CLEMMONS, N.C. — Donna Workman and Marcia Poole have known each other for years. The two friends recently decided to cut expenses and move into together.
“I moved from Lexington, Kentucky,” Workman said. “She has this nice big house, so we decided to combine our resources.”
The move for Workman involved hiring a company to transport a lot of her furniture and items. After doing some research, Workman hired a company and set a date for pickup.
A contract was signed, and the movers came and picked up all her stuff that was being taken from Kentucky to her new home in Clemmons, NC.
“I had never hired a mover, so it was a new experience,” Workman said.
Things seemed to go okay at the outset but after being told the items would arrive in a couple of weeks, the movers never showed up. Workman started to call about the items and try to figure out when they’d be delivered.
“When I asked, they could not tell me where my stuff was,” Workman said.
The moving company assured Workman that everything would be okay but could not locate her items. It took some additional investigating but the items were eventually found and delivered about three weeks later than promised.
Workman was at home when the delivery crew showed up at the house to unload her furniture.
“I watched them drop it (hutch) off the back of the truck and on the ground,” Workman said.
The hutch broke and shattered after landing on the ground. Several other items, including a washer and dryer, were damaged or destroyed in the move from Kentucky.
“I had to buy a new dryer,” Workman said.
Once all the items were delivered and Workman had some time to examine all the items, she determined it would cost her about $3,700 to replace or repair the items damaged and destroyed.
She filed a claim with the moving company, but it was denied. The company informed Workman she only had limited liability coverage, not full replacement coverage.
“He (salesperson) crossed that section out,” Workman said.
The moving company did reimburse Workman based on the general limited coverage that comes with the move. Workman was reimbursed $.60 a pound for a total of $260.
“I didn’t think it was fair,” Workman said.
If you or someone you know is planning to move, make sure they read the fine print in the contract and ask about full-value replacement coverage along with trip transit insurance. It will cost more but it will provide better coverage if items are lost, broken, or stolen.