In a recent removal survey, our competitors were shown a quote that made us think about what different companies do base on their quotes.
Removal quotes are based on the number of men required, the time taken, the materials used, and the various additional requirements such as breaking down and packing the furniture. We work a little differently with most companies in that we itemize each item separately and only charge for what happens during the day.
Many companies choose to quote a specific price where any eventuality may occur or create a comfort zone for excluded events for all of these events and add these costs at the end of the move – these are often hidden costs that are not clear at the time of quote. Done.
Often we meet with companies that promise to do a job for half of our quotes and we can only assume that they will reduce all the extras and do only minimal work, e.g.
Wages – Paying a minimum wage reduces your costs but is not the best way to get and retain good employees. We believe in paying our employees a good wage and thus our employees have very low turnover and we know that our employees will never feel the need to “help themselves” or pull a job to get extra hours. They value the work they do and reflect the service we provide.
Insurance – To operate we need to have public liability insurance, employer liability insurance, transit insurance to have fleet insurance for all our vehicles and products. We do not charge our customers for insurance but each of our activities is fully insured to give our customers peace of mind and protection.
Vehicles – We take pride in our fleet and maintain regular vans to prevent breakdowns. All our vans are smart and new because there is nothing worse than a dirty old smoking van to move your valuables. Diesel is also a rising cost that needs to be taken into consideration.
Time – Each task should be calculated according to time to work properly and safely. Our moving sorted quotes give us time to wrap and secure each piece of furniture and to pack the van for safe and secure transit. Of course, you can load a van in an hour if it is literally put in the van but the items will definitely have significant damage. Mirrors and pictures are all covered in export bubbles and the corners are protected by blue foam corners.
Sofas and armchairs are covered with custom-made protective covers. Mattresses are wrapped in plastic. Plasma TV screens are now transported in a specialist protective bag with cushioning and hardboard. Furniture often needs to be smashed and reassembled to get in and out of the property without damaging the walls – it certainly takes time – we all know how long it takes when we shop for Ikea! Our people bring electric drills and toolkits and the speed at which they do it is amazing but it takes time.
Price Exclusion – Each removals quote company will charge you for the work they do in one form or another. Very often, in certain price quotes, no extra is allowed. These include breaking furniture, removing items from the loft, packing, and waiting. As a customer, you want to know that the company you hire will get the job done from start to finish and you don’t have to rush to find other contractors to carry parts of the work. Our men never use phrases like “we weren’t told that” or “we won’t do it for you” – they will get the job done.
In short, if something seems to be true, it is often. The old adage “you get what you pay for” is very true when choosing your removal company. We have a lot of customers who come to us after a bad removal experience and have the benefits behind them so are happy to pay that little extra in exchange for smooth, stress-free removal.
