BethandAndrew

Oh....did you see many then?!!!!
Beth x x

posh10

Hi all,

just to say i aint cancelled pickfords still getting quote for comparison. so stressful of what to believe on here. waiting for Robinson quote mainly as my sisters friend woeks for them so i have trust in them .

will let u all know though my quotes from each one.

Beth have u not sold house ?? what have u done ?? have u left it on mkt with the estate agents to sell??

Diane.

smoothhound1

In my early days of moving around the world I had no idea what the volume was that I wanted to send. I have found over the years that I can now look at what I want to send and have a pretty good idea of the volume. I have found that sometimes it will depend on the experience of the person that comes to see you.

It is difficult for people that are not in the removal industry to work out the exact volume, the members of this forum who are in the industry may agree with me?

The one thing that I will say in defence of the removers is that it is important that you show or tell each company the same items. I unfortunately did not do this on one of my early moves and realised to late in the day which meant the companies were not quoting for the same volume.

BethandAndrew

No we still haven't sold!!!! 10 months on the market now
£30k off the original asking price.....and still nothing.
Will give our solicitor the power of attorney so we can go to Oz and he can sign the house paperwork for us and send us the money when we do sell
Beth x x

Wheeler-Jones

By all means call them and ask them to check, or to provide a quotation based on the 70 cuft to compare. Let them know you have had other quotes which differ.

Sometime you will have a 3 bedroom house and have 4 quoted all completely different. Make sure the lists they give you are the same and the services so that you are comparing like for like.

Also you can work out your own cube, bear in mind I usually round up items that are export packed.

Someone else mentioned the calcuation - this was based in inches - l x w x h divide by 1728 and that will be the volume.

Or you could always add your list here and the many of us who have some experience will give you an idea!

Steve Lawson

Estimating the volume of packed boxes, before they are packed is nigh on impossible. Your salesman from Allied probably erred on the side of caution, thinking that you might produce extra goods from the loft on the day. The guy who estimated 70cuft may be trying to offer a low looking price for the job, only to charge you more once the men pick up the job (Or he may not have seen as many goods as the Allied Pickfords bloke). There are 2 obvious solutions for you to be sure you get the best deal for you:

1. Ask both the companies for quotes of 70 AND 130 cuft for comparison, choose then on a level playing field and prepay only for 70 cuft, but ask the firm to allow enough time for the men to pack 130 cuft (an extra hour), then when the men come to collect everything, get them to volume check before they leave (and write it on your receipt).
2. Cheaper still, pack up yourself using generic boxes (buy strong Pack 2's from a removal firm); make a detailed list of the contents for customs. (You wont get 'All Risk' insurance, unless the men repack or verify you've done the job right) -then ring round the shipping firms for the best quote and next container loading.

The fact is if you pack, it will be 70 cuft or less. If someone else does it in a couple of hours for you, it will be more. Doing it yourself, it will be half the price. Trust me. Until everything is packed you cant measure the volume (seamus!)

mr mover

A lot depends on the experience,of the estimator , we used to have a system where employees who had done the "hard yards"would eventually ,if they wanted to end up in the sales office.
We had very few problems, we now have "sales proffesionals"who have never packed a box or moved a stick of furniture in their lives, and rely on a soft ware program on a laptop which gives them the value[cubic size } of a piece of furniture, but their packing estimations are generally under the mark.
The old timers would, in a kitchen count the cupboard doors and give a tea chest for each door, and 9 times out of ten they were spot on.............mm

billywhiz007

Hooray,

Somebody who obviously has come up through the ranks as a "Removal Man"

Not some spotty urk who has spent a few years at business school with a lap top !

Export wrapping can add from 10 to 20% of the end volume, so the unpacked volume, {furniture especially} can end up a far greater volume than expected.

Never wrap or pack yourself, NEVER ! does not matter what anybody yells you, it cannot be insured ! TOTAL LOSS is the only cover you can get, so that few bucks you saved by packing it yourself, well thats soon lost if anything gets bust !!!

Getting back to the original thread here, Pickfords, well Im pleased to say I have heard some very good news ! cant say to much at the mo, but for you out there who are worried about your effects etc , dont !!
And for the Scaremongers out there ! well all I can say that the majority of them know absolute Jack ----

Remember where you heard this first !

billywhiz007

The UK Goverment should never have bailed out Northern Rock ! all the UK tax payers have had to pay for this !

So its the likes of me at 40% to have to pay for some snotty nosed pen pushers who cant do their sums !!!!!

cathy_rainbow

Just caught up on this message today!

Pickfords have our stuff in storage in the UK.

I wonder how that affects us? We have paid for 6 months storage and export wrapping and shipment to Tas if we decide to stay here..

Now I know why I haven't heard from them re the lorry driver knocking our wall and splitting it from top to bottom....

billywhiz007

Dont worry, your stuff will be OK, !! Yeah, Pickfords use pretty huge trucks, but maybe the drivers manager should have specified using a small vehicle if the access is tight !!


I own a Removal Company, started it from a Man & Van, so have not got a lot of time for pen pushers !

Steve Lawson

Lets be absolutely clear - about a half of MY customers pack themselves, we encourage it. They do so on the understanding that the insurance cover is limited (it is also a 1/3rd of the premium). Most people are only concerned about a whole shipment going astray, the odd breakage (if it happens) can be dealt with. MY customers did not need to make a single claim last year, because when they pack, they follow my guidelines, use the right materials and take their time. They will look after their own goods more carfully than any removals packer will in haste.

I agree with the pen pusher training, it doesn't work!

...and yes, I have heard that PICKFORDS WILL BE FINE!
...so please stop worrying, stop scaremongering and look out for an announcement this week (maybe even today)

BethandAndrew

Pickfords and PSS both told me they do ALL the packing, and I couldn't do any
Not that I was looking forward to packing everything, but I would have liked to wrap some sentimental stuff myself, just so I knew it was wrapped perfect for the journey.
Bit fed up of removal companies at the mo.........the one I do choose to use better be bloody good after all of this nonsense or else!!!!
Beth x x

Steve Lawson

Good answer Beth! Removal companies make money out of packing, I am not surprised their salesmen say this as it may be their company policy. You're the customer - you do what you want. Use the right materials and just make out a list for customs and leave the breakables for the men to put in boxes (for insurance). If they won't let you - call me! Heh, Heh. ...and don't worry!

BethandAndrew

Save me re-reading through this thread, who do you work for Steve? Do you come to South Wales as some companies don't
I didn't know I could pack anything myself!!!!! I would have been standing over the boys packing watching every move they made packing my stuff....LOL No really....I would
I even asked Pickfords and PSS how do they train their packers....like do they have to do so many hours packing before they are fully trained up
Beth x x