When you’re moving house, it’s completely understandable to look for ways to keep the cost down. Moving can be expensive, and getting a cheaper quote from a man with a van can initially seem like a good way to save money.
But we’ve seen time and time again that choosing the cheapest option isn’t always the cheapest option in the end.
At D&G Moves, we’ve experienced a number of situations within our customers’ chain, have booked someone who simply wasn’t equipped for the job, whether that’s not having enough vans, not enough people, or taking on too many jobs on at once…
… and just this week, we encountered another example.
A recent Bingley to Baildon house move
We were booked to professionally move a customer from their home in Bingley to Baildon.
Our team arrived ready to get the move underway, only to discover that the person moving out of the new property had apparently opted for a much smaller removal service, maybe even a man (or men) with a van (one single luton to be precise).
The problem? Their belongings were still inside the house at the time the keys exchanged!
The person had to return to the property three separate times before we could finally get access and safely move our customer’s belongings in.
The house was legally our customer’s, but it was still full of the previous occupant’s possessions.
For our customer, this meant waiting around when they should have been settling into their new home.
We don’t know why the situation happened, and we only saw the frustrating side of it from our customer’s perspective. But it highlighted something we see regularly:
Sometimes, choosing a cheaper or less-equipped removal service can have consequences that affect the whole moving day, and potentially everyone else in the chain.
A man with a van isn’t always enough when what you actually need is house removal company
There is absolutely nothing wrong with using a man with a van when it’s appropriate for the job. We do these types of jobs for people and we have even written a guide called ‘Man with a van or full removals – which service is right for your move?’ and it explain the difference between the two.
For a small move with no chain, a few items, a student move or a single piece of furniture, it can be a perfectly sensible option.
But moving an entire family home within a chain, is very different.
A larger house may require three or more vans and a sizeable removal team to get everything loaded safely and efficiently.
A professional removal company with its own fleet and permanent staff can allocate the right resources to the job.
A smaller operator may only have one van and one or two people. If they take on multiple jobs, have a delay on an earlier move or simply underestimate how much is involved, everything can quickly start to fall behind.
And when one move in a chain is delayed, it doesn’t just affect one household.
It can affect everyone further down the chain.
Ever heard, buy cheap, buy twice?
We aren’t saying the most expensive removal company is automatically the best.
What we are saying is don’t choose your removal company on price alone.
Ask:
- How many vans do they have?
- Do they have enough resources for the size of your home?
- Are their staff permanent or agency workers?
- What happens if your move takes longer than expected?
- Do they regularly deal with moves involving property chains?
- What happens if you’re waiting for your keys?
- Are there hidden charges?
- Do they have the experience to deal with unexpected problems?
A cheap quote can look attractive until the day itself doesn’t go to plan.
Don’t cut corners on something as important as moving your entire home.
So, what should a professional removal day actually look like?
A well-organised removal day should have a plan behind it.
At D&G Moves, we work around the size of your property, the amount you’re moving and the circumstances of your move, but this is generally how the day works.
Moving day starts early
For a typical house move, we aim to arrive from around 8am- 8:30am.
If we’ve been booked to pack your belongings, this will have already happened the day before,
We pack the day before
If you’ve booked our packing service, we don’t want you living out of boxes for days or weeks.
We come in the day before your move, pack everything professionally and aim to have it all completed within the day.
That means when moving day arrives, we’re ready to concentrate on getting you moved.
This can be particularly important when you don’t have much notice of your completion date, something that can happen frequently when you’re moving within a property chain.
Our Pack Like a Pro guide also provides plenty of useful advice if you’re packing yourself, from where to start to how to make moving day easier.
Loading your home
On moving day, our removal team arrives and gets to work.
Depending on the size of your home and how much you have to move, this could involve several vans and a larger team.
We load everything carefully and efficiently, with the aim of having the loading completed around lunchtime, say 1.30pm ish.
We then take a break for lunch before travelling to your new home.
Then we wait for the keys
This is one of the realities of moving house.
You might have sold your property, but you can’t move into your new one until the legal process is complete and the keys have been released.
So what happens if we’re ready but you’re still waiting?
We wait.
And importantly, we don’t charge you for waiting for your keys.
We know that completion times can be unpredictable, particularly when several properties are involved in a chain.
That’s why communication is so important.
If we’re moving more than one person within the same chain, we keep communication open so everyone knows what’s happening and when properties are ready to be vacated or occupied.
Keys are released, we get you moved in.
Once the keys are released, we head into your new home.
Our team doesn’t simply unload everything into the hallway and leave you to sort it out.
We take your belongings into the correct rooms, helping you get organised from the moment you arrive.
We aim to have everything safely unloaded and your move completed by early evening, depending on the size and circumstances of the move. If you need a wardrobe rebuilding or a bed putting together we do this before we leave.
That’s what a properly planned removal day should look like.
Load. Travel. Wait if necessary. Communicate. Unload and get you settled into your new home.
When a removal company can save an entire property chain
We’ve actually seen how having the right removal company can make the difference between a chain staying on track and the whole thing falling apart.
In one recent situation, we were contacted at very short notice after another removal company could no longer complete a move.
There were multiple properties involved in the chain and very little time to organise everything.
We pulled together two packing teams and two removal teams, multiple vans and moved two large homes in the same chain.
It wasn’t straightforward, but because we have the people, vehicles and experience to react quickly, we were able to help save the entire chain.
Read the full story here → How D&G Moves Saved an Entire Property Chain
That’s one of the reasons having a removal company with the resources to deal with the unexpected matters.
Because moving house doesn’t always go according to plan.
Professional removals aren’t just about moving boxes
A good removal company is there to make the entire moving process easier.
It’s about:
- Having enough experienced people.
- Having a large fleet of varying sized trucks and vans
- Having the experience to know how long a move will take.
- Understanding how property chains work.
- Communicating when things change.
- Being able to deal with unexpected problems.
And, perhaps most importantly, doing what you said you would do for the cost you quoted!
At D&G Moves, we have our own large fleet of removal vehicles and permanent staff, rather than relying on agency workers.
We’ve moved everything from smaller local moves to large family homes, long-distance relocations and complicated chain moves from Yorkshire and Ireland and everywhere in-between.
Sometimes the cheapest quote isn’t the one that saves you money.
And sometimes trying to save a few pounds can cost you considerably more in time, stress and frustration.
Moving house? Don’t cut corners.
Your moving day is one of those occasions where experience, organisation and resources really do matter.
So before you accept the cheapest quote, look beyond the price, read the reviews and do your homework.
Choose a professional removal team that has the vans, people and experience to handle your move properly, and the capacity to deal with things when they don’t go according to plan.
At D&G Moves, we’ll give you a clear quote, explain exactly what’s involved and help you plan your move from start to finish.
And if you’re doing the packing yourself, don’t forget to read our Pack Like a Pro guide and Moving Checklist to help make moving day as organised as possible.
Moving home? Get in touch with D&G Moves for a free, no-obligation removal quote.
And there’s another way we can help make your move even better…
Know someone else in your chain who needs a removal company?
If you’re moving with D&G Moves and you refer someone else in your property chain to us, perhaps the person you’re buying from or selling to – and they book their move with us, we’ll give you 5% off your removal bill!
One chain. One removal company. Less stress for everyone.