Address Unknown

Call me old fashioned, but I prefer a paper credit card statement.   I love getting mail, even if it's just a credit card bill, it's just so satisfying opening up the mailbox and seeing something there waiting for me! A paper credit card statement  is the perfect kick-in-the-pants reminder I need to pay that bill.  I know, electronic statements are more eco-friendly, but I end up having to print a copy anyway, so I can tick off all the entries and make sure it all adds up.  And emails can get lost in my inbox too easily.

A few months ago I realized I had not been receiving my statements for the credit card from the bank that we do all our banking at.  It hadn't been a problem, because sometimes I pay the card off early because my accounting software warns me that a payment is coming due, but I wanted to figure out what was going on.

I called the bank, they said, "call the credit card people."

I called the credit card people, they said, "On our end we can see that you are getting the paper statements, so you should be getting them, but in the meantime we can send you a copy. Maybe that will kickstart the statements getting sent."

A week later I received the copy of the statement.  Now it's been over a month, still no statement. 

So, today I called the credit card people.  They said, "We show that we have sent the statements out every month. Call the mail people."

I called the mail people. They said, "what's your mailing address?"

I gave them my mailing address. It's not a pretty address, it looks like this:

Box 4, Site 5, RR 6 

Cool Town, AB 

A1B 2C3 (that's the postal code)

They rattled it back to me and said, "PO box ...."

I said, "No, it's a community mailbox. Not a PO Box."

They asked for my physical address...

Here's where it gets tricky. I live in a subdivision created when a farmer sold a chunk of his land decades ago. So there are about 30 houses with the same address, and then a house number.  Similar to this:

12345 Hwy 67

#89

Cool Town, AB

A1B 2C3 (notice it's the same town and postal code)

But about 6 years ago, they built a new highway a little bit South of us, so now our highway is:

Hwy 67A.  But if you look on google maps, or any other GPS system, our new address doesn't exist. So what we have done for parcel deliveries is googled my house, and it gives a pretty random address based on the town 2 km West of us.

89 Random st

Neat Town, AB

A4D6N2 (very random)

But I have been told by the county people that the google address is NOT the address I should give if there's an emergency at my house.  I need to give the updated address with "Hwy 67A".

I told the mail guy my physical address, and he couldn't find it in his system (no big surprise there).

Then the mail guy said to me, "First we have to deal with your problem with your address before we can deal with the credit card statement problem.  I have entered a ticket into the system that we have to figure out your correct physical address.  You will be contacted by October 11."

I am eagerly awaiting  the official correct address of where I live!

Correct Change

Last week I was visiting my parents in the States, and the kids and I did a bit of shopping.  I was using my American cash as much as possible, and I wanted to have the least amount of change after every transaction.  It seems that the art of making change has been lost.  I had three confused employees in one day!

The first was at Goodwill.  My total was $47.47, so I handed over

$20

$20

$10

$1

$1

25¢

10¢

10¢

1¢

1¢

(that's $52.47)

She tried to give me $10 back, and got really confused when I would only take $5.  She had to call her manager over, and I had to explain it all to her as well.  All was good in the end, and the kids and I got a chuckle out of it.

________________________

The second encounter was at Hobby Lobby.  My total was $33.17, so I handed over

$20

$10

$1

$1

$1

25¢

1¢

1¢

(that's $33.27)

She tried to give me my pennies back because the quarter already was more than the 17¢ I owed.  When I refused to take them back she was mystified, so I just told her to punch in what I gave her, once she had done that she understood. I only wanted 1 coin back, not a bunch of pennies!

__________________________

The third encounter was a short time later, also at Hobby Lobby (we forgot something), with a different cashier.  My total was $17.43, so I handed over

$20

$1

$1

25¢

25¢

(I had run out of pennies at that point)

(that's $22.50)

He tried to give my $2 back, and when I said no, he said, "but the $20 covers it."

I knew that, but please, "just trust me on this."

So, he punched it into the till, and viola! I received $5.07 back so I wouldn't have a bunch of $1 bills.

