A lap through the new home
Once the truck is gone and the doors are shut, it is tempting to start unpacking wherever the boxes landed. Before you do, take a slow lap through the house with your box list, your phone camera and the delivery paperwork. A room-by-room check can turn a vague sense that something went wrong into a list you can act on.
Kitchen and dining room. Open the boxes marked fragile first. Look for chipped plates, cracked glasses and bent table legs. Check the tabletop for scratches under good light.
Bedrooms. Make sure every bed frame arrived with its rails, slats and the bag of hardware. Look at mattresses for tears, stains or a bend from being folded.
Living areas. Inspect screens, speakers and lamps before plugging them in. Check sofa arms and corners, and the backs of cabinets and bookcases.
Garage and outdoor pieces. Count tools, bikes and patio furniture against your list. Look at grills and mowers for dents or broken handles.
Appliances. Test each one as soon as it is connected: the washer, the dryer, the refrigerator. A unit that will not start, or a new rattle, belongs on your list.
For every problem, take photos of the item, the box and the packing material, then set them aside. The mover may ask to inspect them before it decides a claim.
Whom to contact, and in what order
The crew lead, while the crew is still there. Show the damage, write it on the delivery paperwork in plain words next to the item, and keep your copy. Do not sign a line saying everything arrived in good order if it did not.
The company's office. Write to the office as soon as you find a problem. Attach photos, describe each item and ask for its claim form and its deadline for filing. Ask for copies of the quote, the agreement and any inventory if you do not have them.
The company again, with one question. Ask in writing: "Does this move call for an Alabama Public Service Commission household goods certificate or permit, and if so, what is the number?" If someone other than the company on your quote supplied the truck or the crew, put the same question to that business too, and file both answers.
Your own insurer. Call your homeowners or renters insurer and ask whether your policy covers any part of the loss, and whether it wants you to claim with the mover first.
A consumer protection office. If the company stops answering, ask a state or local consumer protection office what options are open to you.
A bill that does not match the quote
Put the written quote beside the final bill and go down both, line by line. Look at the hours, the crew size, the materials, any stair or long-carry charges and the travel time. For each difference, ask the mover in writing to point to the place in the agreement that allowed it. Pay by a method that leaves a record, and add any disputed amount to your written claim.
Damage to either house
A gouge in a floor, a scraped door frame or a dented stair rail is part of the claim too, whether it happened at the old address or the new one. Photograph it the same day with something in the frame for scale, and ask the mover whether its coverage includes property damage as well as belongings. If you rent, tell your landlord in writing.
What NOAA's engineering weather data counts at Dothan
In an average year at Dothan, NOAA counts about 1,776 hours with the wet-bulb temperature above 73°F and about 3,503 hours above 67°F.
Writing the claim
Keep the claim plain and complete. Set out your name, both addresses, the move date and any order number; each item, what is wrong with it and when you found it; what you are asking for, whether a repair, a replacement or a payment; and the receipts, estimates or photos that back it up. Note the coverage level shown on your agreement. Send it in a way you can prove, keep a full copy, and ask when to expect a reply.
When the reply arrives, check which items it accepts, which it refuses and how each amount was worked out. If you agree with part of an offer but not the rest, ask the mover whether it will settle the agreed items while the others stay open, and say clearly in writing which is which.
When letters go unanswered
Send one short, final letter listing what happened, what you asked for, what has been offered and the date by which you expect an answer. Keep a copy. If nothing comes back, ask a state or local consumer protection office about your options.
How Dothan treats its water
Dothan treats its well water by adding chlorine against bacteria, fluoride, and phosphate to reduce red water and the leaching of metal from pipes; the treated water goes into the distribution system or to one of 14 storage tanks.
A single folder for the whole claim
Keep the quote, the agreement, the delivery paperwork, the photos, every letter and every receipt together, on paper or on your phone, until the claim is settled and the payment, repair or replacement has arrived.