The Importance of Moving Company Valuation

What’s Going On Around Town Movers Blog  at www.ourteamatmovers.com

by David Underwood, Manager and Original Two Team and a Truck Founder

This is the third post in my series about the Virginia Movers meeting in Richmond on Wednesday, October 23, 2013:  The Importance of Moving Company Valuation.

So the last part of the meeting was a panel discussion.  The panel consisted of four speakers: Dave Tindall with My Team Moving and Storage in Richmond, Linda Balentine with Crowning Touch Senior Moving Services in Roanoke, Amy Steele with Hilldrup Moving and Storage in Stafford, and Joyce Ortman with Security Van and Storage in Norfolk.

As it goes. the whole room had been ‘wowed’ by the first three panel speakers and then it came to be time for Joyce to speak.   She started by saying that after the first three speakers, she felt like she didn’t have much to contribute – HOWEVER:  SHE DID GREAT and I walked away with the wheels in my head spinning on this topic:  The Importance of Moving Company Valuation and your move.

Now, the discussion about insurance for your move is an uncomfortable discussion topic at best to start with – one with negative connotations that no one ever wants to talk about – but as professional movers we have to – even after thirty-five years it is still a touchy subject… Most movers will offer a limited liability ‘coverage’  (the undercover word in the moving industry for ‘insurance’) of sixty cents, per pound, per article.  So you might be thinking – wow – that’s not a lot of ‘coverage’ for some of the things I have – why don’t you just automatically cover everything in full – after all, you’re professional movers, aren’t you?

Well, yes, we are professional movers and maybe that even why we limit our liability in this traditional fashion (who came up with this whole thing anyway?).   But think of it this way – when you go to the Post Office, FedEx or UPS to mail a package, they quote you a rate for shipping.  If you listen closely, they will tell you that the base shipping rate includes a certain amount of insurance – and you can purchase additional coverage for an additional charge. Well, it’s more or less the same idea in our business.   With Around Town Movers, we offer sixty cents per pound, per article up to $50.00 per article included with our prices.  We offer additional coverage in increments of $10,000 for an additional charge.  The ‘Around Town Movers‘ difference is that you can purchase a little as one unit of coverage and this releases the sixty cents/$50 limit while most movers will require that you purchase an  insurance amount equal to the value of everything being moved.

Even more important are the Team that show up to move you on the day of your move.  Using an established mover which employs full time professional movers will likely lead to a lower incidence of damage.  Around Town Movers will provide you with experienced men and modern well-equipped moving vans.  It is always ‘Our’ goal to provide with you with a damage free moving experience so for starters we provide free home protection for your move.  But accidents do happen – so what happens if there is a claim for loss or damage on your move?

This is where good customer service and follow up are critical.  Moving day is hard enough without the additional stress of incurring damage to your residence or possessions. Does the mover you choose have the experience to provide service after the move is done or is he there just to get paid and see you later?  I am a Certified Claims Analyst through the American Moving and Storage Association. I learned this aspect of my trade from the late Ms. Estelle Treadway, also of the American Moving and Storage Association.  In addition to my tutoring in this mechanics of being a claims analyst, I will never forget the words of my friend Katrina Blackwell, President of the American Red Ball Transit Co., Inc.: ‘look at each claim separately and do the right thing’.  So, here at Around Town Movers, we carry on the legacy of these two women in spirit and in the way we handle our claims and accidents.  Thankfully they are far and few between.

So these are my thought d’jour – thanks for reading!

‘See Ya Around Town’

Dave