MATH TEACHERS, can we please work on money, and correct change so people can understand what they are doing on the cash registers?  I know most people pay with cards, I do most of the time too, but this is an important skill!

Georgia on My Mind

If you will recall, I always have an adventurous time when I fly (If you missed these tales, just peruse the posts labeled "Flying").  Last month I had a meeting in Grand Rapids, & this trip was no exception...

I have a friend, Beth, who lives near Chicago who also would be attending the meeting, so I decided to fly to Chicago, stay with her for a day, then we'd drive down together for the meeting.  Another member of our meeting squad, Alicia, recently moved to BC, & we encouraged her to join us for our mini road trip, but she couldn't make it work.

I flew out to Chicago  Monday afternoon.  A straight shot, one flight, no problem.  We spent the next morning thrift shopping, & enjoying some delicious donuts.  My friend Allison used to live in PEI & now lives within a few miles of Beth, so Beth & I decided to go visit her for coffee that afternoon.  While we were there Beth keep getting texts from a number she didn't recognize.  After we left Allison's, she checked the messages, & they were from Alicia.  Her flight was delayed, then cancelled, & the airline wanted to fly her through Chicago, have her stay in a hotel overnight, then fly down to Grand Rapids.  The three of us decided a better, & more fun course of action would be for us to pick her up in Chicago, & she could drive down with us the next day.  Sometimes flight problems end up better than planned!

After our meetings, it was time to head home.  My flight plan was Grand Rapids-Atlanta-Calgary-Vancouver. I decided since I was travelling alone that I'd offer to be bumped.  I figured with 3 flights my chances were pretty good.

The first bump in the day was the security line.  I have NEXUS, so I can go through the Trusted Traveller line in the airport, but I have had it twice now in Grand Rapids that they do not view NEXUS as the same as TSA Pre-check, so I had to go through the regular line.  (I have since discovered when you're checking in online you have to enter your NEXUS number as the "Known Flyer Number", then I can use the quick line.  It's like they try to make it difficult!)  Now, whenever I go to the States, I usually stock up on some of the candies & foods that I can't get in Canada.  I had to take all the food out of my bags.  Apparently I forgot to remove the box of Suzy-Qs from my suitcase, so they had to open the suitcase, open the box & check them.  Then I had the joy of repacking them all.

When I got to Atlanta I went to the counter for my flight to Calgary which was scheduled for 5pm. They were over booked but didn't seem all that concerned about it.  There were several people in line trying to get seats on the flight.  There was a couple that the man had a seat, but the woman didn't, there was a lady trying to get tot Calgary for a transplant, & a few others. So when I got to the ticket agent I said, "I'd be willing to give up my seat."

The agent said, "You're volunteering?"

Me: "Sure, I'm not in a rush."

Agent: "Would you need a hotel?"

Me: "I don't think so."  I figured I'd maybe get a morning flight, but it's a lot of hassle to leave the airport & try to get a morning shuttle back in time for the flight.  I could handle a night in the airport.

The boarded all the other passengers & the ticket agent said, "Ok, see you tomorrow!"

Me: "What is my new flight info?"

Agent: "Same time, same place."

Me: "Oh... could I get some food vouchers?"

Agent: "I should be able to get you some.  Hang on."

He got on the phone to whoever deems people worthy of food vouchers, & he keep saying, "She volunteered."  Apparently, since I had not used the word "Bumped", & the airline had not asked for people to be "Bumped" I was just a kind soul who bequeathed her seat to a lady so she could fly with her husband...  The airline deemed me unworthy of food for my troubles.

The agent took pity on me & said, "Come with me."

So, I followed him a short way down the hall, to an ATM, where he took $20 out of his own account & gave it to me.

So, I had 24 hours to wait in the airport, & $20 American dollars!

