Do's and Don'ts for Dealing with Professional Moving Companies - Part I
Dec 20 '00 (Updated Feb 09 '01)
The Bottom Line Preparation!
I’ve moved six times for work, since I graduated from college, and once on my own. Depending upon your point of view, I may or may not be fortunate that five of these moves were done with professional movers. In the course of all this moving, I’ve dealt with eleven different professional moving companies--some of my moves had multiple shipments. My moving tips are aimed at the consumer dealing with a professional moving company.
All of my moves were paid for by the government, therefore, my things were packed and hauled across country or across the ocean by the lowest bidder. The first few times, I was very naïve and did not understand how the system worked with professional movers, what I was entitled to as the consumer, my responsibilities and the movers’ responsibilities. Now that I’ve gone through a few more moves, ranging from bad to mediocre (I can’t classify any of my professional moves as “good” experiences), I better understand the process and how to get the services to which I’m entitled.
I decided to break this epinion into three parts, Before, During and After, because it came out to seven pages and nearly 4,000 words--quite a long read. This is Part I.
Before
As you may notice by the time I’m finished, most of my tips for moving fall into the “before” category. Prior planning and organization will greatly ease the stress of any move.
Complete Inventory/Record of Valuables: If possible, make a video tape of your belongings prior to the movers ever setting foot in your house. I’ve don’t own a video camera so I haven’t made a video tape, but I do have photos of major pieces of furniture and other valuables. I have multiple photos of antiques from different angles and close-ups of details. I also keep a complete inventory of all my belongings on a disk at my office, from the large items down to barrettes and socks. I spent a lot of time compiling this inventory in an Excel spreadsheet format. I recommend tackling this task a few months in advance of moving. Even if you have no immediate plans to move, a complete inventory is good to have on hand for insurance purposes. Remember to keep the disk away from your home so that it’s not destroyed in a fire or flood.
Because I do have antique pieces, I have them appraised or re-appraised a few months before moving. If something does happen to one of my antiques, I have the appraisal as evidence of the antique’s value so that the moving company or government claims office can’t arbitrarily “depreciate” the amount I claim for replacement cost.
Moving File: As a service member, moving entails out-processing and clearing post as well as the civilian tasks of cutting off the utilities. I use a twelve-pocket file folder to keep track of my inventory, photos of my belongings, copies of appraisals, travel arrangements, mover’s inventory of boxes, estimates, bills of lading, etc. I also transfer some of my more important papers to the moving file, like my passport, marriage certificate, and pets’ health records, or anything else I might need to leave one post and arrive at another, so that they are accessible. I would not want to be headed for the plane and suddenly realize I didn’t have my cats’ rabies shot records because the movers packed them--my cats wouldn’t be flying with me that day.
Assessment: A few weeks before the move, the moving company will send an employee to assess the contents of your house to determine how many days the company will need to pack out and move, estimate the weight of your things, take measurements and determine any special needs. I personally think this is the most important event in your move and it’s imperative that you are present, not a friend or neighbor to let the moving company employee in for twenty minutes. If you don’t ask for certain things during the assessment, by moving day, it’s too late and you won’t get them.
Most moving companies will crate large mirrors. I have a large mirror that’s attached to my dresser but can be unscrewed. This mirror is always crated. Smaller mirrors that hang on walls are usually wrapped in bubble wrap or other heavy-duty packing material and packed in cardboard boxes. Free-standing mirrors may be treated by the moving company as a piece of furniture and merely wrapped in blankets and put on the truck--not the best care. Insist that the moving company crate a free-standing mirror to ensure it’s not broken on the way to your new home.
After one move in which one of the arms was broken off an antique Eastlake chair, I insist that my antiques are not treated as furniture but crated. Crates cost extra money and may be a factor if you are paying for this move yourself. If your company or the government is paying for the move, the moving company employee will resist putting crates in the assessment, most likely because their company is contracted for moves at a set rate per pound and any extra costs cut into the moving company’s profits. Be assertive. If you think a valuable piece of furniture or art work needs a special crate, insist until the assessor gives you what you want. Call customer service at the moving company or the government transportation office if you must, but do it while the assessor is still at your house.
