The booking is made, and something feels off
Maybe the price dropped sharply on a second call. Maybe the company's name on the confirmation is not the one you remember from the ad. Maybe no one can tell you who will actually arrive. Doubts like these can be worked through calmly while there is still time before the truck is due.
Start by writing down, in a few lines, exactly what is bothering you. A clear list can turn a vague worry into questions a company can answer.
Reread the ad
Find the advertisement, listing or web page that led you to the company, and save a copy or a screenshot with the date. Note the name, address and phone number it shows beside those on your quote and confirmation.
Georgia DPS rules require a household goods carrier's advertisements to show its business name as it appears on its certificate, its physical business address, its telephone number and its DPS certificate number.
Ask the company: "Does this move call for a Georgia DPS household goods certificate, and if so, what is your certificate number?" Write down the answer, the date and who gave it.
Reread the protection you chose
Look through your paperwork for the level of protection shown for your belongings.
Georgia DPS rules limit an intrastate mover's liability to either released value protection, at $0.60 per pound per damaged or lost article, or full value protection based on current replacement value up to the value the customer declares; movers may not charge extra for released value protection.
Then ask the mover, in writing:
- Which of the two does my agreement show?
- If it is full value protection, what declared value have you recorded, and what does that option cost?
- Where on my paperwork does that appear?
Call your homeowners or renters insurer as well, and ask what your own policy covers while your things are in a mover's hands.
The deposit and the date
Before deciding anything, find out what leaving would cost. Ask the company in writing:
- How much deposit have I paid, and is any of it refundable?
- What notice do you need to cancel or move the date, and is there a charge?
- Can you send those terms to me in writing?
Get the reply by email or text. If the terms were in the agreement you signed, mark the lines.
Talking it through first
A direct conversation may settle it. Ask the office to explain the price change, who owns the truck, and the name of the company whose crew will come. If the answers line up and they are in writing, you may be able to keep the booking with fresh confidence. If they do not, or the company will not put them in writing, consider moving on.
If you keep the booking
Ask for a written confirmation that lists the date, the arrival window, the crew size, the price terms and the protection level you settled on. Ask for the crew lead's name and a number that will be answered on the morning of the move. Read the confirmation when it arrives, and raise anything that does not match in writing before the day.
Switching movers without losing the date
Line up the replacement before you cancel the first booking, if you can. Give the new company your room-by-room list and the same access details for both addresses, and ask for a written quote after a survey. Ask the certificate question of the new company too, and ask for proof of liability coverage and workers' compensation.
Once the new booking is confirmed in writing, cancel the first one in writing, quote the terms you were given, and ask for any refund owed by a stated date. Keep a copy of the message and any reply.
If the first company holds the deposit
Send one short, factual letter: the booking date, the amount paid, the cancellation terms you were given, the date you cancelled and the refund you are asking for. If you paid by card, ask your card issuer how it handles a disputed charge. You can also ask a consumer protection office what options are open to you.
Keep the file together
Save the ad, both quotes, both confirmations, every message and every payment record in one folder. If a question comes up later, the dates and the wording are there.
A short list for the week you book
- Save a copy of the ad you answered.
- Ask the certificate question and note the answer.
- Read which protection your paperwork shows.
- Get the deposit and cancellation terms in writing.
- Confirm who owns the truck and who sends the crew.
What NOAA's engineering weather data lists for Moody AFB/Valdosta
NOAA engineering weather data for Moody AFB/Valdosta, at an elevation of 233 feet, gives a 1% summer design temperature of 94°F with a mean coincident wet-bulb temperature of 77°F, and a 99% winter design temperature of 32°F. In an average year at Moody AFB/Valdosta, NOAA counts about 1,840 hours with the wet-bulb temperature above 73°F and about 3,696 hours above 67°F.