Sometimes I really wonder what people are thinking. Since I would venture to guess that at least 51% (how's that for conservative) of the clients we get from Craigslist are hourly emplyoyees, I don't understand why the wage per hour concept escapes them. It is pretty simple math. We have a standard hourly labor cost, and paying for 1 hour of work buys you just that, 1 HOUR!!
Now as far as I know an hour is a pretty standard unit of measure. Maybe I am missing something. If we start a job at 2pm, and we were paid to work for 1hr, then at 3:01 we either stop working or we negotiate for more time. And obviously the added time will be paid for. If an hourly employee had a boss ask them to "clock out" and then finish up I am pretty sure they would be in the HR department by the end of the day. So why do they expect me to be ok with that, when they obviously never would?
These people hire someone to move their belongings for whatever reason. And then suddenly they expect me to be their best friend, and "help them out"....because I obviously love moving furniture (for the record once I get accepted into Car Wash School I am sooo quitting). It's ridiculous. When they call we quote a price "sight unseen" and they KNOW that it is a quote. Half the time they call and say they have to move THAT DAY!! For whatever reason...divorce, bad break up, eviction, etc...gotta be done that day. Then when we somehow manage to accomodate their request, they don't want to hand over any more $$ once we realize that we are going to go over the original time quoted. Even though they have seen us NOT STOP MOVING the entire time, and witnessed us avoiding all the pitfalls and boobytraps that they failed to mention...still somehow it is our fault for not being able to bend the laws of time.
Didn't measure to see if the new fridge would fit...too bad get it done on time.
Forgot to unhook, disassemble, dismantle the furniture to be moved...no problem the movers can do that.
Left everything in the drawers so the dresser is 4Xs as heavy as it should be...no problem as long as it is easier for you.
Doesn't EVERY stove fit in EVERY house?!
Whatever you do don't move ANYTHING out of the way before the movers get there...we love extra work.
And please own a lot of glass things....
Sorry for the mini rant. Got a little off topic. The worst part about the hourly rate is that once the stuff is loaded up, if we run over time and they dont want to pay we are stuck either way. No matter what, we have to unload their stuff. It can be one of the more frustrating parts of the business, and that is saying a lot considering. That is why bigger moving companies have set up fees, and minimums to cover all these issues. In an effort to save people some money, considering the economy, and it usually winds up biting us on the backside...more specifically the wallet.
Quote of the day...."Oh I'm sorry.....I was going to give you guys a tip for your hard work, but I need all this money"
Guess what lady...with all due respect I need that money too....
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Pandora's Box
In Greek myth Pandora's Box was said to contain all evil's in the world. And when curiosity got the best of her, Pandora released that evil into the world.
This storage bin on the other hand seems safe enough. However, for some strange reason, when people go to move they seem to think it is just as magical. Rather than opening it up and releasing evil, the exact opposite phenomenon seems to happen. People, women more often than not (no offense), seem to forget about the earth gravitational pull. Which is ironic, since it is something they use every day to determine their mood, by way of the bathroom scale.
Funny enough though, the same math that adds pounds to the scale every time you gorge yourself on chocolate, also adds weight to the storage bin when you decide to throw all your books from college that you can't bear to part with. Seriously ladies, this happens all the time. Just because those books will fit into ONE container does not mean its a good idea. Remember, you are moving, and that requires MOVING!! Eventually you are going to have to pick the thing up.
I can't tell you how many times we show to move some one and "some boxes" turns out to be a plastic storage bins filled beyond capacity. Then we are expected to move this bin WITHOUT it falling apart. And when it does start to give way under the strain, the laws of physics are suddenly our fault. What's even funnier, or not as it were, is they they usually have multiple bins but they put all the books in just one. Rather than take time to THINK, and spread the weight out so as not to test the limits of construction, all the heavy stuff goes in the same bin. Whenever we get to a new place, in the back of my mind I feel like a contestant on Press Your Luck. Silently repeating, "No whammy...No Whammy....", but whenever I see the bin marked BOOKS my back immediately starts to hurt. All I ask is that you put a little thought into it, but then I know I am asking too much.
This storage bin on the other hand seems safe enough. However, for some strange reason, when people go to move they seem to think it is just as magical. Rather than opening it up and releasing evil, the exact opposite phenomenon seems to happen. People, women more often than not (no offense), seem to forget about the earth gravitational pull. Which is ironic, since it is something they use every day to determine their mood, by way of the bathroom scale.
