Nobody enjoys waiting, particularly a New Yorker. The building management at both your old and new sites, your movers, and possibly even a storage facility all have other demands on their time. So if you’re intending to move house, you’ll need to arrange your movements with them.
Be sure to choose an optimum start time. One that can be agreed upon by all parties when finalizing the plans for moving day.
An arrival window is a term used in the moving industry to describe the window of time during which your movers will arrive at your first address. Or the place you are moving out of.
The arrival window is a predetermined period during which your mover will show up at your pick-up location and start loading your items into their van. Usually lasting between two and three hours.
This time frame tries to ease your stress and prepare you for the unpredictability of moving day. Including variables outside of your moving company’s control.
You might prefer a certain time of day over another depending on the availability of building elevators and other circumstances. So be sure to communicate your preferences to the mover and make sure they can meet them. Set your affairs in order as soon as you can.
Here is further information on your arrival timeframe.
Where Is My Arrival Window Located?
Check your important paperwork, for the arrival information once you’ve chosen a mover. And also confirmed your day and time. These contracts, which are made between you and your mover, will explain every aspect of your relocation in great detail.
Once your arrival window has been established, you need to show up at that time or arrange for someone to pick up your items.
There will be Terms and Conditions that specify how late you can tell your movers. Without suffering a financial penalty if you need to reschedule your arrival window (or date). Most movers need at least 24 hours’ notice. Especially on busy days of the week and at busy periods of the year. Basically, when there is a heavy demand on their calendar.
In the end, the arrival window makes it possible for you to schedule your day inside a two-hour window. Which is incredibly useful if you’re attempting to synchronize arriving at your next destination or a storage facility.
The day before your move, when crew allocation is finalized, your mover’s dispatch and control center might not confirm their arrival time. But they will let you know if there are any updates the afternoon before your move.
Are My Movers Running Late?
Your agreement for your movers to show up in the first minutes of your window or the end minutes of your “window” is very reasonable.
Traffic, unanticipated road closures, or a previous customer having more things than indicated on their inventory and taking longer with the crew are problems that can affect when they arrive within your “window.”
If you have a morning move scheduled, your crew is more likely to be impacted by traffic. An illness that requires a crew member to be replaced, or a truck technical problem than by another client.
If your relocation is in the afternoon, it’s possible that a previous client who wasn’t upfront about the extent of their work pushed back your crew’s schedule by an hour or more. Or that travel times were substantially longer than typical.
Your movers or the company’s customer support team should get in touch with you. If they think they might be running late and could miss your arrival window.
Moving to New York can be challenging, but local movers have handled it all. So they will be your team’s greatest tool for navigating any surprises that may arise.
How Do I Make Plans to Accommodate My Arrival Window?
Be prepared for your movers by 9 am if your arrival window is from 9 to 11 am.
On moving day, there is always something else to do or clean. Whether your movers show up at the beginning of your window or not. So be as patient as you can and make the most of any downtime.
To be safe, you should estimate the rest of your day from the end of your arrival window. Which in this case is from 9 to 11 am. Let’s say your relocation will take 4 hours (about 2 hours at each building), and the average travel time in peak traffic is 45 minutes. In that case, don’t plan on being at your new house before 1:45 pm to start unloading.
Although it is only a rough guide and does not account for unforeseen difficulties, it will help you control your expectations.
An arrival window of 2 pm to 4 pm could not be realistic if you’re relocating into storage and their office closes at 5, thus it would be best to schedule an earlier time of the day. You can decide if you need extra help on the day. Or even if your plans need to be changed by working backward from any deadlines to take your arrival window into account.
How Should I Pass The Time?
To provide you with a more accurate arrival time, professional movers will contact or text you as they are traveling to your home. They are aware of your patients waiting, so there is no need to worry about missing them.
If you have already done packing, you might want to use this time to check your moving day checklist to see if anything crucial is still missing, such as:
- Finalizing the packing of your moving day luggage. With amenities and placing it somewhere secure and far from your home while it is open
- Cleaning and sweeping removing the last of the trash
- To be able to hear your movers when they call, make sure your phone is charged and that the ringtone is on.
- Giving neighbors control of young children and animals. So that they can stay safe while moving furniture and boxes
- Seeing whether you have any money to give your movers a tip if they merit one
- Verifying your new address information with the Postal Service, supermarkets, delivery services, and utility companies
Of course, if you’ve spent the past week packing, pouring a coffee and taking one last look out the window from your porch is also a terrific way to pass the time.
What Happens if My Arrival Window Expires but My Movers Are Still Away?
Every day, your movers strive to accommodate all of their clients and ensure that they have a positive experience.
If your movers are late, they will make every effort to make it up to you. No matter what time of day it is, the crew will work extra hard to relocate you as fast and safely as possible. If you need to reschedule, they may pay you for the inconvenience. Or give you a discount on your subsequent relocation.
The arrival window is the beginning of every good relocation, so rest certain that it is the one deadline that every mover at Dream Moving adheres to.
