Moving is a difficult task, which is why most homeowners hire moving companies to assist them. Anything can go wrong in this imperfect world. As a result, you must take precautions to ensure that your goods arrive safely. Your insurance company ensures that the missing or damaged items are replaced after the move.
Accidents That May Occur During the Moving Procedure
Even though your items are packed in moving boxes and then into the moving truck, you cannot guarantee one hundred percent that.
Theft: During off-peak seasons, moving companies employ more people without the proper training and a thorough background check. The employees only have a short-term moving contract with the company, thus, it is hard for the company to determine who stole your item during your move.
Unguarded items: During the moving process, the truck should be guarded. If no precautions are taken, people may pick up items in your driveway. Your neighbors may steal from the moving truck as well.
Loss of items: Moving companies may offer another client, and you may transport all of your belongings in a single truck. Your packages could have gone missing or been delivered to another client. Some of your misplaced items may be delivered to other clients. In this case, you must select reputable professional moving companies with the best movers in your state.
What Are Some of the Precautions You Can Take Before the Move?
You can take some precautions before movers damage or lose your belongings. These are some of the precautions:
Create a master list of all the things you are moving.
Make an inventory of everything you have to pack and move. The total number of moving boxes should be noted. With this, you won’t lose track of a single item in the chaos that is packing for a move. It is possible to duplicate the list and distribute it internally. If you receive your furniture and other household items at your new home and notice that something is missing, check with the real estate agent handling the transaction first.
Pay close attention to your expensive items.
Make a simple inventory of all your expensive electronics, flat-screen televisions, fine china, expensive jewelry, and fragile items in your home. Take photos of these items from various angles. If you discover that the movers scratched these items after the move, you can easily access the photos you took and use them as evidence if anything goes wrong. Some of these items should be wrapped in bubble wrap.
Check with your movie company on the valuation coverage
Value protection should be provided by your moving company. A professional moving company will provide you with a wide range of services. Your moving company will provide two types of valuation coverage:
Released value insurance
The company agrees to compensate you for damaged or lost items. The amount you receive for lost or damaged items is a small percentage of the item’s total value. For expensive items, do not accept release value protection. The amount they offer is insufficient to replace the lost item.
Full value protection
If you have a lot of expensive household items, full-value insurance is the best option. If your moving company breaks something, they will either repair it or replace it. If your moving company misplaces an item, they will replace it. In addition, the client must be willing to pay more for full-value protection.
What to Do When Your Moving Company Loses Your Stuff?
File a claim immediately.
Begin filling out a claim form as soon as you discover a missing item following your move. You should bring your claims adjuster along while photographing the damaged or lost items. The photos you took prior to the move will be useful in the claims process. You have nine months after delivery to file a complaint. Such paperwork will also be available from your moving company. The written claim should include all of the dates, damage, and information that you intend to use against your movers. You should submit a written claim to the company and await the reimbursement offer.
You should also keep in mind that the reimbursement offer is not always satisfactory. You can seek arbitration in such cases. When looking for an arbitrator to intervene, the National Arbitration Forum is a good place to start.
If you do not want to involve an arbitrator, you should file a civil lawsuit in a small claims court. You need a lawyer to help you file a claim against your movers. You might incur extra charges when you hire a lawyer to file your lawsuit.
Inform other people about your moving scam company on social media platforms.
If you were a victim of a moving scam, inform others about these dishonest movers. Some of the online platforms that can assist you in this regard are:
Better Business Bureau: Go to the Better Business Bureau website and look up the profile of your previous movers. Complain about your former movers on the website. If you need to hire a moving company in the future, read the customer reviews.
American Moving and Storage Association: All you have to do is find the American Moving website and file a claim for your misplaced property. If American Moving discovers that your complaint is genuine, they will cancel the mover’s membership and declare the company a fraud. This firm can also serve as an arbitrator in connection with your filed claim. They only charge you an administrative fee for filing your claim.
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration: The department of transportation in the US keeps a record of all the complaints you make against a moving company’s USDOT number. Go FMCSA website and file your complaint. This website keeps a record of that complaint. FMCSA does not directly solve your issue but helps you in the investigation.
Are You Looking For One of The Best Moving Companies in Alexandria, Virginia?
Look no further—Division 1 Moving & Storage Company has you covered. Our movers are trained to ensure that your belongings arrive at their new location. Call us at (571) 970-3189 to schedule an appointment for more information on our valuation coverage.