Moving in a week and i need some help...

Rebecca - posted on 02/17/2010

I know where i am if you have the receipts for items they pay it back in full doens't matter how old it is. Anything you pack yourself, you need to take yourself. It will not be covered on the insurance. Any valuables take them with you. We don't plan on letting the moving company move our computer or TV's. We have our receipts for all appliances still so if those get broken we will be able to get money for them. I've never heard of anything being stolen before though. It's not uncommon for things ot end up broken though.

Belinda - posted on 02/17/2010

Never had anything stolen...but have had some damaged items. Nothing worth claiming to me. I always take enough clothing and essentials (coffee pot/ a pan/ a few towels/ toys for the kids), as well as anything small and valuable like jewelry. Big ticket items (like my purses or my husbands precious tv) get stickered as a "high ticket item" and the person receiving the hhg has to initial that the item arrived unharmed.

We did a partial dity with our boat and it was worth the effort. But only if I have to will that happen again. I like to let them go for it, saves me some stress. Also, I have had many friends go over their weight by trying the move alone, and that is a serious mess. As well as friends who have lost their paperwork in transit and received ZERO dollars. So keep up with your paperwork!!!!

And ALWAYS feed your packers and your movers!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yvonne - posted on 02/17/2010

My husband and I have moved MANY times. Some times everything goes perfectly, other times things get broken and stolen... I recommend taking pictures of everything of value and saving them on a cd and keeping that with you. Also document the condition of anything that might get broken or damaged. If you have the room, and really dont want things lost/stolen you can pack valuables up and take them with you in your vehicle. They are pretty good about giving you a fair payment for things that are "lost" or broken, but make sure you have proof that you had it in the shipment. CAREFULLY read through the inventory list before signing it, and ask questions for any notations you don't understand, like if they say your brand new kitchen table is warn and scratched and dented you will want to have that changed to brand new condition... They are supposed to write down serial numbers, model numbers and/ or brand name of all high ticket items (electronics, appliances, and other valuables) and they will be on a separate inventory sheet. This is the one you want to pay the most attention to. Most importantly make sure you keep an eye on the packers. If you have some close friends who are available you can even have them come over and station a person in every room if that would make you feel more comfortable.

If you had more time before your move I would recommend a DITY move, or a partial DITY move like the others mentioned. It is a lot of work, but I prefer to move myself, because then I know nothing will go missing.

It is true that you cannot pack your own boxes if you are going to have movers come and pack because they have to know what is in the box for inventory and they have to pack it to be responsible for the contents if they break. You can see if there might be time for a partial DITY move, and pack up the things you are worried about going missing. As long as you have proof of what you have, they have to reimburse you, so you should not worry too much. It is just a hassle to go through and upsetting to deal with. I hope all goes well with your move and you have a good experience!

Cheri - posted on 02/17/2010

Tip #1: If you WANT to pack your own valuables and keepsakes that would be a great start. I always make sure that I have a copy of our latest billing statements, birth/marriage certificates, moving paperwork (the copy the movers give you when they pack you out). I have a valuable purse collection that I packed in my truck with me. Many moving companies ask your hubby when they schedule the move if you have any high-dollar valuables and they will give you a separate sheet to make a notation of the item. If your mover packs you out they should have this form, assuming your hubby indicated that you have valuables worth TONS of cash.

Tip #2: If your next duty station doesn't have a lending locker of sorts with items that you can use upon moving into housing on or off base than you should pack some stuff to make the transition easier. Otherwise it would be beneficial to look for lodging with kitchenettes so you don't have to eat out every meal.

Tip #3: It may be too late, but if you have the time to go through and make a notation of all of your valuables: Manufacturer, Model, Serial Number, etc. and keep a running tab of everything you have. I do this for our tvs, dvd players, video games, electronics, etc. I even keep a list of all the dvds, cds, vhs tapes, etc. When you get rid of something or it breaks scratch it off the list. I've moved four times now and this was great especially when we did a DITY.

Tip #4: Watch the carriers pack up your valuables!

