Alex Moving and Storage, Santa Ana California

Time for a rant!

 

As some of you may know, we recently relocated to the midwest from Southern California. One of my major concerns during the move was my firearms collection, which is worth somewhere around 20-30,000 dollars. So I contacted the NRA to find out who they recommend. Low and behold, the NRA has a program for members through North American Van Lines (An affiliate out of Pennsylvania actually, who I want to say up front, BEAR NO RESPONSIBILITY IN ANY OF THIS... the Pittsburgh group was AWESOME throughout this entire fiasco....). However, the way it works is, they coordinate the move through your local N.A.V.L., which in my case was ALEX MOVING AND STORAGE OUT OF SANTA ANA CA.

 

I got MULTIPLE quotes (About a doze actually) and theirs was very competitive (not the lowest, but about $1500 lower than the highest bid) and they seemed to be the most friendly regarding the guns (The ammo had to be shipped via UPS- Let me know if you ever need to do this, Im an expert now).

 

 

So the day of the move came and all night I was thinking "I hope all our shit fits on the truck, I hope all our shit fits in the truck". The morning of the move comes, and they show up with an ENORMOUS truck, and immediately my fears are assuaged.... Until they open the truck doors.... And I realize, HALF THE fcuking TRUCK IS FILLED WITH SOMEBODY ELSES SHIT!

 

 

I immediately say "Whoa... Is all of our shit going to fit on this truck?" "No problem my friend.... We get it all in..." (yeah, not a one of them speak more than a few words of english).

 

By three that afternoon and multiple assurances that they will "get it all in" it becomes painfully clear that unless the truck is made out of a whale penis that grows fifteen feet when you blow on it, there is no way in hell all our crap is fitting on that truck.... And they need a second truck to get our crap on it.. Keep in mind... We are on a plane the next morning at 9 AM. At this ppoint they begin DISASSEMBLING every piece of furniture in hopes of fitting it all on.... Even furniture that doesnt come apart.... They take apart a 500 dollar TV stand that was NEVER meant to be taken apart, and begin shoving the pieces in various parts of the truck.... My sons bike is taken apart and the pieces shoved in the cab on the passenger seat.... Our mattresses are CRAMMED in the belly where they store the ramps, and somebody else's mattress is tied to the back of the trailer! If you live in Minnesota, and recently moved with alex moving and storage, your bed spent at least some part of the trip on the OUTSIDE of the truck....

 

 

Finally another small truck shows up and they shove the rest of the stuff on that truck.... Including all the parts of the shit theyve broken into fifty million pieces...

 

This was Monday, the 15th. We were told the first truck of stuff would be there on Thursday, and the second on Saturday.

 

Thursday comes and goes.... No truck... On friday a guy calls to say he will be there Sunday.... With "most" of our stuff... Our load has been broken down into 19000 pounds and 4500 pounds, each on different trucks. I call the people at alex. They had estimated my weight at 16000 pounds.... And it came in at 24000 pounds... And "this never happens". Well... You saw it all... You gave the quote... And I didnt move anybody ELSES SHIT! In fact, we left the washer, dryer, and BBQ grill that we originally asked you to include in the quote.... HOW MUCH DO THOSE THINGS WEIGH???? How the fcuk is this my fault? Luckily I got the "not to exceed quote" but even given that was asked if I was interested in "paying more money?" "Not really."

 

 

Sunday arrives... At 8 AM three guys show up to help move....

 

One is this REALLY nice (or so I thought) black guy from Louisville.

 

One is a fairly nice backwoods redneck.... Who it turns out has CEREBRAL PALSY AND CANT ACTUALLY LIFT ANYTHING HEAVIER THAN ABOUT 2 POUNDS! What the fcuking fcuk? Im all for hiring the handicapped, but you have to actually be able to PERFORM THE JOB! I shouldn't look at "the mover" and my 80 year old mother in law, and hand her the heavy ass box because I feel sorry for YOU and know you'll just drop it anyways!

