RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas –
Team Randolph officials say it's easy to move smoothly from during the traditionally busy summer "PCS season,"provided Airmen and their family members plan ahead and take certain steps.
"The first and most important part is to get over here to customer service at the Traffic Management Office as soon as possible after receiving permanent change of station orders," said Victor Wherry, 12th Logistics Readiness Division traffic management flight chief. "When you wait too long to do that, you're competing with carriers booking moves from Lackland Air Force Base and Fort Sam Houston."
Mr. Wherry added that TMO's customer service branch will give a half-hour pre-moving brief to those moving. An extra ten minutes are added on when shipping privately-owned vehicles overseas.
Whether moving overseas or not, Mr. Wherry said it's wise to always bring spouses to the pre-moving brief, which TMO customer service professionals give at Pitzenbarger Hall. There, they will learn the first step in smoothly moving is to check the goods inside their homes -- from garage to attic crawl spaces - and determine what they will keep or discard before moving.
After that, Mr. Wherry said it's time for a pre-move survey from representatives of the local moving company that will pack household belongings. During that, packers' representatives will determine what normal and special packing needs will be considered before carefully boxing up household goods.
In sifting through household goods to determine what will and won't be packed and moved, Mr. Wherry said it's vital to separate all valuable items like airline tickets, passports, currency, credit cards, CDs, DVDs, and medical and dental records. He suggested they be secured and taken on the air or car trip to the new home.
"It can be very expensive to find and retrieve those items from temporary, pre-move storage," Mr. Wherry said, "because packing and moving companies charge by the hour for labor."
In addition, he said it's important not to leave dirty clothes or unclean dishes for packers; drain waterbeds and moveable hot tubs. Secure your pets when they and the movers arrive for work. Also, get your items out of crawl spaces, since packers and movers are not required to go into those places. Make sure all of your belongings are also inventoried; either take videos or pictures of your highly valuable items. This will aid in the reimbursement for them if they are broken or otherwise damaged and a claim needs to be filed.
Mr. Wherry also recommended those executing a PCS move can reduce stress by leaving themselves "wiggle room." That comes, he said, from anticipating extra time needed during packing and moving for inclement weather and moving truck breakdowns.
"We recommend you don't schedule another appointment during the packing-up and pick-up process," he said. "That way, when these emergencies happen, and they do happen, you don't have to re-schedule your busy life at the last minute and get stressed."
Mr. Wherry suggested that those experiencing stress from conflicts with packers or movers call the Joint Personal Property Shipping Office at 652-1848/1849 and speak to one of six quality assurance inspectors. That way, differences can be resolved over the phone when the inspector speaks to the moving or packing crew's chief.
Finally, Mr. Wherry said it's important to start the moving process with a positive attitude.
"I've heard complaints about service members sometimes treating packers and movers rudely," he said. "Remember, they're packing your personal possessions. Be ready to welcome them and get off on the right foot with them. Their bosses are briefing them to be positive, too."