BAR ties rates to flow
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By Juliet Parish • The British Association of Removers has advised its 700 UK members to cut their rates during slack periods and increase them during busy periods to even out their workloads.
The Domestic Removals Seasonal Planner scheme is sup ported by major companies including Pickfords, the Britannia Group, Bishop's Move and White & Co. It suggests discounts of up to 20% during quiet periods, including Monday-Thursday between 1 January and 18 March, with a 50% increase on Sundays. BAR says that most house sales are completed in the summer, and the favourite moving day is Friday: "The irony is that often movers who can hardly cope on a Friday can have nothing to do earlier in the week," it says. The association accepts that the scheme can only work if it is applied by most removals operators. "If the major companies are working to a national system of ensuring a sensible method of charging then the whole industry must back them," it says. "To allow companies to put up their prices and then to cut their legs off by undercutting would be madness."
T Bourne & Son of Rye, East Sussex is among the smaller firms which plan to back the giants. Its managing director plans to review its rates in the next few weeks and does not fear further rate cutting because his competitors do not know his base rates.
The Road I laulage Association has ruled out a similar scheme for its members, after its attempts to introduce rate schedules were rejected by the Office of Fair Trading.