A bad moving experience can make you apprehensive about the moving process and even afraid to relocate again.
Whether the moving company lost some of your belongings, your antique grandfather clock was destroyed on the truck, or your delivery was a month late, there are many possible ways for your move to go from being a positive transition to a nightmare experience.
While a bad moving experience can happen to just about anyone at any time, it's how we deal with it that allows us to learn from it, so that we can be more aware of what to look out for next time we move.
Of course, there are productive ways to deal with a bad moving experience to benefit you in the long run, so here are some tips for how to handle the situation if it ever happens to you.
Try to Figure Out What Went Wrong
The first step to dealing with a bad moving experience is to determine where the move began to take a turn for the worst and what could have been done to prevent it.
Sometimes, a bad moving experience stems from forces that we can't control, like weather or unfortunate accidents, like the moving truck breaking down enroute.
If the bad experience was caused by something outside of the control of the movers and yourself, then there's nothing much that can be done.
However, on the other hand, a move can also go wrong because of errors that were made either on your part or the part of the moving company.
Miscommunication can cause a lot of problems during a move, and something as simple as a scheduling conflict or calculation error in the initial moving estimate can make things extremely difficult as the move progresses.
The best way to handle these circumstances is to contact the moving company directly to figure out how it went wrong, especially before you begin pointing the finger.
With so many moving parts going at once, one small hiccup can completely derail a relocation, or at least make it a lot more difficult than it has to be.
A good way to prevent these problems from occurring is to always have open lines of communication between yourself and your movers and to make sure that they are always able to be reached quickly and easily, either by phone or email, so any problems can be quickly sorted out and dealt with as they happen.
Handling the Situation Calmly
The best way to handle a bad moving experience is by approaching it calmly and with patience.
Although moving can be a very stressful time in a person's life, looking at the situation objectively and not getting angry or upset can really help you solve your problems much more easily.
Going into the situation with a level head will help you accomplish more than you would if you begin pointing fingers and going on the offensive.
Bad situations, including bad moving experiences, can be made worse pretty quickly if you escalate the problems.
It's best to take a step back and survey everything objectively, so you can make the clearest and most rational decisions possible on how to move forward.
A good process to follow for any problematic situation that arises during a move is:
- Take a deep breath:
Before you allow yourself to get angry or frustrated, close your eyes and inhale and exhale to relax for a moment and give yourself a chance to think clearly.
- Assess the problem rationally:
If your mover failed to show up on the moving date, think to yourself how this could have happened.
Did you fail to communicate the correct date to the company when you hired them?
Have they been in contact with you recently?
Is there a problem with their truck or with their moving staff?
Call them and discuss the problem before jumping to conclusions.
- Think about how to solve the problem:
If the movers are late, think about making a plan to reschedule.
While it may inconvenience you, take a moment to clear your head and resolve the issue by agreeing on a rescheduled date for the move.
If the movers damaged your belongings, discuss a plan for compensation or ask how to file an insurance claim to be compensated for the damages.
Resolving the Issue and Moving On
To move past the problem, you have to accept it and then work towards finding a suitable resolution.
Dwelling on your bad experience with moving will only make your whole moving experience worse and will not help you move on from it.
For instance, if your move was not good due to the poor services offered by the moving company, you can call them and request to speak to their manager or owner.
You can then explain the problem to them, and they will be able to help you come up with a peaceful solution that will be beneficial to all parties involved.
Plus, your feedback will allow them to improve and to grow as a company so that they can avoid the same problem in future moves.
If your issue can't be resolved that easily, for example if some of your belongings were damaged during the move, then there are ways to handle that situation as well.
If your moving company offered moving insurance prior to the move, then you will have the option to file a claim with the company to receive some compensation for your lost or damaged belongings.
Although the process of filing an insurance claim may be just as infuriating as losing the items or watching them get damaged in the first place, it is a step in the right direction and you should cooperate with the company to have the problem resolved as smoothly as possible.
Be sure to get in touch with the company and talk to whoever is responsible for dealing with insurance claims.
They will be able to walk you through the process of filing a claim, and they should be able to guide you through what you need to do in order to get reimbursed for the damages.
Conclusion
A negative experience with moving can be frustrating, but it doesn’t have to be a defining experience in your future moves.
The trick is to learn from the experience and move on.
The most important aspect of this whole process is to keep your cool and come to a fair agreement with the moving company.
By understanding what has occurred and communicating effectively with the moving company, you can find a solution that will help you move forward.
To move forward without any issues, you need to plan better the next time around.
To avoid a nightmare, move with movers.com and get help.
It’s a place where you can find reliable movers and get free quotes.