First PCS (question)

StarlitRN · January 2011

DH recently rejoined the military and we are to be heading to San Antonio in 2 months. I'm really starting to stress out! DH was AD Navy many years ago but he stayed at the same duty station all 5yrs and could pack all his junk into his car for moving! He keeps calling his recruiter to get these questions answered...but so far no response. Maybe you ladies can help me out.

DH will be in officer training for the 4wks before he has to be in SA. Since he will be gone we are planning on having the AF do the actual moving for us. There is a strong chance that I will have to be away during the time frame (family health issues) so neither one of us would be home. My MIL has agreed to stay at our place to assist the movers but what do I need to do to let the AF know that it will be her and not one of us?

My other question has to do with the actual movers themselves. I have heard that they pack & move everything. Is this true? Other than the things we will need right away (I know it can take forever for things to be delivered) what do I need to box up? I've heard that they won't move things that have been boxed up.....and I've heard that you must have all the little things boxed up. I'm confused.

Any website that you ladies can point to that would answer questions? We head out in 8 wks and I feel like we are clueless. All we have are his orders to report to Montgomery & then San Antonio. Blah!

SheilaE · January 2011

I would get your MIL a special POA for her to sign for the movers.

Yes, the movers pack and move everything. It depends on the moving company if they repack things you have boxed up. I have never had packers unpack a box and then repack it, but I have had friends that have had them repack boxes. I have never boxed little things boxed up. I will put the hardware that our pictures use in ziplocks and for our furniture. Some people put pens and stuff in ziplocks. It's up to you how much work you want to put into this.

Things to pack with you jewelry, clothes, some kitchen items (if you want, I perfer mine over the stuff you rent), a set of towels, pillows, sheets, air mattress, food (some companies pack and some don't), important documents (wills, POAs, medical records, orders, etc)

JessC28 · January 2011

SheilaE:
I would get your MIL a special POA for her to sign for the movers.
Yes, the movers pack and move everything. It depends on the moving company if they repack things you have boxed up. I have never had packers unpack a box and then repack it, but I have had friends that have had them repack boxes. I have never boxed little things boxed up. I will put the hardware that our pictures use in ziplocks and for our furniture. Some people put pens and stuff in ziplocks. It's up to you how much work you want to put into this.
Things to pack with you jewelry, clothes, some kitchen items (if you want, I perfer mine over the stuff you rent), a set of towels, pillows, sheets, air mattress, food (some companies pack and some don't), important documents (wills, POAs, medical records, orders, etc)

This. The movers we had packed everything. We already had some stuff that was in boxes, like wedding gifts, and they opened, inspected, and re-taped the boxes, but we were moving overseas, so I think it was to make sure everything would be fine for customs. We moved everything into two rooms: the room of things we wanted packed, and the room of things we were leaving behind or moving ourselves.

Temp76535187505890 · January 2011

The reason the movers unpack already packed boxes is purely for liability sake. They can't be held responsible for something you packed a) because they don't know what's in it ie: firearms, flammable items, etc and b) you could have done a craptastic job packing and then would expect them to pay for anything broken. You can get them to not unpack boxes but they likely will note the box as packed by you and want you to sign something.

SheilaE · January 2011

Also, bring your fireams and ammo with you if you have them.

Another thing they aren't suppose to pack is candles. Again some pack them some don't. I would make sure they don't get packed. I had a friend that had some get packed and they melted all over some of her wedding photos.

StarlitRN · January 2011

Thanks ladies! That makes me feel better! Good tip about the candles...we have a million!

SandK042 · January 2011

Couple tips that might help you:
--Take pictures of your furniture. We've yet to have a move where some piece of furniture didn't get wrecked. Unfortunately, the movers write up every piece of furniture as scratched, damaged, etc, and we've had some of them try to challenge our claims because of their generic write-ups. Just a picture that shows general condition will be helpful just in case.
--When you (or your husband) do the set up for the movers (I think it's on DPS?), it will allow you to enter approved contacts for set-up of the move, as well as being onsite at the move. You can enter your MIL and her contact information there.
--Totally agree with the PP about movers differing in what they'll take. Our last couple moves have been during winter, and there hasn't been a problem sending candles; they almost never take them during summer. Opened alcohol bottles are always a no; unopened ones usually get through. I remove light bulbs ahead of time, so don't have experience with that.
--We save all the original packaging for appliances. Check with the movers about their policy when they come out for the pre-move instructions. The instructions you get when you set up their move say that you should put any original packing next to the appliances, and they movers will pack it up. Two moves ago, the morons packed the empty boxes AND the unpacked appliances. This time I checked with the movers, and they said they would accept anything in its original packaging OR pack it up for us if we put the empty packaging next to the appliance. I packed it myself, and the guys who packed us out were fine with that.
Good luck with your move!!

LadybugPicnic2011 · February 2011

Also- If it is important to you make sure someone is watching the movers closely... We had a Grandfather clock actually made by my grandfather that the movers took and bent the pendulum in half and used it to pad the inside of the clock... If it is fragile or something you really care about, dont let it out of your/MIL sight!

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