Budgeting for Full Service Moving Companies
The budget must take into account every possible expense, and it will be helpful to know right away if a moving company will be hired for any portion of the move. While a moving company client will eventually receive a “bill of lading” or a formal invoice, their costs will actually be broken down into many separate services including:
• Moving Charges – this usually covers any labor and fuel costs. The best way to determine which moving company to work with is by requesting quotes from three or more, and seeing which offers the best services and prices. A company will provide a quote usually only for the services requested. For example, a full service move will be dramatically more expensive than simple freight service.
• Insurance – all moving companies are legally obligated to provide “standard coverage” on the goods and possessions they transport, but most people will decide to purchase some additional insurance coverage. This can include transit insurance, full replacement value coverage and other varieties of protection.
• Additional services – many moving companies charge extra amounts for the performance of certain services, such as appliance preparation, and these must be separate line items on a budget
• Additional Fees – all moving companies add extra charges or fees for performing certain common tasks including
Flight charges – added to the total invoice for carrying
items up and down flights of stairs.
Shuttle services – these fees are added for the jobs that need smaller moving vans or trucks to shuttle between a larger moving truck and the actual home.
Expedited services – extra fees for those who require
a specific schedule, especially one that is much faster than
the moving company would have originally provided. Some people
are charged such fees because they simply did not plan their
move early enough.