The Great Couch Adventure of 2020
To begin this adventure, you must travel back in time with me to 2019.
(Ok. It wasn't that long ago-just earlier last week...but it sounds more fun to say this story started in the previous decade)
We had been tossing around the idea of getting a new couch. Specifically in front of the fireplace. The furniture we have when we moved in WORKS, but is not idea for it's space. We began shopping.
Ryan wanted a sectional sofa for the living room-moving our current loveseat in front of the fireplace. Great! Except Sectionals are expensive and mama ain't rich.
We started shopping couches and found a few options to get in the new year.
We had considered buying used but you never really know what you're getting when you purchase a USED couch. I didn't want something people had peed on.
**Now that you know the back story-the real adventure begins**
On December 27th, I was casually searching the internets for couches when I came upon a sectional in southern Illinois. Pictures looked in good shape. List price-$200. No way. I sent a message to the seller. "I'm interested. Is this still available. Is it smoke free and cat free? I'm allergic to cats."
When she didn't respond by the next day, I just assumed the couch was sold. Instead the following day at noon I get a response "no cats"
"If it's available, I can pick it up next weekend?"
"with deposit"
"ok. So like $50?" (at this point with her vagueness-I AM leary of giving her much money but she agrees)
Venmo. I've never used Venmo.
In between these text exchanges are approximately 30 minutes. I have time to google search her name, check the facebook registries to see if she's a scammer....I learn she (at one time) ran for some county board seat because there's a news article. I'm somewhat of an amateur super sleuth here.
I agree to pay her but she writes "but you haven't seen it yet"
"haven't seen what?"
"The couch."
I explain how I would not be coming to see it before picking it up because I do not live locally and would need to get moving arrangements made.
She agrees. I make sure I have the write person on Venmo and send her the $50.
Once she receives the money-she marks the couch as sold. She then sends me her phone number and address. Wonderful. We can pick it up next year.
*HELLO 2020!*
I make arrangements to rent a truck from UHaul for 1/5/2020. Pickup 9 am.
Saturday Jan 4-
Noonish-I text the phone number she gave me to be polite:
"hey, we are coming tomorrow with the truck. Is 11 am ok?"
I get a text back "You have the wrong number." SAY WHAAAAT?
3:01 pm-I send her a message how we were communicating last year-"Hey, The number you gave me is wrong. I just wanted to let you know we are coming tomorrow to pick up the couch. Around 11 am, is that ok?"
I reply to the phone number "You sure this isn't XXXX?" "no. It isn't"
*no response from the seller*
Should we go? Do we leave town and hope she's home? Do we cancel and I request my money back from her?
*hang on...it gets better*
Sunday Jan 5-
7 am-"Please write me back to let me know I am able to pick it up today. Otherwise I will have to cancel my arrangements."
Still no response-we decide to chance it...go on this adventure and show up at her house.
9 am-We drive to UHaul and pick up the truck.
9:20 am-I send another message "I have rented a truck and am on my way."
Now at this point, I can see she has not even READ the messages-let alone responded to me.
We drive to Southern Illinois. Yep. We drove to this woman's house. Rang the doorbell (it's a RING doorbell). No answer.
We wait about 15 minutes and then go to the neighbors house. There is a County Sherriff car in the driveway like they live there. Ring the doorbell (also a RING doorbell-this neighborhood must have standards). No answer.
*Maybe she's at CHURCH?*
We get back in the truck. Ryan says "maybe google her name again and see if you can find another phone number."
YES! There it is! A similar number to the one she gave me-1 digit off. AS I AM DIALING THE NUMBER-SHE ANSWERS MY MESSAGE "noon today. showing all appliances" (time stamp 11:41 am)
"Hey XXX this is Heather.....about the couch."
"Oh! Hey. You can come get the couch."
"I'm actually at your house."
"Oh. I'm about 5 min away. I'll be right there"
She pulls up in a bright yellow mustang convertible. Hops out of the car with a lit cigarette and a can of diet coke. She immediately says "Sorry. This isn't my house. It's my husbands."
She looks like Ms. Hannigan from the ORIGINAL Annie but with blonde hair....
She walks up to the garage door and punches in the code. The door doesn't move. She says "OH NO HE DIDN'T" She says "I'm gonna go try the back door" and she's carrying like 20 keys.....
I turn and laugh because I fear where this is headed. I text my bestie all these details and she replies "don't get shot." GIRL! I wasn't even THINKING about getting SHOT! HA! But if they break out in a fight in the front yard, I WILL be getting video of it!
