Movers Are Late: What To Do?
Having a smooth relocation is pretty common. However, mishaps and delays are also a part of it. There’s no reason to panic if things seem to be going south. Before you hit the panic button, take a deep breath, count to 10, and read the following text to learn what to do if movers are late.
Why Are Movers Late?
Before you jump to conclusions, let’s think about it. Take a look at some of the reasons why your movers may be late for a delivery or pick up. Waiting for scheduled services is definitely unpleasant, but sometimes, things are simply out of anyone’s control. For example, weather conditions are something nobody can fight against. Maybe the moving crew got caught in a horrible storm. They may just need to wait for it to pass in order to be on their way.
The worst-case scenarios are icy roads and accidents. Hopefully, it will be only a matter of being slowed down instead of not arriving at all. Next on the list of things movers can’t control is traffic. If they get stuck in a traffic jam, you’ll have to wait for some time until they arrive.
They may also experience some technical issues. Perhaps their moving truck failed. They may even be at the wrong address due to misunderstanding or mixed paperwork. When dealing with moving companies you have to count it the human factor as well. Maybe one person got sick, injured, or any similar unfortunate event happened that messed up the process. On other occasions, late arrival may totally be on the mover. Perhaps they’re simply unprofessional or you may even be dealing with fraudulent movers.
Whatever the reason for going off-schedule is, make sure you keep your composure and don’t panic. You’ll need to be composed in order to handle the issue and not lose your nerves over this issue. Things will get solved eventually, so stay cool and be proactive – follow these simple steps to deal with the late-movers situation.
Keep calm
While this may sound like the oldest trick in the book and easier said than done, staying calm is indeed necessary to figure things out. At this point, you still don’t know what happened and what the reason is for movers being late, so there’s no reason to panic.
Read the contract
Your next step when movers are late is to find the contract you signed. Find it and read it carefully one more time. You probably wonder what the point of doing that is. Well, the reason is that movers may not be late at all – according to the contract. Sometimes, contracts will state the time frame, not the exact time, so they may be arriving for example anywhere between 10 am and 1 pm. While you’re standing there all prepared and wondering why they’re not on time, it may actually just be a misunderstanding. So if this is the case, stay patient and use that waiting time to relax or take care of some other tasks. On the other hand, if your movers failed to show up even though there’s no paragraph stating the time frame, then you’ll want to continue to the next step.
Contact your moving company
Now that you’ve confirmed that the delay is real, go ahead and make a phone call. Hopefully, you’ll be able to reach your moving company quickly and you should be able to do so if you’re dealing with licensed and reliable movers. You probably have their contact info, but in case you don’t just visit their website to find a phone number.
Be specific and demand a clear answer
Regardless of whether you’re waiting for your delivery to arrive or your shipment to be picked up, waiting for movers is frustrating. You’ve probably scheduled everything else based on delivery time, so delay can spoil your other plans as well. The representative you’re speaking over the phone with should understand the fact and provide answers. But make sure you ask the right ones. After you introduce yourself and explain the situation, you’ll want to ask specific questions and demand straightforward answers, such as when will movers arrive, the specific time of their expected arrival, and what the reason for the delay is. Don’t accept vague answers and stay on the phone until you get clear info.
Adjust the plan
Once you have an updated arrival time, go ahead and make another plan. Your plan will be based on the info you got from the phone call, for example, if movers will be there in 30 minutes or so, you don’t really have to do anything. But if they’re expected to show up later in the day or even tomorrow, you’ll have to improvise and use that something for something else. Perhaps you can run a few errands, double-check if everything is packed properly, etc. Adjusting your schedule is probably pretty inconvenient but it is what it is, so it’s better to get the best out of it and use that time to take care of other things.
Hopefully, these simple steps will be the end of your trouble and your move will go smoothly from this point. Unfortunately, sometimes late movers fail to show up completely and you may learn that you’re dealing with a fraudulent moving company. In this case, there’s only one thing left to do.
Notify authorities
If you fall victim to scamming movers, you should always contact the police first. If movers hold our things hostage or request a large amount of cash, notify authorities straight away. Of course, reaching out to the FMCSA (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration) is your next step, as well as leaving your honest online review for helping other people not go through the same trouble.
Learn how to identify rogue movers and don’t hire them. Hire a trustworthy Brooklyn moving company instead. Contact Rabbit Movers and receive a free quote.