Your movers just left, and there's a crack in your dresser that wasn't there this morning. Here's exactly what to do next, in order.
Document Before the Truck Pulls Away
The single biggest mistake people make is waiting until later to deal with damage. If you spot it while the crew is still there, write it directly on the inventory sheet or bill of lading before you sign off, and take photos immediately, from at least two or three angles, in good light. A time-stamped photo taken the moment the truck leaves is worth more than any description you write a week later.
If you don't notice the damage until after the crew has gone, which happens constantly with boxes that get unpacked days later, photograph it as soon as you find it and stop unpacking that box. Don't throw away the packaging or the item itself, and don't attempt a repair before the claim is settled. An adjuster may want to inspect the item in the condition it arrived in, and a claim gets noticeably weaker once that evidence is gone.
Keep everything: the bill of lading, your original estimate, the mover's contact information, and any texts or emails exchanged during the move. You'll need most of it for the actual claim form.
Contact the Mover Right Away, Then Get It in Writing
Call the company the same day, or the next business day at the latest. Ask them directly for a claim form. Most movers, including the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's own consumer guidance, require the claim itself to be submitted in writing, not just reported over the phone, so treat the call as step one and the written form as the step that actually starts the clock.
A phone call establishes that you reported it promptly, which matters if the dispute ever gets contentious. It does not replace the written claim. Get the form, fill it out completely, and submit it the way the mover specifies, whether that's an online portal, email, or physical mail.
What Actually Goes Into the Claim?
A thin claim is an easy claim to lowball. Include:
- Your contact information and the mover's, plus the bill of lading or job number
- A specific, itemized list of what's damaged or missing, not a general description
- Photos of the damage, and photos of the item before the move if you have them
- Original purchase receipts or a reasonable value estimate for each item
- A repair estimate, if the item is fixable rather than a total loss
| What to Submit | Why It Matters |
|---|---|
| Bill of lading with damage noted at delivery | Establishes the damage happened during the move, not before or after |
| Time-stamped photos | Hardest piece of evidence for an adjuster to dispute |
| Itemized list with values | Prevents a vague claim from getting a vague, lowball offer |
| Purchase receipts or estimates | Anchors the payout to something concrete instead of guesswork |
| Repair quote (if applicable) | Often gets you paid faster than a full replacement claim |
How Long Do You Actually Have to File?
You have nine months from your delivery date to file a written claim. That applies to interstate moves under federal FMCSA rules, and it's the timeline movers and consumer groups generally point to for moves within Massachusetts as well.
Nine months sounds generous, and it is, but don't treat it as a reason to sit on a claim. Memories fade, photos get buried in a camera roll, and a mover that's had a change in ownership or claims staff six months later is a harder claim to resolve than one filed in the first two weeks. File as soon as you've documented the damage properly. There's no upside to waiting.
What Happens After You File?
Once your written claim is in, federal rules require interstate movers to acknowledge receipt within 30 days and resolve the claim, meaning approve it, deny it, or make a settlement offer, within 120 days. That resolution window isn't a formality; it's the mover's actual deadline to make a decision, not just an initial reply.
Massachusetts doesn't impose that exact 30/120-day schedule on movers operating purely within the state, since intrastate moves fall under the DPU rather than FMCSA, but the reputable local movers we've dealt with tend to follow roughly the same cadence anyway, because dragging a claim out past a few months just generates more phone calls and worse reviews. If a Boston mover goes quiet for months with no explanation, that's worth escalating rather than waiting out.
If Your Move Was Local, You're Dealing With DPU, Not FMCSA
This is the part most national moving guides skip, because they're written for the interstate case. If your move started and ended within Massachusetts, your mover isn't regulated by the federal government at all. It falls under the state's Department of Public Utilities, and the rules, and your recourse if a claim stalls, run through that agency instead of FMCSA.
Practically, this means two things. First, when you're vetting a mover before booking, confirm their DPU registration rather than looking for a US DOT number, since that number only applies to companies crossing state lines. Second, if a claim on a local move genuinely stalls and the company won't engage, you can file a written complaint with the DPU's Transportation Oversight Division, which investigates disputes between customers and the movers it regulates.
Most disputes never get that far. The overwhelming majority resolve with a phone call, a written claim, and a check, without anyone needing to involve a regulator. But knowing the DPU is there, and that it's a different body than the one national guides tell you to contact, saves a frustrating call to the wrong agency. This is also exactly the kind of dispute local movers handle far more often than long-haul carriers do, since almost every Boston move stays within the state.
Why Is the Payout Often Smaller Than You Expect?
This is the part that catches people off guard. Unless you specifically purchased full value protection, the default coverage every mover includes at no extra charge is released value protection, which pays out at $0.60 per pound per item, not what the item is actually worth. A 15-pound lamp that cost $200 gets you $9 under that default coverage. A cracked 50-inch TV weighing 45 pounds gets you $27, regardless of what you paid for it.
That gap is exactly why it's worth reading your valuation paperwork before move day, not after something breaks. If you upgraded to full value protection at booking, the payout is based on the item's actual value or repair cost, which is a completely different conversation with the adjuster. If you didn't, the claim you file is still worth submitting, since $0.60/lb on a full box of damaged kitchenware adds up, but go in knowing the number will be smaller than the item's price tag.
If the Claim Gets Denied or Lowballed
A denial or a lowball offer isn't necessarily the end of it. For interstate moves, most large carriers participate in a neutral third-party arbitration program specifically for unresolved claims, which is faster and cheaper than small claims court. Ask the mover directly whether they participate before you assume your only option is legal action.
For local Massachusetts moves, your next step after a denial is usually the DPU complaint process described above, or small claims court if the mover is unresponsive. Massachusetts small claims court handles claims up to $7,000 and doesn't require a lawyer, which covers the overwhelming majority of moving damage disputes.
Before escalating, send one more written follow-up referencing your original claim number and asking for a specific response by a specific date. It's a small step, but it puts the ball back in their court in writing, which matters if you do end up filing a complaint or heading to arbitration.
We build every NoTimeMover quote so the price is locked in before the crew shows up, and we're fully insured on every job we run. If something does go wrong, having a locked quote and a clear bill of lading in hand makes the claims process above go faster, since there's no dispute about what was agreed to in the first place.