Moving Etiquette

[Uncle Fester]

My move from San Diego to P-cola was a disaster...

My move from SD to P'cola wasn't quite that bad, but it wasn't for lack of trying. On the pack day, one (1) guy from the crew spoke English. I'm pretty sure the rest were picked up from the Day Labor parking lot, and it was pretty apparent that they didn't have one clue between the four of them. Most of my glasses were broken at the other end, and the unpacking crew said the amazing part was that any came through intact.

The worst so far was the move from Norfolk back here. The loading crew took eleven hours to load a three-bedroom house. This was after everything was packed, mind you. Highlights included watching them move a glass-top table while both guys talked on their cel phones. We bought them lunch and beer, which turned out to be a mistake...they needed a two-hour lunch break to finish it all.

When we got to the other end, turned out the packers had tossed the handmade glass topper from our wedding cake in with a bunch of random kitchen stuff, wrapped in one sheet of paper.

Really surprised it took this long to devolve into a "moving horror stories" thread.

 

[Uncle Fester]

Wouldn't it be legal if they were his cinder blocks?

Nope.

 

[MasterBates]

There is a list of stuff that you "can't use". Machinery, Tools (Beyond hand tools I think), Car parts, and the like. Pretty sure building materials is on the list.

I think safes are another "not legal for weight" item, but I'm not 100% on that.

I personally think that a DITY move should be simplified. As in you sign paperwork saying "I will get all my crap to next duty station" and they hand you a check for your max weight minus taxes.

Any move I have done involving multiple trips invariably ends up with FISC-Norfolk screwing the math up, even though I provide a sheet spelling it out.

Right now I am going back and forth with the "but your empty weight is less than the registered weight of truck plus trailer"..

BECAUSE THOSE ARE THE MAX. GROSS VEHICLE WEIGHTS JACKASS!! (I did say that nicer on the phone)

 

[scoolbubba]

some of the stuff on the not for weight list is BS, as far as i'm concerned. I can understand not allowing pallets of quikrete to be moved on the govts dime, but my tools are heavy, they are mine, and they sure as shit aren't going to teleport to my next exotic locale.

if it's mine, and it's got my shit in it, and i move it...i ought to get paid for it.

 

[MasterBates]

I can't say I don't disagree. I can see the Navy not wanting to pay for moving cans of paint you saved only because they are heavy, but then again, how is some guys 2300 pound weight set OK, yet my craftsman rollaway that weighs 1/3 that not OK?

Again, it's FISC.. Just when you thought PSD is dumb, they are bad. I have both a certified weight tag and a certified ticket for the PUMA empty.

Think that's OK for moves? Hell no. I have to rent a U-haul, disassemble half my friggin furniture to get it out the door, Go weigh the PUMA, put it all back in THEN pack.

HUGE red-ass. This last time I gutted this thing of anything that would be moved from a house. Appliances, couch, bed, gun cabinet (yes, my RV has one), bureau, AC unit. It actually would be cheaper for them to pay me the easier way, because the PUMA is over 1000# under it's advertised weight when I take all that stuff out. But, it's how they want it.

 

[MettGT]

Speaking of getting the most $$$ out of your move, has anyone dealt with applying for RITA (Relocation Income Tax Allowance) from DFAS?

http://www.dfas.mil/travelpay/dodagencies/rita.html

 

[PropAddict]

Thread resurrect? Why yes!

Unpacked in Jax and found my TV and Intel desktop to be inop. A few other breakages here and there and they also somehow lost all the hardware to my bed. Went through the Arpin Van Lines claims process (which was 100 times worse than any I've ever done before). . .made half a dozen phonecalls asking "where's my money?". . .and now, EXACTLY the legal limit of 60 days after they received my claim for processing, I have received a check for my claim.

Well, actually, it's a check for 24% of what I claimed. The adjuster recommended "cash out" on all my items, then apparently Arpin management disagreed and opted to just write "not liable" on 1/2 my claim.

Seems to me "full replacement value coverage" should be pretty cut an dried, no? To boot, I was claiming repair costs (not total replacements) on most of the crap they broke!

Next time, I am having a massive yard sale before I move and just taking what I can DITY.:icon_rage:icon_rage

 

[scoolbubba]

Go talk to the people at PPO. There is a process for if the movers dick up the claims, and Uncle will step in. Start a paper trail now, you have up to a year to file claims.

 

[FlyBoyd]

lost all the hardware to my bed.

Common....they "lose" it on purpose on the off chance you ask them to put it together as part of your unpacking. Anything they take apart for you is subject to "lost" hardware.

ALCON- take apart your own stuff and ziplock the hardware. Let them pack it with the normal stuff and plan on putting it back together yourself. FWIW, I put the multiple ziplocks in my gun safe. It is kind of hard for them to lose the hardware in my locked 500lb safe.

 

[insanebikerboy]

Common....they "lose" it on purpose on the off chance you ask them to put it together as part of your unpacking. Anything they take apart for you is subject to "lost" hardware.

ALCON- take apart your own stuff and ziplock the hardware. Let them pack it with the normal stuff and plan on putting it back together yourself. FWIW, I put the multiple ziplocks in my gun safe. It is kind of hard for them to lose the hardware in my locked 500lb safe.

That's a good idea except that's what they are getting paid to do. To each their own but I have no desire to disassemble all of my furniture and then put it back together. Plus, if you take it apart and put it back together, it could allow some leeway in liability for who's responsible if something gets broken.

 

[scoolbubba]

When they take the hardware off, duct tape it to the furniture in a plastic baggie and note that it was taped to furniture on the inventory sheet. Anything they lose then they have to replace, and if the hardware is made for that piece of furniture, it puts them in a bind to either cough it up or replace the furniture.

 

[PropAddict]

When they take the hardware off, duct tape it to the furniture in a plastic baggie and note that it was taped to furniture on the inventory sheet. Anything they lose then they have to replace, and if the hardware is made for that piece of furniture, it puts them in a bind to either cough it up or replace the furniture.

Yeah. . .but they have 60 days to decide to pay up on you, leaving you on a mattress on the floor like a refugee.

The best part was this time around I said "Take all the hardware and put it in the top drawers of my tool chest." I locked the chest, it was the last thing they rolled on the truck and the 1st off. Magically, the bed hardware didn't make it.

 

[scoolbubba]

yea dood, sounds like you're proper fooked. Take it to the PPO people, once you figure out the right counselor to talk to they're actually pretty solid.


I guess the takeaway is, if you want it done right, do it yourself. You'll get paid eventually, too.

 

[HuggyU2]

Work it with them to load the grill last and unpack it first. Cooking up steaks for lunch goes over real well.

 

[Godspeed]

I've had only 2 military moves so far, but each time they did well, I tipped them $20 each after they got the truck loaded up. Each time they thanked me more than once, telling me that military folks never tip them.

I just figure it's an insurance policy... I take care of them, they'll hopefully take care of my stuff. I had one guy accidentally tear 1/4" hole in one of my newer couches on the back of the armrest (barely noticable). The guy pointed it out to me.. When I filed the claim to the moving company I just estimated it was a $400 tear (cost to have someone come out and sew it up, hell if I know how much that is worth).... I bought all 3 couches for $800. I thought the moving company was going to send someone out to fix it. Instead they just cut me a check for the $$$. No complaints so far!