“Moving” Stories case 1103073 : Mitch A. from San Francisco
I found a service provider who quoted me lower than many others and decided to try them out. They took an online payment, a deposit they said, and I got my papers via fax.
My mover told me the insurance I got was no good and even told me they would not work with the service unless I gave them a waiver of some sort. This was odd, I thought, since the stories I heard from friends usually had the insurance disapproving the mover. Turns out the moving insurance I had gotten was from a fly-by-night outfit some jerk was running out of his bedroom pc. That was the last time I bought anything online.
The next morning I went out to an agency referred to me by a friend. This nice lady gave me the usual spiel about needing protection and coverage from theft. I had nothing better to do that afternoon so I sat in on her explanations of their process, besides they had pretty good coffee. I found out that there was a rising number of rogue movers out there matched by a lot of fly-by-night insurance agencies, one of which I had fallen victim to. I was thinking of letting the “deposit” I paid slide but after hearing this lady’s words I was fired up. I wanted my money back.
It was a long and convoluted process and I was eventually able to reclaim only part of what I paid for “deposit” after the credit card charges, but I had satisfaction from shafting the wiseguy.
So the movers came and packed my stuff. One of them broke a vase my sister gave me one Christmas, I didn’t cry for it but I claimed on that. They packed all my furniture and kitchen stuff, and thanks to my paying attention to the insurance lady I kept my own list of items and had the crew chief sign off on it.
Valuing your items for a Moving Insurance
You can do this by (1) writing down all significant pieces of furniture; glassware, appliances, electronics, personal effects, etc…, (2) give each a mark and an approximate weight. If you have a large number of books that you’ll be packing into boxes, (3) assign each box an approximate weight and state it on the outside of the box. This can be applied to clothes, kitchen items, tools and other loose items. (4) mark each box an approximate replacement value, it would only aid you in the workers handling of your items. Be careful when you price a high value item as the mover may not give you a value you would be comfortable with.
In case you are moving specific and expensive items like works of art or jewelry you must be exact in your details of the item. Some movers would require you to produce an appraisal by a third party of their choosing. Upon approval you must provide specific instructions regarding the handling of the item.
Replacement value means the cost to replace the item with another item of comparable material and quality. The replacement must be used for the same purpose. This applies unless the cost to repair or replace the damaged item is less at the discretion of the insurer.
It is a good idea to take photos of all pieces, especially items of sentimental value or high appraisal. This will assist in keeping track of your inventory despite the list supplied to you by the mover. The idea is to have your own independent system to countercheck the movers and keep them honest. This will help if you need to make a claim.
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Claiming on your Moving Insurance
Claiming on your Moving Insurance
If you are deliberating on a need for insurance before you relocate, remember that no matter how careful you are in selecting a moving service, accidents can happen. Boxes can be dropped and will shift during transport, nothing will guarantee the safe arrival of your goods like a proper moving insurance. You cannot control how effective your moving company will be at reimbursing your claims but you could make sure you’re adequately covered should something happen.
When your items have arrived, pay extra attention to your decision making. Before you sign the inventory sheet, report the facts in detail on the original inventory sheet. If you notice damage after unpacking, a claim must be filed usually within nine months after delivery. It is best to report any complaints as soon as possible. The mover must acknowledge receipt of your claim within 30 days and issue a reply; a denial or an offer within 120 days of receipt of your claim.
Refer to the liability amount you declared on your shipment when making a claim or considering a settlement. For example, if the value declared on your shipment was $8,000 and the mover’s maximum liability is $5,000 then your claim for more than the liability amount will be declined. Make sure you’re adequately covered with a separate and independent third party moving insurance policy.
It’s good to know that most moving companies automatically provide “valuation” not insurance. Valuation is the negotiated and agreed upon limit of liability as stated on the moving contract and/or bill of lading. By default, this is part of the contract at no extra cost. In most cases, valuation has no relationship to the actual value of your goods as movers tend to undervalue your items for the benefit of their liabilities.
Protection while Moving to a New Home
Most people do not think about protection when transporting goods but it should be of utmost importance when doing so. Any and all goods are at risk during transport and their arrival can mean the difference between life and death, success and failure, wealth and despair.
Even in today’s weaker economy, company’s still reassign their high-value employees across the country and moving companies are all but happy to oblige. Movers have not had a good couple of years since the financial crisis and even big moving companies have been shutting down satellite branches because there is just that less people with a need to shuttle themselves to a new home. When there is such a need, moving companies now uncharacteristically urge the client to get a moving insurance plan since downsizing has even cut into the service’s own policy further undervaluing a client’s possessions. This has led to many complaints and less repeat business so in an effort for client satisfaction a reputable mover could tell you to that you might want to shop for a moving insurance of your own.
Why should you even bother getting a separate moving insurance if the chosen moving service is a reputable one? Aside from them telling you it is a good idea, you should appreciate that many incidents and accidents during a move come during the initial stages before your items even go out the door. Home movers have lost many valuables and fragile things not because a worker was not properly handling them but because of unforeseen obstacles, uncontrolled forces and outside influences. A proper moving insurance protects your things from such loss and assures you of their replacement or reimbursement in case something goes wrong.
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Buying Moving Insurance Today
Buying Moving Insurance Today
Purchasing moving insurance can be easy; in fact many insurance companies will go out of their way to tailor your insurance policy to your specific needs and price. In today’s world there are many factors to be wary of when insuring your valuables. Everything from loss, theft and damage to “Acts of God” and natural calamity can be covered as the reality of living shines a light on actual influences on your move. Still it need not be expensive if you know in what ways you can cut down your costs.
As said, some insurance companies allow you to tailor your plan to your needs. These provide the optimum experience as you do not end up paying for frivolous or unneeded insurance. Case in point; if you were in the American Midwest, a place prone to tornadoes, you would definitely want to check the natural calamities box but not the option for coverage under terrorist acts since most of these happen in congested areas and the “tornado belt” is sparsely populated. And in the case of your items being moved through the inner city area where major cities contain their depressed communities, of course you would be wise to want the coverage from theft, damage and loss but not from natural calamity. To date no tornadoes have ever struck the Bronx. Various options for coverage abound but this does not mean you must check every box to be insured. Especially since each additional box might rack up your insurance premiums to astronomical heights.
Some policies can be specific and would only cover certain items, thereby decreasing your cost. When moving, not everything needs insurance but your truly valuable items do.
Did you know many insurance policies cover only breakages or damage from the professional movers they are tied up with? It is one of the come-ons for you to choose their service as they provide a seemingly better package deal if you use their moving service. These are outfits designed to be protected from your claims since they can work closely to invalidate your claim. This is why you might want to shop for a third party insurance company, one that has no vested interest in long-term tie-ups with their pet moving service.
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