Allied Pickfords, any opinions?
Feb 6th 2008, 9:55 pm
#61
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Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 45
Re: Allied Pickfords, any opinions?
We have decided on Doree Bonner and their good reputation.
The most expensive out of 4, but they have been happy to haggle and although they are still the most expensive (not my much) I haven't been able to find many bad things said about them, thereas the other 3 companies are a bit hit and miss.
The salesman is really nice and has answered my 60 gazillion questions and is coming back to check our volume after a huge clearout (after JM's overquesstimate) and sort out.
In fact, I am absolutely fed up to the back teeth of 'sorting out and chucking out' I am never buying anything ever again.................
The most expensive out of 4, but they have been happy to haggle and although they are still the most expensive (not my much) I haven't been able to find many bad things said about them, thereas the other 3 companies are a bit hit and miss.
The salesman is really nice and has answered my 60 gazillion questions and is coming back to check our volume after a huge clearout (after JM's overquesstimate) and sort out.
In fact, I am absolutely fed up to the back teeth of 'sorting out and chucking out' I am never buying anything ever again.................
Feb 6th 2008, 10:53 pm
#62
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Joined: Feb 2007
Location: Hagley Tasmania - Love this place...
Posts: 163
Re: Allied Pickfords, any opinions?
We had a guy from Allied Pickfords come out to see us today so he could give us a quote for shipping. They came across as a very professional group who really care about the stuff there moving (there was even a little book for our son in the information they gave us). We just want to know if anyone else has used this company and if you think they were good. They are the only company who have come out to see us and we have contacted loads. Any opinions would be greatly appreciated, thanks.
P.S. I think I put this in the wrong place to start with, sorry.
P.S. I think I put this in the wrong place to start with, sorry.
They were excellent and realy nice guys too.
Cathy
Feb 7th 2008, 6:32 am
#63
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Joined: May 2007
Location: Gold Coast, Australia
Posts: 337
Re: Allied Pickfords, any opinions?
With regards to the packing and boxing of good with allied pickfords, we supervised the packers, and were satisfied at the manner in which they were packed.
however, when we received our goods on this side, the boxes had been opened by customs and everything was upside down and out of the packaging. They use a different colour boxing tape, so u can see what has been inspected. So i think australian customs may be to blame for some of the damages, and not the shippers?
however, when we received our goods on this side, the boxes had been opened by customs and everything was upside down and out of the packaging. They use a different colour boxing tape, so u can see what has been inspected. So i think australian customs may be to blame for some of the damages, and not the shippers?
Feb 7th 2008, 7:10 am
#64
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Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 45
Re: Allied Pickfords, any opinions?
Yes, I totally understand that. My gut feeling goes for Doree Bonner though.
Feb 21st 2008, 4:29 pm
#65
Removals Specialist
Joined: Jun 2007
Location: Sussex, England
Posts: 726
Re: Allied Pickfords, any opinions?
Thats quite a damning statement - you imply that any temp staff employed by a removal company are potentially thieves!!! - Mr M - what do you think about that??
You'll find that Bournes and the majority of companies in the UK, neigh around the world will use 'temp staff' at some point. But where they do use them then they are generally employed for unskilled elements of the removal - such as lifting and carrying under the supervision of full time employees rather than let loose on specialist export packing.
Companies (and not just removal companies) have to supplement their workforce at certain times of the year to assist them 'cope' with demand. But you will find that removal companies will only usually use specialist contract packing companies (subbies) for overseas type moving and packing. These subbies generally employ fully qualified export packers and generally work to strict guidelines laid down by the companies that they work. This is how Grace work with Mr M and given the commendations he gets on here they are more than happy with the service he and his company provides to its own customers, which, is generally the norm where a removal company has these sort of arrangements!!
You would be surprised - some of big International Moving companies around the world have very few of their own removal staff staff and generally rely on the expertise of specialist sub contractors!!
So whilst your Grandparents may have had a bad move - given the location that they have moved to - it is more likely that if anything went missing it was as a consequence of a customs inspection
rather than 'temporary staff' employed by their removal company in the UK.
Chris
You'll find that Bournes and the majority of companies in the UK, neigh around the world will use 'temp staff' at some point. But where they do use them then they are generally employed for unskilled elements of the removal - such as lifting and carrying under the supervision of full time employees rather than let loose on specialist export packing.
