Sometimes Murphy’s Law displays its full extent. Things go wrong in so many different ways even others that you never would have thought were possible. It is even worse when such a perfect storm chooses your moving day to brag of its might. Just knowing how to avoid possible mishaps is not enough. You have to also have an idea of all the possibilities. Some mishaps you can handle or mitigate but others you just let them derail the entire day. Below are a few of the possibilities.
Weather
This is not talking a little more heat than the previous day or a gentle drizzle. No, this is something massive. The kind of rain that has huge painful drops. The kind of rain that floods the roads within minutes. The kind of rain that will definitely prevent you from using the road. In Kenya, very heavy rain is pretty much the only weather problem hat could ruin your moving day.
There is very little to do about this. The moving company or whoever is supposed to help you move might decide that they would rather be indoors than risk drowning in muddy rain water. Others would be willing to brave all of it but at a heftier fee than you may have previously budgeted for. Rain makes transporters a little greedy in Nairobi.
Traffic
This is Nairobi and boy is she famous for her traffic. The tiniest thing could cause a traffic snarl up thus keeping you on the road for hour or detaining the movers from arriving to help you move. This is especially common if you are moving across town and have to use main roads.
You should check twitter for traffic updates early in the morning and through the day just to make sure the moving company will not drive right into it. Determine an alternative route using back roads. For example if you are moving from Thika Road to Kikuyu. You could go through Ngara or Muthaiga. This would be a better alternative than going through University Way then joining Waiyaki Way. You should definitely avoid major event weekends like a football game or concert.
Flaky People
If you had hired a moving company, they might run late on the day of. Because this is Nairobi and you may have been tempted by the low price, they might forget to show up all together. This will leave you in a position where you have to find an alternative at the 11th hour. The people you had drafted top help you move could also flake on you due to a variety of reasons.
The lesson here is that you should always have a back up plan. Not just for moving day but for life. If you had hired a moving company, have an alternative in your back pocket. Also call the previous day and confirm that they will still show up on time.
Time
It is very easy to run out of time on moving day. If you asked your mover to show up at a certain time and you are not ready to leave an hour or two after they have arrived then one of two things will happen. The first is that they may leave. The second is they may charge you for the extra time. Signs of running out of time are oversleeping, beginning your packing on the day of among others.
To ensure you do not run out of time, budget. Budget every minute from the moment you wake up. Only leave the small stuff fro the day of like your toothbrush and bundling up your bed. Set an alarm if you have to and wake up early then manage your time properly.
Loss or Damage
This happens quite a lot especially if you hire second rate movers. Your property breaks or is lost along the way. Unless you have insurance, that becomes the end of that piece. This can really ruin your moving day and maybe even derail it. This is especially common if the furniture is reluctant to be moved out of the house. Maybe your couch is too big for the doorway or at least seems to be. Some of these things require extra vigilance and creativity to get through the door.
To prevent this, only hire a reputable moving company. Some of those have a policy to replace lost and repair damaged property. Manage your time so that there is enough to carefully and slowly move things out of the house and the building. Do not forget to figure out how your big couch will be safely passed through the door as you plan the move. You could even consult the person who moved it in.
Injury
Injury will ruin any kind of day. You might hurt your back trying to lift a heavy box. Something could fall on you. A shard of broken glass could cut you. Even one of the movers could be hurt. Injury would leave the crew with one less person. If you are the injured party, it could mean postponing the move for another day.
There really is not much you can do about this situation. You could be very careful but still get injured. This is one of those helpless situations. Unless you have someone wo can move the move along while you get treated then you are out of luck.
Unpaid Bills
There are bills that you need to pay before you move out. Some landlords require that you paint the house or arrange for it to be done before you leave. Others require that you pay the fuel levy on the unit power meter. You must also pay any outstanding fees like garbage collection and such. The caretaker might decide to detain you until those are paid. This will surely derail the day and possibly warrant postponement. To avoid any of these, find out what you need to pay early and arrange to have it taken care of before the moving day.
The best way to avoid mishaps is really to be more than adequately prepared. A little part of avoiding is pleading with the universe and hoping the wrecking ball does not have you on target for that day. Happy moving!
