Why are removal companies so expensove and varied in their prices.

Statex2_2

Hi, weare moving from South Essex to North Norfolk 120 miles. I have recently received estimates from several removal firms. The prices are so varied . Long established companies seem to be between £5 and £4 thousand pounds. I was told that my contents were equivalent to a 4 bed house but I have a 3 bed house. Removers from comparison stes seem to be around the 12 to 15 hundred mark. I expect variations but such a big difference is surprising. 
One comparison site company is City Removals Ltd. has anyone experience of this company? They seem to belong to various trade organisations etc.and have 5 star feedback but why are they a quarter of another company.

Are these low priced companies reliable, what happens if they do not turn up on removal day. The whole process is a nightmare.

lika_86

No direct experience, but I looked back at who I used the other year and I actually got a quote from City Removals and they came up marginally higher than others so I didn't use them in the end, but they were generally competitive in terms of quotes we got, I'm surprised there's such a difference to be honest. Do make sure though that the quotes are like for like, particularly when it comes to the amount of hours you get.

If they don't turn up on the day and you aren't out of your house then you're in breach of contract, notice to complete could be served and you should be aware of the consequences of this. But hopefully this shouldn't happen. Ultimately they would also be in breach of contract and you would have legal remedies.

Statex2_2

Thanks for the info. I was surprised about the large variation in price.it makes no sense unless the local boys are running a closed shop where thay all agree to charge similar amounts they all seem to know each other and they obviously  all condemn the cheaper companie.

Does anyone know of an insurance policy that you can take out to cover for a removal company not showing up and your breach of contract.

housebuyer143

Not just you. I was moving 10 mins up the road. I got £1200 from the big boys and ended up paying £400 for a 2 bed house. 

CKhalvashi

Statex2_2 said:

Thanks for the info. I was surprised about the large variation in price.it makes no sense unless the local boys are running a closed shop where thay all agree to charge similar amounts they all seem to know each other and they obviously  all condemn the cheaper companie.

Does anyone know of an insurance policy that you can take out to cover for a removal company not showing up and your breach of contract.

I don't think it's condemning the competition necessarily.

The company I used last are highly regarded in this area, including having their own storage (at no extra cost within reason) should parts of the chain fail on the day. Their costs therefore will be higher than a company that doesn't offer this service.

They moved us out on the day before completion, minus a kettle and bed (which had been moved downstairs) meaning we could get cleaners in for the afternoon (despite this being a sale I'd never leave a house filthy, unlike the sellers of the house we bought). We were able to get the remaining items into a work van I'd 'borrowed' for the move before 10am on the day.

Warehousing is expensive, we pay around £130k/year just in rent for a similarly sized unit to theirs, although theirs isn't in North London we were quick to extend the lease in 2020 by 10 years and negotiate a reduced maximum uplift in 2024 and 2029 just as rents fell significantly in exchange for a contractual clause that could cost them (and thus save us) around £250k being removed.

RelievedSheff

When we moved we got quotes from several removals companies ranging from £1500-£3000. This was from a small 2 bed house moving 50 miles.

In the end we used a man and van service and paid £300.

We were packing ourselves anyway so there seemed little point in paying for a full removals service.

The chaps came with 3 men and 2 big vans. In the end all of our stuff fit in one van so they took the spare van to their next job and then met us at the new place. They unloaded in double quick time with no damage to anything.

We would certainly go down that route again if we ever move again.

powerspowers

We went mid range for our removals (3 bed house, 5 miles, about £1500) and it was a lot more professional than a man in a van scenario. That said, some companies charge a silly amount. 

I’d insist on a home quote before engaging anyone and would not trust a company if they won’t come out in advance. What happens if they think you’ve got more stuff than they quoted? What are the arrangements if things are delayed? 

I’d be wary of extra charges on the cheaper quotes so make sure you check the different eventualities. 

propertyrental

Not quite the same but I've been looking at Man + Van prices for a small move job.

I toowas surprised by the huge variation in prices, but two factors are

* if they are already booked to go that way with a half load, they combine the jobs.
* if they can get a job on the return trip, rather than drive back empty, they can reduce the price.

eddddy

Statex2_2 said:

Thanks for the info. I was surprised about the large variation in price.it makes no sense unless the local boys are running a closed shop where thay all agree to charge similar amounts they all seem to know each other and they obviously  all condemn the cheaper companie.

It's really just the same with lots of other goods and services.

As a completely random example for comparison ... You want to buy a burger for your lunch - you could pay anything from £1.50 at a roadside van, through to £10 at an upmarket restaurant.  How do you decide which seller / price point to go for?

Maybe you base your decision on things like recommendations, reputation, and your own general impression of the business.

(Maybe the £1.50 burger turns out to be great value for money, or maybe it's not. Same with the £10 burger.)

Statex2_2 said:

Are these low priced companies reliable, what happens if they do not turn up on removal day. 

To stick with the analogy - what if the burger you get is inedible?

The bloke with the burger van might not care and tell you to 'get lost'. The upmarket restaurant might go to great lengths to make sure that situation doesn't arise, and if it does, go to great lengths to put it right.

 

DullGreyGuy

Statex2_2 said:

Are these low priced companies reliable, what happens if they do not turn up on removal day. The whole process is a nightmare.

We've used Simply Removals several times generally around the £1,000 mark whereas the traditional companies were often closer to the £3,000.

Firstly, they did everything in one day (it was a pack and removal job each time) and so was more frantic than I imagine the traditional company would have been who wanted to do packing one day and removal the next.

99% of things were packed fine, we've never had any breakages but there have been one or two superficial scratches or dings, mainly on my old extra large hi-fi speakers which are probably not an item they are used to dealing with whereas they had kit for dealing with the TV and tables etc.  Some boxes however did become a bit of a mixed collection of stuff when you were getting to the tail end of the packing whereas I recall from my mother using a traditional company that there were more half boxes of things because that's all the CDs she had and they didn't add kitchen utensils to the box just to fill up the space. No shortage of bubble wrap or paper used either.

I believe the guys on the budget jobs are self employed and paid by the job rather than the hour (and not well) so again it creates a drive to get it done quickly which is a double edged sword. I know one traditional company made a big thing on the phone at least, that their guys were all staff so paid by the hour and were all "British" (if that's important to you).

I'd certainly say to make sure whoever you choose comes around and quotes after seeing your property. I did once use a company other than Simply because they promised to beet the quote but they based it on what Simply said was required rather than coming around themselves. On the day it was probably 25% short but to do that extra bit they wanted 50% more money. 

I'm happy if someone does a good job, I dont really care what country they were born in, and for me the traditional companies didn't offer anything that justified tripling the price. I could see certain some who may like the more leisurely pace and not feeling rushed 

youth_leader

I was very disappointed when I engaged a local firm and they charged me £1200 to move two minutes down the road.  I tried to get the price down and they said the 18 steps at the front of the house and difficult access for the lorry was the reason for the high quote.

I have seen people recommending 'late key insurance' which I assume covers expenses if you cannot move in on the day.