When you work with a moving and storage company for your relocation, you’ll want to make sure that you’re provided with a written estimate. Written estimates are projections of associated costs when hiring a moving company, and will make it clear what all you’re paying for.

Allied Alaska is a moving and storage company based out of Alaska that has assisted with various types of moves over the last four decades. As a commitment to our customers, our residential movers always provide written estimates upfront to keep communication clear between all parties involved. Below are some of the reasons you’ll want to request a written estimate from any moving company you hire.

Avoid Surprise Costs

Getting a written estimate will help both the company and the person relocating avoid unexpected costs at the end of the process. Written estimates give you documentation showing all expenses up front, including the ones you opt in for.

Moving estimates should provide information related to the relocation and the moving company, along with a breakdown of service costs. Some components of the estimate should include:

  • Contact Info for Movers

  • Current Location and New Address

  • Logistical Challenges at Either Origin or Destination

  • Special Handling Costs

  • Storage Needs

  • Moving Inventory

  • Valuation and Insurance Options

  • Payment Terms

Use the Estimate to Plan a Budget

There are a few different types of written estimates that a moving and storage company can provide, but all can be used to help you plan your budget for the move. The main types of moving estimates are:

  • Non-Binding: Non-binding estimates are educated guesses made by the company as to what you can expect for associated costs. At the end of your move, your actual cost can be higher or lower than the non-binding estimate, but should be in the ballpark of what was initially expected.

  • Binding: Binding estimates are accurate descriptions of the exact amount you can expect to pay. After estimating weight and necessary services, a moving company can create a binding estimate which will match your actual costs after the move. Even if weight ends up being more than expected, a moving company will not include additional payment.

  • Not-to-Exceed: Not-to-exceed estimates are based on the higher end of what you can expect to pay for moving services. This will allow you to create a budget, because your actual costs will never be higher than your not-to-exceed estimate, though pricing may end up lower than expected.

Protection Against Miscommunications

In the event that a moving company fails to perform all the duties initially agreed upon, a written estimate provides you with documentation to show that a certain service was included in your agreement. On the other hand, if a service is performed that you never opted in for, simply show your written estimate to your moving company to alert them that that service was never agreed to in the first place.

The only times that you may end up paying significantly more than what is shown on your written estimate is if you opt in for additional services later on during the moving process. In these instances, a moving company should provide an updated estimate to keep communication clear and organized.

Allied Alaska is the only moving company in Alaska to provide computerized estimates and inventory management to its customers. This means that you’ll receive a digital written estimate that you can easily access from a device, so you won’t have to worry about keeping track of a hard copy. Our computerized inventory solution allows you to know where your valuables are at all times, and have a list of every item we moved during the process.

As agents of Allied Van Lines, our long distance movers have the strong network you want to utilize for any-sized move to anywhere in the world. Call us today for a free estimate on any of our moving services, and hear about how our professional movers can make moving day as easy as possible!