Saturday, March 8, 2008

Good samaritans or suckers?

Have you ever had something happen to you that was so ridiculous that the only logical thought in your head was "I'm so blogging this!"
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Last weekend started out like any other. In fact, we thought it would be better than most, since some family friends of ours called us and told us that they've decided to buy new furniture and are getting rid of their gently used leather couch, loveseat and lazychair. Would we want them?
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Since we've been looking to update our couch, and their leather couch had a
hide-a-bed in it, we said "HELL YA!"
We've been meaning to update our furniture, and had agreed on buying a couch with a hide-a-bed next time. It seemed that our friends offer was our lucky day.
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Alas, it's wasn't that simple. These people lived about an hour away and we'd need to rent a moving truck to fit it all in. After doing the math, we came to the conclusion that it'd be worth paying for the rental in order to receive such quality furniture for free.
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At the rental place the employee pissed me off right away. He took all my I.D's, along with a strand of my hair for DNA and a urine sample. Then he proceeded to 'authorize' my credit card for $300... (rental was just $100!) in case I got a speeding ticket while I had the truck.
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Correct me if I'm wrong, but if I get a speeding ticket in someone else's truck, I am still the one paying for the ticket, not the owner of the truck. I tried to argue this point and some lady behind me in line who really wanted to get on my last nerve, butt in and said 'they're just doing their job, it's their policy to authorize for that".
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I thanked her for being so helpful and jumping in. My eyes must have told a different story 'cause she backed right up.
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Then, the employee of the month, takes his clipboard and starts going outside with it. He inspects the truck announces that there are no damages to it and that it'll be inspected again upon it's return. So, I went outside and started taking pictures of all the dents and scratches with my cellphone.
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Dude's got a clipboard, and looked all official, so I figured I could take pictures, while loudly announcing each scratch I found.
(Ya don't think that was childish of me, do ya?)
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The cow, I mean the helpful lady inside, was rolling her eyes at me through the glass.
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We made it to our destination, where the leather gifts were already neatly stacked outside. I was so exited, they were a beautiful hunter green colour. We backed up in the driveway, and I hopped out.
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Good thing I was holding on to the back door as I jumped out or I would've fallen on my ass right there.
It was like a bad movie...All I could say is "no no no" and shake my head.
JP followed me and I just stared and pointed.
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I am not going to pretend that I am not a snob, because I most certainly am. I like nice things. I don't put crap in my house.
If that crap is being given away for free, it's still crap and I don't want it.
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No wonder they left the shit outside.
They probably had it out there the entire winter and nobody took it.
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The couches were dirty, scratched, dis-colored, and just all around nasty. I couldn't believe my eyes. Where the hell did these people think I lived, in the ghetto of suburbia? I wouldn't be caught dead with those pieces in my house.
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So now, we're an hour away from home, with an empty rental truck and items we don't want in front of us. JP suggests we just load them in, and talk about it on the way home. So, he loaded them in by himself as I cussed like a sailor and we drove back.
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Once we got home, we moved our couch out of the way, and figured we'd at least try to bring the one couch in (with the hide-a-bed) and see if it would look better once inside. We unloaded the stuff, and once out of the truck, that same wave of disgust came over me when I saw it. No way am I putting this in my house.
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Jp loaded it all back in the truck and we put our old couch back. Now we had to go get rid of these items somewhere. We went to a couple of thrift stores. One was not accepting donations on sunday, the other was full. At this point we're just driving around looking for someone who'll take them.
(bare in mind we're being charged by the kilometer as we're driving)
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Never one to be classy and composed in situations like this, I cursed and swore the entire time. (Oh, yeah, I'm a treat to hang out with when things don't go my way)
We decide we should go to the dump and 'recycle' this garbage. We go in, we wait in line, we pay an arm and a leg (they charge by weight) and then we leave. Of course, JP unloaded the entire truck alone
again, while I took pictures documenting this catastrophy for you guys.
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these pictures don't truly show the awful state of the rips and tears, in fact they look ok in the photos.
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By this point we've spent over $150 (including milage, gas, truck rental and 'recycling fee') and 5 hours of our sunday afternoon taking out other people's trash.
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Once we got back into our own vehicle, after the rental truck was returned, we looked at each other and laughed.
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Somehow, it's hard not to feel like total suckers.

15 comments:

Just telling it like it is said...

OMGosh..
How bad do i feel for you!!
You guys are way too nice I would have left the couches on the front law with a note...
that would be all cuss words...
So sorry that girl!!!

Sayre said...

I am laughing in sympathy, for downstairs in my family room at this very minute sits the Pee Couch.

