Moving company cancelled or no-show: what to do now

Updated: October 2026Editorial team: Umzugsexpress GmbHTeam: 17 years in moving and clearance

The moving day is fixed, notice has been given on the flat – and the moving company cancels or simply does not turn up. Now the order matters: secure the move first, your claims second.

In short

Get the cancellation confirmed in writing, phone a replacement at once and inform the property manager if the flat handover is at risk. Whether you can claim extra costs depends on your contract and the company’s terms and conditions.

The first hour

Get the cancellation confirmed in writing, by email or WhatsApp. The template is further down.
Phone a replacement rather than writing. Have both addresses, floors, lift, number of rooms and heavy items ready.
Gather the company’s quote, order confirmation and payment receipts.
Check what depends on the moving day: flat handover, final cleaning, key handover.

Whether we can step in is something you find out on the phone: emergency move. The emergency plan shows the steps for your deadline.

Template: getting the cancellation confirmed in writing

Dear Sir or Madam

On [date, time] you informed me [by phone / by …] that you will not carry out the move on [date] from [address] to [address] (quote dated [date]).

Please confirm this to me in writing today. I ask you to refund the amount of CHF [amount] already paid.

I reserve the right to claim additional costs.

Kind regards
[First name Surname]

Template without guarantee; not legal advice. Whether you are entitled to additional costs depends on your contract and the company’s terms and conditions.

The company simply does not turn up: how to document it

Note every call with date and time.
Ask in writing and save the message. The Swiss consumer protection foundation advises keeping everything in writing and sending important letters by registered mail (Stiftung für Konsumentenschutz, in German).
Photograph the boxes and furniture you have prepared; the photo carries date and time.
If the company offers a new date, have it confirmed in writing (Beobachter, in German).

If the flat handover is at risk

Inform the property manager at once and ask whether the handover can be postponed. Anyone who does not move out when the tenancy ends continues to owe rent and ancillary costs and has to pay for the resulting damage (Beobachter, 13 April 2023, in German).

If a move into the new flat is not possible before the handover, storage remains: first into the depot, later into your new home (emergency storage). The final cleaning shifts with the move (emergency cleaning).

What Swiss consumer guides say about your rights

We have not found a Swiss source that deals with exactly the case “moving company does not turn up”. The following points come from guides on tradespeople in default and on late delivery. Whether they apply to your contract is a matter for legal advice or your legal protection insurance.

Default and grace period: someone who is behind with a service is sent a reminder and thereby put in default. You then set a grace period and announce that you will otherwise withdraw from the contract. The periods have to be reasonable (Beobachter, 5 April 2023).
Fixed date: if a fixed date was agreed and has already passed, you can skip the reminder according to Beobachter – but if in doubt, set one deadline too many rather than too few.
Read the terms and conditions: the right to withdraw may have been removed in the general terms and conditions.
Extra costs: for sales contracts, the consumer protection foundation writes that with a firmly agreed date default occurs automatically and additional costs can be claimed as damages (Konsumentenschutz, updated 6 January 2026). That does not prove that the same applies to a move.
Legal protection: if you have legal protection insurance, it supports you in making a claim against the moving company (AXA, 28 April 2023, in German).

So that it does not happen next time

Ask for a written quote stating the date and time of the move (Beobachter, 5 March 2026, in German).
Ask about the company’s carrier’s liability and business liability insurance.
Be suspicious if there are only euphoric or only very short reviews.
Check in the commercial register whether the company exists and where it is based: Zefix, central business names index.

Our details for comparison: Umzugsexpress GmbH, Pfadackerstrasse 9, 8957 Spreitenbach, UID CHE-364.049.074; carrier’s liability insurance with Allianz Suisse.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to set the moving company a grace period?

According to Beobachter, a reminder and a grace period are generally needed with service providers in default; if a fixed date has already passed, the reminder can be omitted. What applies to your contract is a matter for legal advice.

Will I get my deposit back?

Demand repayment in writing. For sales contracts, the consumer protection foundation names debt enforcement as the next step if no payment is made. Take advice before you start legal proceedings.

Who pays the extra costs of the replacement company?

That depends on your contract and the terms and conditions. We have not found a Swiss source that settles this for moves.

Can you step in the same day?

If a team is free, yes. Otherwise we tell you on the phone when the next free slot is.

Is there an ombudsman for moves?

We have not found one. ASTAG, the road transport association, has a furniture transport section as the industry body; its page does not mention a complaints office for customers.

Sources

This article is not legal advice. As of October 2026.

Moving company has cancelled or does not turn up: what to do now