Some of you know by now that I am a new resident of Santa Rosa, in the heart of California’s Wine Country!
Yes, I’ve left my beloved San Diego (not to mention kids and grandkids)
to return to my native Northern California – although my roots are in a direct
line from Santa Rosa to the state’s eastern border county, El Dorado, in the Gold Country – Sonoma
County borders the ocean, and that works for me.
The ambivalent decision to move so
far from my loved ones was not made lightly. However, cousins Ron (like my
brother) and Jimmy (it’s his childhood home!) made a roommate offer I couldn’t
refuse. (Think of us as The Golden Girls
of Three’s Company.
LOL!)
Although no one of retirement age
wants to move – what an odious project at best – I’m hoping it will provide
more time to work on my writing. Timing is everything …
You've heard of Murphy's Law,
right? "Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong." Ol' Murphy just
LOVES me.
The plans were set – all was in
order to move. Penske rental
truck reserved, help on the way, 90% of “stuff” still in storage/boxes from
earlier this year – easy-peasy, right? Ah, Mr. Murphy had his own plans …
The
Move from Hell …
Of course, we expect some things
to go wrong when moving, and exhaustion dogs us. But consider this:
First, my laptop – which holds most
of my current files – died the night before we were to pack up. NO, I had not backed
up in MONTHS … I KNOW how stupid that was … I’m sore from kicking myself.*
Sunday, 10/27, Penske/San Diego cost
VALUABLE time, taking nearly two hours for the transaction to pick up the 16’
truck. The clerk charged the wrong card, tried to reverse the process – keep in
mind banks deduct immediately but take two-three days to add it back into your
account – and she didn't advise me of her actions. **I did not have the card
with me that she charged, which caused transaction issues between my bank and
Penske’s processing system.
Since this was Sunday, the location manager
allowed the truck to go out (believe me, with an irate and frazzled Irish woman
standing in front of him he had no choice) and we’d figure it out on Monday when
I returned to add the car carrier for my Jeep.
We finished packing storage much later than we'd planned because of Penske’s delay, and realized the last room of stuff was not going to fit … sigh … I’d relied on Penske’s estimation. Visions of George Carlin’s shtick on “stuff” danced through my head.
Carlos, the lead worker from Santa Rosa
offered to pull a trailer for the rest. So …
Monday morning … moving day …
Penske took another hour-and-a-half
to resolve the charge issue, crediting me with discounts for time wasted and
probably to get me out of there. I was calm, but firm.
However, they don’t rent trailers. They
sent us to the nearest U-Haul which didn't
have the right size. Yep, Mr. Murphy was still hanging ‘round. We were sent
another seven miles east for the trailer.
Finally, truck and trailer were
packed up and ready to head out about 2:00p. Late again, thank you, Penske; at
this point we just hoped to get over the Grapevine north
of Los Angeles, before stopping for the night.
Ya know how it NEVER rains in Southern California? … only when I move …
Not only did rain arrive that hadn’t
been on the radar when I last looked four days ago, but snow for the Grapevine
was a possibility. Ron and I agreed we’d take the long way around the higher
mountains, since we were fully loaded and towing a two-ton Jeep.
About two-thirds of the way to
Mojave, our evening destination, the rain ran right through the Penske truck’s
weatherstripping that stretches above our heads, across the length of the truck
and binds the truck cab to its box.
Yep – we were rained on INSIDE the
cab. I only wished that Mr. Murphy was sitting on the seat next to me – so
his
shirt could be cold and wet, too! We didn’t turn the heater on because falling
asleep at the wheel was a distinct possibility, so we soldiered on.
The rest of my move north proved
relatively uneventful – unless you count unloading the bulk of the truck’s
contents the next evening in my new storage, with fifteen minutes to spare
before “lights out.” And learning that Carlos continued to help us unload
before he finally told us he had to leave, as his seven-year-old son had been
taken to the hospital emergency room for pneumonia! He is better now, but I
wish Carlos had mentioned it earlier.
Now, with all of the hassles and
delays caused by Penske (and Mr. Murphy), I could have simply accepted my
discounts and gone about my business settling in to my new life.
Companies from my move - RATED - below my signature ...
However, scenes of Undercover Boss
circled my brain and I decided Penske's corporate office needed a phone call. Sometimes
it’s important to consider that just because a franchise or branch office is
inept, rude or uncooperative, doesn’t mean their actions reflect the established
policies of their corporate office.
Of course, like so many large
companies who really don’t want to hear from us peons, finding Penske’s
corporate office phone number was a challenge. Ah, but I have the determination
of a Boomer redhead (stop laughing – L’Oreal ensures I still am).
Amy in the Support
Services department was very solicitous and listened intently and without
interruption as I explained the problems, along with what we appreciated – like
there were no mechanical breakdowns. **Two issues were not done according to
their policies, so she appreciated the feedback; and planned to follow up on
the truck’s weatherstripping repair. Ultimately, she authorized a fair partial
refund which I was not expecting, but truly appreciate.
So here I am. Now what? Good
question.
In the next few weeks I’ll
contemplate that question while enjoying the view of a big ol’ oak tree outside
my attic “loft” room, and look forward to thinking without a head-cold. The pitter-patter
of tiny feet on the rooftop precedes a gray squirrel’s leap to a branch. “Ethel”
as Jimmy and Ron call her (and yes, there is a Fred, Lucy & Desi!), soon blends into the majestic tree trunk. I raised
my Korbel in salute.
Speaking of – Cheers to everyone – hope
your life is “Murphy”-free!
Rating My Move
Note:
I rarely award 5 stars; reserved for exemplary actions
Cousins
Ron & Jimmy (& Sharon) – 5+5 stars!
Penske
Truck Rental - 4 stars (see article)
Although
they caused immeasurable delays, their ultimate CS made up for much of it.
Price
Self Storage, San Diego CA - 2 stars
I’d
paid them early for Nov. prior to whirlwind moving decision, but they would not
refund nor prorate ANY of my payment.
Southpoint
Self Storage, Santa Rosa CA – 4 stars
Excellent
CS, working a little OT to accommodate my move-in.
U-Haul
/ trailer rental, San Diego CA – 4 stars
No
complaints – smooth transaction all the way.
Vagabond Inn, San
Diego CA – 3 stars
Low clearance into
parking would not accommodate moving truck; had to park 100’ down; water off
next morning for nearby construction.
Days Inn, Mojave CA –
3 stars
Room could have been
a little cleaner; excellent phone reservation system & CS agent.
*And good news update!
Mr. Murphy’s impish chuckle could be heard as he messed with my mind. The
laptop, apparently tired and/or confused (like me), powered up again like new,
several days into my NorCal residency. Yea! (Though I’ll never truly trust it
again …)
Man, oh, man! So glad you made it safely, LinDee, in spite of that demon Murphy. Abrupt moves seem to be the wave of the future, as this economy teeters along. But what wonderful cousins you have to make the offer and then to bring help for the actual move! San Diego writers will definitely miss you but you'll be writing now, not worrying yourself sick all the time. Yay!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Shirley! Yep - it was an experience. Thank you for your kind words - I'll certainly miss my San Diego author friends (but of course, that's what FB is for!) ... and it's tough leaving my grandkids. But I'm trying to have faith that my books will prove their worth for the sacrifices.
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