Make Sure Your Moving Estimate Includes These Three Costs
Getting a moving estimate before hiring someone to help you relocate your belongings just makes good financial sense. However, certain costs may not be accounted for, which can make for an unpleasant surprise when you receive the final bill. Here are three things you need to ensure the customer representative takes into account when writing up an estimate for the cost of your move.
Long Carry Fees
Movers like to park their trucks as close to your building as possible, which makes sense because it allows for easy loading/unloading and lets them keep an eye on your belongings for security purposes. If the movers are not able to park within 100 feet from your home, though, they will typically charge a long carry fee. The fee is to cover the extra labor involved with transporting items a longer distance away than expected. Additionally, the movers may call in extra staff to keep an eye on the truck if they can't park in an area within view of the home.
When the customer service agent comes to your house, ask about long carry fees and whether there's a possibility you will be charged. You're more at risk of being hit with this fee if you live in a condo or similar apartment-style facility where it may be difficult to secure a parking spot close to your unit. However, if you live in a house that is situated a long distance from the street or there is an obstruction that requires the movers to take an indirect route to the truck, you may also be charged this extra fee, so make sure the agent takes that into account when writing your estimate.
Stairs and Elevator Charges
If the movers are required to use stairs or an elevator to access your home, you should inquire whether the company charges for that. Similar to the long carry fee, companies typically charge a stair or elevator fee because of the extra logistics involved with moving items using them.
Elevator fees tend to be a flat charge, and sometimes you can avoid it by reserving the elevator for your exclusive use during the move. On the other hand, the moving company may charge you per flight of stairs the professionals have to climb and descend to get to your place, and the only way to avoid this fee is to move all your items to a lower level yourself.
Fees for Travel Time and Extra Stops
For many moving companies, time is money. The faster employees can get people moved, the more jobs they can take in a day. Therefore, it's not unusual for moving companies to charge fees for things that require extra time. In particular, many movers charge for the time it takes to get from the business' location to your home. Since most local movers charge by the hour, the fee will usually be based on that. For instance, if the company charges $50 per hour and it takes 30 minutes to get to and from your home, you may be charged a $25 travel fee.
Additionally, if the company has to make any extra stops between your old and new home to drop off or pick up items, you will be charged for that. If you want to drop off a couch you're donating to a local charity, for example, you can expect to pay an extra fee to complete that transaction.
These are just a few of the things you should ask about when getting a moving estimate. There may be other charges assessed depending on the specifics of your move, so be sure to go over different scenarios with the customer representative to get as accurate an estimate as possible.
To schedule your next move, contact a local moving company like Bell Moving & Storage.
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