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Original poster

Removal company is this unusual?

23 replies

Murdermysteryreader · 25/04/2015 11:24

We are set to move house. Had a removal company recommended to us very expensive - nearly 3k but will pack for us. Booked them then they said they need to be there the day before to box up - fine , but they are taking everything with them that day and we need to stay elsewhere... Therefore hotel cost - not expected . I am worried about them keeping our belongings in a van overnight but apparently it is on a gated car park. Is this usual. I told the not to get to the new house too earlier as the owners will be leaving and of course money needs transferring. They said their quotation involved getting there from 1pm and they would charge waiting time at £90 per hour if access was delayed. Before I kick off is this usual...seems outrageously expensive. I am terrified if funds delayed we will get a huge bill...we have a large house and there's lots of stuff to move -any thought?

OP posts:

Pooka · 25/04/2015 11:30

I don't know about the timing thing, but when we moved last time, they came the day before and packed everything in van barring a kettle and mattresses for us to sleep on. Then next morning unpacked in new house once we had access.

wowfudge · 25/04/2015 11:36

I thought in those circumstances you keep things you need overnight in a designated area. The packers pack the majority of your stuff and it's stored securely overnight then they come back in the morning and pack the beds and any last bits and pieces. Means things like your sofa, TV and beds are last on the van and first off at the new place. If they didn't leave it on the van it would have to be moved again into a storage unit, increasing the risk of damage. Make sure you are happy the insurance provided is sufficient to cover replacing everything if necessary.

Keep important documents, such as passports, etc., with you and take them in the car to the new place.

Make it clear you expect keys by 12 noon and speak to your solicitor about penalties for your vendor if completion isn't in the morning. It's quite normal for removal firms to charge if they are hanging around.

RoganJosh · 25/04/2015 11:37

Ours left our beds so we could stay in the house but the lorry was otherwise packed and stored overnight.

RoganJosh · 25/04/2015 11:39

£3k also seems very expensive. Ours was £1800 for a four bed house and included packing. There was no waiting penalty.

Newhere2 · 25/04/2015 12:49

I always have everything boxed up then sleep on the mattress & tuck loaded first thing in the morning.

The truck must be insured overnight for your belongings.

I agree that is super expensive, london 4 bedroom move with packers and we've never paid anywhere near £3000.

Original poster

Murdermysteryreader · 25/04/2015 14:43

Thanks so much!

OP posts:

LIZS · 25/04/2015 14:46

Are you moving far ? That seems pretty pricey otherwise. When we've moved they have packed day before but only part loaded then returned next day for rest so you can stay with basics still available. It us usual not to be able to get access to new property until early/mid afternoon if all complete on same day.

Original poster

Murdermysteryreader · 25/04/2015 15:26

We are moving about 3 hours away. Yes the worrying about not getting in until the afternoon is what is worrying me. We are selling (completing) on our sale that day and buying a different house. Not sure what to do re the £90 waiting wonder if other companies charge this? Could add a lot to the move cost.

OP posts:

Pico2 · 25/04/2015 15:36

When we moved we got 3 quotes. I then picked the movers I liked best and asked them to match the cheapest quote. I think they did work over 2 days, but they must have left our bed up until the second day.

They certainly didn't charge £90 per hour to wait. When we had all of the money transferred etc the people who we were buying from hadn't finished packing . That would delay you if that happened to you.

I think quite a bit depends on the timing of your move. People delay until the school holidays, prefer Friday's so that they have the weekend to settle things etc. if you can avoid popular moving dates then it can help you to get competitive quotes.

Pico2 · 25/04/2015 15:38

Fridays - apostrophe autocorrect fail.

OctoberOctober · 25/04/2015 16:19

We are moving thes Tues, quote 1300 to pack and move 4 bed house. They will pack on the mon but leave all boxes in our house and then load up on tues. But we are icing in same village, so no need to store offsite overnight. None of the companies we spoke to mentioned a waiting fee.

hifi · 25/04/2015 16:23

theres no way you will be in by 12, the unwritten rule is before 4pm. we were ready and packed for 11am and our buyers money was delayed until 3pm.

Original poster

Murdermysteryreader · 25/04/2015 16:33

Thanks.