My mother's cat took exception to their new dog and let the couch know it - repeatedly. Mom took the couch in to be cleaned (and enzymed) and while it was out, she discovered she liked the room better without the couch. Since we have minimal furniture, she asked if we'd want it (not telling me it had been peed on repeatedly). Sure! said foolish me. It still smelled when it arrived from the cleaner and I have since cleaned it twice. Once more might do it. You now have to actually stick your nose in the thing to smell it. That was not the case when we got it...

JR said...

Wow, what an adventure. It sounds about how my luck would go in a situation like this. I had a slightly similar situation in trying to get rid of a bed on moving day. Neither the Salvation Army or Goodwill were taking any furniture. I went driving around in the poorer neighborhoods asking if anyone wanted a bed. The Mexican guys didn't want to try and haul it home, I offered to deliver it and it made them suspicious. I stopped and asked some Black guys where I could get rid of it and they gladly accepted it from me. Problem solved after more than an hour driving around in the sketchy part of town. I know what I must have looked like, the big fancy SUV in the bad side of town, "hey mister, ya wanna free bed?" What must they have been thinking of me?

That girl said...

Just telling - it would be hard for me to write a nasty note to them, I honestly don't think they did it on purpose. I don't know what they were thinking, but I don't think they actually thought I'd take their stuff to the dump.

Sayre - EEEwww...a pee couch. From your mom no less, lol. Yikes. I don't feel so bad for myself now after reading your story, hehe.

VV - I have a mental picture of you trying to pawn your bed off in some seedy neighbourhood. Just too funny. Most parents warn their children of people pushing drugs on them. Not nice ladies offering free beds, LOL.

Eileen said...

Oh, those pictures of the dump bring back some happy memories for me.
One person's junk is another one's treasure. Whoever said that should be made to take all of our 'treasures'.
Good for you and JP for laughing at the end of it all!

Awesome Mom said...

Oh man, that is wrong on so many levels. Well at least you got a $150 blog post out of it. You should have snuck photos of the snotty lady and the idiot rental guy.

That girl said...

Eileen - Let's find the guy who said that and make him take the couch!!

Awesome Mom - Believe me, next time I will. (although, I wonder if I can be sneaky enough...perhaps I should just be honest and tell them "I'm gonna talk about you later, mind posing for a picture?)

tweetey30 said...

Yikes.. I hate getting free furniture. I usually dont take it and would want to see it before saying yes but you know how friends can be when trying to get rid of things. I would save reciepts and ask friends to pay for recycling. LOL... That is me though...

Laura said...

Oh man, Michelle. That bites, but it's a pretty funny story!! Sometimes free couches can work out though... I just got one from my friend when she heard I moved out of Chris' place and had no furniture. She was actively shopping for a replacement couch for the one she already had - nothing wrong with it, she just wanted an upgrade. She sent me a pic and it looked fine, and it's not sitting happily in our rec room waiting for me to find an apartment of my own (way off in the distant future, methinks...) I'd say ask for photos next time!

That girl said...

Laura - You are absolutley right, sometimes free furniture works out great. We DID have pictures, but (as you can see by the ones I took) you can't see the tears and discoloration until you are up close and personal...sooo, out of luck I suppose, hehe.

Tweets - I can't show her the bills, I haven't even told her I didn't keep it, I'm mortified to. I get embarrassed for her, as I know she'll be so upset at herself. I will have to tell her eventually, but so far I have managed to avoid speaking to her this week :-)

tweetey30 said...

Ok. It was just a suggestion. Hope it goes well when you do talk to her.

Ann(ie) said...

Okay, as usual I have many things to say. ;)

First of ALL: You and I would so get along. We must meet. I love my friends to have potty mouths just like me. hehe.

Secondly: What the hell is wrong with the moron behind you in line??? OMG....shutty!

Thirdly: I'm pretty picky about what I put in my house, too. You can't really tell it these days b/c my living room looks like Kindercare, but I totally understand.

AND lastly: I hope you had a nice, strong drink when you got home after that day. or 6.

xo.

La Cremiere said...

hahahahha. Sorry I should not be laughing, you're too nice, at least JP is too nice. You should have told your friends --- (btw, are they really friends to pass on their trash for you to dispose of?)--- and told them that you did not realise the state of the furniture and you would think about it (and NEVER get back to them)???? Mind you, it does make a good story.

That girl said...

Annie - we totally should meeet. (seattle is not that far away, I keep tellin' ya,lol)

The lady in line behind me pissed me off to no end as well...hmmm perhaps if we'd both had been there (with our kinder crew) she'd have thought twice of it, eh?

Cremiere - Jp really IS too nice. They're 'family friends' which means they're my parents' age and they've known me all my life. I can't even understand WHAT they were thinking...hehe.

robkroese said...

I once paid $200 for an entertainment center at a garage sale only to have it fly out of the pickup I was borrowing and shatter into a thousand pieces. Good times.