North American Van Lines

[Shannon]

Although your situation really stinks, if you read into some other experience on this board you will find it could be 100% worse. I know that that doesn't mean much to you, but I want to put in perspective how much more North American is doing vs. a scam mover. North American has recongized the service failure, given you alternate delivery dates, and is compensating you for any expenses you will occur during the delayed delivery.

A scam mover will miss delivery then tell you your goods are in storage and you owe $2000.00 to ever see them again. During this time period you will not be compensated for a dime of your inconvenience. These are the movers that make the whole industry look bad. These are the movers that need to have an expose done on them.

If a rep from North American came out and actually told you that there is a possibility that they will miss your delivery, there is no way you would of moved with them. EVERY mover, as Nancy stated, has these delays. It is what they do about it that makes them different from scammers.

I don't think this has anything to do with underpaying drivers. It is about not having enough drivers or trucks. That is a very bold statement considering you have no idea how or what drivers get paid.

All and all, it is still not fair to you. Keep your head up!! I would be very suprised if they missed your alternate delivery dates.

[Fred0844]

[Ruges]

It's becouse shannon is only looking at the fact that the average driver makes $40-60 thousand a year (take home). And when you look at that you would think we are paid well.

But if you look at the fact that drivers are away from thier home inside thier trucks for an average of 2-3 months at a time. Working 60-100 hours a week. In extreme conditions.

So the average driver can say yea I make good money, But I am underpaid for what I do. emagine living in your office cubical for the next 3 months. Working 10-18 hour days. 7 days a week. including holidays.
_________________
Ruges

[Fred0844]

But you do like the job Ruges even with the "disadvantages".

[Diane]

Another aspect, from what I can gather, is that there's a large discrepancy between the net income of owner-operators and the net income of company drivers. I would assume that the above figure represents what company drivers can make (?).

[Fred0844]

Like any other industry, there are a lot of costs the agency pays that the driver does not see.

[Shannon]

I'm not looking at only one aspect at all. I see your agruement. I truely admire drivers and workers for what they do, I could never do it. But I also think that alot of people within the moving industry are underpaid. Including people who work within the office. Most customer service representatives work 50-70 hours/week in the summer and most of these hours they are being bitched at from all directions (customers, accounting, operations, drivers). Same with operations. But that is the nature of the beast.... so what can you do?

I was only trying to make a point to Ophelia, what she is experiencing is not only an issue w/ NorthAmerican. I also wanted her to understand the difference b/w scammers and legit moving companies

[MusicMom]

While I understand your attempts to make Ophelia realize the difference between scammers and legit problems in a normal business, it is coming off as an attack on her. Please do remember that this is a consumer-oriented site. If you have suggestions on how to help her get through her problems, or how she can resolve it all better by using the system, then those comments would be welcome. But please, no more complaining about her complaints. They are legitimate, after all.

[Shannon]

I'm not complaining about her at all. I have stated that it must be very frustrating and that they will most likely make her alt. DL dates. Sometimes it makes you feel better about your situation when you hear how it could be much worse it could be. I am in no way making light of her situation. There really is no more advice that can be given.. call corporate, which she has done..contact diver if possible..which has already been stated.

[Ruges]

[ophelia11]

