By3 Steps to Take If Movers Broke Your TV
Moving is already a major hassle when everything goes right. When things go wrong, though, it makes the process that much harder. From lost or stolen items to late delivery to being generally unhelpful, there's a lot that can go wrong when you hire a moving company to help you get from place to place, possibly the worst of all being when they break something you own. Here's DoNotPay's guide on what to do if during the move.
How to File a Moving Complaint
Thankfully, many issues you have with a moving company can be resolved by just talking it out or complaining to the company. If someone you hired doesn't do the job properly, you should be able to get compensation for that. However, if the moving company is being unreasonable and isn't working with you via their own dispute process, there is a way to escalate things. Here's what you can do:
| Identify which organization should handle your case. | For interstate moving, it would be the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). For intrastate moving, you'll need to find your particular state enforcement agency to contact. |
| File a complaint with the appropriate organization. | Both the FMCSA and a local organization's website should have their reporting links prominently on the home page. |
| Be detailed when filing. | When filing, include information like your name, address, the name of the moving company, where the moving company came from and took your items, the date of the move, and what they did wrong (). |
| Submit your claim and wait for a response. | From there, you may also choose to pursue a case in small claims court. |
What to Do Before Filing an Official Complaint
Prior to filing a case with one of the enforcement agencies, you should take a few steps to strengthen your case and protect yourself. This can include:
- Reviewing your contract with the moving agency.
- Organizing evidence of signing the contract, what insurance you might have, and other details.
- Keep records of any correspondence you have with the moving company prior to filing a claim.
Other Ways to File a Complaint About a Broken TV
If your claim with the FMCSA or a state agency didn't work out, or you just want some alternative options to pursue, you can also try bringing your case to other organizations, such as:
- The American Trucking Association.
- The Better Business Bureau.
- Review sites where you can review the moving company and warn others.
Additionally, you always have the option to get DoNotPay to file a complaint about you, or to help you send demand letters to the company in small claims court.
How to Contact Your Moving Company About a Broken TV
Prior to escalating to reporting to an agency, it's both polite and proper to contact the moving company directly with your complaint. In many cases, this may be the end of your problems, as the company's contract with you and/or your moving insurance should cover things like broken TVs or damaged furniture.
To start this process, here's what you do:
- Draft a letter outlining the contract you had with them, when the move took place, and what went wrong (the TV got broken). Include an estimate of how much your TV costs as a baseline for how much they should owe you for the damage.
- Add pictures of your TV as some additional proof, plus excerpts from your contract that cover this kind of thing are available.
- Send the letter to the moving company. From that point, they should give you an answer within a month, and either grant you some kind of compensation for your loss or deny that they owe you anything.
- If your request is denied, follow the previously outlined methods to escalate the situation.
File a Complaint With the Moving Company Using DoNotPay
If handling the issue of your broken TV hasn't panned out when you try fixing it on your own, you can get DoNotPay to take over. Just follow these three quick steps so we can get started:
- Search for moving issues on DoNotPay.
- Start our Solve My Moving Issues product by telling us the name of the moving company you are having issues with.
- Answer some questions about your specific move, your moving company, and the complaint for which you'd like relief.
DoNotPay will write a letter to your moving company, detailing both your complaints and your demands for compensation and relief and warn against a lawsuit if those demands aren't met. If you don't get a response within two weeks, we can help you escalate to small claims court!
What Else Can DoNotPay Do?
If you're having problems beyond movers breaking your TV during a move, DoNotPay can still help you. Here are some of our other products you might find useful:
No matter what your problem might be, DoNotPay can help you solve it. Check out the app today to get started.