I just looked at some of my boxes of fabric and they are nasty dirty and some are even ripped!!! I knew my boxes looked like an elephant had stepped on them but my goodness I didn't know they destroyed some! I even had some in a plastic tote and the tote is busted all the pieces and all thats holding it together is the miles of tape they used. Not sure if I'm up to looking in it right now. I just want to set down and cry!

I'm so sorry to hear this! Be sure to write down all that's broken so you get reimbursed.
The first time we were moved by movers they broke everything breakable, I swear! I got reimbursed but some items were wedding gifts that I felt really bad about :(

TAKE PICTURES!!!!! Include a newspaper in the photo and keep the newspaper for proof of the date. Dates on the camera can be altered but that is proof positive for anyone.

I would definitely call the moving company and complain. Take pictures of all the damage/dirt. Maybe you can get someone higher up in the moving company out to see what happened in person. This happening was just wrong, maybe they can replace things. I thought movers were insured for this. If not at least maybe it will keep it from happening to someone else.

This moving company is a pain to deal with. They broke so much stuff and we had to wait a week for them to deliver so in that week our stuff went 100's of miles on a truck being shifted from the middle to the front, then they charged us double the estimate. I will file a claim but I don't look for much reimbursment. And even then it will take months. What makes me so depressed is that now I don't have the money to replace the fabric they destroyed. I don't have a big stash so I don't have a lot to fall back on.

yeah they broke some of my mothers china that I can't replace.

I'll send a little! Anyone else????

That is so not right. Besure to report everything that they broke or ripped. Don't let them get away with it.

Tell everyone you know, in the most public way possible, what the name of the company is and what happened.

This is why I advise everyone, family and friends, to get a video camera and take CLOSE pictures of every man who carries stuff out of your house. Take close ups of them, and take close pictures of all the stuff coming out. If possible, have 2 cameras working all the time. Then have someone hold up that newspaper with the date on it, revolve around them and take pictures of each room you left. This is because, sadly, most houses left empty are immediately invaded by the homeless and neighborhood thugs that live way too near.

Then take the same pictures of your stuff coming OUT of the truck, with the same closeness of movers and possessions.
Plus pictures of the house you are moving into. Should it be rented, this will prove, by the newspaper, that the house had this or that flaw in it. Be sure to highlight each thing you want fixed or changed in the pictures.

And be sure to change the locks on the new house, every one of them.

I suspect that the best way to get reimbursed for this is a glare of publicity. Tell your friends in the old neighborhood and in the new one, tell what the name of the company is and what happened. Tell us...some of us might live near you, or have friends or family there, and remember, word of mouth is powerful.

cjk did you pack the boxes or did they? If they did the packing then they are responsible. If they are reluctant to work with you then I would file a claim in small claims court or tell them that you will do that. Maybe it will scare them enough to pay for the damages. If they refuse to pay tell them "see you in court" and "I plan to file a report with the better business bureau" then do it!! I don't think it's too expensive to file. I am sure you will win your case against them. What state are you are in? Call the city hall or the local chamber of commerce in your town and ask them if there is a legal aid society there. Most counties have a legal aid society. They will help you with a case if you can't afford to pay a lawyer. Sometimes they are lawyers just starting out kinda like going to the beauty college to get a hair cut. Costs about 1/4 of the regular price or sometimes free depending on your income. Like the others said, take lots of photos and keep all the packaging materials. Sorry this happened to you...
crafty_linda_b

Sorry you are going through this terrible thing. And your story is the reason I pack my own things when we moved. Everything made it in one piece. Even the 18 eggs. Take my advise. Do it yourself next time. Or hire women to do it.

There are places online that carry very old patterns of China. You may be able to replace some. I replace some of my grandmothers china recently. It wasn't expensive.

I will help-if you tell us what to get......

Dealing with movers can be such a headache!

When things settle down, you can try looking at Rplacements.com to see ifyou can locate the broken china pieces. They sell tons of replacement china, glass and silver pieces. My mom has ordered several pieces from them and never had a problem.

http://www.replacements.com/index.ht...FQ10gwodPhFNEg

I hope you are able to get this worked out.

We have moved several times and my favorite was when a packer put an unwrapped stain glass lamp my mother made in the bottom of a box and threw shoes on top of it....I also hate movers.....So sorry this happened to you.

I am so sorry for this. We just moved in February and I was terrified about what they would do with my stuff. I was still recovering from shoulder reconstruction surgery right after Christmas and could do NOTHING. Thanks to some wonderful suggestions from this board - http://www.quiltingboard.com/t-94793-1.htm - a couple of my friends and I packed all of my fabrics in plastic tubs and marked them. The movers then packed the tubs into their boxes. My machines were packed and my husband moved them when he did his bachelor move three weeks before the house was moved.

Make sure that you document EVERYTHING. The damage to the boxes and the contents. Detail the losses of the china. You might be able to find replacement pieces. There are several places on-line that specialize in finding pieces for old/antique sets. One of the places is called Replacements.

Oh - and make sure that you keep detailed records of all of the losses and your correspondence with the moving company. At the end - regardless of the outcome (favorable or not) file a claim with the BBB and the State Attorney's Office. They can make life for the movers harder and make them give even more compensation.

