What a written quote covers, and what to ask any removalist
In a lot of Fairfield households, one person books the move and then answers for it at the dinner table. This page is for that person. It is what belongs in writing from any removalist, including us, so the price you repeat to the family is the price that happens.
The six things that belong in writing
| In writing | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| The crew and truck count | "Three movers and one truck" is checkable at the kerb at 7am. "A team" is not. |
| The hourly rate, one number | If there is a second number ("online rate", "booking rate", "weekend rate"), ask which one is on the invoice. There should only be one answer. |
| When the clock starts and stops | Ask it plainly: does time start at your door or at the depot? Any honest operator will answer in one sentence, in writing. |
| What is included in the rate | Blankets, straps, trolleys, film, the basic tools for beds and mirrors. If padding costs extra, you want to know before the day, not on it. |
| The big pieces, named | If you told them about the marble table and the piano, the quote should say so. A named piece cannot become a surprise surcharge. |
| The date, the window, the addresses | Boring, and the single most common thing families discover was never actually confirmed. |
Questions worth asking any mover, including us
- "Who exactly is turning up?" Some brands quote the job and pass it to whoever is free. You are allowed to ask whose truck arrives.
- "What happens if the day runs longer than we guessed?" The honest answer names the hourly rate and keeps it the same number. The wrong answer changes the subject.
- "What happens if something is damaged?" Listen for a plain process: tell the crew lead on the day, in writing after. You are checking they have an answer at all, and asking it before you book is exactly what NSW Fair Trading suggests for any service booking.
- "Is my quote a fixed price or an estimate?" Hourly work is an estimate by nature. That is fine, as long as nobody pretends otherwise. Be more suspicious of a sight-unseen fixed total than of an honest hourly rate.
How to compare two quotes that look different
Quote A says $250 per hour. Quote B says a little less, and looks better at the dinner table. The questions that decide it: how many movers is each rate for, when does each clock start, and what gear is in each rate? A cheaper hourly rate with two slower movers, a depot-start clock and hired padding is regularly the dearer day. Compare crews, clocks and inclusions, then compare the number.
Where we stand, for the record: one rate per crew size, $250, $350 or $500 per hour, the same number weekday or weekend, the crew named in writing, the big pieces named in writing. If any other mover gives you all six rows of that table honestly, they deserve your consideration too.
The paper trail is respect
None of this is about catching anyone out. In households that run in two or three languages, a plain written summary means every member of the family reads the same facts, and the person who booked the move never has to defend a number from memory. That is why we put everything in writing before the day, without being asked.
Reference
NSW Fair Trading publishes general consumer guidance on hiring services and resolving disputes in NSW, including your rights when a service is not delivered with due care and skill. Worth knowing before you book any mover, us included.