White glove
White glove delivery, defined by what is actually done.
The phrase has been used by enough operators with an unmarked van and a moving blanket that it no longer tells a buyer anything. Here is the version that can be checked.
White glove delivery is a service where the item is protected before it moves, carried by trained handlers, placed in its final position, unpacked and assembled where required, and all packaging removed. It differs from standard delivery, which ends at the ground floor or the front door and leaves the customer with the rest.
Almost every furniture carrier in the country now advertises white glove delivery. Very few will tell you what their version includes, and the gap between two quotes using the same two words can be the difference between a piece installed to a floor plan and three boxes left in a hallway.
The practical test is simple. Ask what happens to the packaging, ask who carries the piece, and ask when the job is considered finished. The answers separate the operators quickly, and they are the three things the client actually experiences.
What it includes here
Four things, every time.
Protection applied to floors, doorframes and lift interiors before the piece is brought in. Handlers trained on fragile and high value goods, who do this work and nothing else. The item placed in its final position and unpacked, assembled where the piece requires it. All packaging removed on the same visit.
The job sheet does not close until the client is satisfied with the placement, which is the part that makes the other three mean anything.
Standard delivery, by comparison
Ground floor, no unpacking, packaging left.
A standard furniture delivery typically covers the ground floor only, excludes delivery to the room of choice, and does not include unpacking, assembly or rubbish removal. That is a legitimate service at a lower price and it is the right choice for plenty of goods.
It is the wrong choice for a piece a client has waited twelve weeks for, and the reason the two services should never be quoted as though they are the same thing.
Where to go next
Questions
The ones we are actually asked.
- What does white glove delivery include?
- At Ateam Logistics it includes protecting the access route before the piece moves, carrying by handlers trained on fragile and high value goods, placing the item in its final position, unpacking and assembling where required, and removing all packaging on the same visit. The job is not closed until the client is happy with the placement.
- How is white glove delivery different from standard delivery?
- Standard delivery usually ends at the ground floor or the front door, and excludes delivery to the room of choice, unpacking, assembly and rubbish removal. White glove covers all of those. The difference is most visible after the truck leaves.
- Is white glove delivery worth the difference in price?
- It depends entirely on the piece. For flat-packed or easily replaced goods it is not. For an item that is expensive, fragile, slow to replace or irreplaceable, the cost of one damaged delivery is usually larger than the difference across a year of them.
A conversation, then a proposal.
Every proposal starts with understanding your business: what you move, how much, how often.