And here is my update.
My alternate delivery date has now been extended to 8-18 (21 days from when I moved), which is not a guarantee, the North American rep was prompt to inform me.
As far as reimbursement is concerned. Everyone keeps pointing to this like it is some kind of pot of gold. The specifics of it are that you get a hotel paid for starting on the day after the "agreed upon" delivery date (in quotes because I would have never agreed upon to a minimum of 3 wks before seeing my things). However, most people have already moved into their place and are paying rent. Why would I go to a hotel after living here for 13 days? Why would I charge that to my credit card and incur interest when I can't trust that the moving company would reimburse me. They certainly haven't been upfront about many other things. And the meals: the moving company pays 50% inside the hotel restaurants. I already purchased some things for my house (an air mattress $40, a card table $30, and an office chair to study for my boards $160). North American may or may not reimburse me for those things. I was told that I can't buy anything too expensive (the examples given were from stores like Jordan's Furniture and Ikea.) But how does one judge the expense of these things (well, ma'am, you should've gone for the $25 card table)? Plus, one realizes that they can't spend 3 weeks (minimum, although I'm anticipating 1 month or more) being completely uncomfortable. I doubt that they will pay for the office chair. But at this point, I don't care. I simply want my things!
I think the people in the moving industry have lost some sense of reality here. I am not a person complaining that people are sweating on a hot day. I consider myself a hard working person as well, seeing as though I just finished residency training where we worked 36 hour shifts as in intern (sometimes with the luxury of 4 hrs of interrupted sleep inside the hospital, sometimes with no sleep in that 36 hrs) then, the laws were changed to 30 hour time limits. And my income as a resident was $40,000 similar to the truck drivers, but also paying off student loans in the meantime. Yes, I know that there is a change in salary and lifestyle when you finish, but I know what hard work is! I earned every penny of that lousy salary. And I don't consider this a cheap move at all. I frankly don't have many possessions. But, I don't even know what the ins and outs of what constitues a heavily discounted move are. All I know is that I signed up with an internet mover, then cancelled because of concerns about significant delays in delivery and holding my things hostage. I ended up paying significantly more money for the quote unquote reputable moving company so that I could have a hassle free move. And it has been anything but that. I make a minimum of 2-3 phone calls each day because I get constantly bounced around. No one ever has initiated the phone call that my shipment has been delayed yet again (which is what is supposed to happen according to the rights and responiblities brochure). I understand that we don't live in a perfect world, that problems arise, etc. But 3 weeks (and that is not a guarantee they're quick to inform me -- as if I need to be informed of that at this point)?
When customers sign up for these moves, they are not privy to the information and the problems (the fact that agreed upon delivery dates is a complete misnomer, drivers don't get paid enough, no one wants your small shipment because they don't profit off of it, no one is heading in that direction, and on and on and on.) I signed up because I thought I was signing up with a legitimate company that would simply do the job that they promised. I was more than flexible in the beginning (sure, ok, 1 day late to pick up my stuff. sure, ok, you don't want to shrink wrap my furniture now because it makes going down the narrow staircases more difficult). I tipped my movers and thanked them despite some of those things. And it is difficult to not worry about your things and when you will get them and if they will come in one piece. I will not be able to get in contact with the driver (Roadway Express, I was told) because they are outside of North American from what I understood. The agent at the corporate office was simply not allowed to have that information. I was instructed that it is my responsibilty to get in touch with the local agents to make sure that my stuff doesn't sit in their warehouse once the shipment eventually gets delivered to them (yea, another phone call each day to make sure that my stuff will eventually get to me.) I think this whole thing is quite shameful. I have certainly lowered my standards ( my new goal is to have my stuff before my birthday which is 35 days after I moved) and that I won't have too many missing items and that things won't be broken beyond use. See Nancy, Fred, and Shannon -- I have lowered my standards to match the moving industry's low standards? After all, I want to be the little happy customer that doesn't complain.

[Fred0844]

I was reading this post, thinking of how badly this person has been treated by NAVL. Ophelia11 does not deserve to be treated like this and I cannot believe that this could happen again but it did. A new thread by Hamlet which describing the exact same problem is on the board. I am not talking about just another long delay, I am talking about the EXACT same problem verbatim. How many other people have the same problem?

[Diane]

Perhaps Gertrude, Claudius, Laertes, Polonius, Horatio, and the Ghost.

[Nancy]

Fred, those posts are by the same person. oh, but maybe you and Diane already know that and it's too early before my coffee to get the joke

Opehlia, this is a horrible situation, and I really do hope you get your belongings soon.

[Diane]

Otherwise she may go mad like her namesake . . .