The Short Version
Do not sign a clean inventory if the shipment is not clean. Note loss and damage at delivery, photograph it the same day, and file before the deadline. The PCS planner uses 75 days from delivery. Ask your transportation provider to confirm the current Full Replacement Value date, because a missed notice is how obvious damage becomes a denied claim.
Delivery day, in order
- Keep the crew on site until you have walked the obvious pieces: sofas, TVs, mattresses, and anything in a crushed carton.
- Write exceptions on the inventory in specific words (“right-front leg cracked,” “crate 14 missing”). “Subject to inspection” is weaker than a description.
- Photograph the item, the inventory line, and the piece count on the truck paperwork.
- Ask for the claim instructions before the crew leaves. Put the date of delivery on the fridge.
The 75-day clock
Count from delivery, not from the day you finish unpacking the garage. The planner’s rule is to file within 75 days. Full Replacement Value programs also care that you gave timely notice. If those two dates differ on your paperwork, the earlier one is the one that protects you.
High-value items you listed before pickup are easier to settle than a watch you remember after the boxes are gone. Weight limits are a different problem: what counts against Table 5-37.
If the settlement is wrong
- Compare the offer to a repair estimate or a comparable replacement, not to what the item cost sentimentally.
- Respond in writing. A phone agreement you cannot forward is not a claim file.
- Take the packet to the personal property office: inventory, photos, estimates, and the carrier’s denial.
- The Personal Property Activity oversees quality and industry performance. Use them when the local office and the carrier are talking past each other.
This is a claims process, not a lawsuit you should start from a blog. For the regulation set, start at the Joint Travel Regulations and your shipping documents.