Relocation is often one of the most challenging situations you’ll encounter throughout your life, and selecting the party to help you achieve it will be the greatest decision you’ll have to make. From the thousands of removalists advertising on the web, it’s almost guaranteed that you’ll find yourself attracted to the cheapest service available. Before you pay out a deposit to save a few hundred bucks however, let’s investigate what you actually get for cheap versus professional removalists.
Below is an examination of the actual costs (both evident and covert) of both cheap and professional removalists.
What Do Cheap Removalists Really Mean?
Usually ‘cheap removalists’ is someone willing to charge you the lowest hourly rate or lowest set price. Usually cheap removalists are:
- Freelancers, a one-man operation and can be found on noticeboards
- Casual groups of friends without their own business license
- Someone willing to do backloading whereby your belongings will be transported along with others on the truck
- Unlicensed companies that wish to undercut others
An hourly rate of $60/hour sounds quite attractive against an hourly rate of $130/hour for professionals but it’s important not to get it wrong.
Comparison of costs
Moving a 3 bedroom house a distance of around 20kms would be somewhere along the lines of:
Cheap Removals Service:
- Hourly rate: $60- $80 per hour
- Total time: estimated to be 6-9 hours. Untrained people will take longer.
- Total cost: $360-$720. No transit insurance given. Average equipment means potential for delays.
Professional Removalist:
- Hourly rate: $120-$160 per hour.
- Total time: estimated to be 4-5 hours. Trained professional staff.
- Total cost: $480-$800. Transit insurance is included or may be purchased separately. Professional equipment and experienced staff.
As you can see the price difference isn’t quite as great as it may seem. A cheap removalist on $70/hour who is likely to take 9 hours to complete will still cost you $630 whereas a professional removalist is more likely to only take 4.5 hours and still be only the same cost of $630 but at the lesser risk.
Hidden Costs of Cheap Removalists
This is where the real cost differences start becoming apparent-cheap removalists come with a range of hidden charges.
- Breakage of fragile and valuable items.
When you hire less experienced removalists, it’s more likely that your furniture, walls, and breakable items will be damaged-scratches, dents and cracks can easily happen.
If you don’t have adequate transit insurance to cover such losses, you’ll have to pay out-of-pocket to replace a $3,000 TV, a $1,500 table, or repair floor damage in your new rental. The cost of a damaged item can sometimes be more than the saving you thought you made.
- Delays in scheduled appointments and extended work times.
Inexperienced cheap removalists might underestimate how much time they’ll need to complete the job. Inevitably, this will cause delays; they may show up late, or bring an insufficient amount of men to move everything efficiently.
Because you’ve already begun the removal process by the time you realize how long it will actually take, you’ll be committed to keeping their services until the job is completed, and additional hourly rates will mount up. A 5-hour removal will quickly turn into an 8-hour ordeal-all at a much higher price.
- Lack of transit and public liability insurance.
Budget operators do not typically hold adequate public liability insurance or transit insurance. It simply means that if one of the removalists injures themselves on your property or your items are damaged during the move then you could be legally responsible. Moreover, you are financially liable to cover the costs.
Professional removalists always have insurance that covers the full value of your items.
- Inadequate equipment.
Cheap movers might not bring the necessary moving materials such as bubble wrap, blankets, dollies or even trolleys to handle all the items in your house. They may not have the right size truck and may need to return to your house for multiple trips, thereby costing you more time and money.
You might even end up buying your own packing supplies from scratch as the work progresses.
- Failure to show up at your property/last-minute cancellations.
The most stressful of all is when your budget movers don’t show up at all! This is more common than you would think-informal operators may simply overbook their services and not turn up, cancel at short notice or disappear completely on moving day.
This would mean additional stress and possibly the need to hire other removalists at very short notice to avoid penalty fees for missed lease expiry or property settlement.
