Moving Tips & Resources
Understanding Moving Company Estimates
As you begin planning your move, you may be wondering how a company determines what your move will cost. Many factors contribute to the overall price of your move, including the date you move, capacity of available trucks, the weight of your shipment, the distance you are moving and premium services you may wish to add.
Depending on your needs, the type of pricing estimate you are given will vary. It’s important to understand the type of estimate you receive and how it will impact the final price of your move.
We have compiled explanations of the different types of move estimates for long distance and local moving to help you understand what will work to best suit your needs.
If you’re planning a long-distance move (Interstate), you can expect to choose from the following move estimates:
Binding Estimates – This type of estimate has a guaranteed price that does not increase or decrease based on actual service or weight, once loading of the shipment has begun.
However, you are required to pay 100 percent of the estimate before the delivery of your goods occurs. If you need to make changes to the order, you must do so before the first item is loaded onto the truck.
After loading has started, no items can be added to the order and no reduction in price will be given if an item is not packed or does not move. This is a federal regulation intended for consumer protection.
Not-to-Exceed Estimates – This estimate is a guaranteed maximum price. You are required to pay 100 percent of the estimated charges at the destination.
If a refund needs to be issued, the shipment’s paperwork needs to be completed and processed first. However, the moving company does have the right to apply the refund to additional services performed that may not have been captured in the initial estimate.
For example, if the moving company packs 10 boxes in addition to what was on the estimate, and the customer was due a partial refund for the shipment weighing less than estimated, those funds will be applied to the packing overage first, before a refund is provided to the customer.
Similar to the binding price estimate, the maximum cost is locked in when the first item is loaded on the truck and no additional items can be added for packing or loading by the customer.
It is important that you have your salesperson update your estimate before loading if any services or items need to be added or subtracted.
If you are removing significant items from your order, the refund for reduced weight may not be the same as the price difference of a shipment registered at the lower weight. Also, depending on the company you select, not all services fall under the not-to-exceed category.
Expert packing, shuttle service, additional labor and other fees may be fixed costs charged to you whether the service is performed or not.
Non-Bound Estimates – The final price for your move will be based solely on the actual weight of the shipment and the services performed.
This type of estimate is normally used when a visual survey is not possible because access to the shipment is not available before loading day, the shipment is stored in a facility that does not allow the moving company to visually see all the items being transported or the customer is not sure what will be moved at the time the estimate is given.
The customer is required to pay 110 percent of the estimated cost at delivery and any overage will be invoiced within 30 days of delivery.
The customer can add items or remove them, at will, even if the loading process has already started.
Exceptions for Long Distance Moving
Third-Party Services – Some services are always an additional cost, regardless of the type of estimate you choose. Third-party charges, such as appliance disconnect and reconnect service, crating, uncrating, and other specialty service needs will be charged based on actual services performed.
Storage charges for a bound estimate are based on the bound weight and actual number of days in storage. Storage charges for not-to-exceed and non-bound estimates are based on the actual weight of the shipment (up or down) and actual days in storage.
Local Moving Estimates In Texas
If you’re local moving in Texas (Intrastate), you can expect to choose from the following move estimates:
Binding Estimates – This estimate includes a guaranteed price and does not increase or decrease based on the actual services performed or the shipment weight, once the shipment has started loading.
You are required to pay 100 percent of the estimate before delivery occurs. If you need to make changes to the order, you must do so before the first item is loaded onto the truck.
After loading has begun, no additional items can be added for packing or moving and no reduction in price will be given if an item is not packed or does not move.
Not-to-Exceed Estimates – This estimate is a guaranteed maximum price. You are required to pay 100 percent of the estimated charges at the destination. If a refund needs to be issued, the shipment’s paperwork needs to be completed and processed first.
However, the moving company does have the right to apply the refund to additional services performed that may not have been captured in the initial estimate.
For example, if the moving company packs 10 boxes in addition to what was on the estimate, and the customer was due a partial refund for the shipment weighing less than estimated, those funds will be applied to the packing overage first, before a refund is provided to the customer.
Similar to the binding price estimate, the maximum cost is locked in when the first item is loaded on the truck and no additional items can be added for packing or loading by the customer. It is important that you have your salesperson update your estimate before loading if any services or items need to be added or subtracted.
If you are removing significant items from your order, the refund for reduced weight may not be the same as the price difference of a shipment registered at the lower weight. Also, depending on the company you select, not all services fall under the not-to-exceed category.
Expert packing, shuttle service, additional labor and other fees may be fixed costs charged to you whether the service is performed or not.
Non-Bound Estimates are not an option when moving within the state of Texas. If a shipment cannot be visually surveyed by the moving company during the bid process, they will typically estimate a very high price for the services needed to perform the move to cover any potential charges on a not-to-exceed estimate.
This way, the actual services will determine the actual charges. All local estimates must have a maximum cost.
Exceptions for Local Moving
Third-Party Services – Some services are always an additional cost, regardless of the type of estimate you choose. Third-party charges, such as appliance disconnect and reconnect service, crating, uncrating, and other specialty service needs will be charged based on actual services performed.
Storage charges for a bound estimate are based on the bound weight and actual number of days in storage. Storage charges for not-to-exceed and non-bound estimates are based on the actual weight of the shipment (up or down) and actual days in storage.
Destination Accessorial – Accessorial are additional charges that could be incurred by the customer if the destination residence or facility is not accessible by a tractor-trailer, or requires additional manpower or time for the moving company to complete the delivery.
If the tractor-trailer cannot access the residence or facility at destination, and a smaller truck (or shuttle) is required to complete delivery, there will be an additional cost.
If the crew must carry items an excessive distance (over 75 feet), or up a flight of stairs outside the dwelling, or use an elevator to access the residence, an additional charge per service will be added to the cost of the move, if not already included in the bound or not-to-exceed charges.
Whether you are obtaining estimates from one or multiple moving companies, it’s important to understand how the company will determine how much your move will cost and what type of estimate you receive.
If you receive estimates from multiple companies, and want to compare costs, use our MOVE COMPARISON GUIDE to ensure you are getting a fair price for the services you’ve requested.