Companies (and not just removal companies) have to supplement their workforce at certain times of the year to assist them 'cope' with demand. But you will find that removal companies will only usually use specialist contract packing companies (subbies) for overseas type moving and packing. These subbies generally employ fully qualified export packers and generally work to strict guidelines laid down by the companies that they work. This is how Grace work with Mr M and given the commendations he gets on here they are more than happy with the service he and his company provides to its own customers, which, is generally the norm where a removal company has these sort of arrangements!!
You would be surprised - some of big International Moving companies around the world have very few of their own removal staff staff and generally rely on the expertise of specialist sub contractors!!
So whilst your Grandparents may have had a bad move - given the location that they have moved to - it is more likely that if anything went missing it was as a consequence of a customs inspection
rather than 'temporary staff' employed by their removal company in the UK.Chris
As a Bournes employee I can categorily state that we do not use temporary staff, not selling but defending your statement, we only use our own full time employed staff - many of whom have been with us for a great length of time.
We manage to retain all these staff through the quieter periods as we hold their experience and skills in great regard, they are all trained by our own BAR qualified instructor specifially in export packing and international removals - these skills are important and thats why we always use our own staff and try to keep as much experience within our crews as possible.
I dont doubt that many of the 'big movers' use temporary staff, but please dont think that they all do.
Ian - all the best for your new life on the other side!
Kirsty
Feb 22nd 2008, 12:04 pm
#66
Forum Regular
Joined: Mar 2007
Location: Greenwith, SA
Posts: 55
Re: Allied Pickfords, any opinions?
[QUOTE=kirstyp;5965046]That's a bit of a sweeping statement there Chris, be careful as people can interpret light comments like this on forums as fact.
As a Bournes employee I can categorily state that we do not use temporary staff, not selling but defending your statement, we only use our own full time employed staff - many of whom have been with us for a great length of time.
We manage to retain all these staff through the quieter periods as we hold their experience and skills in great regard, they are all trained by our own BAR qualified instructor specifially in export packing and international removals - these skills are important and thats why we always use our own staff and try to keep as much experience within our crews as possible.
I dont doubt that many of the 'big movers' use temporary staff, but please dont think that they all do.
Kirsty - It may be a sweeping statement but as you work in the removal industry you of all people should that it is true!!!!! and if you genuinely believe that it is not true - then you are living in a dream world.!!!!!
Your company and others will use a 'temp' workforce every year to supplement a regular workforce thus being able to accommodate the demands of business at certain times. As suggested in my previous submission in the main 'the temp workforce' will only be used on a move that require less skills, which predominantly will be moves within the UK.
Overseas moving is a different ball game in terms of skillset required but temp workforces are still used for this type of moving that said they are generally specialist teams of contract export packers who are guarranteed levels of work for certain periods of the year, consequently the quality and productivity offered by these teams is generally better than the actual employees!!!!
Hope this clarifies matters for you!!!!
As a Bournes employee I can categorily state that we do not use temporary staff, not selling but defending your statement, we only use our own full time employed staff - many of whom have been with us for a great length of time.
We manage to retain all these staff through the quieter periods as we hold their experience and skills in great regard, they are all trained by our own BAR qualified instructor specifially in export packing and international removals - these skills are important and thats why we always use our own staff and try to keep as much experience within our crews as possible.
I dont doubt that many of the 'big movers' use temporary staff, but please dont think that they all do.
Kirsty - It may be a sweeping statement but as you work in the removal industry you of all people should that it is true!!!!! and if you genuinely believe that it is not true - then you are living in a dream world.!!!!!
Your company and others will use a 'temp' workforce every year to supplement a regular workforce thus being able to accommodate the demands of business at certain times. As suggested in my previous submission in the main 'the temp workforce' will only be used on a move that require less skills, which predominantly will be moves within the UK.
Overseas moving is a different ball game in terms of skillset required but temp workforces are still used for this type of moving that said they are generally specialist teams of contract export packers who are guarranteed levels of work for certain periods of the year, consequently the quality and productivity offered by these teams is generally better than the actual employees!!!!
Hope this clarifies matters for you!!!!
Aug 14th 2008, 4:10 pm
#67
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Joined: Jul 2007
Location: Melbourne
Posts: 64
Re: Allied Pickfords, any opinions?
Hi,
He also gave us a tip that the others didn`t. He told us to put soft things like cushions bedding etc into the washer ,tumble dryer etc owt with a hole
He also advised us to put some clothing ,linen into the drawers of units etc as this would reduce the volume therefore reducing the cost
Malc
He also gave us a tip that the others didn`t. He told us to put soft things like cushions bedding etc into the washer ,tumble dryer etc owt with a hole
He also advised us to put some clothing ,linen into the drawers of units etc as this would reduce the volume therefore reducing the cost Malc
Aug 14th 2008, 4:23 pm
#68
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Joined: Jul 2007
Location: Melbourne
Posts: 64
Re: Allied Pickfords, any opinions?
