Moving can be stressful – especially on your furniture.
Moving can be an exciting time. When your move includes working with a moving company, there are a few things to know to help keep stress levels low.
Moving companies do their best to transport your furniture and belongings safely from one location to the next. Things don’t always go exactly as planned.
If your furniture is damaged as part of a professional move, there are things to know to help impact your outcome.
4 tips to know when your belongings are damaged in a move.
- The first step is to file a moving claim with the moving company. Many homeowners think the first step is to gather repair. This is understandable but a little misguided. Claims can take several weeks to months to be resolved. We recommend filing a claim as your first step.
- Do not throw anything away or repair anything yourself. For anything that’s dangerous, such as broken glass, do your best to contain the damaged piece and loose remnants safely. Keep all materials on hand until a claim is filed and all necessary information has been gathered by the moving company and their partners.
- When asked about the value of an item, simply state what you paid for it originally. If the piece was handed down to you or of unknown origin, leave the value field blank. Do not guess at a value or inflate the original cost.
- When asked about the claimed amount, simply state, “repair to my satisfaction”. Placing a dollar amount in the claim field assigns a dollar amount that will be used to adjust your claim. Adjusting is the insurance or moving company’s attempt to spend as little money as possible repairing or replacing your valued items.
If you can, choose a professional repair company.
You can suggest that Ackerman’s do the claim inspection for you. We have been handling moving and insurance claims for 40 years. We are on all of the main moving companies databases for this type of work. When you file your claim with the moving company, they assign a third party company to inspect your claim. This process is carried out by a company like ours who verifies that the damage was incurred during transit and that the items were not previously damaged or repaired.
There are many companies that do this work. Most of them do not specialize in furniture. This is not what you want when you have valued pieces that you want repaired properly. In fact, many times these inspection companies simply hire us to repair the items either way.
40 years in moving claims inspections & furniture repairs
Next steps and what you need to know.
After you file your report, the moving company makes a decisions on your claim. Decisions may include the following actions:
- Settle with you for cash for all repairs and allowances. Once you deposit their settlement check, your claim is closed and there is no recourse.
- Assign a repair and restoration company like Ackerman’s to take care of all repairs and damage. All associated charges are billed directly to the moving company.
- A combination of the above – cash settle with you for missing or destroyed items and assign a repair/restoration company to further repair items.
This process can take anywhere from a few weeks to a few months – patience is key.
When you have additional questions, call us at 303-798-3220 or visit ackermans.com.