She can't get in the back door. She pulls out her phone and starts blowing up his. Her calls go to voicemail. She has it on speakerphone. Big surprise. She goes to the front door. Finally I hear her yell "OPEN UP! WE GOT PEOPLE OUT HERE!"
She turns to me and says he's going to open the front door.
I move the truck to a better position than I had it parked before.
She walks us inside and shows us the couch. It's VERY nice. She shows us all the place it reclines. It has 2 vibrating reclining seats. All the cupholders and lights on it! WOW. Ryan pays her the rest of the money and we get to moving it.
Both her and her husband are standing there smoking and she says "I'm sorry we can't help you. I have cancer and HE has a bad back." I reply "no problem. We can get it ourselves."
As we are figuring out our plan of attack-2 adults walk in the door and ask about the washer/dryer for sale. The buyer is upbeat and says "YEAH! Happy moving day or not sad moving day." All of us are standing there and the seller says "No...." The air gets SUPER awkward and she says "ok. then we won't be talking about it."
We are moving the first part of the couch out the front door and a man walks up. I notice he has parked UHaul outside too! He said he is there to pick up some stuff and helps Ryan carry the couch out to our truck! He wants the washer/dryer but it is sold. I hear her say "I put to everyone it was first come/first serve. What else do you want?" They walk around the house and she says "make me an offer on more items...."
We move the corner piece out by the truck and Ryan says "OH MY GOSH! This is a DIVORCE SALE!" I said "I KNOWWWWWW. Lets get this in the truck and LEAVE!" We go back in for the last piece of the couch.
As we are moving this out, the other man is loading items into his UHaul (some chairs and stuff)...a truck pulls up next to us and a man yells out "hey, you got the washer/dryer for sale?" I look up and realize he's talking to me and I say "I think it's sold but I don't know" and I point to the house.
He gets out of his car, walks up to the house, knocks on the door and the seller says "No. I said FIRST COME/FIRST SERVE. It has been sold." WOAH. Things might get rough.
We put it all in the truck and hit the road. We laughed the whole way home about all of this and how we got away with an AMAZING couch for $200! WINNING! I'm so glad it all worked out that we decided to go and made contact at the exact time we needed to!
(Ok. It wasn't that long ago-just earlier last week...but it sounds more fun to say this story started in the previous decade)
We had been tossing around the idea of getting a new couch. Specifically in front of the fireplace. The furniture we have when we moved in WORKS, but is not idea for it's space. We began shopping.
Ryan wanted a sectional sofa for the living room-moving our current loveseat in front of the fireplace. Great! Except Sectionals are expensive and mama ain't rich.
We started shopping couches and found a few options to get in the new year.
We had considered buying used but you never really know what you're getting when you purchase a USED couch. I didn't want something people had peed on.
**Now that you know the back story-the real adventure begins**
On December 27th, I was casually searching the internets for couches when I came upon a sectional in southern Illinois. Pictures looked in good shape. List price-$200. No way. I sent a message to the seller. "I'm interested. Is this still available. Is it smoke free and cat free? I'm allergic to cats."
When she didn't respond by the next day, I just assumed the couch was sold. Instead the following day at noon I get a response "no cats"
"If it's available, I can pick it up next weekend?"
"with deposit"
"ok. So like $50?" (at this point with her vagueness-I AM leary of giving her much money but she agrees)
Venmo. I've never used Venmo.
In between these text exchanges are approximately 30 minutes. I have time to google search her name, check the facebook registries to see if she's a scammer....I learn she (at one time) ran for some county board seat because there's a news article. I'm somewhat of an amateur super sleuth here.
I agree to pay her but she writes "but you haven't seen it yet"
"haven't seen what?"
"The couch."
I explain how I would not be coming to see it before picking it up because I do not live locally and would need to get moving arrangements made.
She agrees. I make sure I have the write person on Venmo and send her the $50.
Once she receives the money-she marks the couch as sold. She then sends me her phone number and address. Wonderful. We can pick it up next year.
*HELLO 2020!*
I make arrangements to rent a truck from UHaul for 1/5/2020. Pickup 9 am.
Saturday Jan 4-
Noonish-I text the phone number she gave me to be polite:
"hey, we are coming tomorrow with the truck. Is 11 am ok?"
I get a text back "You have the wrong number." SAY WHAAAAT?