What You Get With Professional Removalists
If you choose professional removalists, rather than just paying a higher fee, you will actually receive measurably better value over a range of considerations. These include:
- Highly trained, experienced moving teams who work effectively and carefully.
- Full transit and public liability insurance cover for total peace of mind.
- Using the right equipment for furniture, dolls, protective blankets, and trucks built for the job.
- Quoted prices which do not inflate on moving day.0
- Reliable booking with confirmation systems and accountability.
- Professionally packing delicate or expensive goods.
- References that have been verified, and methods to resolve disputes if necessary.
When is a Cheap Removalist Possibly an Okay Choice?
Not all moves necessitate paying a premium fee. Because there are some cases which you can count on a cheap removal service might be a suitable option if:
- You only have a few, inexpensive items to move.
- You have a very short distance to cover (e.g. To the next suburb).
- You are moving to temporary accommodation, so a bit of damage won’t matter much.
- You already have contents insurance which also covers your goods whilst in transit.
- You know the removalist personally, have thoroughly vetted them and checked references.
If you have a full house move, especially if there are high value items like antiques or electronics, a piano, or the distance is great, then the risks associated with using a cheap removalist significantly increase.
How Do You Get Best Value Without Sacrificing Quality?
The best option, of course, is to find a balance. You don’t need to compromise on quality by choosing the cheapest option. Instead follow these tips to get the best value:
- Obtain 3 quotes at a minimum from appropriately licensed and insured removalists. You will be surprised by the variation between them.
- Book early to lock in the best rate. The time you choose to move will affect the price more significantly if you don’t book it soon enough, particularly if you are moving at the weekend or month end.
- Be flexible with the time of day/week you move. Mid week moves will invariably cost 10 – 20% less.
- Pack yourself to reduce billable time.
- Discard anything you don’t need before the move; fewer items equals less time taken.
- Check online reviews on sources like Google, Facebook and the AFRA (Australian Furniture Removers Association).
- When you obtain quotes, check details such as call out fees, stair charges and fuel levies as well as the insurance cover in detail before you accept the quote and commit.
Final Thoughts
When you factor in potential loss or damage to belongings, delays caused by the mover, the gap in insurance coverage and the stresses involved, it becomes clear that using a cheap removalist will actually prove more expensive than using a professional removal company in the long run. That $100 – $200 upfront saving can very quickly be blown out of the water if something goes wrong.
Professional removal companies like AU Safe Removals charge a little more because you are receiving more service, with the reassurance that your effects are insured and that the team is experienced, knowledgeable and responsible. For most households, peace of mind and protection of belongings are priceless additions.
The truly best move is not necessarily the cheapest one, it is the one where everything gets completed with as little fuss and risk to your possessions as possible.
FAQs
Q1: How much cheaper are budget removalists than professionals?
A1: Budget removalists cost between $60-$80/hr compared to $120-$160/hr for professionals. Due to extra time and ‘hidden’ charges, the cost may be surprisingly similar.
Q2: Are cheap removalists insured?
A2: Few cheap removalists will have Public Liability Insurance or Goods-in-Transit Insurance cover. Without insurance you are personally liable for any loss, damage or injury suffered during your move.
Q3: What if a cheap removalist cancels on moving day?
A3: Casual removalists may cancel without turning up on the day which will affect your settlement time, emergency accommodation fees and have you searching for ’emergency’ removalists at huge expense.
Q4: Are reviews on removalists reliable?
A4: You can get a feel from on-line reviews (check google and face book plus The AFRA list) but search widely, look for consistency across reviews, don’t just take the first five star report.
Q5: Is it worth it to get a professional removalist for a small move?
A5: For only a small move and where items have low value, a good budget removalist might be adequate but for larger or fragile loads a professional outfit is a good idea.
Q6: How can I get removal costs down?
A6: Book mid week, pack yourself, get rid of belongings before the move and get several quotes; altering moving days can save you 10-20% of professional removal costs.
