Ever wonder what happens if your household goods don't show up on time? It's bound to happen, with bjillions of shipments going all over the world every year.
An inconvenience claim covers actual out-of-pocket expenses incurred by service members and their families as a result of not being able to use household goods due to a late shipment.
What Things Are Covered?
Expenses can include, but are not limited to:
- lodging,
- meals,
- laundry service,
- furniture,
- appliance rental,
- towels,
- pots and pans,
- paper plates and plastic ware.
All expenses must be reasonable and substantiated. You're not going to be reimbursed for buying a set of Calphalon pots, or staying at the local Ritz-Carlton. Be sure to keep all receipts!
How Do You File?
Inconvenience claims must be filed directly with the claim department of your moving company. The procedures for making a claim are not standardized, so be sure to find out how the moving company wants you to proceed. Also be sure to notify the traffic management office at your destination, and the carrier's delivery agent. Keep everyone up-to-date, just to cover yourself, and enlist the transportation management office's help if things aren't going well.
You may be disqualified from making a claim if you do not keep everyone up-to-date on your contact information, or if you fail to make contact with the shipping company to make delivery arrangements in a timely fashion.
Carriers are not required to settle or honor every inconvenience claim, but you are entitled to submit such a claim, and to have assistance in preparation of the claim from the transportation office. If a claim is denied, the transportation management office can appeal the denied inconvenience claim to the carrier's home office. If the appeal is unsuccessful, the case can be forwarded to the Surface Deployment and Distribution Command for review and final ruling.
Moving is stressful, and it is hard when your householdl goods don't arrive as expected. Understanding inconvenience claims will make it a little less stressful.
