Watt Dabney

Hi all

we have got 4 removal companies coming to quote in a few weeks.
Anglo pacific, PSS, Bishops move & allied Pickfords.
In all of their brochures and letters they keep saying that I need to have a good idea of exactly what I am taking. One of them even included an inventory list which had boxes for filling in things like number of CD's and number of kids toys!!! :scared:

How the hell do I know to that exact degree exactly what we are taking!!

Please can someone tell me what to expect before i spend the next 2 weeks counting CD's, books and pieces of lego!!!


Thanx, stressing a bit!

Paula

chana

I also got four companies. I found out the following:
a) Actual shipping is not expensive
b) The storage, insurance and packing is much higher - one company will ship a piano for me in special packing for only A$300!
c) Watch out for the documentation and clearing charges (the piano one will kills me with all the fumigation and carrying charges)
d) If you are living in a unit/apartment- carrying boxes up the stairs/lift will incur extra costs. Please do ask them about it.

It is good to use a company with a branch/sister company on the other side. Otherwise, you may get down to a case of each pointing fingers at each other. About stuff you pack, if you are a family (you said toys?), ask for a price of a 20-foot container. It may be cheaper and your stuff stays in one big box and minimises your loss.

The Aussie authorities has a list of things you need and MUST declare. The others are usually OK!

Rgds
[email protected]



we have got 4 removal companies coming to quote in a few weeks.
Anglo pacific, PSS, Bishops move & allied Pickfords.
In all of their brochures and letters they keep saying that I need to have a good idea of exactly what I am taking. One of them even included an inventory list which had boxes for filling in things like number of CD's and number of kids toys!!! :scared:

How the hell do I know to that exact degree exactly what we are taking!!

Please can someone tell me what to expect before i spend the next 2 weeks counting CD's, books and pieces of lego!!!


Thanx, stressing a bit!

Paula [/QUOTE]

Nicki

    >Hi all
    >we have got 4 removal companies coming to quote in a few weeks. Anglo pacific, PSS,
    >Bishops move & allied Pickfords. In all of their brochures and letters they keep
    >saying that I need to have a good idea of exactly what I am taking. One of them even
    >included an inventory list which had boxes for filling in things like number of CD's
    >and number of kids toys!!! :scared:
    >How the hell do I know to that exact degree exactly what we are taking!!
    >Please can someone tell me what to expect before i spend the next 2 weeks counting
    >CD's, books and pieces of lego!!!
    >Thanx, stressing a bit!
    >Paula
    >--

Hello!

We had a couple of quotes done, and all we really did was walk round the house
pointing to bits of furniture/other household items saying "This", "This", "not
this". They certainly didn't ask how many bits of Lego (and in our case, K'Nex
too...) we were taking (thanks goodess
- we have enough to worry about as it is!)

Hope that helps!

Nicki.

ywoods

OMG is k'nex a nightmare or what.. been collecting it for about 7 years now, but thank god for young nephews... and poor unsuspecting sisters HAHAHAHAHAHA have 2 black bags worth... NIGHTMARE (over !!!)

Yvonne

20 days til we leave, 22 til we arrive. WATCH OUT MELBOURNE

baldbutts

you'll like this one

friends of ours arrived in adelaide about 6 weeks ago & their stuff has only just been sent.
seems in Brittanias small print it says stuff is shipped when a vessel is available.
It took 2 weeks to send their stuff from kent to Tilbury docks (that's the real place,not cockney for socks) & 6 weeks til a ship was available
Brittania ring us every month asking if were gonna use em.Cant wait for their next call when i'll give em a bit of baldbutt family verbal
p.s do you think i'll need a separate container for me thongs(not me flip flops)