Funny enough though, the same math that adds pounds to the scale every time you gorge yourself on chocolate, also adds weight to the storage bin when you decide to throw all your books from college that you can't bear to part with. Seriously ladies, this happens all the time. Just because those books will fit into ONE container does not mean its a good idea. Remember, you are moving, and that requires MOVING!! Eventually you are going to have to pick the thing up.I can't tell you how many times we show to move some one and "some boxes" turns out to be a plastic storage bins filled beyond capacity. Then we are expected to move this bin WITHOUT it falling apart. And when it does start to give way under the strain, the laws of physics are suddenly our fault. What's even funnier, or not as it were, is they they usually have multiple bins but they put all the books in just one. Rather than take time to THINK, and spread the weight out so as not to test the limits of construction, all the heavy stuff goes in the same bin. Whenever we get to a new place, in the back of my mind I feel like a contestant on Press Your Luck. Silently repeating, "No whammy...No Whammy....", but whenever I see the bin marked BOOKS my back immediately starts to hurt. All I ask is that you put a little thought into it, but then I know I am asking too much.Monday, July 5, 2010
National Botchulism Week??!
Ok...I was recently discussing the topic of this post with a friend when they pointed out that Botchulism isn't airborne and can only be contracted upon consumption of bad food. However, after further research it is actually possible to contract through an open wound. Honestly, whether it is appropriate to the subject matter or not I just think it is a cool word.
So why was last week National Botchulism Week? Honestly I do not know which Magistrate decided it, as it was not marked on any calendars that I encountered. However, after the events of the week I must assume that some governing body held a secret meeting and decided, at the very least, that it should be celebrated in my small part of the World.
Now I know that primarily advertising on craigslist you are drawing from a certain population. And before I come off as "looking down from my ivory tower"...I am in fact a craigslist person. However, in any group, whether it be religious, political, or cheap people there are always EXTREMES. These pics show some of the extremes. Now I admit that I am NOT a germophobe, and there might be some dust in my current dwelling, however at no time would visitors feel the need to don a Hazmat Suit to safely enter.
Sometimes the smell from these places are so bad, you wonder how the current residents managed to breathe. I mean I know that you can get used to smells over time. When I was younger my grandfather had a farm and I got used to all kinds of barnyard aromas. This doesn’t mean that I wanted to set up a kitchen table in the pig pen and eat lunch. While I am on the subject of foul odors...whenever we come into a house of HEAVY SMOKERS...it is almost as bad. My eyes wind up watering, and I usually feel like crap for the rest of the day. I still don't get how people enjoy that, but then that is another subject for another day.
I just hope, in vain I'm sure, that National Botchulism Week only comes once this year. Getting a tetanus shot once a month is painful, and bathing in antibacterial lotion is pricey.
So why was last week National Botchulism Week? Honestly I do not know which Magistrate decided it, as it was not marked on any calendars that I encountered. However, after the events of the week I must assume that some governing body held a secret meeting and decided, at the very least, that it should be celebrated in my small part of the World.
Now I know that primarily advertising on craigslist you are drawing from a certain population. And before I come off as "looking down from my ivory tower"...I am in fact a craigslist person. However, in any group, whether it be religious, political, or cheap people there are always EXTREMES. These pics show some of the extremes. Now I admit that I am NOT a germophobe, and there might be some dust in my current dwelling, however at no time would visitors feel the need to don a Hazmat Suit to safely enter.
Sometimes the smell from these places are so bad, you wonder how the current residents managed to breathe. I mean I know that you can get used to smells over time. When I was younger my grandfather had a farm and I got used to all kinds of barnyard aromas. This doesn’t mean that I wanted to set up a kitchen table in the pig pen and eat lunch. While I am on the subject of foul odors...whenever we come into a house of HEAVY SMOKERS...it is almost as bad. My eyes wind up watering, and I usually feel like crap for the rest of the day. I still don't get how people enjoy that, but then that is another subject for another day.
I just hope, in vain I'm sure, that National Botchulism Week only comes once this year. Getting a tetanus shot once a month is painful, and bathing in antibacterial lotion is pricey.
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