He sauntered into the showroom, snapping his fingers and rocking to the beat of the rap music seeping out of his enormous silver headphones. “Wazzup, man?” he drawled. He pointed towards the parking lot, where his friend was slouching against a battered old pick-up truck flecked with mud, smoking a cigarette.
“We’re here,” he said, “to get some lady’s table.”
My heart sank. Yesterday, an elegant woman with impeccable taste had purchased an enormous round pedestal table with a beveled glass top for the foyer of her mansion. Did she actually hire Haul Ass Moving Company? I looked skeptically at the pair. Their tattooed arms were as thin as toothpicks. This didn’t look promising.
Uber-style companies are moving into the moving business. With rates lower than more established competitors, they provide short-haul moving services to budget-conscious customers. Like Uber, though, they’re getting off to a rocky start. Finding reliable, experienced help, for one, is a big challenge.
Take the two rubes who showed up at our store earlier this week, for example. Unlike experienced movers, they didn’t have any of the equipment necessary to move a large and heavy table safely: no dolly, no padding, no straps, and, unfortunately, no clue.
“Try liftin’ it,” the first guy said, gesturing at his pal to move to the other side of the table. Grunting mightily, they gave it a go – and failed. The table didn’t budge an inch. “Hey,” the pal said, “let’s roll it!”
My blood pressure soared. The table the woman had purchased was flawless and costly. That wouldn’t be the case if entrusted to the care of Haul Ass Moving Co. These two weren’t going to deliver anything but damage and despair. I knew I had to step in and stop this catastrophe from happening.
“Sorry, guys,” I said firmly. “I can’t let anyone but a professional mover take this table.” The pair actually looked relieved. One of the men admitted that his real profession is helping bands set up at a local bar. The other guy was just, I guess, an assistant helper.
Moving quality furniture isn’t a job for the inexperienced. Once you’ve made an investment in a piece you love, please don’t hire some shoddy unknown company to bring it home. You’re taking a big risk. Do you really want a piece of furniture with dings, dents or shattered glass dumped on your doorstep?
Sometimes, I agree, Uber-like companies can provide a cost-effective solution if you are moving a small and lightweight piece of furniture. But I wouldn’t trust them with large, costly or fragile items. FCG offers local white glove, economical, reliable and prompt delivery services to our customers. We can't help with every move, but in those instances we'll recommend the right company for the job.