Pat

I originally posted this as a reply to another question but it is also applicable here.Apologies if you have read it before.We will shortly be moving to a little country town north of Melbourne once the house sale finally goes through and we are using acompany called Doree Bonner to move all our stuff. We have booked what is known as a Non Operational Refridgerated container (NOR) which is about 20 foot long - size of a single garage. This is costing £3000 door to door plus insurance which is 3% off the declared value of the goods. I got quotes and visits from five different companies including Pickfords and Britannia. They were all within 2-3 hundred pounds in price. I choose this company because without doubt the salesman(James Dacey) who visited was so knowledgeable about custom regs fees etc and basically he only only deals with OZ and NZ. He provided a couple of very useful booklets regarding what you can and can't take and has obviously been doing his job for a while.They will deliver the container to my house and pack everything there and then over two days and then it is custom sealed outside the door. . It takes 6-7 weeks to arrive in Melbourne where it is checked by OZ customs and then shipped to our new home in Shepparton by Grace Brothers(a very reputable firm). They will also unpack it and take away all the wrapping etc. If your interested they are based in Dartford and cover the whole Southeast. They are also willing to negotiate the price if another company offers a similar service but with a cheaper quote. To be honest I didn't haggle because I was so impressed with the service given that I feel my belongings are in safe hands Hope this helps. Pat

Sandra

Hi there - don't stress - I did at the time and it wasn't worth it. We did the same as a previous poster - walked round the house with them and pointed - we brought the lot with us technics/k'nex and lego! (what can I say I still like playing with it). What we did calculate the CDs and DVDs etc for was the marine insurance so good to have an idea of what you want for insurance (if you don't have to already) we have a rather large collection of CDs and already had to have then listed.

Hubby and I sat down one night and chatted through items while we built a simple spreadsheet of items and costs (not in masses of detail) - worked out in our heads what we thought the costs of things are. Had a quick walk round the house to look at possible things we have forgotten (drink in hand!) And had a good laugh.

Don't panic, make it fun
cheers

sophia

Hi guys

We're using a company called Crown Relocations as they actually have offices in Australia so it's them you deal with door to door.

We got quotes from Britannia, Pickfords, Tudor Freight International and Crown relocations...although the quotes were within a couple of hundred quid of one another, none of the others actually had a presence in Australia and all of them were talking about "sister companies" doing that end.

We thought Crown were the most professional out of the ones we asked in, and they have an online tracking system which helps so you can at least get on their backs if your stuff appears to be sat in a docks somewhere in the UK!! Of course, have no REAL knowledge of any of them, just not sure of Pickfords as my boss had a real problem with them just moving from London to Leeds!!

Don't stress, most of them do the packing and customs inventory for you....all you have to do is work out the insurance bit for them.

love sophia xx

Watt Dabney

Hi all,

Thanks everyone for your advise. I am feeling much better about it all now!!!
We are going to Christchurch NZ so we will need one with offices there.

Just another quick question they say in all the blurb that they do all the packing for you, I was wondering if they will send you tea chests etc in advance for you to pack all the small stuff ready for their arrival because if they pack all that as well they will be here for weeks!!

We are hoping to have a 20ft container and fit in as much as we can. Sort of an A list & B list strategy, everything on the A list and as much of the B list as they can squeeze in!!!

Anymore usefull hints would be gratefully received


Thanx

Paula x

Misterbean

Think that the reason they want the list would be for 'insurance' Many Removalists
will tell of claims of 'missing' items from a removal. And in the tiny possibility
that there is a loss the better your inventory the easier your claim experience will
be. Suggest that the skill of the crane drivers plonking your container around and
the weather the vessel strikes will have more impact on your possessions than your
choice of removal companies. Do a check with consumer affairs to see if any Companies
have a bad history. Again - your luck in which removals 'team' actually does your
'pick up and pack' and 'delivery and unpack' is most significant. All removal
Companies have their good operators, and, their staff they would let go if they could
replace them! Whilst the policies mean that if you pack it's your risk - they pack
it's 'insurable' are true most Companies will offer the service that they pack the
'breakables' and you can pack the 'unbreakables'. Even then the things you pack can
then be insured against loss, etc. Just not transit breakage. Every insurance policy
I've ever seen doesn't cover mechanical or electrical de-rangement! That is - the
bone shaking ride has caused the stereo gear or washing machine to 'not work' on
arrival! They need to be fixed! And at your cost. Worked in the removal industry for
about 5 years and in my experience I would pack all the things that weren't really
breakable! Kids toys, CD's, Kitchen saucepans etc, books, cassettes, bedding,
clothing, tools and household implements, paperwork and school things, And if you
have the original packing for anything like stereos - computers - electrical things
then put them back into this packing yourself. The removal company will provide you
with the materials to do this at a nominal cost. Use their cartons!!!! The
'supermarket' boxes you can pick up for free are really worth what you pay for them!
Over the time and distance they will offer no protection or support to your 'things'.
(Possible exception is wine and spirit cartons or computer/electrical component
cartons) After that, let the removalists pack the breakable balance - like Crockery
and china, kitchen electrics like food processors, coffee machines 'glass jug',
Fragile ornaments, framed pictures and paintings, Make sure also that the insurance
you 'buy' covers water damage to all the things - not just what they pack. Containers
are great for everything except the odd 'box' that leaks!

