Moving home can be one of the most stressful experiences of your lifetime – but hopefully less so once you’ve been through this exclusive Q&A with Damien Seaman, who is head of brand at removals comparison site Buzzmove.com…
Hi Damien, please tell us about yourself and Buzzmove.
Buzzmove is all about making moving house easier. We have a comparison website where people enter their move details to get matched with up to six professional, trusted and fully-insured removal companies. We’re also about to launch a video surveying tool to help get accurate quotes saving people the time spent waiting for people to call round your house to provide a quotation.
Do you have a broad spectrum of users and removals companies?
We have all kinds of customers: families, students, businesses. People moving overseas for work or to retire in the sun; even the odd Premier League footballer and a couple of pop stars. Our customers come from everywhere, from Brighton to Aberdeen.
We have over 350 removal company partners. These range from smaller companies who often get all their business from us, right up to big names who use us as an extra source of new customers.
Do you think people generally take the details of removals for granted too much?
Definitely. People are terrible at moving, mainly because they tend not to move often. Often they don’t know what they really need to know, like how to choose a good removal company, or even the going rate for a move. They are preoccupied with worrying about the mortgage, or getting the kids settled in a new school, or sorting out the new job. The actual move becomes a last-minute thing.
What do you consider to be the main points people should consider when choosing a removals company?
Always get quotes from at least three companies. Don’t wait too long to find a removal company – about four weeks before you want to move is the best time to start.
If a company is on a comparison website like Buzzmove then they’ve already been vetted, but it doesn’t hurt to check their website. Consider if it looks professional? Does it have a physical address on it? Does it have testimonials from lots of happy customers? Does it have a good Trustpilot or Google rating?
You can tell a lot about how removal companies treat their customers from the initial phone call you have with them and it’s important to ask them the right questions.
Are there questions that people should definitely be asking 'candidate' companies before choosing one?
Ask about costs and do get them in writing. A good company will be open about their charges and this avoids the risk of any unexpected costs.
Ask how much their Goods in Transit Insurance covers them for; the higher the better – especially if you have any valuable belongings.
Even more important are the questions they ask you, which should include:
- How flexible is your move date? (Most dates change before move day)
- How much stuff are you moving? (So they can bring the right size of vehicle and the right number of people for the job)
- Do you have any fragile or expensive items that need particular care and attention? (If so, you should get them to pack these for you)
- What’s the access like at your current address and your new address? (If they can’t get close to the front door, that’s more time and hassle for them, and usually more money for you to pay)
- What time are you due to pick up the keys for the new property? (Because this never happens on time.)
- Is it part of a chain? (This could lead to a delay on moving day, so they may want to start loading you belongings the day before to help the move go faster)
The more of these questions they ask you, the better a job they’re likely to do.
What are the most common errors people make when moving home?
The biggest mistake is moving at the same time as everyone else. Everyone moves in July and August, so that’s when removal prices go up, good companies get fully booked and there’s a greater risk that any company you do book could dump you at the last minute for a higher-value move. The last Friday of the month is always jam-packed too. The last two weeks of any month are busier than the first two, and Thursday to Saturday are busier than Monday to Wednesday.
The second biggest mistake is not shopping around. Compare, compare, compare. Compare services and prices from several companies, otherwise you’re going in blind.
What simple things could people do for themselves that might save something on their removals costs?
Talk to removal companies you like the look of and ask them when they’re least busy. Arrange to move on one of those days and then negotiate on the price. Many companies will be happy to consider pretty big price cuts if you ask, just to minimise their losses for that day.
Check whether your home contents insurance covers you for removals. If it does, then you don’t need to pay extra for insurance from your removal company. Also, most companies will include insurance in their price for no extra charge.
You can pack yourself, but it’s always worth asking how much extra the company charges for this and ask for a deal. If you push it, you’ll probably get a lower price – and that saves you the hassle of packing yourself; but if you do want to pack yourself, don’t pack any high value items. Let the removal firm pack those for you. That way, they’ll be covered by the company’s Goods in Transit insurance, whereas anything you pack won’t be.
Has the 'man with a van' had a big impact on larger removals companies?
They have had an impact, in that competition on price is now fiercer than ever. That’s increased by the fact that most people don’t know what makes a good removal company; but it has forced companies to be more customer-focused.
For customers, a man and van service can do just as good a job as a larger removal company, but probably not if you’re moving from a large property or if you have any fragile, valuable items. It also means you need to be on the look-out for hidden charges, and don’t agree to pay for any extras like insurance until you’ve done some research on whether you need it or not. Also, if you’re moving with a man and van service, you’ll need to check whether they’re insured.
The main thing is not to choose a company based on price alone. Make sure they tick other boxes because that increases the chances of your move going smoothly.