Domani, Domani, Domani

Our move is finished and I had a few minutes at work today to write a line or two.

For the love of Mike, don't ever use Three Stars Moving. Book your moves as early as possible so that you don't end up with them. We thought we booked early but still got these idiots. I will file an official written complaint to help out as many as we can. Believe me I will file an official complaint.

They had to be threatened by transportation before they would actually make a pre-inspection appointment. The rest just went downhill from there....

Day 1: They showed at 0945 left one man & picked him up at 1630 after spending 15 minutes talking about the Italy World Cup game that night. He only completed 1/3 of the basement.

Day 2: They showed at 1000 (Yes I called quality control & their office erupted in laughter after finding out who our movers were). This time we got two men but they came and got the second man at 1300 to work at another job to finish them out. They came and our guy at 1630 & promised 4 men for the next day. Our lone man only spoke Italian & I gave him the pet name of Bruno (we think his name was Nunzio, but wasn't sure). Miss T & I had a field day listening and responding in the Italian we remember ( I took it in college, her family is from Sicily). The basement, the kitchen and most of the first floor was completed.

Day 3: They showed at 1100 & apologized as the Autobahn was closed due to an accident and he didn't have a map to figure out where to go. The foreman (Premil) brought two others & the driver. One was named Nico & the other I named Smartmouth. Smartmouth started by carrying an antique tri cornered table in its bubblewrap like it was a shopping bag. This puts stress on the corners as well as the possibility of it dropping onto a corner and breaking. I asked that he please not carry it that way. He told me he wouldn't break it. I snapped that I didn't care that wouldn't break it and to not carry it like that. He ignored me and started to keep walking & the spouse barked that "my wife said not to carry it like that, now carry one thing at a time!" He put it down and came back for it after placing the box on his shoulders outside.

I got to chase Nico all over telling him in Italian to not carry stuff outside without the inventory sticker. At least 20 things had gotten outside without being on the manifest. I shoved the foreman outside and made him inventory it all before it got loaded on the truck. They only had one trailer so only 7 crates could be loaded at a time. They attempted to take off without putting the seals on the backsides of the crates. They claimed that the curtain on that side of the truck was broken. The spouse said he didn't care and climbed right up into the truck & watched them place the back seals on there.

Unfortunately they left us with Nico & Smartmouth to finish packing while they took the crates to their warehouse an hour away. I sat upstairs and watched them pack. At one point I see Smartie putting board games into a suitcase and started to wrap the case. I stopped him and asked politely that he put those in a box. He started to argue again. Finally I told him that if he continued to argue with me I would kick him out of my house. Magically he said it was a misunderstanding and if I wanted them in a box that's where'd they go. I then asked about another suitcase that weighed a ton - "what's in here?" He ignored me and went down to grab a box for the games. When he came back, I asked again and was told that they were pictures. I made him unwrap it so I could see what was there. It was photographs which I guess was okay. Well later on he was talking to Nico and proceeded to make fun of me while I sat there in Italian about making him open the suitcase. Its not that hard to figure it out. I just wanted my HHG shipped so I bit my cheek and went downstairs to make the spouse sit there for a while. He made him upwrap things too and place them in boxes versus stuffing them inbetween shelves of a bookcase.

Finally at 2000 the truck returns (They left at 1530). I had to follow these kids around making them pack crap they kept leaving because they wanted to take the entertainment schrank apart. I sent them away from it everytime. It took from 2000 until 2300 for them to finish loading the trucks. The idiot twins broke a bookcase before it even got on a truck. They placed it on uneven ground & one of them bumped it. It wobbled, I yelled out the window just in time for Nico to turn and just watch it fall. It landed on metal patio furniture and busted right up the side. I think something along the lines of "You frickin' num-nuts." Here comes Smartie with what's wrong. He broke the bookcase I say. Who's bookcase he asks. I answered "duh, MY bookcase." (Not realizing it was a translation error he meant where). The driver gets out of the truck and starts yelling at them something to the effect of don't piss her off anymore than you already have. The Driver apologized but not the idiot twins.

They had to bring a special crate for the E schrank & couldn't get the top to fit. Again Smartie starts telling us how they will build a special crate tomorrow at the warehouse - I said no. He assured us it would be okay, they do it all the time - again I said no. He tried a third time as a plea to my husband and I told him, "The Army has rules and the rules say no, therefore this discussion is over and done with - No!" I hear the drive in Italian ask why they couldn't take it and crate it later and I answered in English that the Army won't allow us to. So he climbs into the crate and acts like a little spreader to push against the wall of the crate and the schrank to make room on the side for the top. It fits. He asks if she thinks that's okay and I answered, " Va bene, mil grazie Signore!" His mouth drops & he asks me how much Italian I speak. I told him 'some' & shot a nasty look to Smartie in the hopes that he'd figure out that I understood his joke he made earlier at my expense.

I can't stress enough that if you are military and you get a mover like this that you file a complaint to both transportation offices! Usually people skip it, but obviously by the quality control office bursting out in laughter they know this company is the pits, but if no one makes an official complaint nothing will happen. So PLEASE complain in WRITING.

Finally our goods are on the way, but not without a nightmare of a week. We are almost home & we're looking forward to it!