I have to commend the company that did our move. We had been pro moved one time before and were no treated very well. This time we had ONE crew through the entire thing. The same 4 guys that packed us, loaded us, drove, and unloaded us. It was reassuring to have one crew of guys. And it was so much better for my pets - especially my big Boxer boy Loki - to have all the same group. The guys were able to make friends will all of the animals on the first day so they problems with barking and fussing and fretting was GREATLY reduced. And the guys were simply great. We had a cookout at a local state park a couple of weeks ago for the guys and their families. Their moving home office is located about 40 minutes from our new place. They said that they had NEVER been treated so well by customers. (We also fed them lunch on all three days of packing, loading and unloading.) We told them that we had NEVER had such good service. Rest assured that we will be contacting them again - whether the move is paid for by the company or us.

Ditto on this website. I've used them and they are great!

I'm sorry your fabrics and other items were damaged. I hope you will be able to get satisfaction from the movers for their negligence, but it sounds like it may be a fight. You might try checking with your states Attorneys Generals office to see who you file a complaint with and deffinately file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. Like many others have said scream it as loud as you can to whoever will listen about this company.Pictures lots of pictures ASAP with a current paper, the damaged boxes and goods. I hope it all gets worked out.

..."Or hire women to do it."...

Yes. this is a must.
LOL

take pics and show them.
some movers bent the lower handles on my tiger oak sideboard I bought from an antique store. they still aren't right. my cats can open the doors now!
also see if they are with the better Business Bureau and if so, file a complaint.

Sadly I packed everything. I know I packed it better then they would have but I now know that is a loop hole.

Thanks for the info, I'll try it.

So sorry to hear of this, taking pictures might be a good idea if you are going to place a complaint. It won't make the mess any easier, but they might compensate you on your bill.

Thanks everyone for your concerns and suggestions. You all make me feel better.

I am so sorry!! Definitely file a claim. Never had a problem with movers ever...not even growing up and we moved every 3 years (Dad was career AF).

All movers are not trained on how to pack and ect. They also get help from the local Labor offices many times drunks and druggies so it is no wonder I know this because we drove for a moving company we refused to do household moving because we weren't trained for it. What we learned mostly in training do not loose a inventory andpacking list because it will cost you $500.00.

Also, take pictures of not only the broken contents but of the boxes and packaging that they were in as proof of the condition the boxes were recieved in. We packed everything on our last move but they moved us and did a really great job. We did get recommendations from several people before hiring them. They were local guys. Young college guys with decent muscle development. Not the wasted druggie looking kind of people.
Ann in TN

I lost all of my wedding pictures (unfortunately in a box with a movie camera.) I didn't even realize it until about 3 months after the move! Submit a claim and don't back down. You paid good money for the move and expect your property to get to the destination in good shape. What colors do you need for your stash?

I'm in.

OH NO - there isn't a quilter who wouldn't just sit and cry! I have to agree with KWhite. Take photos etc, put ina claims...

Makes me think should we moved i will tote my fabric with us in our car or something. I sure hope you can get the company to replace some of your lose.

Julie

That's awful. Big dummy's.

My second last move cost me a great sewing machine but also
huge roast pan. A wooden cabbage cutter that was over a hundred yrs in the family that I used all the time --missed it the most because couldn't replace with the 3 blades.

Would you consider telling us the name of your moms China in case we see some or have a few pieces.
You have my sympathy so hope we all can help.

We just retired from 26 years in the Marine Corps. Lots of moves- some good, some bad but don't let people get away with the bad stuff because they will continue to do it to someone else and we always praised good movers (and kept their name for future use!)

Be sure to report the moving company to the Better Business and there are other lists now that might have movers on it to report them to Angie's List is all that comes to me right now. Money they give you is not enough to help get over the mess they created, but reporting them might help the next customer. Take care.
Linda

I'm glad we never could afford to hire movers. We packed and moved our own and the stuff all survived. When I was a child tho, my Dad's company paid for our family to be moved to another state, and the movers not only manhandled everything, they STOLE. I had a Hummel Ba-Bee Ring (a bust of a baby encircled in a ring with a bee perched on it, that hangs on the wall...)a signed Hummel that had been bought when I was born, and one of the movers was smart enough to know it was valuable. It was never found once we unpacked. I wonder what else they got. My folks had so much stuff they would probably never miss half of it. I don't trust strangers to come into my home and do ANYTHING, including clean...

We had a bad experience not too long ago where they "lost" several boxes. We were never reimbursed because they said WE failed to make sure that THEY had properly marked every box, even though it was all on them, as I didn't pack anything. Good luck getting reimbursement. Maybe tell them that you will contact the investigative reporters on a local TV news show. That ought to scare them.

And get pictures!

I'm not going to back down. I'm filing a claim as soon as I know what all is damaged. I talked to several people and they say we have 6 to 9 months to file a claim. I'm also going to report to the BBB and any other place I can think of. Funny, I checked the BBB before I hired this company and they didn't have any negative reports. But the thing is and the way they get by with it is that one company will book the move and then another company is actually the movers. ggggggrrrrrr I didn't know that until the movers showed up at the door. I intend to report BOTH the booking company and the moving company!

they will not pay for the busted totes..those are not considered PROPER packing boxes and you just bite it and buy new ones...I know...30+ years of military moves....the last one was OURS to pay for, from Bush Ak OK..what a joy..NOT...we had to pack our own container in BEthel, it went on a barge to seattle...then unloaded, packed on a truck and brought to OK...when it arrived we were then told that a forklift had gone through the side of the container in BEthel, that container then sailed to Seattle...you should have seen the wet moldy boxes, furniture, etc....$30K in damages and we got only $15K back!

Most of the time, the china replacement pieces are much cheaper on ebay. I working on finishing my set I started in 1965. For instance, I usually pay about $10 for what Replacements sells for $30.