(STL.News) Nobody wants to sit down with a stack of moving paperwork while a half-packed house surrounds them, so most people sign wherever the pen points and hope it all goes fine.
That holds up until something goes wrong, and then every answer you need is in the pages you didn’t read, including how high the price can go, what the company owes you for a broken table, and how long you have to say anything about it.
There are only five documents that matter here; none of them are long, and twenty minutes with each one is a lot cheaper than finding out the hard way.
The Booklet They Have to Hand You
The first piece of paper isn’t a contract, and you usually throw it straight in the recycling.
When evaluating prospective moving companies, United Van Lines points out that all legitimate interstate carriers must provide clients with a copy of ‘Your Rights and Responsibilities When You Move,’ as required by federal law.
The government writes that booklet, and it spells out what a mover has to do and what you can expect, so a company that hands it over without being asked is doing things properly, and one that has never mentioned it is worth another look before you sign anything.
The Estimate, and Which Kind You Got
Almost every argument about money starts here, because two companies can quote the same job in two different ways and you only find out which you agreed to on delivery day.
Movers must give you a written estimate for a household move, and the type you get determines what can happen to the price. A binding estimate locks the cost in, while a non-binding one only means they can’t collect more than 110 percent of it when the truck arrives, with the rest of the bill following you at least 30 days later.
So check which one you’ve got, then read the part that says what isn’t included, because packing materials, stair charges, long carries, a smaller truck for a narrow street, and storage along the way are all ordinary extras, not rare ones.
The Order for Service and the Bill of Lading
These are the two people people mix up, and they do completely different jobs.
The order for service is the plan, with the dates, the addresses, the services you asked for, and the coverage you picked. The bill of lading is the actual contract, and the driver hands it to you on pickup morning, which is the worst possible time to read anything carefully for the first time.
Ask for a copy of it in advance so you can read it at your kitchen table instead of in the hallway with a truck idling outside, and check that the dates, the delivery window, the price, and the coverage all match what you agreed to. If something doesn’t match, get it fixed before the truck is loaded, because once your furniture is on board you have a lot less room to argue.
The Inventory Sheet
On pickup day, somebody walks the house, writing down every item and the condition it’s in, and that list becomes the official record of what you owned and what shape it was in when it left.
Follow along instead of making coffee, because the notes are written in shorthand, and a scratch mark on a table you think is perfect will matter a great deal later on. If you disagree with something, say so while it’s being written, and add your own note on the sheet before you sign it.
Take a photo of the finished sheets, and photograph the expensive things while they’re still in the old house, since that’s the evidence any later conversation comes down to.
The Line Where You Pick Your Coverage
This is one short section buried in the middle of everything, and it changes more than any other line on the page.
The basic coverage that comes with every interstate move pays 60 cents per pound per item, which works out to around 15 dollars for a 25-pound television no matter what you paid for it, while full value protection costs extra and means the company has to repair the item, replace it, or pay what a new one is worth.
Anything unusually valuable has to be written down separately for that to count, so list those items yourself rather than trusting a general promise, and make the choice before the truck is loaded instead of after.
The Clock on Claims
The last thing worth knowing is how much time you have, because it’s longer than people expect and it runs out without anybody reminding you.
You have nine months to file a written claim for anything lost or damaged; the company has 30 days to confirm it received the claim, and 120 days after that to pay it, deny it, or explain why it needs more time.
Write down any damage you can see on the paperwork at delivery, keep the inventory sheets and the photos together with the bill of lading, and send the claim in writing rather than sorting it out over the phone. Nine months is plenty of time, as long as you can still find the paperwork when you need it.
