Moving can be a stressful, costly process, so having friends willing to lend a hand can be a huge help. But if something gets damaged in the move, are your friends responsible for replacing or reimbursing you for the damages?
Two friends, a couple, let's call them Joanna and Chip, moved in together and asked for some help from myself, my husband and two other friends. Let's call them Dale and Nick. We loaded up two pick-up trucks with Joanna's furniture and headed to their new place. On the way, a carpet flew out of Dale and Nick's truck and as a result became ruined. No one was hurt by the carpet and there was no damage to anything else. When we arrived at the final destination, there was a small apology but the entire thing took on a lighthearted joking tone with the line “well nobody died.” The rug was nice and I believe one of the pricier things that was moved. What should Nick and Dale have done and now the moment has passed what is the best way for Joanna to proceed?
Best,
Anxious Witness
The Answer:
For sort of an awkward and complicated situation, here’s a pretty simple answer: In this particular situation, these people aren’t liable for the damage to the carpet. They're helping their friend move and an accident happens along the way. It's one thing if you've asked to borrow something and you damage it. In that situation, there's some onus on you to replace it.
When you're helping someone do something like moving or really anything that they've asked you for help and something goes wrong along the way, they bear some of that responsibility. The person who owns the objects should always have that last look at everything as it's packed away making sure it's secure.
The advice going forward is to learn from what happened. If there's something that really matters to you, take full responsibility for packing it or driving the truck with the delicate item. There's a lesson here for Dale and Nick as well. They might be ultimately aware that they're not responsible and they want to apologize but they didn't really approach that apology with the seriousness that it deserves for the sake of the relationship.
