I wasn't going to post on this thread, but having read more and more tales of mover incompetence, intransegence and down right dishonesty I had to post if nothing else for the sake of my blood pressure
In the past tour and a half, I have spent a year in and out of various deserts. Although different countries and different wars, the one common factor were the movers and their attitude that to be frank, if I hadn't handed my rifle in for loading, I would have been close to fixing bayonets and charging through the movements office. During my time in the services I can honestly say that I have never ever met a bunch of people that are so universally reviled; we take the piss out of each other's services, and within services we take the piss out of each others branches / trades. But the one thing that we ALL agree on is that movers are the biggest bunch of oxygen thieves masquerading as Hitler-reincarnate.
I won't waste time describing the many tales of woe experienced over the years, but I will relate the most recent by way of an example. I have recently come back from Afghanistan. On the way out there, my bags were incorrectly loaded in the UK - they were marked up to go to X rather than Y. I only discovered this when I arrived in Kabul and tried to check in (several hours early) for my flight to Y to be told that my name wasn't on any roster and would I wait until everyone else had been checked in and then they would sort it out. I went back an hour later and was told that both my bags and I were booked onto the flight to X. When I told them I was going to Y, the mover behind the desk looked at mem shrugged his shoulders and said I had to speak to the other desk dealing with that flight.
I went to the other desk and explained the situation to the jumped up little mover behind the desk. He was obviously having a difficult war, as without putting down that days newspaper or even looking at me, announced that I would have to come back in a couple of hours to check in for the flight to Y but that my bags were going to X regardless, that nothing could be done and that I was to sort it out at my destination. At that point, my teddy went straight out of the cot and it was only the intervention of the DAMO who promised to find my bags and move them onto the correct pallet (a whole 6 feet to the left of the one they were on) that prevented me from clubbing the jumped up little tosser with my ruggedized laptop.
To the Army and the Navy, all I can say is that I apologise whole heartedly on behalf of the rest of the RAF. Despite jointery, the majority of you rarely see the RAF close up, the only time being when you are unfortunately forced to encounter our movers. It is hardly surprising that you think the rest of us are a complete waste of space when that is the only impression you get of us. If there is any consolation for our sister services - just think you only have to put up with movers when you are trying to get somewhere. We have to put up with them all the time!