OP posts:

InsertUsernameHere · 25/04/2015 18:54

We had them pack up the stuff the two days before and stayed with relatives the night before - but that was our choice and preference. When we arrived (with keys picked up from solicitors) vendor was still packing - got in about 2pm. Remember in the contract you could pay insurance to mitigate waiting fee if there was a delay past 4pm. We didn't buy it and they didn't charge. Seems very expensive! Maybe get a quote from people close to where you are moving too? It might be the waiting thing is to do with the company working out that after they have unpacked you it is three hours to get home??

RaphaellaTheSpanishWaterDog · 25/04/2015 19:07

We also moved about three hours away (last December) and whilst our removers didn't pack, they did load up all our stuff in advance of moving day - in fact they spent three days loading (we have acres of stuff!) and all was finished the dày before completion happened. We - just me and DH - kept a duvet and sleeping bags at the old house and ate a take away the night before moving day. Next morning we finished cleaning the house and loaded our cats into the car for the journey.

Our stuff went to the new house in three journeys - the first load (garden items) we were able to leave in the garden at the new house as the vendor had already bought a new home and moved out - the second and third load went into their secure storage for a few days. The vendor's EA gave our removers the keys for garden access. The second load was delivered on moving day - with our removers arriving around midday - and the third two days later as it was just before Christmas and we were a late booking so had to fit in with the times they had available.

We were lucky to find anyone that could accommodate such a large move tbh - we had about five quotes but by the time we'd exchanged alll were booked up.

For comparison purposes, our move - from a 2500 sq ft house - cost around £3600 without packing, but including all packing materials and was a four man job.

RaphaellaTheSpanishWaterDog · 25/04/2015 19:09

Forgot to add, there was no fee for any delays with moving in times.....

Pipbin · 25/04/2015 23:20

That seems a heck of a lot.

When we moved it was in the same town and we packed but they came the day before, loaded up, unloaded into a storage container and moved us in the day after! This was because everyone in the chain was using them!
That cost £400.

Is it too late to find someone else?

debbietheduck · 26/04/2015 08:34

Our movers offered an insurance policy against delays, you paid a small premium to waive the penalty for delayed access, have you asked if they do anything like that?

Original poster

Murdermysteryreader · 26/04/2015 09:16

Thanks everyone. I will investigate others too.

OP posts:

RaphaellaTheSpanishWaterDog · 26/04/2015 21:13

That seems a heck of a lot

Pipbin - I agree it is a lot! We do however, have a load of stuff - 3500 cubic feet according to the average of the five quotes we obtained. These came in at £3400 - £4200.

The most expensive quote was from a smallish local removal company. We decided not to bother with the likes of Pickfords, Bishops Move etc - having used them previously they were even pricier (we paid nearly £4500 to BM in 2007 for a slightly larger move)......

In the end we had little choice who to use as that close to Christmas almost everyone was booked up.....

TeddyBee · 26/04/2015 23:15

Our bastard sellers hadn't even started packing when we arrived at midday. We ended up dumping loads of our stuff out front and then moving it round into the garage well after midnight. Cost us a couple of hundred extra to keep the removal men until ten pm. Seller refused to pay the extra. Let herself into the garage the next day to collect some of the crap she left. I had to pay someone to take the rest away. Cunts. This is after delaying an extra eight weeks between exchange and completion to 'pack'.

Artistic · 27/04/2015 07:47

We recently moved 1 mile down the road. Loads of stuff...3 bed house. Packers packed up the previous day, didn't load. Came back next day & loaded & moved. The van was mid sized so it was known that 1 trip isn't enough. They did 4 trips of load-drive-unload. Worked until 5pm.

We had negotiated £500 in total & the didn't charge a penny more! This is SW London.

BasinHaircut · 27/04/2015 07:50

You need to find a mover that offers an all in price. We paid something tiny like £35 extra to ensure that we didn't get charges waiting time if there was any delay. If they don't offer that then find someone else.

Also, packing the truck the day before is normal but they usually come and get the bits you need overnight in the morning I thought?

Have you got an air bed and a sleeping bag? No need to pay for a hotel as it's still your house until completion.

£3k is expensive, get more quotes. My parents have just moved a similar distance, from East london, a 4 bed house with a LOT of stuff and it cost them about £2k for removals and packing.

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