Les Bonnes Choses

This afternoon, as my linux workstation chugged away at a pile of fMRI data for my project with Marc, Ken, Larry, Kyle and Alex, I created a little spreadsheet so I could compare all the quotes I received from various moving companies. Long distance movers charge by the pound, and many of the movers appear to have rates that vary depending on the weight: they charge more per pound for lighter loads than for heavier loads. Unfortunately, they don't make their formulas available in their quotes, and their estimates of the weight of all of our belongings range from 4800 lbs to 8000 lbs, and rates that range from $0.41 to $0.469 per pound. The cheapest rate belonged to the company that also estimated the highest weight for our belongings. Still, I think they will work out as being the least expensive option, unless they use some kind of nonlinear formula to determine shipping rates. It is interesting that weight estimates varied so much because each company received the same inventory list, provided by TopMovers.ca, who act as some kind of referral agent.

Thinking of moving

Conspicuously absent from my spreadsheet was Atlas Van Lines, who I had contacted via their own website. Aside from the email I received after completing their request a quote page thanking me for my interest and promising that an agent would contact me shortly, I have received no communication from them. They continued to ignore me even after I tried to alert the service agent who had originally contacted me to this oversight by way of a reply email. I mention this only because I have a policy of recommending companies that have provided good service in the past, and embarrassing companies that have not, even in cases such as this where I haven't suffered any damages. At the risk of exaggerating my influence, this approach can be highly effective, as United Airlines was recently "persuaded" to reimburse a musician for a damaged instrument after he launched a PR-damaging campaign set to music. Check it out: