50 Days, Silly Eyes & NaBloPoMo!!

Well, today was Rachel's 50th day of First Grade. Her class celebrated by having an old fashioned Sock Hop. When they talked about it in class, Rachel came home and said, "Mommy, I am supposed to wear clothes like 50 year old children!" It was so precious. I found the cutest outfit online for her to wear and she loved it. She said everyone loved the glasses. Here are a few photos for you to enjoy.

Rebekah has figured out how to make her eyes cross. It is really funny and a little creepy. She knows exactly how to do it and does it on cue. She thinks it is the funniest. I finally got it captured with the camera. And yes, she is in a swim suit...in late October. She put that on this morning because she went to the beach! And by beach, if you mean her sisters room playing on the floor, then yes, she was at the beach. She wore it all day, napped in it and cried when I made her take it off to go to the store.

And last, but definitely not the least...

Are you up for the challenge?

So, what the heck is NaBloPoMo? Read all about it here. To summarize it for you, the idea is to post something on your blog every day in the month of November.

Na=National
Blo=Blog
Po=Posting
Mo=Month

Why you ask? No real reason, just motivation to get blogging. And lots of other people are doing it, so why not join in!?! Oh, and there are prizes that you can win!! So, join me and wish me luck!!

Leak Update...

Well, hopefully we're getting somewhere. We have tried one more thing to our window and today we'll test it to see if it worked. We all have our fingers and toes crossed and praying for a successful fix.

Also, we're praying that all the other small things in the house will get taken care of. We asked our builder to please, please, PLEASE, get all these things done before Thanksgiving. He said he was getting things going to get it all done.

I'll keep you updated and hopefully we'll have our house back in good condition soon. As I said in yesterday's post, stay tuned, I'm getting the interior new house tour ready to post!

WOW...this is my 103rd post!

I just happened to notice that I have posted 102 times before this post. I didn't even realize I was close to 100, let alone over 100!

Just wanted to share with you a few pieces of artwork that each of the girls did. This first piece was drawn by Rebekah. She said this is her family. I asked her who each person was and this is what she said, in order from left to right, "Don't know, me, Nana is yellow, Daddy, Mommy and Sissy." Precious!

Rachel drew this second piece of artwork at school. They were studying about all the American symbols. You can see that she drew the American Flag, the Liberty Bell, the Statue of Liberty and a bald eagle. Again, very precious.

Hope you enjoyed! Stay tuned...new house tour coming soon!

It's Done

Enough said.
I can't begin to tell you how
tired I am of politics right now.
Now if only I could get rid of
all the ads, signs, etc.
Guess I'll have to wait until
after November 4th for that.

Words to Remember

I stumbled upon this great quote. It did not list where it came from so I can't pass on the credit. But to whoever wrote it, it's great! Hope it makes you smile.

"Whatever you give a woman, she's going to multiply. If you give her sperm, she'll give you a baby. If you give her a house, she'll give you a home. If you give her groceries, she'll give you a meal. If you give her a smile, she'll give you her heart. She multiplies and enlarges what is given to her. So - if you give her any crap, you will receive a ton of s***."

A-1 Razorback Moving Company and the BBB Part 5

Part 5 of our dealings with A-1 Razorback Moving Company and the BBB. See previous posts for more information about the saga.

On September 26th, I received this email from the BBB addressing the questions I had emailed them the day before. Re-read yesterdays posts for the questions.

Dear Ms. Jones:

To answer your questions regarding arbitration....

1. If you decide not to arbitrate your dispute with A-1 Razorback Moving, the complaint will be closed. How it is closed depends on the business' decision whether or not to participate. I cannot comment on the closing until I know this information.

All complaints remain on a business' record for 3 years. Once the complaint closes, it will appear on their report under the category of "Service Issues." It will report the outcome of the complaint only, such as unresolved or administratively closed. The BBB does not release specific details about any complaint, so that information will not be available to the public.

