Nobody explains this, so we will.

Because in Washington a number over the phone isn't an estimate — it's a guess, and guesses are how people end up arguing on a driveway with a loaded truck.

State rules require a licensed household goods mover to give you a free written estimate before any work begins, and to visually inspect your goods first unless you waive that in writing. We'll happily talk ballpark on the call. The number that binds us goes on paper after we've looked.

A binding estimate locks the price for exactly the items and services listed. If the list doesn't change, the price doesn't change.

A non-binding estimate is our honest assessment of what the job will cost. The final bill is based on the work actually performed — but it cannot exceed the written estimate, or any supplemental estimate you signed, by more than 25%. That ceiling is the law, not our policy.

You choose which one you want, and it's written on the estimate.

We stop, write a supplemental estimate, and you sign it before the extra work starts. That's a requirement, and it's also just the decent way to do it.

What is never supposed to happen is extra line items appearing on the bill at the truck door. If a mover does that to you, that's what the Commission's complaint line is for.

A move of 55 miles or less is priced by the hour under Tariff 15-C. Past 55 miles the state prices by the weight of your shipment and the distance travelled instead of by the clock.

Interstate moves don't use Tariff 15-C at all — they run under federal FMCSA consumer protection rules, which is different paperwork and a different rate basis.

Your bill of lading lists three levels. Basic value protection is included at no extra charge but pays a set amount per pound per item regardless of what the item is worth — which on a flat-screen TV is not much. Replacement cost with a deductible and replacement cost with no deductible both cost extra and both pay a great deal more.

If you select nothing, replacement cost with a deductible applies by default. We'll walk you through all three and you choose. We won't choose for you and we won't skip past it.

Payment of all lawful charges is due before we unload, unless we've made credit arrangements in writing beforehand. Cash, card or cheque.

One protection worth knowing: if the final charges exceed a non-binding estimate by more than 25%, we must unload on payment of 110% of the estimated amount, and you have 30 days to settle the balance. You do not have to choose between paying a surprise number and getting your things back.

Note it on the bill of lading at delivery, before you sign. Then you have nine months from the delivery date to file a written claim.

We'll acknowledge your claim in writing within ten business days and pay it, decline it, or make you a settlement offer within ninety days. Our whole process is published here, deadlines and all.

Storage-in-transit is possible and it gets recorded on the bill of lading, including the number of days. There are limits on how long goods may sit in the vehicle before you have to agree in writing to an extension. Ask us and we'll tell you exactly where the line is for your job.