How to Get the Best Price From a Removal Company

We all love a bargain, Sunday morning car boot sales, the January sales and, best of all, buy-one-get-two-free.

Although getting a good deal always gives us a great feeling, haggling is not something everybody is comfortable with having to do.

But as a home mover, and when moving on a tight budget, every penny counts, especially as the costs of home moving can be quite daunting.

Therefore, you need to secure the best price, for a quality service, that you can.

In this weeks home moving blog we share some tips on how to get the best removal service for the best price.

DIY or Professional Movers?

You can approach the problem of trying to reduce your moving expenses in a number of ways.

Maybe you could find a low-cost mover, although cheap may equal a less than satisfactory service and there will be a reason why they are cheaper than other removal firms.

Perhaps they will not use such good quality packing materials, or they may only employ untrained staff on a daily basis, or they may not even offer insurance.

Always be very wary of using cheap movers, your possessions are far too precious to take the risk.

Or you could pack your goods yourself, to save on professional movers doing the packing for you.

However, packing is one of the most time-consuming and potentially expensive aspects of any home move.

Professional packers will ensure all your precious items are safely packed in the most efficient way and will complete the task in just a few hours.

Professional packers offer outstanding value for money and this is something that you really should budget for.

You may also like to read: Are Home Packing Service Worth the Money? In this guide, we look at what professioanl packers do, how much it costs, and whether it makes sense to pay the extra for this service.

But the stress-free, peace of mind option, is always to use a full-service professional home removal company.

You are about to move expensive, and sentimentally valuable items out of your home.

A quality service will come at a price, although you may be surprised at how economical, and sensible, it would be to use a removal company, when considering the time and effort that you would have to dedicate to the moving process yourself.

Consider also the risk of damage to yourself, or your hire vehicle if you are thinking of moving yourself.

Often, vehicle hire companies will charge extortionate excesses if you have an accident, or cause damage to the rental van.

Additionally, is saving a few pounds worth the risk of a back injury that may have consequences for you for the rest of your life?

Hiring a reputable home removal company will always be the safest and least stressful option when moving home.

You may also like to read: The Pros and Cons of Every Home Moving Option. In this guide, we look at all of the ways you can move home so that you can choose the best option for your particular home move.

So, having decided that you going to use a professional removal company, perhaps you could find ways to negotiate a lower price with your moving company.

Is that even possible? Can you negotiate with movers? Can you negotiate on moving company estimates?

Yes, it is possible, and we will offer you these top tips on how to negotiate with moving companies, which can help save you not just a few pennies, but hopefully, a few pounds.

How do You Get The Best Deal on Your Removal Costs?

Do your Homework First.

Before you even start to get quotes, declutter your home.

Decluttering is the guaranteed way to reduce your moving costs and to make moving day quicker and easier.

The more ruthless you are, the cheaper your moving costs will be.

This will reduce the number of boxes you will need to have packed, therefore reducing packing costs, and will reduce the number of boxes to be moved, which may equal a smaller vehicle needed, or a smaller removal team being required, and thus reduce your moving costs.

You may also ike to read: The Epic Guide to Decluttering for a Home Move. In this guide, we suggest the best ways to delcutter your home room by room. Additionally, we also look at the best ways to handle the emotional attachment to posessions, often one of the hardest parts of getting rid of things.

Next, decide on what services you want to employ the home removal company to do for you.

The fewer services you want, for example, you may decide to do the packing yourself, the less the final cost will be.

However, consider packing your precious items yourself carefully.

It may be far more cost effective to use a professional packing service to protect your valuables.

Get to know how the removal company will arrive at its estimate, and understand exactly what the removal company is quoting you for.

Your moving estimate will be based upon:

• Mileage: Work out what the mileage is yourself, using an online mileage calculator, between the old and new home to ensure that you agree with the removal company’s mileage estimate. Are they charging you for depot to your home, time and fuel?
• Accessibility: Will the removal team have to carry boxes up or down three flights of stairs, or 200 metres down the road, as they cannot park outside your home? This will add cost, so arrange with neighbours to have their vehicles parked outside your property, and then remove the vehicles when the removal lorry arrives.
• How many work hours have they calculated will be needed? Compare each quote, and ask how the calculation was made if they are wildly different quotes.
• Are the packing materials comparable between each company? For example, is one company using two-ply boxes and another quote is for three-ply boxes. Do you need the extra durability of the three-ply boxes for every item you are shipping? Maybe by having a mix of box strengths you can reduce the costs.
• Will the removal company have to arrange vehicle parking permits? They may have charged you admin time to arrange this. How easy is it to arrange this by yourself?
• Will shuttle vehicles be needed if they cannot get the large vehicle down your lane? Is it cheaper to have two small vehicles, rather than one large lorry?
• Is insurance included, and if so, what are the terms of that insurance? There is no point in paying a huge premium for an insurance level you will not need if you are only moving clothes for example.