2. If you and the business choose to arbitration the dispute, the complaint will be closed once I've confirmed the terms of the arbitrator's decision have been met by either party. The complaint will appear under the category of "Service Issues." It will state the complaint was settled through arbitration.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

On September 29th, I sent the following reply back to the BBB, along with posting it on the case's website:

We have chosen NOT to enter into arbitration. You can let A-1 Razorback Moving Company know that we will see to it that people know how unprofessional their business it. We'll share our experiences with the public and tell of their unwillingness to even admit wrongdoings. Then the public can make up their own mind as to use their business or not. At least they will be educated as to how their workers act and treat the customer and their belongings.

Thank you for your help in trying to get this matter settled. I'm sorry the company wasn't more cooperative and eager to make sure their customers are 100% satisfied. I guess they weren't honest when they said, "In order to keep our customers happy, we try everything we can." I guess that doesn't include returning phone calls either...

If you need the note signed, please let me know and I will get it sent to you via mail.

On September 30th, I received the following email from the BBB:

We have received your most recent correspondence in the above-mentioned complaint case. You have indicated that you are NOT satisfied with the business' response in the matter. However, in the judgment of the Better Business Bureau, the business has made a reasonable effort to resolve the matter. Although, we realize that you may still feel the matter is not resolved, we have closed the case.

Case Closed. Now, you be the judge. Use A-1 Razorback Moving Company at your own risk.

To validate this complaint or to see the documents for yourself, click on the link below under the heading that says, "BBB and A-1 Razorback Moving Company Documents."

A-1 Razorback Moving Company and the BBB Part 4

Part 4 of our dealings with A-1 Razorback Moving Company and the BBB. See previous posts for more information about the saga.

On September 24th, I received the following email from the BBB:

Our initial effort to reach a voluntary settlement on the above-mentioned complaint has not been successful. Arbitration is the last option the Bureau can offer to resolve a dispute.

For a nominal fee of $75, this process provides for an impartial third party arbitrator to hear and decide your case. The hearing is informal, so you can present your own case without a lawyer; however, you have every right to be represented by a lawyer if you prefer. The decision is final and binding, meaning both parties are legally bound to abide by the decision.

Detailed information about this process may be obtained at www.arkansas.bbb.org under Programs & Services; Dispute Resolution; Rules of Binding Arbitration. I am also available to answer any questions you may have.

If you wish to enter into arbitration agreement, please complete the information at the bottom of this letter and return it to the Bureau within 14 days. I will then contact you for additional information.

Thank you for offering arbitration.

I accept_____ I decline_____

Signature_____________________

On September 25th, I replied to their email with the following:

Questions before we make the decision about arbitration.

If we decide NOT to enter into arbitration, what happens? Does our complaint remain on the company's record? Can people see that they have been complained about and what the complaints were? How long does it stay on their record?

If we do go to arbitration, is the decision on their record? Are others able to see what the outcome is?

My main reason is doing all of this is so others can be well informed as to how they do business.

To validate this complaint or to see the documents for yourself, click on the link below under the heading that says, "BBB and A-1 Razorback Moving Company Documents."

A-1 Razorback Moving Company and the BBB Part 3

Part 3 of our dealings with A-1 Razorback Moving Company and the BBB. See previous posts for more information about the saga.

Twelve days after they received my response (which was sent to them on 9-11-08), A-1 Razorback Moving Company sends this rebuttal:

1. Consumer asks us to acknowledge we "screwed up in being late". Well we did have truck problems that day which made us late, but we were still able to complete her job. A lot of companies would have just made her reschedule. But in order to keep our customers happy we try everything we can to get it done. We normally have Peterbilt of Little Rock do our repairs but unfortunately they would not be able to work on the truck until the next day. So we ended up spending double on the repair just so we could move Mrs. Jones that day and not inconvenience her by rescheduling.

2. All of our trucks are equipped with all of the professional moving materials needed to complete a job.

3. I can't acknowledge that the workers took too many smoke breaks. There were not complaints of smoke breaks the day of the move. If there had been we would have taken break time off the bill.

4. I asked the men about taking drinks from the refrigerator and they said they didn't take anything that was not offered to them. It is pretty common for customers to offer the men drinks. But once again this issue was not mentioned the day of the move.

