A few weeks back, I visited a customers flat to conduct a survey to establish a price for the move. The apartment was a penthouse on 2 floors, and the access was not great due to narrow staircase and being on the 15th floor. With access issues on the ground floor too.
The customer needed an early start as had to be out that evening.
The move was assessed and decided the requirements were for 4 or 5 men and a large lorry for the move, 1 man to help finish the packing service, the other 4 to porter the furniture back and forth. A quote was provided which was a good price, not too high.
I heard back from the customer who obtained a quote for £500.00 to move a penthouse apartment approximately 15 miles. Which was cheaper than the quote we had provided, and does not cover the costs of a move that size.
The company who quoted her was a man and van style company, who hired in a large lorry for the day. They turned up this morning with 2 men at 8am to do the loading – by 12pm they were still loading and had to get 2 more men on the move. By 3pm they were still at the apartment.
The move was not finished in time for the customer. Which has caused them additional stress.
It is always the customers decision on who they chose, but before chosing a company they need to make sure that the company has adequate resources to move them. Incidents like this give the industry a bad PR as the company should have told the customer their resources, and maybe the customer would have used a suitable company. This is a case of the unsuitable companies bidding on moves they should not be bidding on.