Our Responsibilities and Yours

We are a “you pack, we move” company. In other words, we are not a full-service company that packs boxes, wraps every item by default, etc. We simply load your items into a truck and transport it to the next location. This may change in the future (MTB “Premium Service” or something), but for now we simply transport.

We DO, however, protect your valuables in the truck and, when necessary, in the home. For example, we will be unlikely to wrap a small end table that one guy can carry safely by himself through all the doorways. However, once that end table is in the truck, it will be covered by a blanket. Another example: If you have a large, fragile dresser that requires two men to carry, we’ll likely take precautions to ensure it can go safely through doorways.

This saves time and money, as wrapping every single item can take a VERY long time. It’s common for large moving companies to pack the day before, and then come back to transport the items the next day or so.
For full protection, we highly recommend you prepare all furniture before our arrival with paper, bubble wrap, movers’ wrap or even padding.

While it’s up to you to prepare and pack everything, we WILL use precautions to ensure the safe transport of all your items. We don’t simply throw things into the back of the truck.

Electronics

MTB can’t be held responsible for the working condition of electronic equipment or any other piece of mechanical equipment. We shall not be held liable for internal damage to electrical goods where there’s no obvious external damage to them. Like most household goods, electronics aren’t meant to be moved, and will sometimes have defects afterward no matter how carefully they were handled. We also aren’t liable for external damage to objects that we receive unpacked. We’ll move them carefully, of course, using the blankets in our small mountain of them, but remember — we are a “you pack, we move” company.

Televisions

We are not responsible for damage to TVs unpacked or unprepared by the customer in either their original boxes or other means. Naturally, we’ll transport TVs carefully — as we have done thousands of times with no mishaps — but we can no longer accept liability for extremely fragile, expensive items that have had no preparation whatsoever.

Unpacked fragile items

We will happily and carefully move any glass, porcelain, ceramics, picture frames, lamp shades or similarly fragile items in an unpacked state. However, we will not be held liable for any damage to them. We WILL use blankets, pads, etc., but if it’s not ready to be moved, we can’t be liable for them.

Simulated wood products

We’re talking about “Ikea-style” stuff here. If it’s particle board, it’s not covered. In the past I’ve shelled out a LOT of money replacing or repairing this kind of furniture despite the fact that it often isn’t put together well, and even if it was, it’s still flaky and “crumbly.” We WILL move these items for you carefully, of course, but we can no longer accept liability for this kind of furniture. It is excluded from any and all kinds of moving insurance coverage.

Risky tasks

We cannot be held responsible for damage caused by non-routine moving including things like standing pieces on end, sharp turns, over-crowded work areas, difficult stairways, snags and sharp edges in work areas, handling things over balconies, railings, etc. If a task is deemed risky but necessary, we’ll do it if there’s a chance of success, but we can’t be held liable for any damages that occur.

Please keep in mind that we have seen it all, are very good at what we do, and, again, are committed to giving customers the best moving experience they’ve ever had.

Pianos

We do not move grand pianos or large upright pianos. In certain cases we will move the shorter “spinet” style of piano if entry/exit conditions are safe to do so. We will only move smaller pianos to the second or third floor if the crew foreman deems it a safe and reasonable undertaking. Small pianos with an extra soundboard will not be moved up/down stairs if the weight of the piano makes this an unsafe undertaking. If the piano has lightweight legs (usually the front), we will not be responsible if they will not go back on if we take them off. If the customer elects to leave the legs on, we will not be responsible if damage occurs to them.

Cribs

For liability reasons, we are able to disassemble cribs, but we are unable to reassemble them. If you have a crib and it needs to be disassembled, we’ll keep the hardware and other components organized and neat for you for a quick reassembly.

Helping

We love help! Sometimes we actually need your help, and very often, people request to be part of our moving crews (just for their job, of course). However, please keep in mind that you and you alone are the best judge of your abilities. We won’t be held liable for any injuries you might sustain or items you may damage while helping us help you move.

Claims

Any damage claims must be submitted in writing to MTB within 48 hours of your move. We will make things right, but we need to know about legitimate claims in a timely manner — once items are out of our sight, we don’t know what’s happening to them.

Unless payment is made in full as is due we are not required to answer or process a claim. It is illegal to deduct the money from the final bill to compensate yourself in the event of damages.

MTB reserves the right to repair or replace any damaged items. MTB is responsible only for repairing damaged goods to as near the condition prior to the damage occurring as possible, and these repairs will be arranged by us.

That said, please understand that we haven’t had the modest success we’ve had by being jerks. We’ll do whatever we can to make things right, whether that’s repairing something, replacing it, or offering a discount.

That’s pretty much it! If you have ANY questions whatsoever about these policies, please let us know. We’re happy to discuss anything. Like I said above, these policies are written broadly so as to handle a wide variety of circumstances — circumstances that without certain legal protection, leave us wide open to malicious, false, or even libelous accusations. We’ve built the company on the principles of service and integrity, which we believe is reflected well in our reviews and testimonials. Again, feel free to call or write.