How Long Does it Take To Get Your House Removals Quote?
The process of getting your House Removals Quote is a reflection of the Removal Company that you are considering to move your household effects.
If there is a structured process in place then this should give you confidence in the service that you will receive from that company. If their is no process, then there is a possibility that you may not get a good service, as this may be a sign of poor organisational skills.
It often baffles me as to how long it takes for some customers to get a quote from removal companies who have visited their homes. In some instances it can take 2 or 3 days.
It is our policy to provide a quote as soon as possible after contact with the customer. If we have spoken to the customer over the telephone, then we aim to have the quote in their inbox by the close of business that day (most of the time the quote is sent within 30 minutes of the telephone call). If we have visited the customer then (depending on time of appointment) the same day or the following day.
A typical process to obtain a quote for your house move.
- Either telephone the removals company, or complete and Online Removals Quote Request
- If you have called the company, then the removal company may either provide a quote over the phone**, advise a quote will be put in writing, or make arrangements to visit your home to assess your house removals in more detail.
- If you have completed an Online Quote Request, then depending on the type of company you may get (a) an automated generic quotation or (b) a telephone call from the removal company to discuss your move in more detail – or to arrange a Pre-Move Survey
- If you have received a generic quote which is within your budget then speak to the Removals Company to provide more details so they can tailor your quote to your move.
Caution when obtaining quotes
A professional Removals Company will provide the following documentation for your quote
- Quotation for your move, this may also be called a Quotation Acceptance.
- Terms & Conditions – it is important for you to read the T&C’s for the company to ensure you fully understand the responsibilities of all parties involved in the move. If you have any questions then ask the removal company
- Insurance Policy Document – (emailed upon request – it is usually a sizeable .pdf which if attached to all quotes will slow down the email server).
Do not accept a Verbal Quotation ! If the company gives a verbal quote, then insist that they provide a written quotation and provide you with their Terms & Conditions. This may prevent any unknown charges occurring on the day of the move. If a company refuses to put the quote in writing, or if they do not have any Terms & Conditions – then please avoid them!
If they do not provide a written quotation then it is unlikely they are a Professional Removals Company – more than likely they are a Man & Van.
Why does it take so long to get a quote
Many of the larger companies employ a surveyor to visit the homes to assess the move in detail and explain the service. Unfortunately, many of these surveyors are not removal men – they may have been in the past, but are generally sales people. This can sometimes put them at a disadvantage to an owner/surveyor or removals man/surveyor as the later have hands on experience of the job and are generally practical people – so they will assess any potential issues whilst walking around your home during the survey.
Many surveyors will have a number of appointments booked in a day, so once they have visited your home, they are off on another survey – sometimes out all day. By the time they are back in the office after a long day, they have to put together a quotation. However, they have to input all surveys onto the system then manually type the quote. . depending on workload this could take a couple of days if they are busy with appointments.
is this a good set-up? I personally do not believe it is. I believe that once you have visited the property then get the removals quote written as soon as possible as by the time you have seen 3 or 4 properties in a day then you may forget customer requests – which leads to poor customer service.
We aim to book no more than 3 surveys a day to allow time for the quote to be completed the same or next day. I find this provides the customer with the confidence that we are keen for the business, and that we have a process in place which shows that we are efficient movers, who take customer care very seriously.
Quality of the Quotation
Does the quotation provide you with specific and detailed information about your move, or is it a simple template with just the figures being added.
With all our quotes, we provide you with the following information, sometimes assumed:
- Property description,
- Acknowledgement of any access issues,
- Proposed Move Date
- Move Plan,
- Itemised Quotation,
- Terms & Conditions
- A list of our additional Services (packing, storage) in case you decide further services.
- Terms & Conditions
- What to Do Next
To obtain a quote then please visit our house removals quote page or call us on 08450171626
Moving services often charge you with hidden costs. You need to be carefull while choosing a relocation service. You should check all the details about the company in advance and should get all the details before hiring them.
James, you are correct some companies do charge hidden costs. Hence why we always provide a written quotation and contract – and advise people looking for a removal company to steer clear of any removal company who does not provide a contract. Also to avoid companies who operate on an hourly basis – this method often works out more expensive ! it encourages, slower work-rate and also if the vehicle is stuck in traffic then the customer pays more.
We provide fixed rate, contracted moves to ensure our customers do not have hidden costs. A professional removals service.
Nick, Movingeverywhere