Guadalajara Reporter

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Written by GR Staff
Monday, 01 January 1979
Dear Sir, I read with considerable interest about the problems of people relocating to and from the United States, as well as your story featuring the advice of people who get paid for helping people move, and a letter from a retired Canadian mover for Allied Van Lines. Let me enter the fray from a different perspective -- after a lifetime of insuring the belongings of people who are on the move. First, the safest way to move your household goods is to do it yourself. If you think the packers give a hoot about damages to your goods, you're in a dream world. In the United States, the average family will move once every eight years. One in four moves will have a claim filed for damages. The average claim is less than 1,000 dollars. Some will be a total loss. Trucks will catch fire, drive off the road into swamps, drivers and packers will steal your goods, accidents will happen, as will acts of God (floods, storms, etcetera), and customs problems at the border. Customs is the biggest hazard of any shipment because governments have sovereign immunity. There are different kinds of protection you can buy. Your homeowners insurance may have a clause which will pay for limited damages. You can buy specific insurance up to any figure you elect from an insurance company (in the United States), but many will not insure to Mexico. Not because it is inherently more dangerous in Mexico, but because it is very difficult to get things repaired and guaranteed in Mexico. In the United States an interstate mover is required to provide protection of 60 cents per pound per item. You can buy more. It is not insurance. It is called valuation and works like this. The company may tell you you're insured to, say 50,000 dollars. Don't believe it. If the total weight of your load is 10,000 pounds, you are protected for 1.25 dollars per pound. Sounds good? Try replacing an 80-pound television for 100 dollars. You can, for a commensurately higher fee, contract for higher per pound protection. Demand "replacement cost." You can even contract for a fixed figure for total loss, but it isn't cost effective. The U.S. moving industry is almost totally unregulated thanks to President Reagan, but they do have a congressionally-mandated arbitration system. Most states have laws on the books to protect consumers, but almost no regulation. If you have damages, before filing a claim, contact a lawyer. Remember that the adjusters who will be settling your claim have virtually no experience as adjusters, they simply follow the instruction of moving company management. Don't give the lawyer a percentage of the settlement, pay him to write a letter. You might get a fair deal from the mover without a lawyer, but don't bet next week's grocery money. Jerry Javine Chapala