5. It is stated clearly on the contract that we can not take responsibility for boxes we did not pack.

6. I feel we have compensated well above what was needed. She had 4 men for the price of 3 which was a 200.00 dollar savings and a free truck which was 100.00 dollars. She also had a credit of $100.00 to her bill for the desk. The desk was the only issue at the time and that was resolved. All other articles were signed received in good condition.

I received the above response in an email and immediately wrote back my response. My #1 and so on answers their #1 and so on. I wasn't happy. Theirs was full of excuses and lies. You know the workers aren't going to admit to doing anything wrong or unprofessional. So, here is my response sent the same day (9-23-08):

1. When they called to let us know they would be late, they did not mention anything about their truck being broken down. They just said they would be an hour late. The next two times, we called them only to be told they were "unloading" a truck. It took two more hours for them to get to us. It doesn't matter who their mechanic is or how much they had to spend to fix their truck, it should have been communicated more clearly and we might have understood more.

2. I asked the men specifically if they had blankets and tools. They said they didn't have anything. So, the truck was NOT equipped as stated above and we witnessed our furniture being put in the truck without any protection whatsoever. No tools were provided. My husband's tools were used to disassemble the furniture.

3. I would have told the company about the smoke breaks had my phone call been returned. Like I have said previously, I called on the day of the move, before the movers left. I left a message and it was never returned. It would have been discussed had I received a call back. I did not feel it was appropriate to talk to the movers there because of their attitudes about other things we did say. I am the customer and I don't think it is my responsibility to hound the company to call me back. They are professionals, they should act like it.

4. WATER was offered to the men. They declined. Later, we walked into the kitchen to find them with the refrigerator door open and getting two cans of coke out. And again, it would have been mentioned on the day of the move, HAD I RECEIVED A CALL BACK!

5. I understand you cannot take responsibility with boxes you did not pack. But when asked to be careful and observant as to what the box says, I don't think it is too much to ask from PROFESSIONAL MOVERS! If they were truly professional, they would have acted as such.

6. We have not been compensated "well and above what was needed." The difference between a 4 man team and a 3 man team IS NOT $200 - it was only $78. You can see this clearly on the bill. Our original balance was $1,090.00 for 4 men. The new 3 men balance was $1,002.00, which was lowered to $900.00 after the discussion about the broken desk. I would not consider us getting a "free truck" - we just ended up getting what we asked for in the first place. It is not my fault they had problems. If that had been communicated clearly, we might not be in the situation we are in now. Yes, all articles were signed as "received in Good Condition" but nothing had been unpacked or even looked over clearly. It was late. The men were getting ruder by the minute and we were just ready for it to all be over. I was also WAITING FOR A RETURN PHONE CALL! Several items had been found to be broken and I stated as such on the message I left and that I wanted to discuss this with the manager or the person in charge. And yet, no call was returned. And again, I did not feel comfortable or deem it appropriate to discuss this with the men who were at my house.

There is a reason we hired this company. They market themselves as "Professional Movers." I would only expect them to act as such. Our belongings were not treated with the care you would expect from professionals. We had used this company before and saw how true professionals act and care for your belongings as you move. This was the reason we used them again. The first round was wonderful! The second was a disaster. Any maybe, if we hadn't used them before, we wouldn't be here now. I wouldn't have had something to compare it too. But I do, and I know it could have been way better. The first time they moved us, there wasn't a scratch on anything! NOTHING WAS BROKEN! And they had the tools necessary to move us. What happened to this company between March and August?

And I find it curious to see that they did not comment or mention anything about their worker (the man in charge of the move) who stuck his head in our bathroom sink, got water all over the bathroom and then proceeded to drip the water all over our brand new wood floors. This was appalling and very unprofessional. This alone is inexcusable and I think deserves to be addressed. No one paid me to clean up after his mess. I should never have been put in the position to clean up after him.

A professional is defined as a skilled practitioner or an expert. Our experience with this company clearly shows that this company is in no way an expert in moving. If they were, they would have taken more care in concerns their customers have. They would have returned phone calls, especially if they know there are issues to discuss. They would have communicated clearly if there was a problem in meeting the customers needs. They could have told us up front on the phone they were sending a two man team and a smaller truck, but would send another truck later. The men didn't know anything about what we had requested when they got to our apartment.