I wandered around a bit, decided to have dinner at TGI Fridays (why NOT have a long leisurely supper, it's not like I was rushed for time!), then found a Delta customer service desk & attempted to become their new best friend.  Since it was still more than 12 hours before my flight, I had not been given a boarding pass, & no one could print me one since there was not a WetJet desk inside the terminal.  If I wanted to talk to WestJet personnel, I could leave the security area & go to the main area of the terminal, but I didn't want to get stuck outside of the area where the amenities were, & have to deal with re-entry, especially since I had no boarding pass.  It looked like I'd have to take some lessons from Tom Hanks in the movie "The Terminal".

I spoke with a few Delta agents, & they told me that since the ticket was WestJet, they couldn't rebook me on any other flights, only a WestJet person could.  Since I have a Canadian cell phone, they let me use one of their phones & call the WestJet helpline.  I spoke with a very pleasant man who tried in vain to help me, but since my flight was booked through a travel agent, even WestJet couldn't release my ticket to another airline.  He could rebook me on other flights, but the only way from Atlanta to Vancouver involved more stops than the one I had in Calgary, therefore it would cost the airline more to transfer me, so he was powerless.

He asked me, "How did you get yourself into this position?"

I said, "Apparently I 'volunteered' to give up my seat instead of being asked to be 'bumped'."

Agent: "Oh I'm sorry to hear that.  You sound like a very nice person though!"

Me: "Thanks!  Would you like to reward my kindness bu getting me out of here sooner than tomorrow at 5pm?"

Agent: "I would like to, but there's unfortunately nothing I can do."

So I went back to talk to the Delta ladies& they kindly gave me a blanket, a travel kit with toiletries, & told me where the area with the comfortable chairs was.  I headed that direction, since it was now 10pm, & I wanted to get a good spot.  The area I'd been told about had big wide cushioned seats that were moveable & didn't have armrests.  I maneuvered 2 chairs so I had comfy couch I could stretch out on.  I had my laptop with me, so I found a movie to watch & settled in for the night.  I managed to sleep quite well, despite the location of my accomodations.  About halfway through the night another traveller left their little couch/bed, & left behind a blanket & a pillow.  I snuck over & claimed them.  When I awoke in the morning I was very confused trying to figure out what had happened to the extra blanket & the pillow... Turns out, that was just a dream, there was no extra blanket or pillow, but perhaps I slept better since I believed I was warm & comfortable!

In the morning I made my way to McDonalds for a delicious Egg McMuffin, the breakfast of champions!  I still had 7 hours until my flight, so I decided to look for souvenirs & see if anything really got my attention...

Did you know there's a train in the Atlanta airport?

Did you know there's a moving walkway in the basement of the Atlanta airport?

Did you know one section of the basement is made to look and SOUND like a jungle in the Atlanta airport?

Did you know there are 7 concourses in the Atlanta airport?

Do you know the Concourses are labeled T, A, B, C, D, E, F?

I made it to every concourse except T.  I decided to leave something for next time.

I rode the train from one end to the other, around the end of the line (where you are supposed to get off, but I didn't feel like it).

I walked over 12 km (7miles) in the 24 hours I was in the Atlanta airport.

I ate at PF Chang's for the first time in my life while I was in the Atlanta airport.

I was given a free glass of champagne at PF Chang's while I was in the Atlanta airport!

I discovered I don't like champagne when I was at PF Chang's while I was in the Atlanta airport!

I discovered champagne is not improved by having Dr Pepper added to it when I was at PF Chang's while I was in the Atlanta airport!

I visited several souvenir shops, & found many different shirts...

Should I get a "Georgia" shirt?  No, I can't really say that I have seen much of Georgia.

Should I get an "Atlanta" shirt?  No, I haven't seen much of Atlanta either.

Then I found the souvenir I needed...

A hoodie, with the Atlanta airport code!

As I wandered around the airport I realized I had been in the airport too long.  I was beginning to get amused by the strangest things...

"No, YOU thart!"

Why did they choose to do the lettering colouring that way?  It made no sense to me...

It was getting closer to my departure time, so I headed off to my gate.  It was the same group of agents as the day before.  The $20 man said, "Are you finally going home?"

Me: "I'm going to try!"

Agent:" Well, the flight's pretty full, who knows, you could get another day here!"