 

 

The third we will refer to as "Surly white guy." He's big. Hes somewhat strong... But he shows up pissed.... Like he's doing this gig as part of work release. He doesnt want to be there....

 

I find out that the three have been tossed this gig through a temp agency... And that at least a few of them are doing it to satisfy court ordered child support obligations.

 

 

I call the truck driver.... And every time I call him I get "I'll be there in 45 minutes".

 

The truck finally pulls up at noon. And tells me he wont drive up our quarter of a mile driveway.... Mind you, a house is being built up here, and they routinely get semi trucks up and down the hills.... "So what do we do?" "I dunno... you get a uhaul and we unload on Monday?" "Oh... Ok... are you going to be here tomorrow?" "NO.... I in michigan tomorrow..." "And my shit will be with you?" "Yes... but Its a big move... I have to get your stuff off first.." "What the fcuking fcuk?" So I start calling UHAUL... Its noon... On SUNDAY... Finally I find a truck in Southeast Louisville, 90 minutes away round trip.... So I haul ass over and get it... And we start unloading into the truck onto the UHAUL at about 1PM... My neighbor's brother owns a towing service in town, and he sends a flatbed over.... We fill the Uhaul TWICE. The flatbed ONCE and refill the UHAUL halfway a third time.... And trek it up the fcuking hill... All the while the excuse being used for NOT driving the truck is that if he gets stuck he will have to call a tow truck to get him UNSTUCK (and the wrecker owner is right there telling him, YOU WONT GET STUCK AND IF YOU DO, ILL GET YOU OUT FOR FREE!").

 

Now... All my shit is sitting in my front yard.... And rain is coming.... Its now 4pm... And the three helpers inform everybody that "they are leaving." WTF? Cripple red neck informs us that he "has a birthday party to go to." Im like "yeah, good riddance.... Youre worthless anyway..." But the nice black guy, who has volunteered to stay is his ride.... So I lose him too... I offer him and surly white guy double what theyre making to stay and finish, and he says "No... Ive been here all day, its sunday, fcuk this".

 

The driver, who up till now I have hated with a hot hot heat tells them if they leave they dont get paid.... They have two more hours of work to do to get the shit IN THE HOUSE.... FIGHT BREAKS OUT BETWEEN THE DRIVER AND THE WORKERS.... With "nice black guy" threatening to SHOOT the driver... Luckily as shit started to go south, I started calling in extra help and had three people to help, including my brother in law, the Indiana State Police Detective.... The workers fly out of the yard, and the rest of us get the shit in the house in ONE HOUR (I have no idea how....) before the rain opens up on us... AND IT OPENS UP!

 

 

So for three weeks my shit is sitting in a wharehouse in Santa Ana and Im calling asking Alex Moving when the rest of my shit will get here.... And Im told "its summer, all the trucks are booked." Well... YEAH.... BUT I BOOKED AND PAID FOR ALL MY SHIT TO GET HERE.... not just some of it...

 

Finally Pennsylvania took over... And yesterday, the rest of my shit was delivered.... Almost a month after getting picked up... But yesterdays move went well... it looks like we actually got all our stuff... And yesterdays driver was AWESOME (for the record, he also said he wouldn't drive his rig up the hill, but I already had a uhaul and it all fit in one trip... he arrived ON TIME, and we were done by noon.)

 

So yeah.... Thanks to Alex it was a PAIN IN THE ASS MOVE.... but it does look like they kept all my shit together (even the shit I have to rebuild which amazingly Im figuring out how to do). But we're here, we're in, and its pretty fcuking awesome up here.... Wait til you fuckers see my garage....

I truly feel for you. There is NOTHING worse than a shitty cross country move. Not too dissimilar from your experience, I once had to call the cops to break up a fight between two movers that I had hired. I even once had a woman leave the job because her water broke. Enjoy the new digs and pour yourself a strong one and put this in the rear view mirror.

I know and feel your pain, been there done that.

 

Buffalo NY to Atlanta GA move 1 dog, 1 cat, 1 boat, 7 cars and the rest of our household shit.