Professional movers...that is what we hired. That is what we expected. IT IS NOT WHAT WE RECEIVED!

To validate this complaint or to see the documents for yourself, click on the link below under the heading that says, "BBB and A-1 Razorback Moving Company Documents."

A-1 Razorback Moving Company and the BBB Part 2

Part 2 of our dealings with A-1 Razorback Moving Company and the BBB. See previous post for more information about the saga.

Here is the response that A-1 Razorback Moving Company sent to the BBB on 9-10-08 about my letter:

"We did the move for Mrs. Jones August the 4th. And resolved her issues that day. We compensated her with a credit on her bill the day of the move with the amount she asked for. Now over a month later she comes back wanting more?"

Yeah, that didn't set well with me. It wasn't all about the money. It was about the principle and the unprofessional acts and attitudes their workers had. So here was my first response to them sent that same day (9-10-08):

I called the day of the move to discuss a few damaged items and never received a call back. I tried to talk with the worker about it, but again, he wouldn't give us a straight answer and acted as if he didn't care a bit about our stuff or the way they treated us.

The $100 compensation that was taken off the bill was strictly for the desk (as noted on receipt). No other damages were discussed. I was waiting for a call back from the manager about the rest. We can see now that never happened.

I have called twice more since the move and yet again never received a call back. Several other items weren't found to be broken or damaged until we unpacked them and it has taken us this past month to get everything unpacked and put away. I have two small children and a job, so everything couldn't be done all at once, soon after the move.

The more we found damaged and broken, the more unset I became. Since no calls were being returned, this was my next option.

The BBB sent me an email also that same day, asking whether or not I accept their response to my complaint. This is what I immediately wrote back:

(Sent on 9-10-08) I don't accept this response because I don't feel it is a response at all. They didn't address any of the issues we had and made no attempt to even admit their wrongdoings. Yes, they did compensate us with a credit on our bill - but that was strictly for the damage to the desk. No other issues were or have been discussed because the manager/owner refused to return my calls.

I also feel that their "response" is also unprofessional. Does it matter how long it has been? It takes time to unpack the hundreds of boxes and get a house put back together. And they know I have not been happy. Someone has been taking and receiving messages from me, so this should come as no surprise to them.

To validate this complaint or to see the documents for yourself, click on the link below under the heading that says, "BBB and A-1 Razorback Moving Company Documents."

A-1 Razorback Moving Company and the BBB Part 1

Got to love free speech! I'm going to use my right here on my blog. If you don't care to read, skip these...it won't hurt my feelings. :-)

I want to post this here in hopes that it will turn up in searches for A-1 Razorback Moving Company. My reason is because if another consumer is researching this company, I want them to know about our experience with them. This might help them in making a decision as to use them or not. I hope they won't, but it will be up to them.

I filed a complaint with the BBB and have gone back and forth through them to try to get this resolved and the company insists they have done NO wrong and should not have to do anything else to compensate us for all that went wrong. So, our last resort was to go into arbitration where a non-biased third party hears our case and decides on it. The decision is legally binding. The cost is $75. So instead of paying the money and using up our time, we have decided to just blog about it instead. This first blog will contain my original letter I sent to the BBB. Each day I will add the responses that have gone back and forth. Read and judge for yourself!

My Letter to the BBB:

September 8, 2008

Better Business Bureau Office of Complaints
12521 Kanis Road
Little Rock, AR 72211
Phone: 501-664-7274

I would like to file a formal complaint against the following business:
A-1 Razorback Moving
6500 Holt Road
North Little Rock, AR 72117
Phone: 501-945-3338 Fax: 501-945-3380

Reason for complaint:
We hired the above moving company to move us on Monday, August 4, 2008, from our apartment and two storage units and into our new home. We chose this company because they had previously moved us back in March of this year into our apartment. We were very pleased with their services and did not hesitate to use them again for the August move.

