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We've gotten four estimates - one of them was $1200 less than the other three - for a cross-country trip including packing.
Is it common (or even expected) that you can negotiate with moving companies? I got "guaranteed estimates" from all of them. I'd like to be able to call one of the higher priced ones and see if they can either match or come down to the lower price, but I'm not sure if that's even feasible.
Keep in mind, "binding quote" "binding not to exceed quote" "guaranteed quote" etc. etc. is really meaningless in the moving industry. The quote can easily be revised on moving day (when you can't call another company) if just one item or service on the estimate is inaccurate (which is always the case with shady moving companies).
You should be more concerned with finding a great mover, less concerned with getting the lowest price. The moving industry is notorious for low ball bids. You don't want to hand the responsibility of your move over to companies willing to low-ball you.
p.s. I should add that they were big companies: North American, Allied, Mayflower and United.
North American was the cheap one.
The Van Line name is also meaningless. Every major van line is made up of 100s of smaller agents. Some are good, some are terrible. Just make sure to do your research and you should be good.
The Van Line name is also meaningless. Every major van line is made up of 100s of smaller agents. Some are good, some are terrible. Just make sure to do your research and you should be good.
My original question was whether negotiation is an accepted practice in the industry.
I was not working with the big companies, but I got 4 estimates from smaller companies. They each were offering different things, though, so it was a bit of a puzzle. It was important to me that they NOT get to the new place too quickly, as I had to do a cross-country drive in my car that took 4 days. I used smaller companies partly because I knew the gigantic truck would not be able to fit on the small interior roads of my destination development. And I certainly did negotiate between the two "finalists." It turned out very well.
More important than the quote, as others have said, is the kind of quote. I believe the ICC has rules on how much change is allowed once the move commences, you might check. You should also note that the actual pack and move will be done by independent contractors, who can appeal the estimates if the weight goes over their contracted weight. Finally, there is the cost of packing.
We just did a move from DC to NH using a local company that was licensed by the ICC to do interstate moves. I asked for and received a binding estimate that they kept to. I did not negotiate, since the rate they quoted was quite fair.
Of course you can, in theory, negotiate any business transaction, but negotiating a service contract like a move is tricky because (1) you and I don't know much about the economics of moving and (2) there are many shortcuts a mover could take, especially in packing, that might lower the movers' cost at your expense.
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