Delivery Day!!!!

[QuiltFaerie]

I am excited and scared all in the same breath. The new Beast is suppose to be delivered today between 10 am and 1 pm EST.

I was shocked to learn that it is a tailgate delivery only. Thinking fast, I have asked one of my neighbors if he could help me. Bless his heart. He has agreed. One problem solved! I was really starting to stress out over this.

Gail

[mountainmanda]

when my Precious was delivered I was floored. I knew that the boxes were going to be heavy, but I hadn't even considered exactly how heavy. Two boxes were over 100 pounds, EACH! Those boxes sat in my showroom floor and customers gladly walked around them for three days while I set up my machine. I left the boxes there and unloaded them as I put together my Millie. Yes, it took me three days of work to set up my machine, and that is not common for everyone. I had to stop during set up if customers came into the store and to go to my other job. Most of the people that came by at that time were there to see the Millie, it was weird and a little overwhelming at the same time. So yes it took me a longer time than most to set up my Millie, but I did it by myself and now I am practicing away.

Best of luck to you. I know you will enjoy your new endeavor with the Millie.

Happy Quilting

Manda

[sylkamode]

Hi Gail,

Hope things go well with building up the LA. I am waiting for my Millennium, hopefully it will arrive in one or two weeks, but if I read the comment of Manda, I know I can expect some heavy boxes: I too have to place them in the back of my shop/class room, which is always open and available for the customers, so three days?

Cannot wait!

[QuiltFaerie]

I am now pacing the floor! On pins and needles. Having panic attacks. You name it. Still doing the "What have I done" routine as in "Good GOD what I have done". LOL

I'll be glad when it gets here and gets unloaded. I am hoping that none of the boxes a super heavy. 7 pieces, a total of 450 pounds. This is going to be interesting.

Sylamode, congrats on your new machine. We will be green beans together!

Gail

[QuiltFaerie]

The delivery is complete. The guy even loaded it all into my garage. What a sweetheart. Apparently, when they deliver machines, some people expect them to carry them upstairs. No worries. The garage was fine.

Going to unpack now.

[ramona-quilter]

Gail,

What exactly does "tailgate only" mean? If you are buying

from APQS, I would imagine that you would get good

service. This is what happens when you have to deal with

the freight company yourself.

Before the machine was shipped, the freight company that

was deliverying my Ultimate I (bought from a private source,

not APQS) told me they would only deliver to a business

address, no residential delivery. So I told them it was a quilt

shop and 1 woman worked there, is that OK? I was assured it was fine.

Then the day of delivery, the freight company (on this end)

called and told me they would be there about 2 PM. I asked

(they did not offer) how heavy it was because I would have

to pick it up from the quilt shop and put it in my truck. That's

when he told me I would need a forklift. Say what?? I don't

know of too many country quilt shops with forklifts.

Ok, so I called around and found a place that would rent me

a forklift, drop it off and then pick it up later, $200. OK.

Now, I'm all set.

I called the freight company back. So I have the forklift for

your driver. Whoa. "The driver won't drive your forklift. You

have to provide the driver." WHAT?:mad:

So I went looking for a forklift driver....and then remembered

that I was married to one. OK, now I really am all set.

I called the freight company back. They will have the truck at

the quilt shop and the crate will be on the hydraulic tailgate.

"OK, so you will lower the hydraulic tailgate and my forklift

driver (DH) will remove the crates from the lowered tailgate".

There will be a $75 charge to use the tailgate. WHAT?Grrrrr:mad:

So this thing called "delivery" really means that you pull your

big truck into the parking lot and turn it off and that is all.

And the rest is up to me. Is that right? Yup.

By that time, I had worked myself into a real snit and just

wanted to reach through the phone line and strangle the

guy at the freight company.

I called them back and told them to hold the crates at the

depot and I would come down and get them. They had to

use their forklift to bring the crates out to the loading dock

where we pulled them apart (with some help from a guy )

and loaded it all into my truck for the final 25-30 mile drive

to my home. Where there's a will......

The moral of the story: ask lots of questions, get it in writing,

if possible and be flexible. And just keep saying "This time

next week I'll be quilting on my longarm". It's all good.

[Guest LA]

Awesome Gail!

It sounds like your "delivery" was quick & painless!

I have had many a machine delivered, & yes they do caution people for curb delivery for the very reason you mentioned. They would be in a world of hurt if they didn?t protect them selves from the "unknown" delivery scenario.

Imagine that they did have to place it up or down a flight of stairs, they could be injured, or ding a wall etc, etc.

I have found that they are more than happy to use the freight dollies to bring into a garage or studio, or first level home.

I am working today, but please let me know via cell phone if you need any thing!

