Why Hiring Movers By the Hour Isn’t the Best Choice

A person counting 20 dollar bills to hand to someone.

Moving is a huge undertaking — physically, mentally, and financially. When you choose movers who charge by the hour, you may not be making the best choice for your wallet. Here’s why.

The Problem with Hourly Rates

First and foremost: when you work with a moving company that charges by the hour, you can’t know what you’re going to pay until the move is complete. They can give you an estimate, but the truth is no one knows what kind of obstacles may get in the way and make things take longer. You could end up paying significantly more than you would like.

Another issue is that the moving company may try to draw out the move, making it longer than necessary, in order to get more money from you. When you’re moving, you want things to be done thoughtfully and with great care, but also efficiently. Your move should be as quick and painless as it can be, and that’s often not what you get when you’re working with movers that charge by the hour.

Why Flat-Rate Pricing is Best

That’s why we primarily offer flat-rate pricing. With flat-rate pricing, you know what you’re going to pay before you even agree to work with us. Our detailed quote process ensures we give you a very accurate price ahead of time. This way you can be sure that your move fits into your budget.

Furthermore, charging a flat rate means that timing isn’t a factor. We’re not going to rush through the move and get sloppy, and we’re not going to draw it out in order to make more money, either. We’re simply going to show up and do the best job that we possibly can. Whether that takes more or less time than expected is beside the point — it’s all about a job well done.

The Exception — When Hourly Rates Might Be Better

Although we prefer flat-rate pricing, there are some instances when an hourly rate is more appropriate. Sometimes we aren’t 100% sure of what we’re getting into or how long the move may take.

This often happens when we’re moving items within a storage unit, for example. The customer may want us to go through the storage unit, transport the items they want moved, and then reorganize the rest of their things back into place within the unit. Since we can’t be certain how much stuff is in the unit and how extensive the process will be, going with an hourly rate could be the best option for everyone. That way we know we’re not over- or under-charging. Still, we prefer to use a flat rate whenever possible!

If you’ve got a move coming up, you deserve to know how much it’s going to cost. Skip movers that charge by the hour — get a free, custom moving quote from us and feel confident about the pricing well before moving day.