Me: "Only if it's worth my while!"

Agent: "You should have waited about 10 minutes yesterday.  We would have asked people to be bumped & you could have been compensated."

Me: "NOW you tell me!"

Agent: "Yeah, when you volunteer you get nothing.  You got to be BUMPED!"

Amazingly they did not have more guests than seats, so I managed to make my way onto the flight.  I even got a window seat!

In Calgary we had to go through customs, & after that you exit into the main area of the terminal, & you have to go back through security to get your next flight.  I was in the "Trusted Travelers" line (I had read through all the rules during my stay in Atlanta, so I knew where to put int information in when I checked in).  I was waiting behind a mom with a crying toddler who was having some trouble getting all their stuff put on the table because of all the tears & sadness the child was bringing on her journey.  A man lined up behind me, & then a security agent came up with a woman in a wheelchair beside me, & the wheelchair lady's entourage.  The man behind me decided he had waited long enough, said, "excuse me," & pushed past until he was behind the crying toddler.

Now, remember, I had been in airports for about 30 hours at this point, so I may have been a little snippier than usual. I said, "We're all in line here."

Man: "Well, I was ahead of you."

Me: "No, you weren't, but by all means, go right ahead."

Man: "You came with the wheelchair."

Me: "No, I was here before them, waiting, but I'll go after you."

Man: "Oh, I thought you were with them."

Me: "I'm not."

Man: "Well, you can go ahead of me."

Me: "Thank you!"

After that I got through security, made it to my gate & on my flight without incident.  The only other issue with the flight was that apparently, everyone likes to take a carry-on suitcase now, since checked luggage costs money to take along.  However, there is not enough room for everyone's carry-ons, so they offer to check your luggage to your final destination at the gate, but it ends up on the carousel & you can't pick it up at the gate at the other end of your flight anymore.  I was very thankful to have not checked my luggage though while I was in Atlanta, since I could then change into clean clothes (I could have put my PJs on for the night, but I figured that was a step too far).  But in Calgary not enough people wanted their luggage gate checked, so the last 6 people's luggage didn't fit, & they had to take their suitcases all the way back to the agent for a tag to get checked, so our flight was about 20 minutes late.  The pilot even offered to give them "employee" tags so they could be picked up at the gate, & we could leave on time, but the agent wouldn't allow it.

So, I made it home, one day later than planned, but with lots of stories!  I still can't figure out why Chad is so averse to flying with me. It's always so exciting!

Yard Improvements

Our garage was getting too crowded for PChad to be able to have enough room to work on his car, so it was time to look into getting a shed in our backyard.

First we scoped out a spot.  With a long narrow yard the options were few, so the lone tree had to go.

We discovered 36 hours before our shed was being delivered that we had to prep the ground ourselves, or there would be grass underneath it!  So before dropping the kids at school I called for a load of gravel while PChad worked on tree removal.  After I dropped the kids off I ran into the garden store for a tarp, landscaping fabric & a wheelbarrow.  I had to hurry, the gravel was on it's way!

PChad got to work & after he had taken all the grass out I told him, "that wasn't where I thought we were putting the shed," but apparently I was mistaken, he wasn't going to move it, ha!

The gravel was all put in place & ready for the shed which would arrive the next morning!

Our shed arrived!

I tried not to be in the way while I took pictures, so you'll have to excuse all the reflections in the window...

Walls are up!

Roof on!

Decorative trim, this thing is fancy!

Doors going on!

In 3 hours our shed was built, now it's time to put some stuff in it!  The price was right, & Rainforest Sheds did a great job!

Don't Move With Canadian Moving Systems!

Buckle in, it's going to be a long & bumpy ride, but if you are planning on moving anytime in the future, this is important (& it will explain why I might need to be checked into the loony bin).

*Disclaimer:  Normally I would not call a company out like this, but Canadian Moving Systems have claimed that this is the best their company could have done.  All of the information below has been reported to the company previously, & yet they stand behind it proudly.

