So, we've shifted into our new house. It rocks. Getting there was a bit of a mission though, and there's a number of companies that need to be singled out for special mention, for cluelessness, lack of customer service, and general stupidity. Just to be clear: these are all, in the end, relatively minor matters. Our cats are fine, we're fine, and the house is intact. But the number of issues is annoying, and frankly:
1) I need to rant
2) These companies need some public shaming (even if it's only shamed on my paltry little website).
Mentioned herein are good things about State Insurance, bad things about Sky TV and Telecom NZ, and terrible things about Crown Relocations.
Bouquets go to:
State Insurance. They got a couple of minor details wrong that needed correction, but largely managed to get the process right. They were helpful on the phone, and didn't mind me calling in the last week to check everything out.
Brickbats to:
Sky TV: When we paused our service when we left Dunedin, they decided that they'd *immediately* drop the direct debit. So we get a bill in the mail whinging at us for not paying the last months service. . Then we got a bill ($520) for not returning the decoder, which they told us we could keep, bring up with us, and plug in when we got here. Twice. The second time was *after* we'd called up and cleared it with them again.
Telecom: Did much the same thing as Sky on the direct debit. Somehow, we managed to submit an online request to change the authority to our new account at just the right second to fall through the cracks. Our old direct debit authority was stopped, the new one didn't get put in place. The first we know about it was when we rang up to sort our reconnection (about a month out from shifting in to our new house), and they said we owed them $X + penalties for not paying our bill. We told them to get bent, and they sorted out the penalties (ok, they sorted out their mistake, so that's tolerable). Still annoying.
Then, when Julie-Ann calls up to cancel the temporary pre-paid account we were on while shifting, that we set up so she could keep her e-mail address, they tell us they can't put her e-mail address back into the system because it's got a hyphen in it. This is the e-mail address she's been using for >5 years. This isn't because e-mail in general can't handle hyphens, it's just some stupid front end system of theirs (at a guess). Some database, or some clueless programmer who decided no-one could ever want hyphens in e-mail addresses, despite having at least one example already live. Idiots.
Crown Relocations: And we come to the true topper of the bunch. To be fair, most of our stuff was fine, and the people we've dealt with have been courteous and efficient. The ones we've met, at any rate. However: We have 3 desks; they're of the "flat pack"/"self-assembled" kind. All 3 went into the shipping container at our end. While in storage, they must have needed the container for other purposes, so took our stuff out and repacked it into 4 big wooden storage boxes. No problem with that in concept. However, in the process, they (presumably) couldn't fit all 3 desks in, in their constructed form. So they broke 2 of them down.
At this point it's guess work, but it looks like no-one there had an Allen-key or hex-head screwdriver to properly remove the screws. So they just ripped them apart. No wood responds well to that, especially not chipboard; when we got them, we could push the screws in and out of the corresponding hole without undue resistance. There's nothing left in the old holes for the screws to grip onto. Other protruding prongs that go into locking nuts were bent sideways/ripped out from poor storage. Other protruding bits have been ripped out as well, presumably when they didn't bother unlocking the locking nuts first.
Now not only did they do this once, they did it *repeatedly*. Two desks. At least a half dozen joints on which they did this. They didn't do it to one, say "oops", and stop. No, they continued. Two desks, now little better than firewood.
This isn't just travel damage, of which there was a bit on two other items (as pretty much expected on a full house load move). This is wanton stupidity/arrogance/grounds for termination. I think a beating is in order, just for the sheer aggravation it's caused.
Then it gets better. We ask for the forms to make an insurance claim (yes, we paid a reasonable amount for insurance). They want, amongst other things, a "written professional estimate" for repairs. I'll give you a professional estimate, as a human being with a brain: "You deliberately broke them. Replace them". And we can't buy new ones straight away, and get them to pay for them if they decide to acknowledge the claim (or take the cost ourselves if they don't). And it might take up to 60 days, during which my computer monitor sits on the filing cabinet, the mouse at arms length, and the keyboard on my lap. I wonder if I can claim for induced RSI?
I'm beginning to think it's not an insurance claim anyway, because of the deliberate nature of the damage. It's like someone taking a sledgehammer to something while it's in their care, then telling you to claim on your insurance. Screw 'em.
My, this has been fun. So, everyone: Don't use Crown Relocations. The staff at Seaview have a wanton disregard for your property. Good luck getting it all back intact.