Our complaints for the move on August 4, 2008, are as follows:
1. They were three hours late in arriving and did not come with the equipment and team we had reserved. We scheduled them to come at 9:00 a.m. with their largest truck and a three man team. We received a call around 8:30 a.m. saying they would be an hour late. After 10:00 a.m. when they still were not there, we called them. We were told it would be another 30 minutes. Again, after 45 minutes, no one had shown up. We were constantly calling them to see where they were. It was almost noon when someone arrived. It was not what we had requested. It was a two man team with a small truck.

2. They did not come prepared. They did not bring any blankets or anything to properly wrap our furniture to protect it. They did not bring any tools for disassembling of furniture. This concerned us and we knew they should have brought something. From our previous experience in using this company, we knew what they had provided before.

3. The two men that came took four smoking breaks in the two and a half hours they were at the apartment to load our furniture. I am paying them by the hour to work, not to smoke. I can understand a break to get a drink, it was hot, but I am not paying for them to smoke. Speaking of drinks, I also did not appreciate them helping themselves to our cokes in our refrigerator. Had they asked first, I would not have minded. But I walked into the kitchen to find them reaching into the refrigerator getting themselves a coke. Very unprofessional and rude.

4. After calling and complaining to someone at the office, they sent the larger truck. This was not actually a large moving truck. It was actually a large trailer, pulled behind a pick up truck. This was not explained to me at all. They said it was their largest moving truck. Coming with this truck were two more men to help. They did tell us that there would be no extra charge for the second truck.

5. They took a one hour break for lunch, of which they asked us to pay for.

6. At the storage units, the men were in a hurry and we observed on several occasions them throwing our stuff into the back of the trailer. They paid no attention to writing on the boxes indicating they contained fragile items. They were told at the beginning that all boxes were marked by room and if they contained fragile items. They were asked to pay close attention to these markings.

7. One of the workers asked to use our bathroom at our brand new house. He proceeded to go in and stick his head in our sink and get it wet to cool off. He then proceeded to walk across our living room, with his hair dripping all over the place, all across our brand new wood floors. I went into the bathroom only to find a much larger mess with water all over the place. UNPROFESSIONAL!

8. After the were done unloading at our new house, it was found that several items were damaged. Our home office desk was broken into four pieces. They did offer to fix this, but could not tell me a time frame of how long it would take to get it repaired. I work from home and must have this desk. We negotiated $100 off our bill to cover the damages to the desk. But nothing else was said about the rest of the items that were damaged (that we knew of at that time). I called and left a message for the manager at the office to call me about these damages, but never received a call back from him.

9. When they presented us with the bill, they charged us for a four man team. We had only reserved a three man team. I know four men worked, but that was not my problem. They were three hours late in arriving and did not come prepared. This is their business and they should be equipped to handle situations like these. This again was very unprofessional. I told them I should not have to pay for the fourth man. The worker treated us like we were stupid to question the bill and loudly and sarcastically spoke with the man at the office (the same man that had not returned my call about the damages). After this call, they re-figured the bill again with only a three man team.

The following items received significant damage from the move:
1. Home Office Desk (two parts were able to be repaired, one cannot and we have to look at this everyday)
2. Home Office Desk Cabinet (entire back was ripped away from it)
3. Couch (side arm and back wood supports were ripped apart)
4. Antique China Plate broken (was packed in a china box from U-Haul and marked as fragile)
5. Crystal Glasses broken (was packed in a glass box from U-Haul and marked as fragile)

The following items received significant scratches/dents from not being wrapped properly in the truck:
1. Home Office Desk (two large dents and scratches)
2. Small Entertainment Center (this was a brand new piece, still in original wrapping from furniture store; the top received some deep scratches, you can see clear down to the natural wood under the stain)
3. Master Bedroom Bed (deep scratches and large chunk out of the wood)
4. Master Bedroom Dresser (deep scratches on the top, very noticeable)
5. Bookshelf (large scratches down front side)
6. Coffee Table (scratches on top)
7. Small Curio Cabinet (scratches on front)
8. Toy Storage (broke supporting rod for the storage boxes)
9. Tall Curio Cabinet (door latch broken)
10. End Table (dent in leg)

Attempts to resolve issues:
1. Called on August 4, 2008, and left message on the answering machine about damages we knew of at that time. Never received a call back.
2. Called around the middle of August and talked with David. He said the manager, Jacob, was not there. Explained my issues and concerns. He said he would leave Jacob a message to call me back. Never received a call back.
3. Called on September 4, 2008, and left a message on the answering machine to please call me back to discuss the issues about our move. Never received a call back.

