I do nationwide household moves. Having the right equipment and working with experienced crews makes all the difference because if you don’t do it right, you’re buying it. When you get a challenging move with a heavy, high value load, you don’t want to work with a bunch of rookies. Be clear with the agent where you’re getting your help that you need the best crew you can get.
I also take pictures from my cell phone of a lot of the things I do to protect the house and the pieces we move. That way I have a photo catalog I can fall back on in case someone comes back with a complaint. I label all the pictures and include order numbers and dates. I don’t always do that, but if I walk into a home and the first words out of the customer’s mouth are, “I’m really worried about my floors,” I’ll have the guys take their shoes off, we cover the whole floor and I’ll take pictures. I might not even use dollies on certain floors because of the weight. For example, if they have a marble or slate floor, the weight of a loaded dolly could crack it if there’s any air space between the tile and the foundation. I’ll ask if there’s another way in or out of the house and try to use the dollies elsewhere.
Pictures can also help prove a situation of equipment failure. Let’s say I loaded a vehicle and the strap broke and the vehicle was damaged. A photo will prove that I did everything I could but it was equipment failure that caused the damage. That protects me from a claim because if I do everything I can and my equipment fails, I won’t be held responsible.
Wade M., Barrett Van Operator
