standinfor.me

Email templates · Mover

Email template to ask a mover for a binding estimate

You have a quote from a mover you like and you want to lock it in. Most first quotes are non-binding estimates: the mover's best guess, with the real charge based on the actual weight or hours on moving day. A binding estimate is different. It is a written agreement that the price is the price, as long as the shipment matches the inventory it was based on. For moves across state lines, federal rules require a mover to give you a written estimate, and a binding one must be based on a survey of your goods, which the mover can do in person or by video. Asking for it by email gets the mover to commit before your things are on the truck, when you still have the option to choose someone else.

Before you send

  • The quote you already have from this mover, with its date and the price. You are asking them to firm that up, not start over.
  • A complete inventory of what is moving. Walk through every room and closet and list the furniture and the box count. Anything you leave off can be charged extra later, so be thorough.
  • Your final list of services: packing, unpacking, disassembly of beds, appliance disconnection, and any extra stop. Each one should be in the estimate or it is not covered.
  • The access details at both ends, including stairs, elevator reservation times, and how far the truck will park from the door.
  • Your questions on coverage. The basic coverage included in most moves pays only 60 cents per pound per item, so a broken television is worth a few dollars. Ask what full-value protection would cost.
Subject Binding estimate request for my move on [move date] 
Hi [company or estimator name],

Thanks for the quote of [quoted price] dated [date] for my move from [origin city] to [destination city] on [move date]. I'd like to go ahead with you, and I'd like to make that a binding estimate before I book.

I've attached a full inventory of everything that's moving, room by room, including [number] boxes and the large items. The services I need are [loading, transport and unloading / plus packing of these rooms / plus disassembly and reassembly of beds]. Access at both ends is [details: floors, elevator or stairs, parking distance]. I'm happy to do a video survey at a time that works for you if that helps you firm up the number.

Could you send a binding estimate that states the total price, what it includes, and what would change it? Please also tell me the cost of full-value protection versus the basic 60 cents per pound coverage, and what deposit, if any, you require.

I'd like to book by [date].

Thanks,
[Your name]
[Your phone number]

Everything in brackets is yours to fill in. Keep the rest as it is or change the tone to match how you write.

After you send

  • The reply should be a document that says "binding estimate" and lists your inventory and services. Read the section on what changes the price. Extra items and extra services are fair; vague wording like "subject to conditions on the day" is not.
  • Some movers offer a "not-to-exceed" estimate instead, where you pay the binding price or less if the shipment comes in lighter. That is better for you than plain binding, so take it if offered.
  • If the mover says they cannot bind without an in-home survey, schedule one. If they say they never give binding estimates, choose another company.
  • Keep the binding estimate with you on moving day. If the crew tries to charge more for something that was on the inventory, you have it in hand.

Or don't send it yourself

Forward the job to myagent@standinfor.me and let StandIn run the whole thread.

StandIn is an email assistant that handles conversations with businesses for you. You write it one email saying what you need. It writes to the business, waits for the answer, follows up when they go quiet, pushes back on the number when it should, and brings the results back to your inbox for you to decide. You don't need to install an app or sign up. The first email you send is already the start of the task.

Hand this to StandIn opens an email to myagent@standinfor.me with the job already written out

To myagent@standinfor.me Subject Lock in a binding estimate with my mover 
Hi StandIn,

I'd like you to get my mover to commit to a binding estimate for my move, so the price can't go up on the day.

The mover: [company name and the email or person I've been dealing with].
Their quote: [amount and date].
The move: [from address to address, move date].
Inventory: [attached list, or a room-by-room description and box count].
Services: [load and transport / packing / disassembly / any extra stops].
Access: [floors, elevators, stairs, parking at each end].

Send them the inventory, ask for a binding or not-to-exceed estimate with the full-value protection price, arrange a video survey if they need one, follow up until the document arrives, and flag anything in it that could let the price rise.

Thanks,
[Your name]

Related templates