Removal comany nightmare

[LoobyLou1976]

Hi all, supposed to be moving on the 15th (next Friday) to a new build. We still have not seen the house, it was bought off plan and we have not been allowed in yet. Hoping to get in this week for our demonstration meeting.
We have a date of the 15th which they keep saying we will get in by, so that is the date I've had to give the removal company. They say there are penalties to pay if this date does not go ahead (a sliding scale for example, you still need to pay 50% of the removal charge if the date is changed 5 days before, 75% if its 3 days before, 100% if its the day of the move and its changed).
As we are paying over £1000 for a move 1 mile up the road and doing our own packing, this is a LOT of money to lose if the date changes.

The removal company have now contacted me to say they need to know when we will be getting our keys! Apparently there is a £66 per hour charge for getting your keys late on the day. The developers are still saying they are 'working towards' the date of the 15th and don't know what time they keys will be released. How am I supposed to proceed with this? Has anyone been in a similar situation?

NOW the removals company have said that all items like TVs etc need to be in their ORIGINAL boxes for the move, and if we don't have one we need to hire a special crate at another charge! As if paying over £1000 is not enough. And my large mantle mirror will need extra protection and wrapping at a cost of £20. I'm just really worried because when I made the removal booking I filled in an inventory as well as I could (stated to the lady we had not yet emptied the attic/shed etc so was unsure exactly what was coming), and I'm worried they will start adding costs on the day of the move for items that were not listed. She said on the phone " as long as you're not bringing a grand piano that you've not told us about" that it would be fine.
Sorry for rant, really stressing. How did everyone else get on with their removal company? Were you charged for items on the day that were not in your inventory, and did the removal men tick off a list of things as they loaded them?

We moved a few years ago and had none of those issues. Not one. Could you ring around other companies and see if there's one available?

I would be cancelling them now and trying to find someone else.

I would can that company if you can. I used anyvan.com when I moved. Super competitive quote.

Cancel the company and ring round a couple of local ones that offer full packing servcies. For that price and that distance you should get a lot more service for £1K.

The builder of our new build was flakey about dates and when we complained they gave us an extra £2k to cover the extra removal costs we faced

This is why it's vital to have a survey done by the removal company rather than them relying on the customer to produce their own inventory. If you can cancel, do and find another firm. Sorry op, moving is stressful enough without having to be responsible for a job which should be done by a specialist. Also, I've never heard of original boxes being required, the company should be wrapping/protecting things like tv's and mirrors

Wow that's expensive!! I just paid £780 for a 4 bed detached house to go into storage then £820 for it to come out of storage. if I had done it on the same day it would have just been £780 including VAT. I packed myself but there were no rules about special boxes for TVs like you have and I wrapped my own mirrors up in acres of bubble wrap including the big heavy one over the mantlepiece! . I had to pay £275 deposit each way and would have forfeited this if the completion date had changed. I didn't have to do an inventory just confirm that my belongings weren't worth more than their basic insurance (about £40k I think).

If I were you I would look for someone else pdq. Oh and get the builders to confirm the completion date. Have you actually exchanged contracts?

Yeah I only moved a year ago and have moved several times before then, including to different cities. Think 4 times in about 6-7 years. So a fair bit of experience with removal companies.

Never once had an issue like this... they sound like rip off merchants!

I also agree the quote sounds a bit expensive....

Gosh no, cancel them now if you can. I used a slightly rough around the edges removal firm but I could change the date at will, they also ended up doing half the packing for me. This company sounds very odd and restrictive, I got lots of quotes and none were as you describe.

They def sound like rip off merchants.

I’ve moved 9 times and not once have I been asked for the original boxing or been charged extra for wrapping up a mirror! Can you cancel them?

As we are due to move in 8 days there is already a penalty fee to pay if we cancel now as penalties start 10 days before the day of the move if it is cancelled or changes.
We can't afford to lose it. Feel locked in to it now, and just worried costs will escalate on the day by moving things that were not on our inventory despite me saying I was unsure of attic contents etc.
With the date still being not actually 100% set in stone by the builder, I can see a disaster waiting to happen and us getting charged £1000 for a move that does not go ahead.

If they're coming up now with restrictions you weren't told about before, are they possibly in breach of contract?

Might be worth taking the penalty hit now to relieve the anxiety & the risk of losing the lot

Never had that issue with a removal company and who keeps the original TV packaging.

I'd be telling the builders you will be billing them for any costs incurred if the house isn't ready!!

I would be questioning why they are only coming up with these extra costs after the penalty free cancellation period has finished!

Try calling them to explain your situation OP? How are they going to charge a penalty back to you - have you already given them your card details?

Cut your losses and cancel it.

Might be better to store the stuff you don't need immediately and move the rest yourself with a hired van or man in van, if you can. Then take the rest from storage once you are in.

"As we are due to move in 8 days there is already a penalty fee to pay if we cancel now"

Which of course is when the company starts turning out the extra charges that were never mentioned before. If you stay with them, I wouldn't be surprised if they rinse you and your move costs more like £2000.

How have you arranged the company, have you received terms and conditions?

Are you exchanging and completing on the same day?

Can you put things like your TV etc. in your car and move them yourself?

The quote seems large especially given all of the add-ons it sounds like you may get hit with..

The removals company have my card details as I paid the deposit with it. I found them online and they actually had good reviews which is why I booked them.

We have not legally completed yet, due to do so this week apparently. We are doing a part exchange with the builder so there has been a lot to contend with. They told us about a month ago that they would get us in to see the house but it has never happened yet. They were apparently waiting on a habitation certificate (whatever that is). My husband has been trying to phone the site office all morning to get an update on dates etc and they are not answering the phone.
Feel like my head is about to explode.

did u not get quotes from more than 1 company!? we got quotes/ visits from 5 I think! £900 aprx to move across country!! they were brill.

we got quotes august, to move end of september. and we didnt HAVE to have tv boxes! is this a chain company per chance? our pickiest quote was a chain and specified only buying boxes from them on top of quote! we didnt use them lol!!!!

shouldnt there be a 14 day cooling off period by law???? I`d be quoting that them (and on their social media)