Unhappy the removals company starts the clock as they leave their depot

[twinnies1987]

Our removals company are charging by the hour. They've charged us the time from leaving their depot to getting to our house. I feel this is really cheeky, AIBU?

...Especially given they were just moving furniture around the house / didn't need their van. I don't think I've ever had a job that pays an hourly wage where the clock started when I left home?!

We live in a small place and I do need them to come back and move all the furniture back again after our building work is complete, but still...

I'm in a professional role when I advise clients. If I go to see a client at the other end of the country, they are charged my hourly rate from the minute I get into the car until the minute I get back to the office. I'm not driving there for the fun of it.

Precisely this.

When we last moved, we had to get furniture from two addresses and bring to new location. We were charged from depot to address one, to address two and to final location and back to depot.

We deliberately chose a firm in town one for this reason.

Do proper research.

If you were moving half way across the country, did you think they would only charge for the time they were actually moving furniture in and out of the van?

But they have started work…

They are driving HGVs therefore subject to both the WTD and Drivers Hours. It would be completely illegal for that time not to be recorded and paid.

Different industries do have different standards for how people tend to get charged. But if you are paying a company for a service where they’re paying employees and those employees are traveling in work time (as almost everyone coming to your house will be) you pay for the time one way or another. If you aren’t being charged for the hours they are traveling you’ll be charged a higher hourly rate for when they’re there.

If you aren’t moving, why are you having removal men? Wouldn’t it be cheaper just to get a few mates in to lift settees etc?

They didn't charge you from when they left home, they charged you from when they left the depot, so from when they started the job for you.

This is normal for removal services.