Ensure the quotes you get are like-for-like.

You cannot compare quotes that are for different services or from a reputable, industry registered company, versus a removal ‘company’ from the classified ads in the back of a free newspaper.

If you ensure all of these things are comparable in each quote, you will be in a stronger position to negotiate with the removal companies.

You may also like to read: How to Compare Removal Companies. In this guide, we suggest the things to look out for, the questions to ask, and then how to compare teh removal companies you are thinking of hiring.

How to Get a Home Removal Quote

How you get your home removal estimate is crucial.

You should start by using an online removal cost calculator from a reputable home removal estimation site. This in itself could save you money.

Read the reviews of those companies that have given you quotes thoroughly, there may be useful information in the reviews that will help you negotiate a better price.

You may also like to read: 10 Sneaky Ways to Save on Home Moving Costs. In this guide, we look at some not so obvious ways to save money on your home moving expenses.

Get an In-Home Removal Estimation Survey

Once you have selected at least three removal companies that you may wish to use, ask them to do an in-home survey for your move.

This will ensure that the estimate is totally accurate, thus saving you money, and will prevent any extra charges on moving day for things not factored into the quote.

You may also like to read: Why it Pays to be Honest With Your Removal Company. Whilst it may be tempting to try to sneak a few extra boxes onto the removal van or to ‘forget’ some other crucial piece of information, that is never a good idea. In this article we find out why it pays to be totally honest with your removal company.

When the in-home estimator is in your home, ensure you drop into the conversation that you are also getting other quotes, the estimator will want to make his quote as competitive as possible.

Try to find out the main home removal companies in your area.

Any business hates to lose customers to its biggest rivals.

Name drop, when the estimators are in your home, you have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Get a written estimate from the removal company, and leave this in plain view for the next estimator who comes to your home. They will see the quote and do their best to beat it.

Additionally, it is easier to say no to a request for a discount over the telephone.

Businesses find it harder to say no when the customer is stood in front of them.

You may aslo like to read: Questions to Ask Your Removal Company. In this guide, we look at exactly what an in-home moving survey is, why it is so essential, and the questions to ask the removal company whilst they are doing the survey.

Make sure the removal company knows you are a prolific reviewer or blogger.

Most reputable companies love the internet, and especially removal company review websites, because it is free advertising for them.

The removal company may lower their price in exchange for the exposure you will give them.

But do ensure you leave an honest review for the moving company you choose on a home removal review website.

The crucial word there is honest.

Some removal firms will offer a discount for a good review no matter the level of service you recieve. Do you really want to partner with a firm who uses shady tactics like that to get work?

Ensure that you read the small print of your quote.

You may be being charged for services you do not need. Equally, the small print items may be where discounts can be negotiated.

Cancellation, long walks, flights of stairs, and waiting times are all things that are often in the small print and can add significant additional costs to your home move.

Investigate if you can get more comprehensive, and/or, cheaper home moving insurance from another source, rather than directly with the removal company.

Does your current home insurance offer you adequate insurance for your move?

You may also like to read: Home Removals Insurance – Do I Need It? In this guide, we look at the different insurance polices for moving home, how much they cost on average, and whether it makes sense to take out these insurances.

Be Flexible to Secure That Discount

The day of the week you choose to move, and even the time of year, will affect the price of your home move.

Can you change the move date to midweek, when the removal company will have less work, and may be more flexible in their pricing?

Can the move wait until winter when fewer people move home, and the removal companies will be eager to win every customer?

If you can be flexible on the time of day for your move, for example, early morning, or late evening, perhaps the removal company can offer a discount if this fits into their schedule.

If you are only moving a short distance, perhaps within the same town or city the removal company may be able to fit you in with another local move they are doing.

You are likely to have to be flexible on the times and date, but if this works for both parties, there may be an opportunity for a discount.

Does your removal company offer a groupage service?

This is when a home removal company makes multiple collections in one vehicle.

If you are moving a small amount of items this could be an option worth considering, or at least asking whether the removal company offers this service.

Don’t forget to ask the company if they give any discounts to affiliations, for example a Trade Union, or to students.

Do they offer a referral discount? Are there any discount codes on the removal companies’ website?

If you don’t ask, you won’t get.

You may also like to read: Another 10 Sneaky Ways to Save Money Moving Home. The second part of Sneaky Ways to Save Money articles offers some more unusual ways to reduce your home moving costs.

Remember though, that the quote that you were originally given is unlikely to be hugely inflated.

The home removal market is competitive, and no reputable home removal company is going to massively exaggerate their prices.

If you are going to negotiate a discount, be realistic, any deal has to work for both parties, and consider that quality and cost are always a balance.

Don’t sacrifice quality for only a few pounds.

That said, there will always be an opening to negotiate a lower price with your moving company, if you look hard enough and are flexible in your home moving plans.

Who dares wins, Rodney, who dares wins……………..