... that I thought I should rent when I knew we would be moving furniture that could be easily scraped, scratched, marred, beat up, abused. Thinking that getting some padding from the U Haul store might be the best/easiest solution for keeping stuff from getting banged around in the back of an open truck bed. I stopped by place that sells moving supplies, and has storage units available to ask for details about getting some blankets to cushion the wooden bed frame, dressers, tables and chairs. Right on the way home, headed out towards the east side of town.
The young person working in the office said: 'Oh, we don't have those. Do you want to rent a truck?' I had to wonder if she thought I would start off with the small stuff and work up to transporting my goods? But I said, 'No, just something to pad furniture with.' She said, 'Oh. You have to go down to Tenth Avenue for that.' I asked if it would be OK to say a bad word, as I had just come from Tenth Ave.? She agreed that would be OK. I did. She then suggested I could also find some padding blankets at the office on Box Road, only six miles away instead of ten or twelve, but was unable to provide me with a phone number to call.
After several more bad words on my way home, looked up the number on the internet in this 'post-phone book' world. Called to ask about renting quilts for twenty four hours. Discovered I was required to make a 'reservation' for the loan of a package of six blankets, costing five dollars. But in order to make a reservation, I had to provide them with a credit card number, to assure that they would get my rent money. A great big whopping five bucks, right? That person on the phone kept trying to sell me stuff: 'Do you need to rent a truck? Do you want to add on a storage unit? Are you going to need to get a trailer? Will you need a hitch with that?' She was very well trained, or maybe reading from a script. I politely declined.
I went down to the Box Road U Haul store on Friday afternoon. Stood in line for half an hour, as that was a very popular place for all those people who were planning moving parties on Saturday, renting trailers, trucks, hand dollies, getting hitches installed, etc. It finally got to be my turn, and I whipped out my portrait of Abe Lincoln to pay for renting furniture padding. I thought it would be a quick in and out, since I had given the person on the phone all the info. the day before.
Then he looked at my five dollar bill and said 'If you are paying cash, I will need a sixty dollar deposit.' I said 'Is it OK if I say a bad word?' He did not respond, so I kept it to myself. But ...really?
I pulled out my wallet and got out three twenties, saying 'I will expect to get these same Jacksons back when I come back tomorrow afternoon.' He gave a blank stare. And then, oddly enough, he did not take my fiver. But only took the 3 x 20s, and said I would get back fifty-five upon my return.
OK. So I need a receipt for that sixty bucks you took. He looks down at the receipt he just printed, and said: 'Oh, hmmm.... there is nothing on here about your cash deposit.' I suggested he would include the fact that I just gave him three portraits of Andrew Jackson, not expecting they would go any place other than the cash drawer. I got a new improved receipt and left with my six crappy, cheap, crummy, ratty, ugly blankets.
Upon returning the moving blankets to the store, I got a refund of $54.60. They would have charged me five dollars a day for every day if they had not been back onsite by 6:00 pm on Saturday.
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