If something is damaged, a person answers.

What to do if you find damage

The first hour matters more than the first week. Do these in order.

• Tell the crew before they leave, if you notice it on move day
• Photograph the item, the damaged area, and the packing it travelled in
• Keep the carton, padding, and wrapping until the claim is settled
• Call (510) 571-2080 and ask for your coordinator by the move date
• Send the photographs by email so they attach to your job file

Who you actually reach

The phone is answered by a coordinator, not a call center. That person can look up your move, your written estimate, and the crew who worked it, which is what makes a claim move quickly instead of being re-explained three times.

What happens after you report it

Contact Impel as soon as you notice loss or damage. The issue is documented and you may be asked for photographs, details of the move, a description of the affected item, and supporting paperwork. You get a written acknowledgment within 1 business day. The claim is then reviewed by the owner of Impel Moving rather than decided by the crew at the job site, and once the photographs and paperwork needed are in hand you get a written decision within 30 days. Federal rules give interstate movers 30 days just to acknowledge a claim and 120 days to decide, so Impel reaches a decision in the time the law allows for the acknowledgment alone.

Protection and valuation

Valuation is the term the moving industry uses for how a mover's responsibility for your belongings is calculated. It is not the same thing as insurance, and it is not the same thing as the Certificate of Insurance your building asks for. The valuation and protection options that apply to your move are presented before the work starts, and the one you select affects how a claim can be resolved. For California household moves, basic released-value protection is generally $0.60 per pound per article, subject to your moving agreement and the applicable regulations.

• A Certificate of Insurance protects the building's common areas, not your belongings
• Valuation terms are stated in your written estimate
• Higher protection levels are agreed before the move, not after

Why the written estimate matters for a claim

A documented scope is what a claim is checked against. The estimate records what was being moved, from where, with what services, which means there is no argument later about whether an item was on the job at all.

• Inventory and scope recorded before move day
• Services and materials itemized
• Access conditions at both addresses noted
• Protection terms stated up front