Moving home can often be a complicated process and the more complicated something is, the more things there are that can go wrong. Purchases can fall through, or the requirement to move can change, or we simply decide that moving is no longer necessary. In any case, this can be further complicated if we have already booked our removals company.
Q. So how do I cancel a booked move?
Once you are absolutely sure the move will not be going ahead, tell your mover immediately. More often than not, there will be a cancellation fee which is dependant on the amount of notice given. This is usually written into the mover’s Terms & Conditions and is a sliding scale according to the number of days’ notice.
Example:
- CANCELLATION/POSTPONEMENT
- If a date for the services is agreed upon in the quotation and acceptance, and you require that date to be altered, postponed or cancelled or the goods are not available on that date, we will be entitled to charge a reasonable postponement or cancellation fee, dependent on the notice received.
- The fees are as follows for alteration/postponement/cancellation notice received:
- More than fifteen working days before the services were due to start - no charge.
- Between ten and fifteen working days inclusive before the services were due to start - 30% of the charges.
- Less than ten working days before the removal was due to start - 60% of the charges.
- Less than three working days before the removal was due to start - 75% of the charges.
- Within twenty-four hours of the move taking place - 100% of our charges.
Fees and timescales can vary from mover to mover, so you will need to check your Terms & Conditions.
Q. Why should I pay a cancellation fee?
When you accepted the quote and booked your move, you entered into a contract with the mover. The mover assigned resources to your job and can no longer use those resources for other work on your agreed date. The sliding scale of the cancellation fees reflects the movers potential to obtain other work for those resources.
Q. Am I protected by distance-selling regulations?
No. The Consumer Protection (Distance Selling) Regulations 2000, (which allows for a cooling-off period for remote sales) does not apply to removals bookings for the reason mentioned above.
See The Consumer Protection (Distance Selling) Regulations 2000
Q. Can I protect against paying cancellation fees?
Sometimes. Many movers now offer a cancellation/postponement waiver at the time of booking. This is an additional fee that you pay when booking your move and it allows you to cancel or postpone your move (once) without incurring a cancellation fee.