What the business did do:
1. Did not charge for the second truck. (Would expect this since they sent the wrong one and were three hours late in arriving).
2. Paid for a three man team, when a four man team worked. (Not my problem, should have only sent one man, to fulfill the three man request that we had.)
3. Took $100 off for the damage of the desk.

What I would like for the business to do to resolve this issue:
1. Acknowledge they screwed up in being late and not coming prepared with the proper moving materials (ie. blankets, tools, etc.).

2. Acknowledge the workers acted very unprofessional in taking too many smoking breaks, stealing drinks from our refrigerator, sticking their head in our sink, dripping water all over our brand new wood floors, and treating us like we were stupid when we questioned the bill and asked about damage to our property.

3. Compensate us for the damage to our property and for having to put up with all of the unprofessional actions listed above. The scratches/dents will always be there. You can cover them up with a pen (like we have done on some), but they will never be in the condition they were before this move. The china plate and glasses cannot be replaced, they were antiques/family heirlooms. We have already had the couch repaired, along with the desk. And one piece of the desk cannot be repaired. I think it is fair of us to ask for compensation of $250 for the damage and rudeness.

Documentation and Enclosures:
1. A copy of our invoice from moving day.
2. A copy of the check for $900 to pay for the move on August 4, 2008.

My contact information:
Jennifer Jones
Street Address
City, State, Zip
Home Phone and Cell Phone
Email jennifer@houseofjones.com

As stated before, we used this company back in March of this year. We had NO problems with the company or the workers. They were great and I did not mind writing the $720 check to pay for that move! Needless to say, it was not a repeat performance and I cringed when I had to write the $900 check to pay for this move.

Thank you for your help in resolving this matter. Should you need any more information, please contact me using the above information.

Sincerely,
Jennifer Jones

To validate this complaint or to see the documents for yourself, click on the link below under the heading that says, "BBB and A-1 Razorback Moving Company Documents."

Rebekah's Second First Day of School

After much prayer and thought, we decided to move Rebekah to a school here in Cabot. We LOVE her old school. This was the school that Rachel went all the way through and I hoped Bekah could as well. This was the only sad part about our move.

We are about 25 minutes (one way) from her old school. And, with the high price of gasoline, we just thought it would be best to find a school closer to our home. I was also having trouble finding time to work while she was gone. I only had five hours and one of those hours were spent driving!

I called around and one of the best places in town had an opening. We went and toured the facility and felt like it was a great place for her. She started this past Wednesday and will go on Mondays and Wednesdays. And this school is two hours longer than her old one - I should be able to get a lot of my work done now! Here are a few more photos of her first day. She was excited to have a backpack like Sissy (what she calls Rachel) to take to her new school.


We are both going to miss her old school. I loved her teachers, one of which was named Mrs. Cynthia (which is my sister's name) and it was only fitting that her new teacher's name is Mrs. Jennifer! Her first day she found this pink pony and played with it all day. She has talked about it every day since. Here is Ms. Jennifer and Rebekah - doesn't she look happy!?!?

On another note...Rebekah has been off her daily antibiotics for one week. And last night she woke us up throwing up. This is the second time in her life she has ever thrown up. She only did it three times and the last time she made it to the potty! We'll just have to wait and see if this is a taste of what is to come now that she is not taking the antibiotics daily anymore!!

Rebekah and the Red Chair...

Today, Rebekah's pictures! Check yesterday's post for the story behind the red chair.

The red chair has seen its better days. Some of the fabric has worn off, there are a few stains and the red has faded quite a bit. Before putting it in our new home, I am hoping to take it somewhere this week and see about getting it reupholstered. I am still going to keep it red, I wouldn't think of making it any other color. But I hope to find a deeper, richer red. I'll be sure to post some new photos of it once I get it back and put it in its new home. And before I leave, here are some funny photos of Rebekah.