di90

they have under estimated by about 120 cu ft compared to the 4 other companies that have been round. This works out to be about £400-500 less. I was also told by one of the others to avoid them as their company is not very stable in financial terms.

really confused any advice from anyone who has had a quote from them would be appreciated.

Dorothy

Allied Pickford moved us long haul on 4 occassions. Very little breakage, lower price than the others and good customer service for us. I would seriously re-consider any company that speaks ill of it's competition. I would recommend Pickfords, but everyone's experience is different.

Disco01

Hmmm, I am always wary of salesmen who slag off the competition. Bad form in my opinion!

di90

Totally agree with you there, i have always thought it as unprofessional but this was one of the BIG competetors and very highly regarded on here! The guy said to me that even if i didn't go with them, whatever i did, don't go with pickfords and that the guy has under quoted me and will end up charging me the rest once once they realise that its not 430 cu ft.

I liked pickfords aswel but the fact they really underestimated the cu ft worries me.

nickyjohnt

Did Allied under estimate, or the others over estimate ? I would also have doubt about using any one which slaggs off any competition. But they are salesman

John

Rossi

Depends on the wording of the paperwork i.e.

If it states "Quotation" then it is a legally binding contract to complete the work for that price, and can only be varied with both parties consent

If it says "Estimate" then it is really a "best guess" scenario and can be varied

I personally avoid companies who's selling point is to show how bad the competition is.........I'm more interested in hearing why they think they're better

londongrady

I have worked for Pickfords for nearly 30 years. I can assure you that we would never intentionally underestimate a shipment.Usually Companies would
attach a list of the goods comprised within the estimate - if you have these it may be possible to check to see if there is a material difference in the lists -
have we not included something that the others have?
If you want to mail me at [email protected], then I would be happy to double check your file to see if I can help clarify further.

Additionally you may also want to ask the Pickfords Centre to requote on the same cubic capacity ie 550 cft, then you would have several quotes on matching volumes. Pickfords would be happy to ensure any final billing was assessed on the final volume packed/collected.This would at least provide you with a safety net in terms of overall costs and allow like for like
comparisons, you could also, if we are right, ensure you save over the Competitor quotes!

Pickfords are owned by a Company called Moving Services Group and are part of a larger Pan European group called TEAM Allied, we have been trading for
405 years and are financially secure. We also hold a bond that would guarantee up to 125% of of the original contract price on behalf of any individual's goods we have in our care should we cease trading - this however
I stress is most unlikely.

Pickfords are also members of the BAR ( British Association of Movers)
and FIDI ( the World Association of Movers) and have regular audits of their
FIDI FAIM quality accreditation. Through the Allied Network we have 37 offices in Australia, 12 in New Zealand and 600 overall Worldwide.

Competitor Companies should be stressing their strengths and services, so that Individuals can make informed choices that suit their needs.
It is indeed unprofessional for a Competitor to talk to you in such a manner, what he said is also untrue. Again if you wish to let me know, then I will report this Company to the BAR, so that the Salesperson can be addressed by our Trade body.

I hope this has answered some of your concerns, estimates can vary on occasions and All Companies would sometimes have the smallest figure - it
should never be an intentional ploy, more an honest estimate based upon the
items seen.It is though an estimate and mistakes can happen, if you follow
my suggestions above, then your position can be completely safeguarded.

Please let me know if I can help you further

Grady

di90

thankyou to everyone for your replies. I think i will give them a call and ask for them to re quote and go from there.

steph82

I contacted a various shipping companies for an estimate and they were roughly the same. I chose 2 companies to come out to give me a quote (one of them being allied pickfords). I showed each of them the items that we would be taking and allieds quote came back £500 cheaper than the other.

Plus the guy from allied actually took the time to tell me about certain stuff that i would need to do i.e. check the tv can be set up for australia and ways around it if it cant, that we need the locking bolts for the washing machine to hold the drum in place otherwise it would be damaged in the move. These were things we had never considered and the guy from the other company never told us.

Plus they unpack everything at the other end and take away the packaging rather than leaving it for you do dispose of it yourself like the other companies would.

I was impressed with them.