Tip #5: If the mover packing or unpacking your belongings has damaged the items in transition don't be afraid to speak up and inquire how to make a notation of damaged items. They have been pretty good about explaining stuff and answering questions you may have, but if they don't, always ask.

Tip #6: The military offers 100% reimbursement. This last move I had a few items delivered damaged: desk, some lawn care stuff, speaker system, and some furniture pieces didn't even make it into the truck. In the instance with the desk I paid $100 for it from a friend, and got back like $300 for it because that is what it would cost to buy a replacement (the whole thing was broke in pieces).

I didn't get what we paid for it all, since most of the merchandise was purchased like 5 years ago, but I got enough to replace what was broke, which was nice.

Tip #7: I've heard all the rave-reviews about DITY moves and it's great if you have the time, energy, etc. You can also do a partial DITY. The payout is great, I won't lie. I did a DITY move two years ago from off-base to on-base housing, and it paid about $3K. It was a lot of hard work and it would've taken forever if we didn't have help from a few people in the hubby's command, but I would never do a full DITY again.

We did a partial DITY here, since my hubby has a motorcycle and it wouldn't fit in our HHG move; we decided to get a U-Haul, load up the things we used to clean out the base house, necessities for when we got to our new duty-station etc. and we hitched it on to the back of my pickup. It went smoothly and other than the damaged stuff the movers were great.

Just keep an eye on everything, you don't have to hover unless you want to, but be observant. We always get drinks (water or soft drinks) and lunch for the moving crew. I've found that if you treat them respectfully and show a little appreciation they take better care of our belongings. Unfortunately, after the truck left our house, the damage to our items was caused at the moving company when they put the items in crates for transport. They were never put directly into the crates when they came to move us from Corpus. But like I said, I got my money back, so it was all good.

Good luck with your impending move! :D

Faith - posted on 02/17/2010

I am not expert mover but have done this now 5 times in 9 yrs, and one being an overseas move. The best advice I can say is if you have the time drive and make a partial dity move. This means you are either renting a large or small uhaul. You weigh it out before and after you pack. This way the mass majority of your household goods arrives by movers, but the stuff you want to keep on hand and have immediately you bring with you.

We have done this numerous times. They also still pay you to make a dity move AND you get the movers...its a 2 for one :) Simple things like a few pots and pans, one tv, extra bedding and the things I refuse to let the movers touch have always dity moved with us. I personally think this is a great way to move, if you arent flying. I always ask myself, how much stuff do I really need to cram into the truck with the family? It usually end up in the trailer and we have a nice roomy ride to our new base.

Best of luck to you, moving is such an adventure!

Samantha - posted on 02/16/2010

Everyone I've ever spoken with swears you should always take jewelry, precious keepsakes, etc. with you.
You should make it a point to go over EVERYTHING during packing, after it is packed, and when it arrives at your destination. Most movers have inventory sheets to help with this process. Most movers also number the boxes and furniture. Make sure you count the boxes and make sure nothing is damaged or missing before the movers leave. Just remember the same dangers that exist when you move your things, also exist when they do. As long as you take your valuables with you, it should remove most of your worries. Our renters insurance has a $500 deductible for moves, so you might want to check into it, that way if anything is lost, stolen, or broken that you can make the claim and get something back, and that's better than nothing.

Jessica - posted on 02/16/2010

Hello :) I don't know to much about the moving process in the military because we have only moved once. The one time that we did move we moved ourselves and I felt it was worth it. My husband got extra days off to move and we got reimbursed for everything and then some! It was nice to get the extra income. I have heard from a lot of neighbors that they didn't have any problems with movers but if there is stuff like your jewelry that your really worried about I would just take that stuff with you yourself. Hope everything works out :) Have a great day!

Nikki - posted on 02/16/2010

we used the military moving and we didn't get anything stolen..but if you're worried about specific things you should pack them in your car with you..and they make a list of all the expensive stuff and you can take pictures yourself if you want but we've never had a problem with them comming and packing for us..just be there and watch them..cuz once its in the box and taped it most likely wont be comming out til you unpack it