Surprise bills are upsetting to everyone. Whether you’re looking at random add-on charges or just a higher hourly total than you expected, it’s normal to be frustrated when your so-called estimate is way off base.
So what’s the alternative? You don’t want to hire a moving company without a general understanding of what their rates are going to be. Then again, you also need to keep an open mind about your expectations and their overall process. Usually, that boils down to looking at their company reviews and making sure they have transparent pricing details—not an estimate.
Common Problems with Moving Estimates
Predicting how much your move will cost is difficult, and all too often, it leaves the customer worse off than they might have been without an estimate at all. The primary reason that moving companies fail to provide accurate estimates is because they don’t really know what they’re getting into until they arrive at your property. It’s not necessarily about how many rooms your home has or how many larger pieces of furniture you own. There can be more boxes than normal, tricky items to disassemble, or even longer times for traveling to and from the truck if your front door is far away.
You can also run into problems for awkwardly-shaped items. If one truck can’t fit everything in a single trip, then you’ll need a second load to finish your move. For all of these reasons, moving estimates are rarely ever cut and dry.
If you’re gathering quotes from various moving companies, it’s important to take all of them with a grain of salt. An hourly rate alone can help inform your decision-making process from a cost standpoint. But it won’t account for the movers’ individual training and level of teamwork on the day of your move and how fast they’ll actually be.
And if you’re hoping that having an onsite visit will give you a more accurate estimate, you’ll probably still be disappointed. See, those trips take time, and moving companies will usually have to make up that difference with higher rates for their actual moves.
The Solution: Save-Time Estimates
Efforts to save time benefit everyone. Needing to hang around the house for an onsite visit for one estimate from a company can be a pain. Even then, your moving estimate can only do so much to predict what will happen on moving day. The companies that try to keep their overhead low can provide better service—and lower prices—for the projects they take on. Basically, they’re in a better position to pass more savings on to you.
Our approach at Colt Moving aims to do just that. We empower our customers by giving them all the information they need to calculate their projected total on their own. You know what’s in your house. Naturally, you’ll have a better perspective on what it’ll take to load everything up. We share pointers on our website to help you review the most common scenarios for different types of moves. That way, you’ll be able to run the numbers.
This clear and detailed pricing guide and proving that we’ve had success with a long list of customers before you with our online reviews can help you feel good about the high-quality service we deliver. Where other estimates lie and fall short, we’ve got a proven track record for professional moves. Please visit our Schedule Now Page to learn more. We look forward to helping you too!