Comparing Removal Companies in Manchester? Here Is What to Look At
How to Read a Quote Before You Accept One
Most people ring three firms and get three numbers that are impossible to compare. This page explains what actually creates the difference between those numbers, so you can judge any quote you receive, including ours, and pick with some confidence.
What People Say After Choosing Us
The Four Questions That Tell You Most About a Firm
| Ask them | What a reassuring answer sounds like | What to be wary of |
|---|---|---|
| Is this a fixed price or an estimate? | Fixed, written, tied to what was surveyed | A number given without seeing anything |
| Are crates and blankets included? | Delivered before, collected after, in the price | Materials charged per box afterwards |
| Who arranges the parking? | We do, and it is inside the quote | You are told to sort it with the council |
| What happens if my date moves? | Rebooked with reasonable notice, no fee | Vague answers, or a deposit that disappears |
None of these are trick questions and any decent firm will answer them happily. The value is in asking all four of everyone, so you are comparing the same things rather than four different offers wearing similar prices.
Why Two Quotes for the Same Move Can Look So Different
When two quotes for the same house differ by hundreds of pounds, it is rarely because one firm is greedy. Usually they have quoted for different jobs.
One may have counted the loft and the garage while the other assumed the rooms only. One may include the packing materials while the other adds them per box. One may have allowed for a third person on the stairs while the other plans for two and hopes. Until you know which, the lower number is not actually cheaper, it is just smaller.
The fastest way to make quotes comparable is to make sure each firm has seen the same thing. A short video walkthrough sent to all of them puts everyone on the same footing, and it takes about twenty minutes of your time in total.
Fixed Price or Estimate, and Why It Matters
An Hourly Rate Is Not the Same as a Price
A fixed price is tied to a written job sheet listing what is moving and what the access looks like at each end. Provided the load matches on the day, the figure does not change. You can budget against it, and the firm carries the risk of the day running long.
An hourly rate is not the same as a price
Hourly quoting sounds fair and often works out fine, but it moves the risk onto you. If the stairs are tighter than expected, or the lift is booked out, or the traffic on the Mancunian Way does what it does, the meter keeps running and the bill grows. You find out what your move cost after it has happened.
Neither approach is dishonest, and there are good firms doing both. It simply matters that you know which one you have been given, because comparing a fixed price against an hourly estimate is not a comparison at all. We quote fixed, and we say so plainly so you can weigh it properly.
Where quotes usually differ
| Item | Sometimes included | Sometimes charged separately |
|---|---|---|
| Crates and blankets | Delivered and collected in the price | Sold per box, plus a collection fee |
| Parking permit or bay suspension | Applied for and paid by the firm | Left for you to arrange and fund |
| Dismantling and rebuilding furniture | Quoted at survey as a known figure | Added on the day at an hourly rate |
| Extra crew for stairs | Built into the fixed price | Charged as additional labour |
| Waiting time | Reasonable allowance built in | Charged from the moment they arrive |
| Storage if dates slip | Priced upfront alongside the move | Arranged urgently at short-notice rates |
Run any two quotes down this list and the gap between them usually explains itself within a minute.
What Good Packing Kit Looks Like
Included, or Charged Later?
Packing materials are worth a specific question because they are quietly expensive. Cardboard bought by the box for a three bedroom house adds up quickly, and then you own sixty flattened boxes you have to get rid of. Reusable crates avoid both ends of that: they arrive before the date, they survive a staircase without sagging, and they leave with the crew once you have unpacked. When a quote includes them, that is real money rather than a listed feature.
Household Moves
Office Moving
Commercial Moving
Household Moves
Office Moving
Commercial Moving
Household Moves
Office Moving
Commercial Moving
How We Answer Those Questions
In the interest of being judged on the same terms we ask you to judge everyone else, here are our own answers to the four questions above.
Fixed, and written down. After the survey you get one figure attached to a job sheet listing the inventory and the access at both ends. Provided what we collect matches that sheet, the number does not move. If considerably more has appeared, we say so before we start loading rather than after we finish.
Yes. Reusable crates, blankets and wardrobe rails are delivered a couple of weeks ahead and collected once you have unpacked. There is nothing to buy, nothing charged per box, and nothing to dispose of afterwards.
We do. Where a permit or a suspended bay is required we apply for it, pay for it and include it in the quotation. You are never asked to contact a council or fill in a form on our behalf.
We rebook it. Dates slipping is a normal part of moving, so tell us as early as you can and we will look at rearranging. Cancellation, freezing and rescheduling are governed by our published Terms and Conditions, with the charge depending on the notice given. Ask any firm this one, and listen carefully to the answer.
Fair Warning About the Cheapest Quote
A lower quote is often perfectly genuine. These are simply the four reasons it sometimes is not, so you can tell the difference.
A price given over the phone from a room count is a guess, and guesses get corrected on moving day when you have no leverage and a van in the street. A firm that wants to look first is protecting you as much as itself.
Boxes, tape and blankets add up, and a quote that excludes them can look considerably cheaper than one that includes them while costing more overall. Check what is in the number before comparing it with anything.
Two people on a three storey terrace will get it done, eventually, and on an hourly rate that costs you rather than them. Ask how many people are coming and why that number.
Every firm should tell you what protection applies and what its limits are, before anything goes on a van. If it has not come up at all, ask, and expect a clear answer rather than a reassuring noise.
Choosing Well
Removal Company Questions, Answered
How many removal companies should I get quotes from?
Three is plenty, provided all three have seen the same thing. Send each of them the same short video walkthrough and you will get comparable numbers instead of three different guesses. More than three tends to add confusion rather than clarity.
Is the cheapest quote usually a bad sign?
Not at all, and plenty of good firms are keenly priced. It only becomes a warning when the reason for the gap is unclear. Once you know what is in each number, a lower price you understand is simply a lower price.
What is the difference between insurance and liability cover?
Most removals firms provide a contractual level of responsibility with limits per item and per job, which is not the same as an insurance policy. It is usually adequate for everyday contents and thin for a television or artwork. Ask what the limits are and whether extended cover is available.
Should I check for trade body membership?
It is a reasonable signal alongside the rest, though it is not a guarantee on its own. Recent reviews describing moves like yours, a firm willing to survey properly, and a written fixed price will tell you more about the day you are going to have.
Do I need to be there on the day?
Someone should be, at both ends if possible, mainly so there is a person to say which room things go in. Beyond that there is very little for you to do. Nobody expects you to help carry anything.
How far ahead should I be getting quotes?
As soon as you have a rough idea of timing. Getting a price early costs nothing, and it means the packing materials can arrive early too. Waiting for certainty usually just compresses everything into a stressful fortnight.
What should I have ready when I ask for a quote?
Two addresses, a rough room count, the floor number if it is a flat, and anything unusually large. That is genuinely enough to get started, and the survey fills in the rest.
Can I change my mind after accepting a quote?
With us, yes. The applicable terms depend on the notice given and are set out in writing. It is worth confirming the same with anyone else you are considering, because policies on this vary more than people expect.
Compare Us Properly
Get a Written Manchester Quote to Compare
Send two addresses and a rough idea of the contents and we will survey it and send one written figure with everything itemised. Put it next to your other quotes and compare properly. If someone else is a better fit for your move, you will be able to see that clearly, which is how it should work.