Stranded....

At home that is. I am now in my fourth week without my vehicle. The most painful part of a long, long distance move is the transport of vehicles. I highly recommend selling your cars if you can; I'm wishing we had sold at least one of ours right now. Actually, the whole ordeal provides a great case study of an oxymoron.

Let's begin with Webster's definition:

Main Entry: ox·y·mo·ron
Pronunciation: "äk-sE-'mor-"än
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural ox·y·mo·ra /-'mor-&/
Etymology: Late Greek oxymOron, from neuter of oxymOros pointedly foolish, from Greek oxys sharp, keen + mOros foolish
: a combination of contradictory or incongruous words (as cruel kindness); broadly : something (as a concept) that is made up of contradictory or incongruous elements

First you have the name of the car transport company handling our vehicles' move: Dependable Auto Shippers.

Dependable? Absolutely NOT. In my experience of shipping four cars with these folks, it is painfully clear that dependable would be the opposite of the quality of service they provide. Hence, we have ourselves a great example of an oxymoron.

Folks, they tell you it will take an estimated 14 - 16 days to get your car to you. We're about to go into our 26th day of waiting. That's right baby.... almost 4 weeks without a vehicle. Where can I pick up my "Having to Tolerate the Most Incompetent" award? The moving company we used was able to come the day they promised, pack our entire household, load on the scheduled day and deliver cross country exactly as planned. So why is it that Dependable Auto Shippers can't take two items and deliver anywhere near the promised time frame? Their standard excuse is "well this is our busiest time of the year." This is also true of the moving companies, but they can manage to do what they promise. If Dependable Auto Shippers can't handle the work load then they should not promise the service or get out of the game.

Did I mention the company's name yet? It would be Dependable Auto Shippers. Am I sure you ask? Yes, it's Dependable Auto Shippers. Dependable Auto Shippers. Dependable Auto Shippers.

My advice: Pay a friend/Relative who'd appreciate a little extra cash to fly up and drive your vehicle to you. They'll appreciate the money and you will maintain a little control over your vehicle.