On my first move with antiques, I got the run-around. The assessor told me to call the transportation office. I did and the transportation office said I had to work it out with the moving company; by this time the assessor had departed and I ended up with a broken chair at the end of my move. Once my antiques are crated, I keep the crates after the move is finished (though this requires a hefty chunk of storage space). Now whenever I move, I only have to wrangle with the assessor for crates for new acquisitions and tell the packers and movers, "this antique goes with that crate." Reusing old crates saves the moving company some money and I’m more likely to get other antiques crated the first time around. It also saves a lot of my peace of mind that the moving company is taking good care of my possessions.
Boxes for specific items: I keep the original boxes and packing materials for certain things: my TV, microwave, stereo, laptop, and china. Don’t pack your belongings in the original boxes yourself unless you plan to take them with you when you move (I’ll explain this in the “During” section). Just set out the boxes next to the item that needs packing. I’ve never had so much as a scratch on any item that I had the movers pack in its original packaging. Don’t get carried away with keeping original boxes--small appliances often come in weak cardboard boxes and packaging and you’re better off letting the moving company pack them in the boxes they provide.
Your responsibilities: I pick out what I’m taking with me and put it all in one central location with a clearly marked sign saying “Do Not Pack” or put those items in my truck so there’s no confusion and they’re out of the way. This is also a good way to pack the car, down to your luggage filled with clothing and toiletries, and see if you can actually take everything with you that you think you can. Make sure you have room for valuables like jewelry or family heirlooms, important papers not already in your moving file and the items the movers won’t take.
Multiple Shipments: When I have multiple shipments, I use bright colored post-it notes to designate what goes or what stays. Most of the time, separate shipments will be packed and picked up on separate days so my notes usually say “Pack” or “Do Not Pack.” I also make a "Do Not Enter" sign for the door for whichever room my cats will be imprisoned for the duration of the packing and loading up. I don’t want a mover inadvertently letting my cats out since the doors will be open with movers coming in and out. I also don’t want my cats “investigating” an open box and getting packed along with it (I've heard horror stories about this happening).
Hard-to-Reach Places: The packers will not pack anything from cabinets or places they would have to climb up to like attics or high cabinets. You must remove items from these cabinets and make them available for the packers to do their job. I leave open all the closets and cabinets that I expect the packers to pack items from within. I will also pull storage boxes out from under beds or other hard-to-reach places. Some packers will take the pictures off the walls for packing. I use special hooks for some of my wall-hangings and therefore take most pictures down myself, co-locate the pictures and tape the special hooks to the backs. Taking down curtains is another responsibility of the consumer and not the movers.
Clean Moves: Ensure that your things are not infested with pests of any sort (ants, roaches, lice, etc.) though this may mean “bombing” your home a few days before your move. I check outdoor equipment for pests as well. The packers seem to have a strange habit of putting unlikely items together--like stuffing a pillow inside a trash can. Clean out and sterilize garbage cans because you never know what might be stuffed inside them by a packer trying to cut down on space. Also, get rid of any trash in your house or they'll pack it. I had a plastic bag hanging on the doorknob of my bathroom with a few trash items in it (the wastebasket was ready to go--clean and empty) and the packers packed the trash bag. Most of the trash was Q-tips and tissues and harmless, but I was lucky.
If you are unsure about any of your responsibilities prior to the move, ask the company’s employee during your assessment or call customer service or the government transportation office. Most moving companies will not pack anything flammable (cleaning products, alcohol, kerosene tanks), batteries, or live plants.
Conclusion
Please continue on to Parts II and III. If not, good luck with your move and I hope that my tips for the "Before" phase of moving have helped!
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