What to compare before you book a mover

Every mover will tell you they are careful and affordable. None of that is checkable before the van arrives. These are the things you can check, and what a straight answer to each one looks like.

Ask for the price in writing, itemised

A figure on a phone call is not a quote. Ask for it as a list: packing materials, labour, the vehicle, the distance, access at both ends, crating for anything fragile, and GST on its own line. If a mover will not break it down, the number is a starting position rather than a price.

Then ask the question that matters more: what happens if something unexpected turns up on the day. The answer you want is that they tell you the cost and wait for your agreement. The answer you do not want is silence.

Make them look at the access before they price it

Most moving-day arguments are about a staircase. A sofa that does not fit the lift has to be carried, and carrying costs money. If nobody has asked about your floor, your lift dimensions or where the vehicle can stand, nobody has priced your move; they have priced an average one.

• Which floor, and does the service lift take furniture
• How far the vehicle can park from the door
• Whether the society needs permission or a time slot
• What the approach lane is like for a large vehicle

Get the inventory, and keep your copy

An itemised inventory is the only record of what was handed over. Without one, a missing carton is your word against theirs. Ask for a copy before loading starts and check that fragile items are listed individually rather than as one line.

Ask what the insurance actually excludes

Transit cover is common; what it leaves out varies a lot. Ask for the cost, the limit, and the exclusions in writing. Items packed by the owner rather than the crew are a frequent exclusion, and so is anything undeclared. Knowing this before the day is worth more than the cover itself.

Find out who you will actually be speaking to

Ask for the name and direct number of the person who will handle your move, and whether that is the same person after you pay the advance. A single coordinator from survey to last carton is the difference between a problem being solved and a problem being explained.

Compare the documents, not the promises

Put two itemised estimates side by side and the comparison becomes simple. A lower total with fewer lines usually means the missing lines arrive later. A higher total that names the staircase, the crating and the GST is often the cheaper move by the time it is finished.

That is the whole reason we work this way. Send us the pickup, the destination and the date, and compare what comes back with anybody else's.