people getting ripped off by moving companies.

No way. It couldn't happen. Could it?

When SWMBO made the move from California to Alaska, she hired an apparently reputable company to do the move. They came by her place, took a quick look around told here it would cost somewhere around $3800.

Then a few weeks later, the movers showed up, started packing things into boxes, and "Golly, some of this stuff is a lot heavier than we thought. It'll probably cost you more like $6,000." Swallow hard, there just is no TIME to change things -- we're on the way to the empeg meet in the Netherlands in just a few days, so... what can we do?

Now we're in New York, getting ready to catch the plane to Europe the next morning, and we get a phone call. "We have everything all packed and in our warehouse, we've weighed it, and the cost will be just over $12,000." Much argument and loud voices ensued -- but there was nothing to be done -- it really did weigh that much, and no moving company would have moved that much to Alaska for anything less. For $2500, they would have put it all back in the condominium. Not an option, it was being renovated preparatory to being rented.

Finally the stuff arrived in Alaska. Actually, it got there before we did. Well, some of it arrived, anyway. By our rough calculations, there was about $10,000 worth of items that somehow got lost along the way. And by the most amazing coincidence, without exception every single item that got lost was valuable, untraceable, and easily salable. Things like a 200-disk CD collection, a $400 sleeping bag, a computer, a stereo system, some expensive winter clothes, you get the idea.

She had $3000 damage/loss insurance on the lot, never imagining they could be such thieving bastards. And they are fighting tooth and nail against paying that. She will be back in California next week, and I'm hoping there is some way to get someone thrown in jail.

Based on that experience, I think if I ever move, I'll have a huge garage sale before I go, and when I move I'll have my car, the clothes on my back, and a credit card. Period.

tanstaafl.