Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Why is it so hard?

Let me start by saying that I feel bad about having my third blog post be a "gripe" post but it is what it is...I'm just sayin!
Why is it so hard for furniture to be delivered safely, peacefully, and on time? Is it really too much to ask? Well, it must be for my family because, last night, we added yet another "furniture delivery" story to our book! Before I tell last night's story, I'll catch everyone up on the previous stories...don't worry, I gripe quickly because I like to get it over with.
A few years ago, before we moved to Borger, I found THE dinning room table. It was from one of those overpriced but "hip" furniture catalogs that you get in the mail and I wanted it...BAD! So, I coveted and I coveted until finally, after moving to Borger and having some relocation money left over, my hubby said I could order it! You can imagine my excitement as delivery day arrived: years of wanting and waiting for this table had finally paid off! Once it was delivered, our new home would be complete, right? Wrong! So wrong!
My table arrived looking like it had been transported in the back of BillBobJimJoe's pickup truck! This was not a "fancy-schmancy" dining room table; it was supposed to look "unique" and "rustic" but this thing had so many dings, dents, and scratches, it was beyond "rustic." Naturally, I declined this item and was assured they would send a replacement as soon as possible. So, instead of a dining room set to "finish" my home, I was left with 6 chairs and a mirror so huge and heavy I was afraid to dust it let alone hang it.
Weeks...seriously, weeks later...table #2 was delivered and promptly sent back for the same reasons. By the time table #3 arrived, I was done with being nice and patient and I was not settling for anything less than perfection. So, when it arrived, my eyes barely glanced over the few nicks and that one smooth dent that gave the table "character".....I told the delivery guys, "Yep, it looks great, thanks!" I just wanted my darn table! And, now that I have it, I love it, which is good for me because Scott says I can't ever buy another one!
Since I told that story so quickly..HA!..I'll really tell the second one fast, promise!
At the same time I was going through my dining room table drama, I also had to buy a couch for our basement AKA "The Cave". I went to the store, found the sectional I wanted, fell for the sales pitch and lifetime guarantee cleaning program hook, line, and sinker, and set up the delivery date. Remember, I said this was for the basement...as in "you have to carry a sectional couch down STAIRS" to get it to the basement. So, of course, when it was delivered, a couple of pieces made it down safely but a couple did not. In fact, you can go into this house right now and see the brown marks on the basement doorframe from the brown leather rubbing against it. On a side note, when you go to this house and look for the marks, why don't you just go ahead and buy the whole house?? That would be really awesome! Thanks!
So, to finish story #2, the damaged pieces were replaced and delivered by men who knew to take the basement door off the hinges and to also take down the stair rail before bringing the pieces down. Again, it is a great couch and I still have 3 big buckets of cleaning products for it but I just don't understand why it has to be such a hassle!
Fast forward 3 years. We are in Bartlesville and in need of an entertainment center. Not just any ol' center but, what "they" call a WALL UNIT...meaning, it takes up the whole wall! We searched and searched and finally found one in Tulsa last weekend. We actually got it for a really good deal because we chose to take the one from the showroom floor "as is." "As is", in this case, was actually very good. There were only a couple of little scratches that the sales guy promised to have taken care of before it was delivered. Don't even get me started on that guy...
The center was originally scheduled to be delivered between 2:30-4:30 yesterday. Then it moved to 4:30-6:30; then 7:30. They finally showed up close to 8 PM and they still had 3 more deliveries to make! These guys showed up ready to unload this massive piece of furniture and hit the road but first, they had to put the pieces together...with tools that they didn't have....and they needed a flashlight.... Thankfully, my hubby is pretty handy and had a flathead screwdriver and flashlight within reach! The guys spent most of their time trying to get the center piece and right side piece to match up so that they could screw the pieces together. They claimed it was difficult because we have tile floors that are not perfectly smooth. Anyway, by the time they left at 8:30, we had our center put together but it still had a couple of scratches, some missing screws, and the delivery guys broke a lightbulb in the center that sent pieces of glass all over our new rug. Worst of all is that I also had a very unhappy husband who has vowed to never buy from this company again. But, once again, it is a beautiful piece of furniture that I am sure we will love once we get it set up completely. Oh, and just to add salt to the wound, our stereo receiver and speaker do not fit in our new wall unit, so we now get to purchase a new home stereo system! Thankfully, we can drive it home ourselves!
Sorry, this was so long. I know I promised it would be quick but those of you who know me, know that the only "quick" thing about me is my wit...not my storytelling.

2 comments:

  1. Sounds like our dining room table drama, I'm sure Mike has told ya'll all about it. He also has stereo system drama too. I think drama just comes with the program.

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  2. Are you sure you're not just thinking of a way to get a new stereo? Hee-hee! You know...nowadays, it's soooo refreshing when you find someone that really cares about their jobs--even (or especially) delivery men. When someone does a job well, it really stands out!

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