Moving Company
St. George

Moving estimates come in a few forms, they are not interchangeable, and the paperwork frequently does not spell out which one you have been given.

It matters, because the difference between them is entirely about what happens when the job is not what somebody predicted.

Just-In-Time Moving works throughout St. George and Washington County.

Hourly

Standard for local moves. You are quoted a rate per hour for a crew and a truck, plus whatever else is itemised, and you pay for the hours the job takes.

The estimate of hours is a prediction, not a promise. If your house takes longer, you pay for longer.

What to establish: the rate, the crew size, whether there is a minimum, when the clock starts and stops, whether travel time is billed, and the overtime rate if the day runs long. Ask for a realistic range of hours rather than a single optimistic figure.

This suits you when the job is well understood and you have prepared properly, because you capture the benefit of being organised.

Non-binding estimate

An estimate of the total cost, usually based on the weight or volume the company expects. It is not a cap. If the actual shipment is larger, the final bill is higher.

The trap is that it reads like a price. It is not one, and a company that under-estimates, whether carelessly or deliberately, is not bound by its own number.

Binding estimate

A fixed price for the inventory described. If the job takes longer or weighs more than expected, that is the company's problem rather than yours.

The condition is that it covers what was described. Adding items, or a stairwell nobody mentioned, can legitimately change it. So an accurate inventory is what makes a binding quote binding.

You are paying a little for certainty, which is often worth it on a larger or long-distance move.

Binding not-to-exceed

The most favourable to you where it is offered. A ceiling price that can go down if the shipment is lighter than estimated, but not up.

What to do

Ask which of these you have been given, in those words, and check the paperwork says so. Do not accept a verbal assurance that a non-binding number is really a fixed price.

Then make the inventory accurate. Show the garage, the shed and the loft. The certainty of a binding quote comes entirely from the completeness of what it was based on.

Never sign a blank or partly completed estimate to be filled in later.

Call (435) 862-3080 or email office@movingjustintime.com.