Your Rights and Responsibilities

Choosing professional moving assistance from a company like Elite Moving Labor^TM is only half the battle when it comes to ensuring that your items arrive safe and without damage. Just like a plumber or other skilled trade professional, having the proper equipment can make all the difference when it comes to getting the job done right.

Because moving labor is an add-on segment to your transportation method, we can only provide some of the required equipment, like hand trucks and dollies. Items required to make the trip with you, such as furniture pads, cannot be provided by moving labor companies because we would ultimately not get them back. Almost every major transportation provider from truck rental companies to mobile storage companies offer an affordable rental option for furniture pads. Considering that they are a major factor in a successful move, we highly recommend that you always arrange for furniture pad rental from your transportation company.

Your Rights

You have the right to request a copy of our insurance certificate. This is available to customers with a booked move. We require at least five days notice for this service and there is a $15 fee. Please review our insurance certificate request policy for more information.
To receive an experienced moving team, as selected during your reservation, to complete your move.
To view your completed load prior to the movers departing the site.
To list any items damaged on site on the work order for a damage claim.
To have a competent and knowledgeable crew, experienced in loading, unloading and packing.
To have our mandatory equipment (one hand truck, one floor dolly and standard tools) provided on every site.
To request a claim form and create a claim for items damaged on site that are not excluded as listed below.

Your Responsibilities

With proper preparation you can avoid damaged items and ensure that if an item is damaged, it will be covered under the provided valuation. The key to proper preparation is having the necessary tools available that moving labor companies do not provide. As mentioned earlier, these include:

Furniture Pads: Always have furniture pads available for your load. A general estimate is one dozen pads per 5' of space. However, this estimate should be adjusted to fit your needs. If your entire rental truck will be filled with furniture you should likely double the amount of pads normally required. For more information review our moving guide topic: How Important are Furniture Pads?
Appropriate Amount of Space: Moving labor companies do not provide on-site visual survey estimates like a full service moving company. We base our estimates and crew sizes on other factors, notably the amount of space we have to work with. Because we do not provide weight assessments and we do not determine the space needed to complete your move, it is the customers responsibility to ensure that enough space is available to complete their load.
Rope & Tie Downs: While many of our crews carry rope as a normal inventory item, not all do. Rope and tie downs are not part of our mandatory equipment and the customer should always have them available just in case.
E-Trac Straps: ABF U-Pack customers should always provide E-Trac straps for their trailer load. ABF trailers provide minimal protection to your goods due to their spring ride suspension and tend to result in shifting. We recommend that you review our moving guide discussions on ABF U-Pack trailers.
Proper Packaging: While we recommend the use of used moving supplies as a green initiative, there is a point where they can be too used. This is apparent when the structure of the box is worn to the point where it doesn't provide a sufficient foundation. Additionally, TV's and other specialty care items should be properly prepared. Your safest solution is to crate them, however this is also the most expensive option. Alternatively you can also use the original box as long as the cushion padding is still in the box.
Access Conditions: Customers who require service in a large metropolitan area, apartment complexes, high rises or similar locations should be knowledgeable about the site conditions. This includes looking into the requirements for parking permits, reserved elevators and approval from HOA's and managers. By reviewing any potential moving days issues ahead of time you will allow our movers to complete your load or unload in a timely manner without delays.

Our Insurance

Moving labor companies are required, along with full service moving companies, to provide Released Valuation coverage on all moves. This is a federally mandated default coverage of $0.60 per pound damage payout. It is not value based and has many exclusions which are listed in "Exclusions" below. It is also very important to note that because we do not handle your move from beginning to end (all five segments), the coverage only applies to items damaged on site and recorded on the work order.

Elite Moving Labor, along with most moving companies, also provide a minimum of $1,000,000 in General Liability coverage. General liability covers personal injury and personal property that is damaged through the course of normal business operations.

Moving Labor Insurance Vs. Full Service Moving Insurance

There are five segments to every move: Packing, Loading, Transport, Unloading and Unpacking. Full service moving companies can provide a wide range of insurance options because they generally handle all five segments, ensuring that each item is inventoried and handled directly by their crew. Moving labor differs because we generally oversee one or two of the segments (usually loading and unloading) and because we do not provide transportation, we can never oversee all aspects. It is this major difference that creates the difference in insurance options available from the two types of moving companies.

What Is Not Covered: Exclusions

Understanding the exclusions list will help you prepare better for your move. In addition to the list, we have also provided additional information for each item to help you understand why the items are excluded.

Because we do not transport any items, once the shipment leaves our possession we cannot be liable for any damages. You have the right to inspect all items prior to the departure of our moving labor crews. Any damaged items that are not excluded from coverage must be noted on the work order to be considered claimable.
Similar to traditional moving companies, any items that were packaged by the customer and not by our movers cannot be covered. Why: We cannot be sure how the box, crate or bin was packed and if it was packed correctly. Further, many boxes are used several times and their structure may not be adequate to prevent damage.
Particle board furniture, notably bookcases and "Ikea" style furniture. Why: Generally cheaper items, particle board is prone to damage when moved. These items are not covered because of the poor quality of the material and the likelihood that damage will occur even when properly handled.
Any furniture items when no furniture pads are provided. Why: As explained above, hiring professional movers is only half the battle. Furniture pads are extremely important in ensuring that your items are packed safely for transport. If you fail to provide furniture pads it is very likely that some of your items will be damaged during the move. If an adequate amount of pads are not provided by the customer during the load we will not be responsible for any damage, even while on site.
Special care items or high value items without proper packaging and preparation. Why: The best example of these items are Plasma TVs, LCDs and flat screens. Traditional moving companies will require you to crate these items before shipment to remove their liability. We will move these items without packaging or crating at the customers request, however we will not insure any of these items unless they are packed and/or crated appropriately.
Pool tables and Pianos. Why: Pool tables and pianos should be crated before any move. We will move most pianos and pool tables assuming we have the correct number of movers on site, however we are not liable for any damages if they have not been properly prepared for shipment.
Items the customer assists with. Why: If the customer has ordered a 2-Man moving team but has a 3-Man item and wishes to assist in the movement of the item they can. However, any item that the customer moves, even in conjunction with out movers is not insurable.

What Is Covered

Despite the long list of exclusions and limitations, we do insure items that we knowingly or without dispute damage. Released Valuation coverage will be provided to all items dropped or damaged on site while in the possession of our movers, assuming they do not meet any of the exclusions above.

How To Make A Claim

There are three steps to creating a claim:

Make sure that the broken or damaged item is recorded on your work order prior to the movers departing the site. This is necessary for all claims.
Contact Elite Moving Labor toll free or by email for a secure document password. Once you have the password you may download our claim form. The form will not open without the password.
Complete and return the claim form with as much information as possible, including model numbers, serial numbers or other unique identifiers.

Claim Remedies

Assuming the steps above were followed correctly and the damaged item(s) are not excluded, Elite Moving Labor will have the option to repair the damaged item if it is a viable option. If the item is beyond repair, a payout based on Released Valuation coverage of $0.60/lb will be made for the published weight of the item. Once a claim form is submitted, Elite Moving Labor and it's insurer's will have up to thirty days to notify you of their decision to repair the item or make a payout.

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