Avoiding mover nightmares

You’ve all heard them before. The horror stories of lost articles, broken heirlooms and shady movers who disappear in the night with people’s possessions. The following moving tips should help your move got smoothly.

Tip #1 - The first piece of advice: be careful!

Start by asking your friends who have used a mover and had good experiences. But don’t stop there. Every mover has a history of good and bad moves, so check with the Better Business Bureau and on the Internet for more information about the company you’re considering. Never use a mover whose main source of advertising is signs on trees or telephone poles.

Make sure the mover is properly insured. This includes workman’s compensation, which is required in most states. If this coverage is not in place and the worker gets hurt on your property, you could be liable for his injuries.

A national company isn’t necessarily better than a smaller company. Most companies with national reputations use “local agents” who are merely affiliated with the national company. This is standard in the industry. The major movers work with smaller movers who sell their services. It’s not uncommon for a major van lines to have more than one agent in an area, so check around.

Tip #2 - So you’ve found some reputable movers.

They check out clean with the Better Business Bureau and their references are good. Take the time for each mover to send a representative to your home to give you a written estimate. This is important! If you have a written estimate from someone who came to your house, you have certain legal protections against the price being increased. As long as you don’t make material changes in the move, the mover can only collect within a certain percentage of that estimate on delivery. Reputable movers will even guarantee their estimate if they come to your home for a home survey.

Many movers know that they’re legally bound by a written estimate, so they will try to talk you out of sending an estimator. Warning bells should go off in your head. This is not a company that you want to work with.

A caveat: Be sure that you don’t schedule an estimate too far in advance as it is possible prices will change. 60 days is a good time to get an estimate. And don’t wait until the last minute. Give the movers at least two week’s notice before your actual move date.

Tip #3 - At this point, there’s something you need to remember.

A moving company doesn’t just pick up your stuff in a large tractor-trailer and cart it off to your home. A standard trailer holds five or six different households. That is why they need flexibility on the dates for both loading and delivery. They have other customer loads to pack and they may be making stops in other cities on the way to unload.

Tip #4 - Speaking of time… the cost of your move is greatly affected by the time of the year.

Movers get very busy during the summer months and at the end of each month. The last week of May, June, July and August are the busiest weeks of the year. These weeks can book up 4 to 6 weeks in advance.

Tip #5 - Movers can do as much or as little packing as you want them to.

If you want to save money, you can do most if not all of the packing yourself. Movers will be glad to do the labor, of course, but you’ll not only pay for the cost of cartons but also the labor to do the packing. That can really add to your moving costs. You can leave clothes in dresser drawers as long as they don’t make the dresser too heavy. If the shipment is going to be stored for any length of time, pack these items to prevent mildew. If you do elect to pack items yourself, the movers will not assume any liability for breakage in the box.

Tip #6 - Movers offer three types of insurance.

The first is the minimum coverage, which is free. It is based upon a per pound per article rate. For instance, if the coverage is $.60 per article and your item weighs 100 pounds, the mover’s liability is no more than $60.

Actual cash value is the second type of insurance. This means the mover is liable for the actual value of the item, which is the purchase price minus depreciation. Usually you’re asked to state a lump sum for the value of the shipment and then a premium is calculated from this to cover losses.

The final type of insurance is full replacement coverage. This usually has various levels of deductibles, much like a home insurance policy. Once the loss exceeds the deductible, the company will pay you the cost to replace your item with a comparable new one.

Our advice: don’t cut a corner where insurance is concerned. Even the best moving company can damage or misplace your valuables.

Tip #7 - Document everything!

When moving across state lines or internationally, your mover will prepare a document that lists all the items you are moving and the exact condition of each item. The list’s numbers correspond with the numbered stickers attached to each item.

You will sign this document twice: once at the point of origin and once at the destination. It is important that you check the inventory on both ends. Don’t be pressured to sign the inventory document at your destination until you have checked every numbered item for damage or to see if it is missing. Anything damaged or missing should be noted on the inventory sheet. More than one customer has lost his legitimate claim for damage because he didn’t note it on the inventory sheet.

After delivery, the law allows you up to nine months to make a claim against the moving company. Of course, the sooner you make a claim, the better.

Tip #8 - Local moves are charged by the hour.

This includes travel time, which is the time it takes the crew to get to and from their office to your residence. Interstate moves are charged by the weight of the shipment, though some shippers charge by the cubic foot instead. Charges based on cubic feet are particularly common in the case of an overseas move. Packing services are charged separately at a specific rate.

Payments are usually done on delivery and must be in cash or certified checks. Some movers will take credit cards.

If you think your movers did a good job, tip them. And don’t forget the driver as well. Remember, tipping is not mandatory and requiring tipping is illegal. If you didn’t like your movers, don’t feel compelled to tip them. It’s a courtesy, not an obligation.