On a recent removal survey, we were shown a competitors quote which led us to thinking what do different companies base their quotes on.
The removal quote is based on the number of men required, the time taken, the materials used and the miscellaneous extra requirements such as dismantling of furniture and packing. We work slightly differently to most companies in that we itemise each item separately and only charge for what actually happens on the day.
Many companies choose to quote a fixed price where they need to build in a comfort zone for any eventualities that may occur or have exclusions for all these eventualities and add these costs on at the end of the move - these are often hidden costs that are not made clear at the time of quoting.
Too often we are coming across companies that are promising to do a job for half of what we have quoted and we can only think that this is because they will cut back on all the extras and only do the bare minimum., such as;
Wages - Paying the minimum wage keeps your costs down but is not the best way of getting and keeping good staff. We believe in paying a good wage to our staff and that way we have a very low staff turnover and know that our staff will never feel the need to "help themselves" or drag a job out to get extra hours. They feel valued for the work they do and this in turn reflects in the service we over
Insurance - In order to operate we are required to have public liability insurance, employers liability insurance, fleet insurance for all our vehicles and goods in transit insurance. We don't make a charge to our customers for insurance but every job we do is fully insured offering peace of mind and protection for our customers.
Vehicles - We take pride in our fleet and regularly maintain the vans ensuring that breakdowns don't occur. All our vans are smart and new as there is nothing worse than a dirty old smoking van turning up to move your prized possessions. Diesel too is a rising cost that has to be taken into account.
Time - Every job should be calculated according to the time taken to do the job properly and safely. Our quotes allow for the time to wrap and protect each and every piece of furniture plus the time taken to pack the van safely and securely for transit. Of course you could load up a van in an hour if it just literally put on the van but there would certainly be significant damage to the items. Mirrors and pictures are all bubble wrapped in export bubble and the corners protected with blue foam corners.
Sofas and armchairs are covered in custom-made protective covers. Mattresses are covered in plastic. Plasma TV screens are now transported in a specialist protective bag with cushioning and hardboard. Very often furniture needs to be dismantled and reassembled in order to get it in and out of the property without causing damage to the walls - this of course takes time - we all know how long it takes when we've made an Ikea purchase! Our men arrive with electric drills and toolkits and the speed with which they do this is amazing but it does take time.
Pricing exclusions - Every removal company will charge for the work they do in one form or another. Very often, on fixed price quotes, no extras are allowed for. These include dismantling furniture, taking things out of the loft, packing materials and waiting time. As a customer you want to know that the company you employ will carry out the job from start to finish and not have to run around finding other contractors to carry parts of the work. Our men never use the phrases "we weren't told about that" or "we won't do that for you" - they will get the job done.
In summary, if something seems to good to be true, that is often the case. The old adage of "you get what you pay for" is all too true when it comes to choosing your removal company. We have a number of customers who have come to us following bad removal experiences and they have the benefit of hindsight so are happy to pay that little bit extra in return for a smooth, stress free removal.
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