3:01 pm-I send her a message how we were communicating last year-"Hey, The number you gave me is wrong. I just wanted to let you know we are coming tomorrow to pick up the couch. Around 11 am, is that ok?"
I reply to the phone number "You sure this isn't XXXX?" "no. It isn't"
*no response from the seller*
Should we go? Do we leave town and hope she's home? Do we cancel and I request my money back from her?
*hang on...it gets better*
Sunday Jan 5-
7 am-"Please write me back to let me know I am able to pick it up today. Otherwise I will have to cancel my arrangements."
Still no response-we decide to chance it...go on this adventure and show up at her house.
9 am-We drive to UHaul and pick up the truck.
9:20 am-I send another message "I have rented a truck and am on my way."
Now at this point, I can see she has not even READ the messages-let alone responded to me.
We drive to Southern Illinois. Yep. We drove to this woman's house. Rang the doorbell (it's a RING doorbell). No answer.
We wait about 15 minutes and then go to the neighbors house. There is a County Sherriff car in the driveway like they live there. Ring the doorbell (also a RING doorbell-this neighborhood must have standards). No answer.
*Maybe she's at CHURCH?*
We get back in the truck. Ryan says "maybe google her name again and see if you can find another phone number."
YES! There it is! A similar number to the one she gave me-1 digit off. AS I AM DIALING THE NUMBER-SHE ANSWERS MY MESSAGE "noon today. showing all appliances" (time stamp 11:41 am)
"Hey XXX this is Heather.....about the couch."
"Oh! Hey. You can come get the couch."
"I'm actually at your house."
"Oh. I'm about 5 min away. I'll be right there"
She pulls up in a bright yellow mustang convertible. Hops out of the car with a lit cigarette and a can of diet coke. She immediately says "Sorry. This isn't my house. It's my husbands."
She looks like Ms. Hannigan from the ORIGINAL Annie but with blonde hair....
She walks up to the garage door and punches in the code. The door doesn't move. She says "OH NO HE DIDN'T" She says "I'm gonna go try the back door" and she's carrying like 20 keys.....
I turn and laugh because I fear where this is headed. I text my bestie all these details and she replies "don't get shot." GIRL! I wasn't even THINKING about getting SHOT! HA! But if they break out in a fight in the front yard, I WILL be getting video of it!
She can't get in the back door. She pulls out her phone and starts blowing up his. Her calls go to voicemail. She has it on speakerphone. Big surprise. She goes to the front door. Finally I hear her yell "OPEN UP! WE GOT PEOPLE OUT HERE!"
She turns to me and says he's going to open the front door.
I move the truck to a better position than I had it parked before.
She walks us inside and shows us the couch. It's VERY nice. She shows us all the place it reclines. It has 2 vibrating reclining seats. All the cupholders and lights on it! WOW. Ryan pays her the rest of the money and we get to moving it.
Both her and her husband are standing there smoking and she says "I'm sorry we can't help you. I have cancer and HE has a bad back." I reply "no problem. We can get it ourselves."
As we are figuring out our plan of attack-2 adults walk in the door and ask about the washer/dryer for sale. The buyer is upbeat and says "YEAH! Happy moving day or not sad moving day." All of us are standing there and the seller says "No...." The air gets SUPER awkward and she says "ok. then we won't be talking about it."
We are moving the first part of the couch out the front door and a man walks up. I notice he has parked UHaul outside too! He said he is there to pick up some stuff and helps Ryan carry the couch out to our truck! He wants the washer/dryer but it is sold. I hear her say "I put to everyone it was first come/first serve. What else do you want?" They walk around the house and she says "make me an offer on more items...."
We move the corner piece out by the truck and Ryan says "OH MY GOSH! This is a DIVORCE SALE!" I said "I KNOWWWWWW. Lets get this in the truck and LEAVE!" We go back in for the last piece of the couch.
As we are moving this out, the other man is loading items into his UHaul (some chairs and stuff)...a truck pulls up next to us and a man yells out "hey, you got the washer/dryer for sale?" I look up and realize he's talking to me and I say "I think it's sold but I don't know" and I point to the house.
He gets out of his car, walks up to the house, knocks on the door and the seller says "No. I said FIRST COME/FIRST SERVE. It has been sold." WOAH. Things might get rough.
We put it all in the truck and hit the road. We laughed the whole way home about all of this and how we got away with an AMAZING couch for $200! WINNING! I'm so glad it all worked out that we decided to go and made contact at the exact time we needed to!
Comments