We broke down in Berea KY where I had to find, beg and plead to rent another U-haul to transfer all of our shit from one to another on a Memorial day weekend. After which we continued on the 350 mile to Atlanta to off load turn around and drive back the 350 miles to Berea as I had to return the U-haul that I begged and pleaded for as it was committed to another person. If I did not return it I would have screwed up some other movers arrangement plus I would be out another weeks rent as I had to promise and prepay the 2 day rent as well as the following weeks rental / security deposit just in case I didn't make it back.

 

Needless to say my first week at the new job was a bit of a challenge.

I will never move again as the move we did about 2 years ago will be the last for me.

If and when I move again it will be to a pine box and six of my friends will be doing all the work.

Moving sucks. Especially cross-country. I recently realized I've moved six times in the past five years, ugh. Glad you guys made it safe and sound though. Expect visitors from the north in your future

http://gripevine.com/node/20905380

 

what a disaster, the moving business is nasty, my neighbor was in it, very shady, he even tried to put together a reality TV show and asked if he could borrow the lambo, GFL!

You are not alone!

 

http://www.yelp.com/biz/alex-moving-and-storage-santa-ana

Oh man that would suck! In regards to movers (labor) - if you have nice furniture and large peices you need to have movers with experience in packing, unpacking, and carrying. How the heck does a moving company hire people that are not "movers"???

Moving sucks ass, but glad you made it safe and sound. Crack open some moonshine and enjoy your new home!

To where in the MidWest did you move?

 

And yes, there is no such thing as a pleasant move!

What a nightmare. How you restrained yourself from inflicting great bodily harm on at least two of the participants in the story is beyond me.

 

Hopefully the worst part is over now E and the rest of the overall process (finishing the house) will be easier.

I just moved myself for 6 or 7 months until my new house will be done, I only moved one street up but it still absolutely sucked, I can not imagine multiplying it by 1000 to put myself in your shoes, I TRULY feel very sorry for you!

The moving company you contracted sounds like the most useless moving company in the world! Glad to hear that in the end it all worked out!

Roman, you should name this "My Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Move!" Glad that it all worked out though, that sounds like the moving company from hell.

 

My family had to move a few times and I've helped my dad move twice over the past few years. The movers both times with him were very nice though. The first set of them my dad said, "You guys treat me nice and I'll tip you well." They treated him nice and he tipped them well For his second move, it was some big guy with a huge gut and his two sons. His name was Lou. Aside from the fact that he took a huge dump in my father's bathroom and stunk up the place to high heaven, he and his sons were fine movers though and very friendly. Sometimes though, it can be the opposite, as in you have nice decent movers, and some real assholes for the customers.

 

What we would always do is move all the small stuff ourselves and just leave the big furniture for the movers. Anything else was packed in easy-to-move boxes for the movers. Makes the move quicker as well. I hate moving though.

Sorry to hear RD. My girlfriend is about to move, albeit with far less stuff and a much shorter distance. I could recommend local movers - but cross country is a whole different ballgame.

 

How are the mosquitos down there?

Seems like it would've been easier buying a truck and trailer and doing the move yourself. I don't understand how companies can continue function like this

What a nightmare. How you restrained yourself from inflicting great bodily harm on at least two of the participants in the story is beyond me.

 

Hopefully the worst part is over now E and the rest of the overall process (finishing the house) will be easier.

 

 

Well.... We're now unpacking so we have this huge pile of boxes out in the "driveway".... In orange county this would mean me cutting up boxes and putting them out in "recycling" for the next 10 weeks....

 

Here, I went down to "Tanners" country store.... Bought a 55 gallon drum and the guy said "if you want to burn stuff in it, you'll need to put holes in the bottom...." No problemo... I could sit there with a drill for an hour... Instead I Pull out the Mark 11 mod zero, three shots later I have six perfect holes in the bottom and am burning boxes faster than I can unpack them

To where in the MidWest did you move?

 

And yes, there is no such thing as a pleasant move!