******************

About a year ago, when we made the decision to move from Prince Edward Island on the East coast of Canada, to British Columbia on the West coast of Canada, we decided that since we were doing such a major move that would involve putting our worldly possessions in storage for a few months, we'd use a moving company.  We have moved 12 times in our 16 years of marriage, 4 of those being major cross-country moves, & we have always packed & moved all of our stuff ourselves.  This time we decided to treat ourselves by having a company do it for us.  I contacted 10 different companies asking them to quote me a price which would include shipping my car & 2 motorcycles, packing our 6 bedroom house (including disassembling & reassembling furniture), moving from PEI to BC, & the price of storage for the first month, with additional storage rates (since we had not bought a house in BC, we knew we'd need to store our stuff for 1-6 month).  After I received all the quotes, I started with the cheapest company, read reviews, & picked the best deal according to reviews & prices.  We ended up choosing Canadian Moving Systems because their prices were reasonable, & the reviews were quite good.  If only I had known then what I know now...

All of my interactions with the customer service representative were great.  I would be a reference for her if she wants to go to a different company.  The problem is that when you have terrible service, having a good customer service rep doesn't always fix things.

The packing crew arrived 5 strong on a mild day in August.  They surveyed the scene & set to work.  One man spent the whole day just packing the kitchen.  He did an awesome job.  He should get a raise.  The only item broken from the kitchen was my crock-pot.  That seemed like a reasonable amount of damage.  If only the rest of the house had been packed by the same man...

At the end of the day, it appeared they were preparing to leave.  I asked what time they would be returning the next day, & the man in charge informed me they were finished.  I had noticed the laundry room closet still had not been packed, so I asked them about that.  "Oh, we must have forgotten," he said.  While they were quickly packing that I checked & they had also forgotten the cupboard over my desk, the cupboard above the fridge, the rug by the back door, & the drawers with the kitchen linens (which were near the living room).  They then asked me to check around the house if there was anything else they had missed.  The next day I discovered they had left a guitar, the leaf for our dining table, & six folding chairs which had all been behind doors.  Those items then had to be packed in our van across the country.  Customer service apologized for the missed items & credited us $157 for our troubles.

Other than the missed items, the day went well as far as I could tell.  I felt that customer service did a good job of handling the situation, & she was always very kind & helpful whenever I had to contact her.

When we received our household goods from the company, then the trouble started.  We discovered box after box of poorly packed items resulting in breakage which easily could have been prevented.

For any item damaged, since we did not take out additional coverage, they reimbursed us at $0.60 per pound, minus a $450 deductible.  It did not matter to them that much of the damage would have been avoided had things been packed properly, or that at $0.60/lb, I couldn't replace many of the items that were broken by their poor packing job.

Part of our contract with the company included furniture reassembly.  When our goods came, the moving men told me they were not the people who assemble things, & I'd have to contact head office to have an assembly crew come out, so I did.  I was told they would do their best to try to get a crew out, but I should have called them to alert them I'd need furniture assembled (even though it was part of the contract).  I was finally told I'd have to wait 4 days before they could send a crew.  We eagerly awaited the assembly of our beds, the dining room table, my jewellery cabinet, 8 shelving units, the couch legs, & the desk.  They were scheduled to come between 4-6pm.  By 5:50pm I started to worry & called the local office, but it was closed for the day, so I contacted head office again.  Canadian Moving Systems apparently couldn't get their crew to come back, so they had to hire a local handy-man company instead.  After 7 days of waiting, we finally had beds to sleep in, & a table to eat our meals at!

However, the handy-men had some problems assembling a few items.  Apparently instead of unscrewing the legs from my jewellery cabinet, the movers had ripped the skirting off, so it could not be fixed without a strong dose of wood glue.  The men tried, & tried to put the desk together. Then they tried to put half the desk together, then they said, "the desk wasn't taken apart.  They ripped it apart. You can see where they just broke it rather than taking it apart correctly."

I told the customer service representative that we were finding a lot of broken items, her response was, "I am sure we will get this all resolved and make this a positive ending for you and your family."  If only that were true! 


