Whenever a person undertakes a
long
distance moving with the help of moving companies, the law requires an
inventory list to be prepared. This inventory should include all the items
that have to be loaded on the truck. The mover makes a note of the condition
of all items to be moved at originating destination. However, the movers are
not responsible for the boxes that are packed by the customers themselves as
they cannot verify the contents of the boxes. In any case, each box is
numbered as part of the shipment and the condition of all the boxes is
noted.
Numbering of Items
While preparing the moving home inventory, each item is marked with special
colored stickers with numbers on a carbon-copy inventory sheet. Usually, the
representative of the moving company who prepares the inventory of
household goods carry a roll of
stickers. When the assistants start picking up the items to be moved, the
first sticker, usually having the number zero, is attached to the inventory
sheet. Then the representative attach a sticker to each item and write the
sticker number and item description in the inventory sheet. When the loading
of boxes is done, another sticker is attached to the inventory sheet. If 100
items have been loaded and the roll had started from the number 0 then the
sticker attached at the end of inventory sheet will contain the number 101.
Customer's Copy of Inventory
The customer receives copy of the inventory sheet, signed by him as well as
the company representative. If the customer do not agree with what is
written in the inventory, he/she has the right to discuss it with the
company. The customers have all rights of not signing the inventory if they
don't agree with its content. The inventory sheet is the basis for verifying
the condition of items upon unloading at the destination as well as claiming
any damage occurred during
freight
forwarding.
Terms Used in Inventory Sheet
In order to understand what has been written on the inventory, one must
know what terms are used by the moving companies while preparing inventory
and how to interpret them. Most of the moving companies use the following
abbreviations to describe the condition of goods.
| BE- |
Bent |
Ml- |
Mildew |
| BR- |
Broken |
MO- |
Moth eaten |
| BU- |
Burned |
R- |
Rubbed |
| CH- |
Chipped |
RU- |
Rusted |
| CU- |
Contents & condition unknown |
SC- |
Scratched |
| D- |
Dented |
SH- |
Short |
| F- |
Faded |
SO- |
Soiled |
| G- |
Gouged |
T- |
Torn |
| L- |
Loose |
W- |
Worn |
| M- |
Marred |
Z- |
Cracked |
Apart from the above abbreviations, numbers are used to indicate the
different parts and sides of furniture etc. The numbers may vary from
company to company. The customers should obtain the format of inventory
sheet and description to understand the terms used by their movers.
Generally, the numbers used for denoting the parts of items are as follows:
