How to Ensure You Keep Your Stuff Safe
Moving is stressful enough. Add onto that the process of finding the best Denver moving company, and you might feel like tearing your hair out! There is so much to think about, so much to do, and forgetting just one detail can spell disaster. How do you get through the process with your sanity intact?
It’s all about planning. Just as with any big decision in your life, you need to ensure you’ve thought through every possible scenario so that you are prepared. If you aren’t prepared, you might as well put on that straight jacket before you’ve even packed a single box.
Through it all, you just want to make sure your stuff makes it to your new home in one piece. Here are some tips to making sure your stuff makes it through the entire process safely.
Do your homework. Sure, that long distance moving company looks all professional with its fancy fleet of trucks and vans and complete menu of packing services, but looks aren’t everything. You need to see how customers feel about them. The internet works to your benefit, really – Facebook is where people are increasingly going to vent frustrations, or sing a company’s praises. Talk to your friends for their recommendations, or take it a step further and contact the Better Business Bureau and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. You’ll be able to see if any claims have been filed against them, and their record with the DOT.
Read the fine print. So many people blindly sign the papers shoved in front of them just to speed along the process. However, when it comes to every single possession you own, you should take a moment to read through that long distance moving company contract. If any wording makes you uneasy, talk about it with the company to see if it can be reworded or changed. Before you sign on that Denver moving company, don’t get pressured into signing a document that makes you uncomfortable!
A word on insurance. Yes, movers are required by law to provide $0.60 per pound to replace items damaged or lost in transit at no cost whatsoever to the customer. When it comes to certain items, it just makes sense to request additional insurance, often $6.00 per pound, or even your own third-party insurance. Items costing over $100 per pound in value require separate insurance. Don’t skip this for those big ticket items – you don’t want to have to pay to replace it!
Supervise. One of the best ways to ensure nothing fishy happens while your house is being packed up and then unpacked at your destination is to be there. Just being physically present in the home during the process can lower the risk of something being stolen. If you can’t be there, see if another family member or friend can be there in your place.
Take advantage of pack-for-you services. If you’ve chosen a trusted moving company, the above scenario is not a concern. When it comes to packing up the boxes that will go on the truck, you might think it’s safer if you pack them so no one is tempted to steal any of the contents. The truth is a reputable moving company is not going to have employees that steal as part of their team. Another fact: it’s safer to leave the packing to the moving company! Why? Because they have the experience to make sure the job is done right. They have the expertise to make sure each item is packed with care, ensuring that all of your belongings remain intact when moving to Loveland, CO.
Make a list, check it twice. Each item should be marked on a master list. Even better is marking the items contained in each specific box. Inspect the items as you unpack, checking each off the list and noting which ones arrived damaged or even missing. If you spot damage, be sure to take pictures. If something appears to be lost, don’t fret – just contact your moving company as soon as possible. The movers might be able to help you locate the missing item. If you don’t like the way your chosen moving company handles the situation, take note of it throughout your communications with them so that you can report them to the proper organization.
