Ahhh yes… The Estimate. This word can sometimes create some pretty unsettling feelings for all of us. We wonder why Company X’s estimate and actual cost are sometimes soooo far apart. Well, the good ol’ state of Texas is generally considered to be an “unregulated” state by the moving industry, or I guess we should say “very minimally regulated”, BUT they did step in and set up a great policy that ALL movers(but most don’t) must follow. It’s called the “not-to-exceed” value. This is little policy legally protects you from the sometimes massive distance between an estimated cost and the actual. This states that all moving companies must have a “not-to-exceed” value included with their estimates. Make sure that no matter what moving company you go with, you’re familiar with their individual policy regarding this. A company can legally say “My not-to-exceed value is triple what I estimated your job to be”, so make sure you understand exactly what it is and that it’s reasonable.
Most quality moving companies will have “not-to-exceed” values of between 15-25% over an estimate, and it’s fair that customers to cut estimators a little slack at times. Most estimators have years of experience, but understand that when someone comes to your home for an estimate, typically the house isn’t packed, certain items that you were giving away/selling may or may not be listed, or maybe today you don’t want to move that patio set, but you change your mind on move day… on and on. Essentially, there are an overwhelming amount of variables that each estimator has to sift through to reach a final quote. The “not-to-exceed” value, when used properly, simply allows for a small cushion to absorb those unexpected variables on move day.
Welcome Home Moving Solutions completes estimates with a “worst case scenario” approach. We try to give you a ceiling to start with, and then we’ll give you some helpful tips and tricks to help bring that cost down. Customers don’t realize that most of the time with a little extra work on their part, they could save hundreds of dollars. Give us a call and let us know how we can help you!