 

Sorry to hear RD - hope you get settled quickly and love everything about the new place and can forget the move.

 

WrongO D.Wiggs!

 

After a VERY bad move - lots of items damaged, broken or MIA - I decided to find out who moves Bob S. He was the most demanding person I'd ever met - a senior VP in the company I worked for. His wife was equally demanding (I was surprised when I met her cause I figured he'd be with someone more "mousy"). I was told Clark and Reid out of Boston moved all the senior people.

 

Clark and Reid did our move from Annapolis to Pittsburgh and it was the best experience. Almost flawless. The guys were great. The same guys who packed us also drove the truck, delivered and unpacked. They were friendly, respectful and careful with our things. They were the complete opposite of the first crew (with United) who moved us from Annapolis to Pittsburgh (a few years earlier).

 

It was a very expensive way to move, but I would recommend Clark & Reid to anyone. They are out of Billerica MA. It's been 12 years since our move so I have no idea if things have changed - but they were awesome!

 

We moved 7 times in 20 years, and four of the moves were in 7 years. Clark and Reid was by far the best. I have no affiliation - just a very satisfied customer.

 

http://www.clarkreid.com/

Well.... We're now unpacking so we have this huge pile of boxes out in the "driveway".... In orange county this would mean me cutting up boxes and putting them out in "recycling" for the next 10 weeks....

 

Here, I went down to "Tanners" country store.... Bought a 55 gallon drum and the guy said "if you want to burn stuff in it, you'll need to put holes in the bottom...." No problemo... I could sit there with a drill for an hour... Instead I Pull out the Mark 11 mod zero, three shots later I have six perfect holes in the bottom and am burning boxes faster than I can unpack them

 

You're a natural redneck. Welcome home

RD-

 

Have to say, I quite enjoyed the story because I just moved too so I can feeeeeel your pain. Went from a 4 car 700 sq ft garage with all the bells and whistles to a 3 car garage with no storage. BUT, I am on over an acre so future garage is looking good!

 

Hope all the pieces fit back together and the home settles quick. I am still unpacking two weeks later. I HATE moving!

 

 

Sorry to hear about the trouble RD! Glad you are finally moved in though and congrats again on your new home! I do business with a huge defense contractor in Louisville so maybe Ill be able to visit you sometime. Cant wait to see pics of the new property and digs!

One is this REALLY nice (or so I thought) black guy from Louisville.

 

One is a fairly nice backwoods redneck.... Who it turns out has CEREBRAL PALSY AND CANT ACTUALLY LIFT ANYTHING HEAVIER THAN ABOUT 2 POUNDS! What the fcuking fcuk? Im all for hiring the handicapped, but you have to actually be able to PERFORM THE JOB! I shouldn't look at "the mover" and my 80 year old mother in law, and hand her the heavy ass box because I feel sorry for YOU and know you'll just drop it anyways!

 

 

The third we will refer to as "Surly white guy." He's big. Hes somewhat strong... But he shows up pissed.... Like he's doing this gig as part of work release. He doesnt want to be there....

 

Did the redneck guy say anything about a flux capacitor? It could have been megachad and his friend lol

http://www.lambopower.com/forum/index.php?...t&p=1055115

You're a natural redneck. Welcome home

 

 

Its a BOXOCAUST!

Don't know how you kept your composure throughout the whole ordeal, but glad everything is done and over with. Now you get to have more fun unpacking and decorating your new home. Congrats on the house. Can't wait to see the garage.

At least you're HOME. Sorry about the ordeal, but now it's time to kick back and relax. (Well, sort of, now it's time to organize)

You're a natural redneck. Welcome home

 

 

Be glad it is done and they didn't Fup or loose your stuff. Most people I talk to that have moving stories like that end up missing a bunch of stuff. My in laws had the moving truck "hit a tree", there stuff was 3 weeks late and half was destroyed. Then you gotta deal with insurance and replace all your shit. Hope everything else goes smoothly, KY should be a bit more laid back for ya.