Moving is a little bit like weddings: something is going to go wrong. Now, that may be a bit of rain on the big day or a heel breaking right before you start, or it could be the entire marriage move results in a messy divorce landlord disagreement and you’re left back at square one.
See? Just like marriage!
Even with the best moving companies, packing skills and preparation, moving can quickly become a memorable experience for all the wrong reasons. But, just as with most things in life, there are lessons to be learned in each of these moving horror stories. We hope there is because we went out of our way to experience these things firsthand so we could relate and write this blog for you.
Trevor’s Terrible Trundle
“When I was living in New York, my moving day was the hottest in 5 years. I didn’t have any help, so I moved all my belongings down to the atrium of the apartment building and onto the curb. I waited for three and a half hours for my TaskRabbit van to show up… but it never came.
I ordered a new one, but it wouldn’t be there for another few hours, and I couldn’t leave my stuff unattended. So I had to move all my stuff back up to my apartment, then back down a couple of hours later.
Turns out the new TaskRabbit was a 70-year-old guy and his wife driving their family 15-passenger van. The van got stuck trying to enter the parking ramp of my new building, so we had to carry everything through the parking garage to the freight entrance and up the service elevator.
A few things didn’t fit in the van at all, so I had to carry those through the city myself by hand. It was 100 degrees the whole day.”
The lesson: Find the help you need. Finding some of the best moving companies near you is a good place to start, but you can also do little things like rent moving boxes and dollies. It could end up making all the difference in your move.
A Crappy Day
“I was ready to move into my first-ever grown-up house. My husband and I had closed the Tuesday before and spent the week packing and preparing for a Saturday move.
Both of our families came to help and we spent a better part of the morning into the afternoon getting all of our stuff over to the house. It was a beautiful 3-story house with a picture-perfect porch and everything. What wasn’t picture-perfect was the leftover turd sitting in the toilet when we got there.
Turns out the previous owner left more than just a few trinkets in the attic. We’re just glad the plumbing was functional.”
The lesson: Courtesy flush.
Lost in Translation
“One time I was moving in Florida and had hired what turned out to be not one of the best moving companies I could have.
It turns out that none of them spoke English, and I didn’t speak Spanish. (I still don’t, to tell you the truth.) So, naturally, when they picked up one of my boxes with the word “Fragile” written all over it, they didn’t think twice before throwing it into the truck.
Needless to say, my Precious Moments collection was obliterated in a matter of segundos.”
The lesson: Rent moving boxes that offer a bit more protection than cardboard, and be sure to pack with bubble wrap!
When It Rains It Pours
“When I was moving out of my last apartment, I had to be out by noon that day. I’ve never been a fan of those arbitrary rules, and this story is exactly why.
So of course it was raining on moving day. The movers I hired were running late, and the clock was turning to 1:00, meaning I should have been out of there at that point. The building’s cleaning staff were all but physically kicking me out of the apartment, as they had to get started on flipping the place for the next tenant.
(Can you see where this is going?)
Yup – I had to throw all my stuff out onto the curb, box by box, by myself. Everything got soaked in a matter of minutes. Luckily I had plastic wrap over my couch and mattress, but my cardboard boxes were quickly soggy and frail.
The movers came shortly thereafter, but the damage had been done. I’m glad I’m out of that apartment, especially with all their annoying rules they had in place. But that was just the cherry on top of the whole experience.
My advice? Rent moving boxes that aren’t cardboard. Or move on a sunny day. Or hire a moving company that’ll show up on time. Learn from my mistakes.”
The lesson: This is one of those classic moving horror stories that conjured the perfect storm that led to a terrible day. You can’t control the weather (unless you’re a rain god). But you can use plastic boxes for your move and triple-check with your movers that they’ll show up when they say they do!
Need Some Ice For That Burn? (Or Antibiotics?)
“One time, when I was living in Chicago (I knew Sarah Sherman there, btw. She is brilliant and mean and young!), I lived in the same building as a man who we affectionately called Rat.
Rat was a creepy dude who always tried hitting on me.
Anyway, I was carrying a bunch of cardboard boxes outside and I couldn’t see over them. I tripped and fell and got a horrible rug burn on my knee. It ended up being so bad it started bleeding and eventually it turned green.
If it weren’t for Rat, or if I had a better moving system (like plastic reusable moving bins), I wouldn’t have infected my knee!
The lesson: Carry fewer boxes. Go see a doctor.
Moving Doesn’t Have to Be Scary
Everyone loves hearing good moving horror stories. Nobody likes living them.
We compiled these stories (and only made up one!) to help you get your fix of terrible moving experiences and to teach you how to prevent them. When you’re ready to move, let us help. We will let you rent moving boxes that are plastic (or cardboard, if that’s your style), plus you can borrow a dolly, markers and zip ties (well, keep the zip ties). It’s everything you need to prevent a moving horror story of your own!
Browse our fine selection of reusable moving bins and other moving supplies and make moving a little less scary.