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Old 03-27-2014, 06:18 PM
 
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Last time I moved, I bought lunch for the movers to eat at my home. They sat outside and took about an hour eating it. But at the end of the day, I was charged for the time they took for lunch. I'm moving again, and wondering if it is considered normal for the moving company to charge me for their lunch time?

It seems excessive to buy them lunch and then also pay the company for them to eat it.
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Old 03-27-2014, 06:21 PM
 
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Don't buy them lunch, I never did and never will when I hire movers again. I don't tip them either. They get a flat rate and take it or leave it.
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Old 03-27-2014, 07:35 PM
 
Location: Area 51.5
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WHY did you buy lunch for them?

You're busy moving. You don't have time to feed a crew.

If friends are moving you for free then yes, buy them lunch. Otherwise, over my dead body!
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Old 03-27-2014, 07:44 PM
 
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Default Lunch for Movers

Quote:
Originally Posted by Dale Cooper View Post
WHY did you buy lunch for them?

You're busy moving. You don't have time to feed a crew.

If friends are moving you for free then yes, buy them lunch. Otherwise, over my dead body!
Here in the Atlanta area, it's common to buy them lunch. I'm sort of OK with that tradition, but resent paying them for the time to eat!!
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Old 03-27-2014, 08:24 PM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by staywarm2 View Post
Here in the Atlanta area, it's common to buy them lunch. I'm sort of OK with that tradition, but resent paying them for the time to eat!!
The tradition is to buy lunch for them but nothing in the tradition ever said they were to be off the clock while eating your food. You need to know the tradition before you blindly follow them. If they stopped working to take a meal break, you don't pay for that break. But if YOU STOPPED THEM from working with a gift of food, it's all on your dime; food and time....
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Old 03-28-2014, 07:51 AM
 
Location: The Triad
34,088 posts, read 82,929,741 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by staywarm2 View Post
Last time I moved, I bought lunch for the movers to eat at my home.
That was nice of you. I'll do similarly

Quote:
...I was charged for the time they took for lunch.
Were these actual movers or day laborers?
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Old 03-28-2014, 08:37 AM
 
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By generating good will you may well have saved yourself from a scratch on your favorite piece of furniture or the dropping of your favorite mirror. In other words, happy workers who feel appreciated tend to do a better job. Keep that in mind and don't worry about it any more.
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Old 03-28-2014, 02:31 PM
 
Location: Tennessee at last!
1,884 posts, read 3,031,845 times
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I bought not only lunch, but dinner too as my movers were slooooowwww. I used dinner as a bribe to get them to finish. I was in a rural area and told them that if they finished by 7:30 pm then I would take them to dinner, but if they were not done by then the only place would be closed. They finally moved their buns and finished. In the end buying them dinner was cheaper as they got the job complete and they left.

They were on the clock for lunch, but I paid them in full prior to dinner. I also bought them dinner, paid for it and left a tip, but went home so I did not get stuck with desserts or drinks, etc. They were useless and lazy.

I hired them through the U-Haul dealer and he highly recommended this lazy crew. Never again. Guess they do not want repeat customers. They also drove the U-Haul truck, and crashed it into my fence. Glad I had bought the insurances for these 'professional U-Haul drivers"! U-Haul never said a thing about their crashed truck. I bet they just charged the next sorry soul that checked it out. Never a form or anything.

So it is customary here to keep them on the clock when feeding them if the job is not complete, but to pay them and then feed them if you want them off the clock--and feed them at the end of the job.
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Old 03-28-2014, 05:46 PM
 
9,470 posts, read 9,368,059 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MrRational View Post
That was nice of you. I'll do similarly


Were these actual movers or day laborers?
They were actual movers working for a well respected moving company. The move from our apartment to our new home a few blocks away ended up costing us ~$900.00 plus tip. We did move to a 3 story house from the one-story apartment. They were polite and friendly. My only beef was to be charged for their rest time at lunch.
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Old 03-28-2014, 05:47 PM
 
5,472 posts, read 3,223,174 times
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This is not a slave society, treat people with dignity, regardless of what type of job your hire them for. If you extend them a courtesy and give them an act of kindness, don't grip about it after the fact.

These are human beings. Not slaves, nor are they any less of a person, than the individual who hires them.
Geez !!!!

what the heck kind of world is this becoming.
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