What do you do the moment you spot damage at delivery?

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The moment you spot damage, act before the crew leaves and before you sign off. Note it on the delivery paperwork, photograph it, keep the item and its packaging, and start the written claim. These steps take a few minutes and they are what preserves your ability to recover. The opposite instinct, to deal with it later once everyone has gone, quietly weakens the very record a claim depends on.

Note it on the paperwork, in writing, before signing

The first thing to do is also the most important: get the damage onto the delivery documents while the crew is still there. Federal guidance for interstate moves directs you to record new damage on the inventory and call it to the mover’s attention so the note appears on the mover’s copy as well. Do not sign a clean receipt and plan to mention it tomorrow. Your ability to recover can hinge on the notations made on this form, and a signature without them tells the mover everything arrived fine.

Be specific. Write the item, the location of the damage, and what you see. A line like “bookcase, left panel cracked through” is a usable record. A vague “damaged” is not.

Photograph the damage and its surroundings

Pictures lock in what words approximate. While the item is where the crew set it:

  • Photograph the damage close up and from a normal viewing distance.
  • Capture the packaging, especially if it is crushed, torn, or soaked.
  • Get a shot that shows the item in the room, so there is no question it is yours.
  • Note the date; most phones timestamp photos automatically, which helps.

Keep the item and the packaging

Do not throw anything away. Keep the damaged item and the materials it traveled in exactly as they arrived. The mover, or whoever evaluates the claim, may want to inspect both, and packaging often shows how the damage happened. Discarding a shattered carton because it is in the way can cost you the clearest evidence you had.

Start the written claim

Damage at delivery turns into recovery only through a written claim, so begin it promptly. Request the mover’s claim form, complete it as fully as you can, and keep copies of everything, the form, your photos, and the annotated delivery paperwork. For interstate moves the written claim must reach the mover within nine months of delivery, and the mover must acknowledge it and then deny or offer settlement within set timeframes. Filing early leaves room for back-and-forth well inside that window.

A quick sequence to follow at the door

  1. Stop and note the damage on the delivery paperwork before signing.
  2. Photograph the item, the damage, and the packaging.
  3. Set the item and its packaging aside, intact, do not discard.
  4. Ask the crew to confirm the note on their copy.
  5. Request the claim form and begin the written claim.

Why the moment matters

Documentation made while the crew is present, the truck is in the driveway, and the packaging is still on the floor is documentation no one can dispute later. Once the crew drives off, you are reconstructing rather than recording, and reconstruction is weaker. So treat the moment of discovery as the moment to act: note it, photograph it, preserve it, and start the claim before the day moves on without your evidence.

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