Swine Spectator
is Blowin Smoke!
Background: (A quick note for those of you who haven't heard my story):
My company moved me from my hometown of New Orleans to D.C. last year. It was a big decision for my family to make and a huge change for people who spent most of their lives south of I-10. I had a comprehensive relocation package that covered almost everything, even a relocation consultant.
As part of the move, we were asked to declare any "High Value Items" we owned. This was primarily the Mrs's wedding ring, some art, and family heirlooms. I insisted on adding my Klose 20" x 48" to the declaration form, because it was a big ticket item (at least to me). The day of the move, I supervised the crew as they tied down the racks and wrapped the pit in blankets. They carefully loaded the pit into the truck and secured it with ratchet binders.
Our delivery was delayed by a few weeks and our stuff was sent to storage. When it was delivered, my Klose was not on the truck. I told the movers that they better find it. Then I was told it was being delivered separately. Later in the day second truck arrived. When they opened the doors, my Klose was laying on its side, unwrapped, untied, and the racks were hanging out. It took 5 guys to stand it up. The tables were bent. The wheels were bent and it didn't sit level. The paint had been worn through to the bare metal.
I was upset, but not panicked. I had been wise to declare it, right? Not so fast - the movers claimed that I had used the wrong form and that it wasn't covered. I explained to them that I used the form that *they* gave me. They still said, "Wrong Form". They claimed that their liability was limited to $1000.
I am telling you all of this for a reason. If you stuck with me this far, read on! - So I went back and read the contract. It had a clause that read something like this, "You have a duty to declare high value items, such as: jewelry, art, furs, CD's, etc. If you fail to properly declare such items, our liability is limited to $100 per pound."
I cut-and-paste that clause into an e-mail with a note that stated that I had declared my pit as a high value item. However, if I had declared it incorrectly, It weighed 1100 lbs and that their liability would be capped at $110,000! (Editor's note: I received a check for full replacement value within 24 hours.)
Now, I'm not a guy who buys and sells and trades stuff. When I bought my Klose, it was my "forever" pit. However, I bought it in 2010, before I ever heard of the brethren or Shirley Fab. Also, Klose's prices have nearly tripled since I bought mine. After doing some research, I realized that I could get a decent Shirley trailer from what it would have cost to replace my Klose patio model.
Long story even longer, I placed my deposit with Paul and waited my turn.
My company moved me from my hometown of New Orleans to D.C. last year. It was a big decision for my family to make and a huge change for people who spent most of their lives south of I-10. I had a comprehensive relocation package that covered almost everything, even a relocation consultant.
As part of the move, we were asked to declare any "High Value Items" we owned. This was primarily the Mrs's wedding ring, some art, and family heirlooms. I insisted on adding my Klose 20" x 48" to the declaration form, because it was a big ticket item (at least to me). The day of the move, I supervised the crew as they tied down the racks and wrapped the pit in blankets. They carefully loaded the pit into the truck and secured it with ratchet binders.
Our delivery was delayed by a few weeks and our stuff was sent to storage. When it was delivered, my Klose was not on the truck. I told the movers that they better find it. Then I was told it was being delivered separately. Later in the day second truck arrived. When they opened the doors, my Klose was laying on its side, unwrapped, untied, and the racks were hanging out. It took 5 guys to stand it up. The tables were bent. The wheels were bent and it didn't sit level. The paint had been worn through to the bare metal.
I was upset, but not panicked. I had been wise to declare it, right? Not so fast - the movers claimed that I had used the wrong form and that it wasn't covered. I explained to them that I used the form that *they* gave me. They still said, "Wrong Form". They claimed that their liability was limited to $1000.
I am telling you all of this for a reason. If you stuck with me this far, read on! - So I went back and read the contract. It had a clause that read something like this, "You have a duty to declare high value items, such as: jewelry, art, furs, CD's, etc. If you fail to properly declare such items, our liability is limited to $100 per pound."
I cut-and-paste that clause into an e-mail with a note that stated that I had declared my pit as a high value item. However, if I had declared it incorrectly, It weighed 1100 lbs and that their liability would be capped at $110,000! (Editor's note: I received a check for full replacement value within 24 hours.)
Now, I'm not a guy who buys and sells and trades stuff. When I bought my Klose, it was my "forever" pit. However, I bought it in 2010, before I ever heard of the brethren or Shirley Fab. Also, Klose's prices have nearly tripled since I bought mine. After doing some research, I realized that I could get a decent Shirley trailer from what it would have cost to replace my Klose patio model.
Long story even longer, I placed my deposit with Paul and waited my turn.
