We moved recently and our movers destroyed my large BGE.

The movers themselves were very apologetic and got in touch with the owner who said he would take care of it...at the time. Since, they haven't communicated up until today and have stated their minimum liability $0.60/lb required by the state. That's roughly $100 bucks or 10% of replacement cost.

Now they are requiring the bill to be paid by my employer prior to a discussion of a settlement. Luckily, I am the controller of my employer and as far as I'm concerned the bill will be unpaid until the move is complete and all of my goods are on-site in original condition.

Any of you dealt with this? Tips? Any BGEs for sale?

What's a BGE?

I wouldn't pay the bill until full replacement value is paid. Especially since you're the controller. That's called the driver's seat. Small claims court is an option too.

big green egg (ceramic smoker)

I'd spend more of my time and money to go through small claims than it would take to purchase another egg.

I'm thinking no payment or short payment and let social media reviews do their work.

Ah. Gotcha.

Yeah, no payment until they remedy. Can you file a the claim against him through his insurance? I'd assume he listed his insurer somewhere in your paperwork. I bet the BBB would love your feedback too.

What does your agreement say? Was it for full value protection (which does cost more $$$)? Because otherwise, the $.60 is a base standard by law and you will end up SOL.

A lot of folks that move don't realize how at risk their stuff is without the full value protection, which is usually offered by the moving company (again, at a price) but can also be purchased separately from an insurance co.

Yeah we didn't have any additional insurance.

Idiot me for thinking this: "We have insurance to cover any damages that occur. All damages that occur are dealt with on a case-by-case basis to best rectify the mistake," meant anything other than minimum liability.

Then you may not be SOL. The terms should have spelled out the $.60 reimbursement and basically left it at that. If that is what is actually written into the contract, then that is a ****ty contract.

DannyDuberstein said:

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Then you may not be SOL.

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I think you're right. The payment terms on their invoice are "Due Date: Unpaid"

I'll pay this one right away, in a couple years maybe.

You could pay them half, or an amount that leaves it not worth it for them to persue more.

But if they are smart they can maybe attempt to file a lien on your property for non-payment, depending on your contract terms.

bmks270 said:

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You could pay them half, or an amount that leaves it not worth it for them to persue more.

But if they are smart they can maybe attempt to file a lien on your property for non-payment, depending on your contract terms.

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correct me if I'm wrong but you can only file a LIEN on real or titled property . I dont think you can file a lien on a sofa or a box of dishes. They have no reason to file a mechanics lien on your car ( unless they moved it perhaps) nor can they file on your house. I think they can only file a claim and hope to have a court attach your stuff as settlement for a debt which is unlikely. Movers usually just keep your stuff and refuse to unload until you pay up. Some companies do make moving agreements with corporations but seldom individuals. Ive always had to pay them in full upon delivery.
They really dont have much bargaining power over you outside of small claims court or a full blown failure to pay law suit.
Good luck

Can they send this to collections? Sounds like this whole situation could turn into a real PITA.

Maybe blast their facebook page and see if they offer better compensation.

What are the collectors going to do? They need a lot more information than the moving company has to ding his credit.

This is what insurance is for. If something is insured against loss, then when a loss occurs the cost incurred is reimbursed. If insurance is not purchased to protect against loss, then a risk of loss is assumed. In this case, a loss occurred and additional insurance was not in place. Therefore, a replacement cost is incurred and is not required to be reimbursed.

If it can be proven (in court) that the loss occurred due to negligence, then restitution may be awarded.


Lesson learned: Purchase insurance if you want to protect against an unanticipated loss. Otherwise, be prepared to incur the replacement cost in the event of an accident.

Were you the original purchaser of the BGE? If so it should be under warranty.

Do you have renters/homeowners insurance?

Maybe some coverage through your credit card?

I doubt you'll get anything more than the minimum required from the movers.

warranty against getting dropped by movers? I think that kind of stuff would be excluded.

Yep, it's definitely not warrantied against transportation damages.

Ultimately, I think I am just going to pay the bill and see what type of settlement we come to. The guys that did the move were awfully helpful and accommodating with respect to every other part of the move.

I think I'm just ticked at how quickly he went to statutory minimum as a defense even when he had pledged previously to "take care of everything."

I think cooler heads have prevailed. I spent about $5k in small claims court to collect $2200 once. I'm in no mood to go there again. There's more important things in life.

I'll give him a chance to make it right, if not it will probably end with a bad social media review and me going out of pocket for a new Egg.

renters/home insurance will almost certainly not cover it. same as if your tv fell and broke, there's not coverage unless you have it insured on a specific policy.

Sounds silly, but call the "on your side" news guys local to you and blast social media. Negative reps are not worth it to a small business. Leave honest negative reviews about the situation on every engine you can find (bbb isn't that import at anymore.) Think Google, yelp, Angie's, FB, etc

I moved my BGE twice because I just didn't trust movers to move it - got a uhaul and hauled it myself. Sorry about your situation - that really sucks. I would short pay and save all communication with the company, including documenting your phone discussion. Cooler heads will prevail, but don't lose your leverage

Next time I move I'll be researching this heavily, so if anyone has tips I'm hoping they post here. My parents moved recently and the movers destroyed several pieces of furniture (legs snapped off, side panels bashed in, etc) including some very pricey pieces.

Sims said:

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Ultimately, I think I am just going to pay the bill and see what type of settlement we come to. The guys that did the move were awfully helpful and accommodating with respect to every other part of the move.

I think I'm just ticked at how quickly he went to statutory minimum as a defense even when he had pledged previously to "take care of everything."

I think cooler heads have prevailed. I spent about $5k in small claims court to collect $2200 once. I'm in no mood to go there again. There's more important things in life.

I'll give him a chance to make it right, if not it will probably end with a bad social media review and me going out of pocket for a new Egg.

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I think your decision to pay is sound.

Nothing is guaranteed aside from what is on the paper contract. Whenever I get some word of mouth stuff for anything related to business, I have it placed in the contract to keep everyone honest.

Social media is powerful. But word it professionally and try not to sound like the typical angry hellfire and brimstone reviews I typically read.

I would also contact the Better Business Bureau. I'm not completely sure what kind of teeth they have, but a friend of mine use to run small construction outfit and he would have run through fire to appease customers if they threatened to call the BBB.

I don't think this will end well for you if it ends up with legal action. The $0.60/lb insurance is all they are required to carry. Unfortunately, it's on you to know that and ask for more insurance. It sucks, but it's the truth.

I lucked out on one of my first moves and happened to call a guy who carried full replacement insurance and didn't charge extra for it. He said he was required to have it anyway because he also did a lot of deliveries for Best Buy, so he had decided not to pass that cost on to his moving customers. Before he explained the difference to me, I had no idea either.