Originally posted by QuiltFaerie

The delivery is complete. The guy even loaded it all into my garage. What a sweetheart. Apparently, when they deliver machines, some people expect them to carry them upstairs. No worries. The garage was fine.

Going to unpack now.

[GERRY]

Hay Ramona quilter

The driver of the truck that delivered my Milli. was a girl. :mad: a young woman really of about 25, Now I have to say, she was a peach, :cool: and not afraid of a little lifting, so believe it or not between the two of us we carried & or dragged everything to the front door. That's where my DH (after working at the construction site for 8 hrs.) & I unpacked it, we then carried what wouldn't go in the front door around to the back (the poles), I let him build the table & put in the machine over 2 nights, then it took me two more days to go near her (the Mill. I was just a little nervous) I watched the dvd about six times, then another Sue Patten had sent me at lest 3 , told myself that if I could use a table saw, I could use this over sized sewing machine.

It took me a little while to fall in love with "Gracie" once I got the stitch reg. figured out, we were off & running.

Gail:

Make sure you get the table height right, & have fun,

Best of luck

[Bekah]

Oh Gail, have a lot of fun and congratulations!! Welcome to the crazy world of being a LAer.

[Bekah]

Forgot to mention, we had (name removed)'s Chris come and set our machine up. He was wonderful. let me sit and watch like a little bird waiting for her mother to come by with a worm, (mouth open I am afraid) she was so much bigger than I anticipated but really not a thing to be scared of. We have such a wonderful world of support here on this chat.

But when everyone says relax and breath, that is hard to do, the breathing part I mean. but do have fun

[Guest Linda S]

Woooo Hoooo GAIL! You'll be having some fun now. My brother and I put my machine together. It really didn't take all that long. I think it would be possible to do it yourself as long as you had a carpenter's horse, or whatever they call those supports that you can set one end of the rails on while you attach the legs. Can't wait for you to come tell us how it's going at chat tonight!!

Linda

[countrystitcher]

Gail, you will have so much fun - don't be afraid of it, just do it girl! My hubby and I drove to the factory and picked up my machine, it is only 3 hours from us. It was the happiest ride ever, could not wait to get it home. Yes, it was extremely heavy, but we got it in the house and he had it set up in just a few hours. I had a practice quilt on the very first day -- still remember thinking my dream has finally come true. We all know exactly how you feel. Enjoy Enjoy!!!

[QuiltFaerie]

So far, I've gotten everything out of the garage and down in the basement. I was really getting worried about getting those rails around the corners. But, I did it! If I had gotten a 14 ft table.... there is no way that would have worked. Taking a rest and then onto assembly.

Linda, I can probably get my dad to hold the parts that need holding. He just can't do the lifting any more. He has terrible pains in his shoulders. Doesn't keep him from golfing though!

[Guest Linda S]

How's it going Gail? Hope you get all set up and going by the weekend. Did you find a level?

Linda

[QuiltFaerie]

I went out this morning and bought a couple of levels. Mom had to take Dad (84 yos) to emergency this morning as he is having problems with shortness of breath. Of course, his regular doctor's office was closed today. I did offer to go with them but they both turned me down.

I got the carriage on but now need to adjust the front carriage wheels as they look like they are sitting at 5 and 6 clock respectively and there is some wiggle room in the carriage. I need to head back down to Dad's and look for the 9/16 and 7/16 box wrenches.

Thanks for asking Linda. Who knows what can happen when I get my hands on a few tools!

Gail

[thequiltqueen]

When I got word that my millie was being shipped of course I was on pins and needles. It was just before the July 4th holiday in 2004. So, in addition to the normal transport time, I also had to wait because of the holiday. The day she was due at the depot I called them and asked for the status of my delivery. She was there, but they had trucks backed up in the lot and the delivery truck could not load her for 2- 3 MORE DAYS!!! I could not wait for THAT! So off I went to pick her up myself in my pickup truck. Luckily, the depot was only about 20 miles away. When I got there they mistakenly charged me the delivery fee anyway. Finally got that straightened out and I noticed they had charged me for "delivery notification" or something similarly worded. I asked what that meant and was told that was the charge for someone from the depot to call me and tell me when they were delivering my order. I pointed out that no one did that, that I had called THEM. They stilled charged me and I just wanted to get my baby home so I left, feeling slightly taken advantage of. (it was over $30 for this phone call that never happened)

Anyway, APQS sent me a postcard asking about my satisfaction with them, and also my shipping experience so I told them about the freight company. Lo and behold, a couple months later I get a credit to my VISA for the amount of the "delivery notification" from the freight company.

I know this had to be APQS' doing, because the freight company just did not care. I have to tell everyone how great APQS has treated me.