Is it normal to pay removers in advance?

[Eastwickwitch]

They've asked for payment 5 days before they come & pack. What if they don't turn up or do a shoddy job?
Any comments?

Yes we paid in advance both times.

Thanks. I'd no idea.

full payment ? not ime

Having got quotes from many removers earlier this year their approach varies. Pickfords, for example was all in advance. Another one was 50% in advance, rest in completion. I did think the Pickfords approach wasn't great.

We've never done this.

Yes paid in advance

I paid £100 deposit in advance and the rest within 5 days of moving. I didn't have the packing service though and that might make a difference. I wasn't about to pay £500 for somebody to out my stuff in boxes. I had a basic service so the company delivered the boxes to me 3 weeks before moving and then came on moving day and moved everything.

I've just paid the whole lot a couple of days in advance...and they're here now packing so I haven't been conned!

Our packing service was only £200 too :-)

Many of the removal firms we've used/had quotes from have either wanted payment in full in advance or a 20% deposit - which is a fair amount when you're looking at a quote of £4k (without packing)!

Yup....annoyingly. We had to pay 5 months in advance for a certain well known national firm. Having said that, they were fine and we had no problems at all.

Thanks all, I've paid.
It seems odd paying in full for a service that we haven't received but it seem pretty common.

I expect they are protecting themselves from losing a day's business if the house sale falls through and there is not time to find another paying customer for the idle crew and van.