As an addition to their quote, many moving companies will offer waivers to cover extra costs that may be incurred during the removal process. This is usually a fixed fee that you pay at the time of booking. These optional waivers vary from mover to mover but have the same basic purpose.
Waiting Time Waiver
On the day of a move, it is quite common for unloading at the new address to be delayed because the customer is waiting for keys, or waiting for funds to be transferred. It can be very frustrating as well as expensive. Your removal quote would have been based on the mover’s estimate of the time it would take and the resources assigned to it. Any delay is an added cost to the mover, which is beyond their reasonable control. That cost is passed on to the customer as per the Terms & Conditions of the contract. This is usually a set amount per hour, per worker to cover wages and the temporary unavailability to the company of those resources, (crew and vehicle) which may have been assigned to other tasks.
If the Waiting Time Waiver is added when booking, the delay will not incur extra costs for lost hours on the day. However, if the delay continues past a cut-off point it may be necessary for the mover to postpone delivery until the next day. The hours of waiting are covered by the waiver, but redelivery is not. In many cases, the mover would prefer to unload, even if it is late into the evening, but they have no choice but to postpone due to driving regulations or the Working Time Regulations 1998.
Cancellation/Postponement Waiver
Your mover’s Terms & Conditions will have a clause that explains the cost of cancelling a move. This is usually a sliding scale with short notice cancellation costing the higher percentage of the overall quoted price. For example, if you cancel several weeks before your moving date, you will usually be fully refunded, but if it is only a few days’ notice, you may have to pay the majority of the quoted price. Cancellation within 24 hours or on the day will usually incur the full cost.
As with Waiting Time, (above) this is related to resource allocation and the companies costs in preparing for the work.
For a set fee, the mover may offer a Cancellation/Postponement Waiver. This allows the customer to cancel or postponement (once) without incurring those charges. However, the waiver will usually only cover cancellation up to the moving date but not on the day of the move.
Ask Your Mover
Not all movers offer these waivers and for those that do the details can vary. It is worth asking your mover for more details on Waiting Time and Cancellation or Postponement Waivers. They could save you money.
