How to compare moving company quotes in Vancouver without getting burned

Three Vancouver moving companies will give you three numbers that look comparable and are not. One is hourly with a minimum, one is hourly with a travel charge folded in, and one is a flat rate that may or may not include the things the other two bill separately. The differences are frequently larger than the headline gap between the quotes.

Here is how to make them actually comparable.

Get everything in writing, including what is excluded

A quote that exists only as a number said on the phone is not a quote. Ask for it in writing, and specifically ask what is not included. That second question does more work than any other in this guide.

The usual suspects for separate billing:

• Materials: tape, wrap, boxes, mattress bags, wardrobe boxes
• Travel time or a flat truck fee
• Fuel surcharge
• Stairs charges, per flight or per item
• Long-carry charges when the truck cannot park close
• Bulky-item fees for pianos, safes, appliances
• Assembly and disassembly of furniture

Any one of these can move a quote by a few hundred dollars. Several of them together can make the cheapest quote the most expensive move.

Make the estimate binding, or know that it is not

This is the single most important distinction in moving, and it is the one companies are least forthcoming about.

A non-binding estimate is a guess. The company can revise it once the work is under way, and legally you owe the real amount, not the estimate. This is standard for hourly moving and for weight-based long-distance moving.

A binding quote is a price. It does not change unless you change the scope.

Ask directly: "Is this a binding quote or an estimate, and under exactly what circumstances would the price change?" A company that cannot answer that clearly has told you something important.

Our answer, for what it is worth: the price we confirm is the price you pay, and it only changes if what you are moving changes, which we discuss with you before move day rather than announcing on it.

Make sure every company is quoting the same move

Half of all quote discrepancies are not pricing differences at all. They are companies quoting different jobs because they were told different things.

Give every company the identical information:

• Full inventory, including the storage locker, the garage, the basement, the attic and the balcony
• The floor at both ends, and whether there is an elevator
• Whether the stairs turn at the landings
• Where a truck can actually park at both ends, and how far that is from the door
• Any heavy or awkward items: piano, safe, hot tub, aquarium, large appliances
• Whether you need packing, and how much

The forgotten storage locker is the most common cause of a quote that turns out to be wrong. Companies quote what you tell them.

Cheap quotes that are actually expensive

Some patterns show up repeatedly:

The very low hourly rate with a long minimum. $99 an hour with a four-hour minimum beats $150 an hour with a two-hour minimum only if your move takes more than six hours.

The estimate given without asking about stairs or parking. If nobody asked, nobody scoped it, and the number is a placeholder that will move.

The quote that assumes you packed. Some hourly quotes are built on the crew arriving to a fully packed home. If you are not going to be finished, that quote does not describe your move.

The one that is dramatically below the rest. Three quotes at $1,400, $1,500 and $700 do not mean you found a bargain. They mean the fourth one is quoting something different, or is planning to revise it.

Warning signs worth walking away from

• No written quote, or reluctance to provide one.
• A large deposit demanded up front, especially in cash or e-transfer, before any work.
• No business address, no licence details, and no verifiable reviews.
• A refusal to say whether the quote is binding.
• Pressure to book immediately because the price is only good today.
• No insurance conversation at all. Ask what coverage applies to your goods in transit, and what the limit is. Every legitimate company can answer this.

Questions to ask every company

Copy this list and use the same one on every call:

1. Is this binding or an estimate? What would change it? 2. What exactly is included, and what is billed separately? 3. Is travel time or a truck fee charged? From when to when? 4. What is the minimum? 5. How many movers, and what happens if it runs long? 6. What coverage applies to my goods, and what is the limit? 7. Do you subcontract, or is the crew your own employees? 8. What is your cancellation and rescheduling policy?

Write the answers in a column per company. The right choice is usually obvious once the columns are filled in, and it is frequently not the lowest headline number.

Where flat rate fits

We quote flat rates because the things that make moves run long, stairs, parking, elevators and inventory, are all knowable before move day. Scoping them properly up front means the price can be a promise rather than a projection. See our pricing for how that works, or read what movers charge per hour and how much movers cost in Vancouver for the wider picture.

Ready for a number you can actually compare? Get your flat-rate quote and you will get one price, in writing, confirmed by a person.