Scroll to after the photos to find out how their claims department works!

Here is my list of grievances:

1. They used as many wardrobe boxes as possible, but they did not use them properly.  They just packed as much into them as they could.  These are the contents of my closet packed in a wardrobe box.

Another example is this box we found that didn't seem to have any rhyme or reason to it.  We took pictures progressively as we got further into it.  Nothing was wrapped.

At the top you can see the bag of golf clubs, & some hubcaps. 

Under the hubcaps we reveal a computer keyboard that was missing a key,

and the vintage Fisher Price airport 

Though difficult to see, a bookend nestled against a hatbox full of Beanie Babies 

A little further down are my garden decorations, a painting tray, & a Ducati motorcycle part which is now scratched.

Under the motorcycle part is a halogen light which was broken.

2. Most things were not wrapped, & many items were shoved into boxes.

Trying to straighten out that rug was quite difficult. 

Our desk files...

Wall clings that may never cling to Chancery's wall since they are so bent.

Proper packing would have prevented this.

I was told that complaining about a bent fly swatter was "exaggerating" the damage, but it was indicative of how items were packed.  If they didn't fit, they were shoved in.

 Apparently complaining about bent books is also exaggerating according to the claims department.

That is a hardback book. 

Auto Decals that were thrown in a box.

These were also put into a box with other items.  It makes me wonder why they bothered to pack them at all. 

Chad drew this.  We got less than $0.60 for it.

Here's the one that irks me the most...

Chad & I bought this mask when we were backpacking through Europe 13 years ago.  We bought it in Venice as a souvenir, & packed it well enough in our backpack that it did not get damaged.  Upon returning to our home in England, we then packed it well enough to ship it to Alberta, Canada without damaging it.  Since that time it has moved to Michigan, Ontario, & PEI, all without damage. When we hire a professional moving company to move it.  They don't wrap it at all, but instead put it in the top of a box, then fold the flaps down on it & damage it beyond repair!

3. The Lego was not put into boxes at all, & the movers repeatedly turned the drawer units upside down when I was nearby.  When I asked them to be careful with them, the men were indifferent.  Many pieces fell out & I retrieved all I could from inside the moving truck, but we still lost a lot of pieces.

We have 5 of these drawer sets full of Lego.

 These are all pieces I retrieved from the truck upon delivery.

Some of the pieces were broken due to the men walking on them.

4. I had set all of out artwork in one room so that it could all be packed together.  It was all packed together without proper padding.  I guess I should have specified that they should be individually wrapped, but should the customer have to instruct a professional moving company?

They consistently put 3 paintings together, then wrapped them in bubble wrap as a set, so that those 3 pieces rubbed against each other without any protection.  Many of our paintings were painted by Chad's grandmother, or art that we had picked up on trips we had gone on.  Again, like the mask, we had moved these many times ourselves without damage.  If you come to our house, & our walls look bare, this is why.  22 of our paintings & photo frames were damaged.

This canvas had a smaller photo frame shoved in behind it, so the canvas is now stretched. 

This is a small portion of the frames that were damaged from rubbing against one another...

5. They were not careful with the items they had to disassemble, & half of the desk was not salvageable.

They left this part of the desk together & packed it in a wardrobe box with other things inside.

The side piece ripped away from the fasteners damaging the wood. 

 Many fasteners were left in place & bent during shipping.

 Looks like they ripped it apart...

******************************************************

So, with all that damage, the next piece of business was the claim form:

Notice the last 4 columns.

Purchase Date: They want to know how old your item is.  That's fair.

Purchase Price: How much did you pay for it when you bought it?  I have no problem with that either.

Weight in pounds: This is the only part they pay any attention to.  No matter what the item is, they take the weight of it & multiply it by 60 cents.  Those lampshades might as well have been thrown out the window of the truck.

Amount Claimed: They don't care what you put in this column.  I even asked why it was on the sheet if they had no intention of paying it.  I did not get a response.

I filled out this form in  full detail as requested.  I dutifully checked how much it would cost to replace my Lampshades ($20 each), Crock-pot ($23), Computer Keyboard ($17), all 82 of my damaged items, but the only column they care about is weight.

