Organizing to Move: Part Eight
Hello everyone:
Okay, so you are getting ready to move into your new home. Congratulations on making it this far! You have made significant progress. What’s next?
Making sure you have electricity, water, trash removal, and Internet service at your new location is your next step. Folks, this is not for the faint of heart. It’s going to take some time and a whole lot of patience.
You will need to call and/or email the company in question. It will take longer than you expect because nothing will be straightforward, even though it should be. They will ask a boatload of questions, some of which seem to be completely unrelated to your need for service. (What is the name of the mortgage company of your mother’s first home, even if it was a rental. Okay, so it’s not that bad, but almost.)
Just as you think (mistakenly, as it happens) that you have finally arranged for the service you sought, they will ask you to hold on and then put on some annoying person who wants to up-sell whatever service you have arranged. The full-court press will be placed on you, so that you don’t just have Internet service, you have the quadruple, life-long, mortgage your firstborn son, super duper service that they highly recommend, instead of the low-life cheapskate service you just signed up for. (You don’t want your closest friends to think you can’t afford the better service, do you???)
When my electric company tried to up-sell their service, I hung up. It didn’t work. Someone called me back, certain that we had been disconnected by mistake. (Please note: If you hang up, the new person will try to sell you a much more expensive service. Your transaction was not complete until you hear the new person’s spiel, so stay local. It’s cheaper in the long run.)
Should you decide not to answer your phone when they call back, you will be subjected to emails. Endless emails. “Delete” has become my favorite companion on my email.
I hope you find this blog posting helpful as you complete you move. Please do chime in on your own experiences. There’s company in misery.
Best,
Dr. Sheri