The Hidden Fees Some Removalists Won’t Tell You About

Many people factor in the cost of moving house before actually making the big move. However, most people aren’t aware that their budgets may be thrown for a loop when the moving actually eventuates.

In fact, on top of the price quoted to you initially, there may be a number of charges that aren’t included when you hire a removalist service. Sounds confusing? It certainly can be.

That’s why we leaned on the expertise of professional removalists, Smoothmoves to find out everything there is to know about the most common hidden fees charged by local and interstate removalists, such as why these are charged, and what you can do to avoid the costs entirely.

Keep reading to learn the fees some removalists won’t tell you about

#1 – Long Carry Fees

A long carry fee is charged whenever movers carry items a long distance between the property and the truck, or vice versa. This charge usually pops onto the bill when your removalists can’t park their truck in front of your house, or a reasonable distance from the nearest lift for those living in an apartment.

This type of fee essentially covers them for the time lost in ferrying items from one area to another, particularly if moving takes more time than expected and causes delays or cancellations in their next job. It’s a way to buffer the removalist against losses from delays or cancellations.

Moving companies tend to have a set distance within which they’ll carry your things at no extra charge, and it pays to know how far they will go before hiring them for your move.

So, when they do their initial visit, be sure to ask about this. It’ll help prevent a long-carry fee by instead encouraging them to make arrangements for parking within the stipulated distance on the day of the move.

#2 – Inconvenient Location Fee

These charges may apply when you’re moving into a high-rise building or a walk-up apartment given that it takes a lot of extra time and effort to carry your stuff up through a service lift or a flight of stairs.

This isn’t exactly an unexpected charge, but it pays to bear in mind that, depending on the removalist firm you’ve engaged and the location of your residence, the fee may be higher than you think.

The best way to get around this is to include the nature of the location when you fill up your moving checklist, then ask your removalists if you’ll be charged extra if it’s several floors up.

#3 – Appliance Service Charge

This type of moving cost definitely surprises people when they ask their movers to help them disconnect and reconnect large appliances like fridges, ovens, and washing machines.

Many people are shocked to discover that this isn’t a favour you ask of your removalist. It’s actually a paid service because, technically, it isn’t really part of their job description!

The best thing to do is to carefully go over the fine print of your removalist’s contract and see if they do this type of work and whether they charge an additional appliance service charge.

#4 – Assembly and/or Disassembly Fees

Stores like IKEA charge an assembly fee whenever you order flat-packed furniture and need their personnel to set it up in. This is similar to the installation of appliances, and again, it’s not really part of your removalist’s job description. Hence, they can charge you extra.

These fees also applies to disassembling larger sets of appliances like home entertainment hubs or washer-dryer combos and reassembling them at a new location.

We recommend that you check if your removalist offers this service and, if they do, ask for a quote at the beginning. Also, keep tabs on all the items that require disassembling and reassembly to save time. You may also want to ask if these types of fees are negotiable.

#5 – Heavy Items Fee

As you would expect, this fee applies to particularly bulky items or those that require special handling. Therefore, you need to let your removalists know about them well beforehand. Aside from the fee, they also need to be prepared with the proper equipment and materials to pack and transport these items safely.

#6 – Additional Service Charges

There can always be additional services charges, and they will depend on the removalist firm you engage for the move. Therefore, it pays to do your research when you ask removalists for quotes.

Always read through the contract and ask questions if there are any points that are vague – this will prevent misunderstandings when it comes to settling the bill.

You should also always understand each firm’s cancellation policies as these cam save hundreds if not thousands, if you need to cancel  unexpectedly.

Make Moving Stress-Free

Moving is always stressful at the best of times, and accounting for all these fees can be overwhelming unless you book a fully-serviced removalist like Smoothmoves. Make the experience transparent and stress-free with a professional moving service in Sydney – get in touch today.

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