It probably means we'll go with Excess International instead (who match on price).
Aug 15th 2008, 5:01 pm
#69
Just Joined
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 13
Re: Allied Pickfords, any opinions?
I work for Pickfords and I think you may have misunderstood the Insurance we offer.Any Company offering you Full Insurance, as opposed to liability cover, would have to charge the Insurance Premium Tax ( IPT ). This is the Government's version of vat on Insurance.
It works like this, say you have a value of 10,000 gbp of goods @ 3%, the
premium would be 300.00 gbp + IPT @ 5% , which would be 15.00 gbp.
So the IPT is 5% based on the Premium, not the value of goods.
I hope this helps, let me know if you have any other questions.
Grady
It works like this, say you have a value of 10,000 gbp of goods @ 3%, the
premium would be 300.00 gbp + IPT @ 5% , which would be 15.00 gbp.
So the IPT is 5% based on the Premium, not the value of goods.
I hope this helps, let me know if you have any other questions.
Grady
Aug 16th 2008, 11:08 am
#70
Forum Regular
Joined: Jul 2007
Location: Melbourne
Posts: 64
Re: Allied Pickfords, any opinions?
I work for Pickfords and I think you may have misunderstood the Insurance we offer.Any Company offering you Full Insurance, as opposed to liability cover, would have to charge the Insurance Premium Tax ( IPT ). This is the Government's version of vat on Insurance.
It works like this, say you have a value of 10,000 gbp of goods @ 3%, the
premium would be 300.00 gbp + IPT @ 5% , which would be 15.00 gbp.
So the IPT is 5% based on the Premium, not the value of goods.
I hope this helps, let me know if you have any other questions.
Grady
It works like this, say you have a value of 10,000 gbp of goods @ 3%, the
premium would be 300.00 gbp + IPT @ 5% , which would be 15.00 gbp.
So the IPT is 5% based on the Premium, not the value of goods.
I hope this helps, let me know if you have any other questions.
Grady
I hope you appreciate that I'm reluctant to commit to using a company that can't agree on such basics.
That said, I do find it odd that the other companies who quoted told me that they do not charge IPT, given that you say it's a compulsory government tax.
Last edited by londonmike; Aug 16th 2008 at 11:10 am. Reason: added further information
Aug 18th 2008, 9:39 am
#71
Forum Regular
Joined: Jul 2007
Location: Melbourne
Posts: 64
Re: Allied Pickfords, any opinions?
is there a way you can take out your own insurance seperate from the company thats actually shipping it? cause at this rate its going to cost us another £1500 [at least] to insure our container.
I would appreciate anyone that has an opinion on this,as i dont really fancy paying that much to ship our stuff out.
thanks
Andrea
I would appreciate anyone that has an opinion on this,as i dont really fancy paying that much to ship our stuff out.
thanks
Andrea
It looks to me that most of the shippers offer their own insuance at 3%.
Aug 18th 2008, 9:42 am
#72
Forum Regular
Joined: Jul 2007
Location: Melbourne
Posts: 64
Re: Allied Pickfords, any opinions?
we've just had a quote for £1,850 and we're barely taking any furniture. Think they are taking the p***
We're taking 2 armchairs, 1 bed, 1 dining table and that's it for furniture!
We are taking most of our possessions and lots of quite large original art, but this is still way more than expected.
they didn't put their estimated volume on the quote which I don't like as it makes it hard to see if you are comparing like for like.
We're taking 2 armchairs, 1 bed, 1 dining table and that's it for furniture!
We are taking most of our possessions and lots of quite large original art, but this is still way more than expected.
they didn't put their estimated volume on the quote which I don't like as it makes it hard to see if you are comparing like for like.
By way of a guideline, I have matching quotes from two companies of £2085 for 450cft.
Aug 18th 2008, 10:06 am
#73
Just Joined
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 13
Re: Allied Pickfords, any opinions?
Mike,
I apologise for the confusion, it may be that our Coordinator misunderstood you during the phone conversation, the premium levels for Insurance are correct per my example ( provided no goods fall into the hi value category - see forms for details) So for every 10,000.00 gbp of Insurance the IPT would be 15.00 gbp.