The total amount that I claimed was $4879.

I received their email with an offer of "974 lbs @ 60 cents/pound = $584.40"

But WAIT, there's a deductible for $425, so the total amount I would get is $159.40.

Remember, we were reimbursed $157 for the items they forgot to take in the truck.  This hardly seemed like fair compensation for all the damage, so I politely pleaded my case, that things were not packed well & they should take more responsibility.  Here is the response:

"Unfortunately I don’t agree with you that there was any negligence on the part of the crew in relation to packing.  A lot of the damages that you submitted were exaggerated and I went through the pictures myself.  Please keep in mind that the goods were in storage for over 5 months and this can happen during transportation and long term storage.  However, based on the photographic evidence submitted I don’t see that there was any negligence on the part of the crew in packing."

I decided to ask about how the paintings had been packed:

The issue with the paintings was instead of wrapping them in bubble wrap individually, they piled 4 paintings together, then wrapped that as one set.  Then those paintings would rub up against each other every time they move.  I don't believe that wrapping paintings in this way is the proper protocol.  If it is, then something definitely needs to change in the company's protocol!

She said:

Normally we do wrap painting together to ensure that they are a larger bundle and don’t get lost during transportation.  Again normally this does not case any issues or damages.

I then contacted 3 other moving companies to ask how they would pack paintings & received replies from 2 of them, both verifying that paintings should be individually wrapped to prevent contact damage.  I informed her that Canadian Moving Systems standards were not up to par.  In another email she did admit:

 I am not saying that what happened is right and that this is acceptable, however, without proper coverage there is only so much that we can do.

I had to point out once again that my stuff was broken because they did their job poorly:

Company negligence caused an extreme amount of damage.  What I keep getting from you & Canadian Moving Systems is that nothing was done wrong, & this is all normal.  No apologies, no acceptance of blame.  It seems that for your company, this kind of damage in a move is normal.  My point of view is that this damage could have been avoided if things were packed properly (which I know, because I have personally packed our items properly in our previous moves)  When it's company negligence that causes the damage, shouldn't the company be responsible for it?  I think it should be.

Then 3 weeks passed with no reply, so I sent another email stating that I had not heard from her in awhile.  She responded:

I didn’t receive any emails from you until today.  Perhaps it went into junk.  I would like to offer a fair resolution but please understand that I am not able to offer you replacement value or the amount that you are requesting.  What are you looking for as a resolution? 

Nice to know where my emails are going, isn't it?  In my final email to the company I laid it out.

I would like your company to take responsibility for the damage that they caused to my possessions.  I trusted Canadian Moving Systems to pack my items well, knowing they would be shipped across the country & stored for several months.  As I have said before, the kitchen boxes were packed extremely well, if the whole house had been packed in such a way I would be very pleased with the job your company did.  So far, all I have heard from your end is that my move was a standard move.  If that is so, there is a huge discrepancy in how different rooms were packed, & I wonder how many more items would have been broken if the kitchen had been packed to the same standards as the rest of the house.  If you look at the photos listed as "Garage Box", that's all one box, & things were all thrown in randomly with nothing wrapped.  Why is there even a column on the claim form for "Amount Claimed" if you have no intention of paying any amount other than 'standard liability'?  Standard liability is for covering damage that can't be helped.  Packing things improperly can be helped, & items would not be damaged.  What I'm looking for is an acknowledgement from you that my move was done to the best of your companies ability, & if you stand behind it.  If so, I will accept your settlement, but I also feel that I need to let others know that those are your company's standards. 

She responded a few days later with:

Hope that you had a good weekend.  Canadian Moving Systems stands by our work and I am happy to re-send the settlement form for you to sign.   Once we receive it signed I am happy to arrange payment right away.

 So there you have it.  Canadian Moving Systems is proud of a job well done.  However, I would have been better off having a garage sale in PEI.  We have definitely learned our lesson.  Next time we'll be packing & moving ourselves!