The arrival window passes, and the street is empty
Boxes are taped, the beds are apart and the refrigerator is defrosting on a towel. The arrival window on your confirmation has come and gone, and no truck is in sight. A missed pickup is stressful, but a calm first hour and a written record can keep a bad morning from turning into a lost week.
The first hour
Start a note on your phone with the time, and add to it as you go.
- Call the number on your confirmation, then any other number the company has listed. Note each call, who answered and what was said.
- Send a short text or email that repeats what you asked: "Your crew was due this morning within the window on my confirmation. Is a crew on its way, and when will it arrive?"
- Look back over your confirmation for the date, the address and the window, in case of a mix-up on either side.
- Photograph the packed rooms. If questions come up later about what was ready, the pictures can help answer them.
Give the company a reasonable chance to reply, but decide in advance how long you will wait before you start calling others.
Once someone answers
Ask plainly, and ask for the answers in writing as well:
- Is a crew coming today, and at what time?
- If not, what date can you offer, and is it confirmed or only hoped for?
- Will the price and terms on my confirmation stay the same on the new date?
- What happens to my deposit if I choose not to wait?
Be wary of a vague promise that someone will be there "soon." Ask for a time and a crew lead's name.
If no one answers at all
Keep calling at intervals and keep logging the attempts. Send one email that lays out the booking, the missed window and your attempts to reach the company, and ask for a reply by a stated time. Save the original estimate, the confirmation and any receipt for the deposit in one place.
Finding another crew on short notice
You may decide to book someone else for today or the next open day. Call several companies and give each the same facts: both addresses, the number of rooms, stairs and parking at each end, and the large or fragile pieces. Ask whether it can look over your belongings by video before quoting, since there may be no time for a visit.
The Alabama Public Service Commission says an APSC certificate or permit is required when household goods are moved by motor vehicle for pay from one point in Alabama to another, unless exempted by law. Its household goods application, Form 14H, carries a $100 filing fee.
Even in a rush, ask any replacement company: "Does this move call for an Alabama Public Service Commission household goods certificate or permit, and if so, what is the number?" Write the answer down with the date and the name of the person who gave it.
Get the replacement price in writing, even if only by text or email, before loading starts.
A crew that arrives with a new price
Sometimes the truck does come, and the crew lead says the job will cost more than the confirmation shows. Before anything is loaded, ask what changed and point to the written terms. Ask to speak with the office. If the explanation is that more items turned up than you listed, compare the claim with the list you gave the company when you booked. Do not let loading begin until you and the company agree on the price in writing.
Keeping the rest of the day on track
A missed pickup can affect people beyond the mover. Call them early:
- the landlord, buyer or seller at the old address, about when you will hand over keys;
- the landlord or seller at the new address, about when you will arrive;
- the utility companies, if service is set to stop at the old place today;
- anyone helping you, such as family, a pet sitter or a babysitter.
The deposit
If you decide not to wait for the first company, tell it so in writing and ask, in the same message, what happens to your deposit under the terms you were given. Keep a copy of your request and of any reply. Hold on to the payment record from the day you paid.
A file for the missed move
Keep everything in one folder: the first estimate and confirmation, the payment record, your phone note with times and calls, the photographs, every email and text, the replacement estimate and the certificate or permit answers.
A short list if it happens to you
- Note the time the window closed and every call after it.
- Ask the first company for a firm time or a written answer.
- Line up replacement quotes in writing.
- Ask each new company the APSC question.
- Agree on any new price before loading.
- Ask about the deposit in writing.