Some of my posts about the shipment process can be found ::
It is very difficult to write adequately about this experience and have it apply to each and every family. We did the interviewing, hiring, scheduling, negotiating, details planning and all on our own. The company did not provide any assistance - on either end ... so our situation is the "bare bones" how-it-worked-for-us.
It is also very difficult to write about our experience with a flowing sentence and paragraph structure. Bear with me, as I simply jot down and bullet point my thoughts ::
When choosing a shipping company, get EVERYTHING in writing - from the little details such as "who is responsible for filing an insurance claim after arrival" to "who do I contact when the shipment is in the middle of the ocean for a status update."
Be aware that even though you assume you are hiring a well-known international moving company, often the representative that shows up in fact works for and is employed by a LOCAL company, whereby if you sign on the dotted line, you no longer are being represented, cared for OR protected by that initial well-known international moving company! Investigate, ask lots of questions and again ... get everything in writing.
I would highly warn against discussing anything on the phone, unless you follow it up with an email and secure the same information/guarantees you were provided initially.
Request more than one walk through and estimate of your belongings.
Purge your house of things you no longer want/need before the moving company comes for an estimate.
GET BOTH SPOUSES NAMES ON ALL PAPERWORK!!!! In our situation, I was the remaining spouse for the day of packing/loading ... but Todd was the spouse already in Delhi. Without going into details, it made for some stressful days/nights. Insist that both of your names are listed on ALL paperwork.
When the movers are there to pack up your house, it was helpful for me to have a quarantined "tub" that I had set aside of fun toys, books, games, stuffed animals, etc. that I randomly tossed to the men to include in RANDOM boxes. What fun to open up boxes at the new home and find Charlie the Tiger, or one of the kids' favorite books!
On the Delhi side of the shipment, it was helpful to be prepared with some "spare cash" when it's time to accept the delivery! Things seem to move a tad bit quicker if you have "bakshees" on hand to pass out to those with open hands, telling you that "it is not possible!"
Our delivery and unpacking was completed in ONE day. ONE DAY people! They didn't mess around! Be steadfast in keeping track of the boxes as they come in, so that you can easily and adequately claim any missing items.
If you have the misfortune of any broken or damaged items, do NOT discard them. Take photos as you will need them for proof of the damage when submitting your claim. As soon as your unpacking has been completed, notify the insurance company of your intent to file a claim and start the process as soon as possible, as many companies have a deadline!
A couple more things if you are reading this and about to embark on your own "having them pack up your house" adventure:
- From what we were told, I was not allowed to physically pack anything ... or run the risk of a "PBO" label on each of those boxes (packed by owner) which would then be subject to customs officials going through each of those boxes. No thank you!
- As much as stationing items in the garage as I purged helped me mentally up until the movers arrived (out of sight, out of mind) I fear ... No, I DREAD the unpacking process as we now have bathroom stuff intermixed with books, with some silverware thrown in the mix - no doubt. All of those boxes are labeled "GARAGE" - sigh.
- Have bottled water on hand and plan to buy the guys their lunch each day. They are grateful and it made me feel a bit better about the care they were taking with our things.
- Over-estimate and inflate any estimate provided to you by at least 35%. No kidding.
- As of the writing of this post, proceed with caution when choosing Allied.
- Schedule babysitters for your children during this process. They will need to see the house when it's empty and say goodbye to their home, BUT they don't belong at the house during the packing!
- Use sticky notes for things that you feel require extra caution and care during packing.
- Use sticky notes to label each child's bedroom. Place each child's name on their bedroom door so that boxes are appropriately labeled.
- Do a somewhat thorough inventory of your belongings so that you are aware of the age of major items and whether anything is slightly damaged or broken before the movers begin.
- Never stop asking detailed questions. For YOU, this may be the first time you've experienced a move like this. Don't let the folks you're dealing with for your move force you into assuming ANYTHING.
I'll compile questions and comments and have this entry be a work in progress .... help me jog my memory! What things did I miss on the subject of packing and shipments?