Any Company offering you Insurance will have to charge IPT.Those not charging IPT are probably offering Standard Liability instead.Companies
offering Insurance have had to train staff to required FSA levels and are open to scrutiny from The FSA who regulate Insurance sales.If you purchase Insurance you will receive a certificate with yourself as the ''Insured''.
I hope this clarifys the matter, I can be reached on 020 8219 8335 if you
wish to discuss this further.
Grady
I apologise for the confusion, it may be that our Coordinator misunderstood you during the phone conversation, the premium levels for Insurance are correct per my example ( provided no goods fall into the hi value category - see forms for details) So for every 10,000.00 gbp of Insurance the IPT would be 15.00 gbp.
Any Company offering you Insurance will have to charge IPT.Those not charging IPT are probably offering Standard Liability instead.Companies
offering Insurance have had to train staff to required FSA levels and are open to scrutiny from The FSA who regulate Insurance sales.If you purchase Insurance you will receive a certificate with yourself as the ''Insured''.
I hope this clarifys the matter, I can be reached on 020 8219 8335 if you
wish to discuss this further.
Grady
Aug 19th 2008, 8:43 am
#74
Forum Regular
Joined: Jul 2007
Location: Melbourne
Posts: 64
Re: Allied Pickfords, any opinions?
...
Any Company offering you Insurance will have to charge IPT.Those not charging IPT are probably offering Standard Liability instead.Companies
offering Insurance have had to train staff to required FSA levels and are open to scrutiny from The FSA who regulate Insurance sales.If you purchase Insurance you will receive a certificate with yourself as the ''Insured''.
I hope this clarifys the matter, I can be reached on 020 8219 8335 if you
wish to discuss this further.
Grady
Any Company offering you Insurance will have to charge IPT.Those not charging IPT are probably offering Standard Liability instead.Companies
offering Insurance have had to train staff to required FSA levels and are open to scrutiny from The FSA who regulate Insurance sales.If you purchase Insurance you will receive a certificate with yourself as the ''Insured''.
I hope this clarifys the matter, I can be reached on 020 8219 8335 if you
wish to discuss this further.
Grady
Thanks for that - that does clarify things. I was surprised to discover yesterday that Pickfords also (in the small print) have a *minimum* insurance level value that comes in above our estimated value. In effect, it means that our premium with Pickfords is more like 3.5% than the 3% we were told about! I'm currently looking at third party insurers with 'personal Effects Insurance' premiums of around 1.6%.
On another note, I've been told that we need to provide a list of *all* (without exception) wooden or part-wooden items in our shipment in our customs declaration. This would include chairs, kitchen utensils, speaker cabinets, picture frames, and even the feet on our sofa(!); as well as countless small ornaments. This seems a bit excessive to me, and a not inconsiderable amount of work on our part to list. Is this something else that has been 'lost in translation' ?
Thanks for your assistance, very much appreciated.
Aug 19th 2008, 9:35 am
#75
Banned
Joined: Apr 2003
Location: Angle vale Sth Australia
Posts: 5,353
Re: Allied Pickfords, any opinions?
Hi Grady,
Thanks for that - that does clarify things. I was surprised to discover yesterday that Pickfords also (in the small print) have a *minimum* insurance level value that comes in above our estimated value. In effect, it means that our premium with Pickfords is more like 3.5% than the 3% we were told about! I'm currently looking at third party insurers with 'personal Effects Insurance' premiums of around 1.6%.
On another note, I've been told that we need to provide a list of *all* (without exception) wooden or part-wooden items in our shipment in our customs declaration. This would include chairs, kitchen utensils, speaker cabinets, picture frames, and even the feet on our sofa(!); as well as countless small ornaments. This seems a bit excessive to me, and a not inconsiderable amount of work on our part to list. Is this something else that has been 'lost in translation' ?
Thanks for your assistance, very much appreciated.
Thanks for that - that does clarify things. I was surprised to discover yesterday that Pickfords also (in the small print) have a *minimum* insurance level value that comes in above our estimated value. In effect, it means that our premium with Pickfords is more like 3.5% than the 3% we were told about! I'm currently looking at third party insurers with 'personal Effects Insurance' premiums of around 1.6%.
On another note, I've been told that we need to provide a list of *all* (without exception) wooden or part-wooden items in our shipment in our customs declaration. This would include chairs, kitchen utensils, speaker cabinets, picture frames, and even the feet on our sofa(!); as well as countless small ornaments. This seems a bit excessive to me, and a not inconsiderable amount of work on our part to list. Is this something else that has been 'lost in translation' ?
Thanks for your assistance, very much appreciated.
http://www.daff.gov.au/aqis
.........mm
