumpled it into a ball and threw it on the ground and told them to get out of my sight.
I was so mad I was shaking like a leaf, as you can imagine. I apologized to Nice Lady several times during and after my yelling at the crooked movers and told her I would be back for the fridge as soon as I could either yesterday or today. Nice Lady was very nice about the whole deal even though I had just thrown a huge fit in her driveway in her neighbourhood. I hope she knows how much I appreciate her kindness both in selling me the fridge and putting up with the confusion over pickup.
I got in the car where Mom and M were waiting and burst into tears(why do we women always have to cry when we're angry?!) and told her what had happened and then said "I'm sorry! What a mess!! Just take me home!!". On the way home I did my best to calm down but it wasn't easy. When I got home I called a couple of my friends to see who was around to help - one of them had offered to help me move the fridge and told me to cancel the movers on Friday and I didn't, now I wish I had! No one was home and Mom suggested we get my Grandfather to rent U-Haul van and a fridge dolly and move it ourselves so that is what we ended up doing.
We got the van and headed back to Nice Lady's house, luckily she was there as it was time to get kids at school by then, we left M at my friend J's house(Thanks again J!) and I had left a note for my other two when they got home. Once there Nice Lady said her husband had decided to pick up the kids at school so she was home, finally some luck! I'll tell you now; fridges are heavy - very heavy. With some help from Mom I got the fridge up the ramp and into the van and together we secured it so it wouldn't move while we drove. With a final apology and big thank you to Nice Lady we were on our way at last with my fridge!
Of course with anything getting it on the van is only half the job. I knew it was going to be way harder to haul the fridge up the 4 stairs into the house and swing it around and get into the kitchen. My house is very hard to get things into, although you'd never know it with the amount of stuff we have in here! Once up on the small back deck and nearly falling down the yard stairs we got the fridge swung around to go into the back room off the kitchen only to find that the door was in the way. So we removed the back door and were able to get the fridge into the back room. Once again we had to swing it around to get it thru the kitchen doorway but finally it was in!
I will tell you now yesterday I was tested to the limits of my temper as well as my strength. It took me every ounce of determination to pull that fridge up those 4 stairs and I will never move another fridge into or out of a house ever again and the next time a friend offers to help me I'll take it!!
Total costs: Fridge $100, To get the fridge home $110(60 to bad movers - 50 to U-Haul). I learn some expensive lessons $Priceless.
Okay now for the fun part; Pictures!!
The back room before moving stuff:
The back room after moving stuff:
My kitchen now(if you want before shots look at my House Tour Blog):
And a bad shot of me - I look at touch insane but I was going for very tired/happy/hope J doesn't yell at me:
I spent this morning cleaning my old fridge(which is the smaller one in the shots - the new one is where the old one was) and putting all the food where I want it. I have a hard time believing I had all that food in only one 18 cubic foot fridge.
Here are the final shots of both fridges:
And that's the whole story!!
Cass :)
6 comments:
Yay for fridges! And I'll send one of my drawings to avenge those $60 you got cheated out of. ^.^ Aren't I spedcial?
Wow. Couple of thoughts:
If I had 2 fridges, I'd be neurotic about where stuff went - and would never find anything as my family is not the same kind of neurotic. "Condiments in the right door, sauces in the left door..."
Twice the space to hang kids' drawings!
You do look tired/insane in that picture. :p
Here's what Nice Lady has in her blog today:
Glad to be rid of it all!
You may remember me posting that I got a new fridge from that bonus check at work. This, of course, left me with a fridge too many. Not one to waste anything, I posted an ad that I wanted to sell it cheaply and someone responded. She seemed perfectly sane in writing, but boy howdy, she was a pip! She came over with her mom and a small girl and I wondered how useful either of them would be in moving a heavy fridge. The lady said her movers should be along shortly, so I spent nearly an hour waiting for them. I made her tea - what else could I do? When they arrived, she had a problem with the expense and instead of paying the cost (she was getting a working fridge fairly cheaply!) she made a huge scene in my yard. I'm sure to be the talk of the neighbors by tomorrow. What with after my drunken uncle peed on the bushes after Thanksgiving (see blog from November). She then sent the movers away!?! I had things to do and didn't plan to hang out waiting for the fridge to go. So she leaves and I wait for a ...I don't know, something telling me what's up. She comes back, wiping away tears (I think she was off her meds) and says she's getting her grandfather (?) to rent a truck and she'll be back. About an hour of waiting later, she comes back and takes the blasted fridge away. Sometimes it just doesn't pay to chew through the restraints in the morning.
ROFL
LOL FF - you had me fooled for a moment even though I just approved this comment and knew it was from you! I sent a link of this Blog to Nice Lady and was scratching my head over stuff that didn't happen LOL. Silly me - I must still be recovering!
Thanks, though, as usual you totally made my day(and aren't you glad I didn't call you in tears yesterday?) :)
Cass :)
Hey Cass, I've been reading your blog since you started it and am just now commenting (I'm such lurker by heart). I'm sorry you got ripped off by the movers - some people just suck!
Having 2 refrigerators is good thing though. I wish I had 2, but alas I've only got one. During the winter months I use the garage to store stuff in - it's attached to the house and is very cold October through March 1st. I do have a large upright deep freeze. I have no idea what I would do if I didn't have that.
I do have one question - what did J say about the whole thing? And where's the picture of the two beds made from one - I'm curious!
Julie
Julie,
It's nice to meet you and thanks for reading, I often wonder just how many people read this but have deicded that whoever does, does and let it go:)
On the up side the mover's ad that ripped me off is no longer on my local Kijiji but I will keep an eye out for the phone number for the next couple of months.
J is not overly thrilled at the two fridges deal but since I am very very happy he has decided to live with it. I think it was all the sneaking around I did to get the fridge that bothers him most so I have sworn I will not do that again as it seems to damage his his trust in me.
I plan on re-posting the tour of the house soon since things have changed quite a bit since the first tour, you'll see the beds then(and the room that A now shares with his Nana).
Also a note to semele/FF: I am neurotic about where stuff goes but everyone knows how I want it because I actually posted pictures with labels on the door of each fridge :)
For those of you who don't know Kira/K is my oldest spawn. Thanks for posting baby :)
WOW! That was great. I love your basket method. I may steal that idea from you. Thanks for giving me the link to this post. I am impressed at how organized you are.
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