When a shady moving truck driver failed to deliver the items on schedule, an Army spouse says she utilized an AirTag to keep track of her family’s valuables during a relocation.
Shippers’ accountability of household items has historically been a concern for military troops undergoing permanent change of station (PCS) movements. Contractors frequently stall shipments for weeks or months, with little or no information about the location of the items or the reason for their loss or delay.
In truth, AppleInsider staffers have faced with a lack of accountability and accurate tracking of shipments on many occasions.
Valerie McNulty, a military spouse, told the Military Times that she had heard “horror stories” while transferring from one duty post to another. McNulty said she snuck an AirTag into one of the boxes before to the move to keep track of her family’s goods during one such move from Fort Carson, Colorado to Fort Drum, New York.
“There are so many terrible stories about PCSing,” she remarked. “With those experiences in mind, and having read about people attaching AirTags to some of their [home objects], I believed it would be worthwhile to put the notion to the test.”
When the family’s household products were not delivered on schedule, the AirTag’s tracking capability came in helpful. McNulty phoned her relocation coordinator after the planned delivery date of Jan. 7 passed without the family receiving her items.
The organizer informed her that the materials would be delivered the next day, and she was able to check that they were only a four-hour drive away. McNulty, on the other hand, said she received a call from the delivery driver, who informed her that he had just picked up the products in Colorado and that a next-day delivery was not possible.
When she told him that this wasn’t true and that the delivery was only a few hours away, the driver allegedly hung up on her.
“I informed him that I knew he was only four hours away from us,” she said. “He called again a few minutes later, trying to haggle with me about delivering it on Sunday or Monday.”
McNulty contacted her move coordinator, only to discover that the business had no idea where the driver was. “More information than they did,” according to her AirTag.
Eventually, the driver returned the call and stated that he was with his girlfriend. He admitted to McNulty that he had no idea she could find him down when he was on his way to “visit my lady.” He assured her that if he hustled, he could make it the next day, and she urged that he did.
McNulty posted her story on Facebook, expressing her hope that more military families will use AirTags during big moves or reassignments.
“Rather than waiting for someone to alter something, I decided to take matters into my own hands,” she wrote. “I hope the word gets out, that other military families hear our experience and install AirTags to their [home goods] as well.”
This isn’t the first time AirTags have been used to locate misplaced items. They’ve been used to track down stolen scooters and misplaced wallets.