Okay, so this is it: The Final Countdown. Or so I thought. In actuality, it is just one more asinine speed bump in a process that I am 110% confident doesn't have to be as complicated as the Army has made it. Let me correct that: This situations categorically would NOT be near as complicated if we were choosing to live off post. Which at this point is seeming like a better and better option. Ugh. But I better back up and explain myself...
On one hand: We have housing!
On the other: We can't do a damned thing to prepare, schedule, or arrange our move in. Nada. Zip. Zero. Zilch. And I get to go 7+ days without my stuff in an empty house.
See, I just got off the phone with the office of the housing development we are assigned to. They can tell me that the house we will move into has a fenced in back yard (yay!), but they can't tell me the address until maintenance hands the house back over to them. And they don't know when that will be. And they can't do anything for me or give me any other information until that time. Which, again, they don't know.
None of this would be an issue, other than the fact that all of our stuff is in storage down there. I can't schedule delivery until I have an address. And it takes around 7 days to get your stuff after you've called the office. Yup. 7 days. 7 days with no bed, no TV, no couch, no dishes, no microwave, nothing. With the New Year Holiday throwing in a few (3) extra non-working days... which may very well make that 7 business days more like 10 or 11. Thank Maude I packed an air mattress, shower curtain, sheets and towel.
The other bonus to this situation? They can't actually tell me when I am going to be able to take residency. They told me that the "goal date" for me to get down there (mind you, this is a 20+ hour/2 day drive for me so I can't just *poof* show up there) is still the 29th, but there are no guarantees. So I guess I'm going to have to get some reservations at the on-post lodging? Hooray. And by that I mean not.
I find this all so unbelievably frustrating and beyond ridiculous. Pray tell, why can't they give us the address, if only to be able to schedule delivery of our stuff ahead of time? But then again, why would I want to do that? Camping in my new house with a dog for 7-10 sounds like a riot. And by that I mean not. Good God- what if I had kids??? What if we were a family of 5 trying to move in? And how did anyone ever think this was the best way to do this?
I guess this is one of those "undies-in-a-bundle" Army moments for me. I'm pretty damned understanding of all the bullshit the Army puts us through. But this one? Not at all. We are uprooting our entire lives, our home, everything we own is in storage. I've been living out of suitcases for almost 6 weeks now. I would think the very effing least they could do would be help us make this transition as fast, easy and un-stressful as possible. Instead I'm calling 6 different numbers to the Transportation Office (none of which work) to try to see if this is really how it works and dealing with an uppity and utterly useless contact at the Community Housing Office.
My next calls will be to the Rear D to see if anyone can help. I refuse to believe that this is the status quo and that families moving down there are routinely waiting 7-ish days to get their stuff moved in. I refuse to believe that there is no way I can get the address of our new home ahead of time so that delivery can be scheduled. I refuse to believe that I have to be physically present at Fort X in order to schedule delivery. And I refuse to believe that the Army cares this little about families. But then again, I've been wrong about the Army before.
Ugh. Is this over yet??? Please???
8 comments:
UGH. I can't believe that! It's like they expect you to just magically appear with your stuff in the trunk of your car. I would definately call the Rear D. Usually on-post workers (who happen to be civilian) are more likley to listen to military than us. Unfair and ironic, but true nonetheless. They fear boots up their butts. Also, if ever there was a time to call in the Rear D, this would be it.
Hope all turns out ok! :-)
I spent 3 days/2 nights in our empty house with 4 kids & no form of entertainment... Toys...nope. TV...nada. Zip, nothing. Boy did I have fun coming up with games to play in an empty 2 story, 4 bedroom house lol! I SO feel your pain. & I hate to say it but after being a Marine wife then switching to Army, the Army sucks at their family relations. Sending lots of luck & good wishes your way. Hopefully things will go more smoothly than currently planned :o)
i would go nutz. absolutely nutz. oh wait, our first PCS together is happening in may. i'm guessing i'll go nutz.
oh but hey, congrats on *getting* housing. (nice to be able to say it even if you can see it or touch it or smell it ...)
We just got through with the whole crappy moving/no address/stuff still in storage dance, so I feel for you. I hope the Read D can do something to make it easier.
This is the exact point I've tried to make to the 'brass' I meet... and get the same raft of bullshit "we've always done this.. it's security...we are trying to be fair to all"... blah blah. I am waiting for someone to say OPSEC about this.... best excuse, right?
INSANE CRAP!!!
I just officially swore off ever trying to live in base housing... seriously. :|
the advantage is that you get to leave as soon as army write orders, and you don't have to break a lease with a civilian -- that is def good. but yikes they sure do seem to turn the screws when you're just trying to move in!!
I hear ya girl. My fiance' and I opted for off post for this very reason. We will be at Benning. We are under the delusion that around the 30th we will show up with our uhaul and be shown homes for rent. We are working on being preapproved with two realty companies. And oh yes we are trying to get married on the 31st. Best of luck Tuck and thanks for the suggestion of the air mattress ect. OY!
I hope this gets worked out in your favor. Sadly, 7 days isn't an atypical amount of time to be without your things (we've done 3 weeks, 2 months, and 5 days, depending on the move). You can probably borrow a lot of household items from ACS. I recommend an air mattress and a couple of lawn chairs in the meantime. Good luck!
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