Had a bad experience with a moving company? While most moving companies promise stress-free and accident-free moves, not all of them deliver on this promise. So, what do you do when a moving company delivers broken furniture or damaged items? There are more than 9,300 complaints against moving companies filed every year. Clearly, you’re not alone. Here’s what to do to get some recourse against a moving company after they have mismanaged your move.
1. Check Your Agreement
The first thing you need to do is to check your moving agreement. Carefully review the terms of service as laid out by the moving company. The agreement may address certain requirements with regards to how you should handle any complaints you have against the moving company. With most moving companies you will have to file your complaint with the company within a certain duration after the service delivery. They also limit the amount of money they can pay as compensation for damaged goods. Ensure you take note of these requirements and that you file your case within the stipulated time frame. Failure to do this will render your claims baseless.
2. Notify the Moving Company
It is important for you to notify the moving company as soon as possible. This will ensure that the issue is handled in a timely manner. Follow the stipulated guidelines when contacting the company. Make sure you have a record of your communication and transactions with the company. Ensure you get the right dates and time of contact and when you filed your first complaint. Also, have a record of any response you get from the company.
3. File Your Complaint
If the company is unable to help resolve the issue, you can go ahead and use the other resources you have at your disposal. If you were moving from one state to another, you can file your complaint with the federal motor carrier safety administration. Depending on the case, the federal agency may take up the case against the moving company. You can also notify the American Moving and Storage Association since they usually contact their members on behalf of a disgruntled client. The moving company will be given a stipulated amount of time to respond to the allegation.
4. Consider Arbitration
Sometimes, a moving company will make a settlement offer that may not go down well with you. If this happens, you may need to consider arbitration. Movers are required to have an arbitration program in place. Through this program, a 3rd party gets involved to help settle the issue between the moving company and the client. This should give you some recourse against moving company.
5. Take Further Action
The best Toronto movers will not let the issue get to this point. This is because customer satisfaction comes first. However, should a company completely refuse to compensate for the damaged items, you may need to contact your lawyer and sue the moving company. This is especially best if you are suing to get compensation for goods worth a lot of money.
