"I just hired a $500 W*edding P*hotographer!"

fabulous artwork from Yumi Yumi on Etsy

The backstory is that a friend moved and I helped. It was pretty crazy, a nightmare in the making. Boxes were neatly packed and stacked and there really wasn't that much stuff. Trust me, I felt confident in offering my help not only for that reason but because there was a professional mover ready to go on the appointed day. Moving day came and the horror began to unfold:

• the mover was 4 hours late
• arrived one man short
• in a truck too small
• the 'main' mover was too out of shape and slow to be working at ALL
• the second man on the job was (and I mean no disrespect) some guy hired from the side of the road
• they were sloppy, ick!
  
• despite being painfully slow they dinged walls and woodwork as well as furniture
• It was a horrible day with few bright spots
  

The day went overtime and was horribly frustrating. The helper bee's spent boodles of time hauling and lifting and hauling some more in private vehicles in an effort for this whole thing not to go triple time. In other words we worked our collective rears off.

Why were these movers hired? To save money of course! Why else? On the surface they were the cheaper option. In the long run, to have spent more money with another (more reputable) company would have saved money, time, and irritation. (And not by just a little).

About 2 hours before the nightmare ended do you know what I heard? "I just hired a $500.00 w*edding p*hotographer!" The words took a minute to settle in and then I understood------ you get what you pay for, the cheapest option is frequently not the best option, bargains are often just the opposite of true bargains.

I've shared the story with the staff at BBP and other respected professionals in the business and the same dawning realization comes to everyone. The moral of the story seems to be to:

• hire the best you can afford and then some! Professionals pay off in the long run.
• don't sell yourself short, your time and energy can be saved by hiring those that really help!
• Professionals have worked many years building sterling reputations----- those reputations MEAN something! Avail yourself of that!
  

Oh................. and if you need help moving when you call me honey, I'll be asking better questions!

*******
Thanks to everyone who asked about Nell after her auto accident. There have (thankfully!!!) been no health repercussions and she is just fine. As a matter of fact she has new wheels that are pretty darn fabulous. To those of you who know her it will come as no surprise to hear that she went to the dealer alone and negotiated a great deal. She is woman, hear her roar! On a sad note, she and Mike lost their beloved dog Slugger recently. It's been a bit of a hard path for Nell lately, surely sunshine and good things lie ahead.