Message from the Claims Desk 4.11.17

stewartms • April 11, 2017
Table of Contents +

Good Morning Stewart Family,

Spring time is in full force as we approach Easter Sunday this weekend. Did you know that the Easter bunny is derived from the pagan festival of Eostre, a great northern goddess whose symbol was a rabbit or hare? Although our modern day Easter traditions are a combination of ancient pagan as well as Christian traditions, it universally symbolizes new life. So as we educate ourselves on these past traditions, let’s ensure we are educated on our procedures for COD customers.

This week I would like to go over our procedures for COD moves. The majority of our customers are Military members, and because of that, I occasionally see paperwork and procedures that are done incorrectly or missed altogether on COD moves. When the proper procedure is not followed it can (and has) cost the company several thousands of dollars. Below I have compiled the top 3 most common and expensive mistakes, on COD moves.

  1. Not getting the order for service signed
  • Unlike a military move, we may not have a signed contract by the time the crew arrives and it is left up to the driver. Not doing so automatically increases our liability and potentially could provide the customer with a reason not to pay.
  1. Not collecting prior to delivery
  • The term COD is an acronym for “Cash on Delivery” and after delivery is complete it is very difficult to collect from a customer who refuses to pay. Like the expression says “possession is nine tenths of the law.”
  1. Failing to use the materials quoted by the salesman
  • We promise to pack or protect an item in a certain way and if we then fail to do so, our customers end up very frustrated and much more likely to file expensive claims.

So let’s get that order for services signed, collect before we deliver, and ensure that we are providing the additional packing/protection that our customers pay for.

Cheers,

Robert Wright

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