Misterbean

Crowns and Pickfords are both very good - also read at the expensive end of the
scale! Containers don't 'sit' on the docks anymore!! The demurrage costs would be
opressive! Port of Melbourne Authority allows about 24 hours 'on the dock'.
Vehicles are time slotted in to collect their boxes (containers) On-line tracking
tells you where the stuff 'should be' - If the vessel is delayed in a port or by
weather then 'on-line tracking' won't know until someone tells it! Rubbish in =
Rubbish out and No input
= no output!
The sister Company they quote may well be Crown and Pickfords at this end. The
individuals on the 'team' you get will influence performance more than the Company!
International packing is very different from local removals. All the materials must
be 'single-use' cos they're never going to be returned. Pickfords in Melbourne would
rate better than Crown in general - it varies state to state also. Pickfords use many
'sub-contractors' which is a bit of a plus. The 'subbies' livelihood hinges on his
work performance- bit softer motivation for employees. If you can afford it let them
do the lot - the "gold Service" That's what they make the most profit on!! They'll
love you. The most profitable removals are Corporate and Government where all the
riskless crap goes too. And of course it's the easiest way for you. Packing
unbreakables is a bit like 'throw and stow' - can't go wrong! Want to save a quid -
do the 'max' yourself. But would always leave the breakables and your 'sentimentally
valuable' to the professional packers. Watch them - they earn their poor wages and
are very skilled (and under-appreciated!) A lot of people put great store by their
'special photo albums'! But really carrying them with you is probably the most risky
alternative. But ask for your photo albums to be wrapped waterproof in plastic. Do it
your self! Suprises me to hear sensible people judging removal Companies on the
'demeanour' of the assessors. (Otherwise called salesmen) Removals - like many
service industries - is another industry where the lowest echelon staff - and lowest
paid - will do the most 'hands on' with your possessions - logical? The worst removal
Company I ever worked for were as rough as guts! Had lots of work because their
'Commission only' paid sales force could sell or starve! And they had the knack of
quoting a few percent under the 'good' operators. To quote Neil Armstrong "how would
you feel travelling to the moon in a craft where every bit was made by the lowest
tenderer" Beware also of Removal Companies "professional associations" - Owned and
funded by Removal Companies. Though the Law Institutes are more incestuos Better I
think to analyse your bids and be careful of the lowest. They all know what the other
Companies will charge. Minor variations in the assessment of your 'volume' by each
Company are probably creating the 100 pound differences. Sharing a container? Will
your things be transhipped from the container or into another vehicle. Will yours be
packed straight into the container - or taken to the depot and 'aggragated'. Good
operators can get 3 x 20 foot containers into a 40 footer. Then things get nice and
profitable <smile>

Misterbean

Graces are well in the top echelon Pat. Have quite a few sub-contractors in their
mix. (This is good!) They brag in Victoria about being the 'Carriers to the Melbourne
Symphony Orchestra' as if that has any relevance to Household Removals. Shepparton is
a nice place and quite self sufficient. Gets as hot as Perth and colder than Hobart
at times.City just has a nice feel to it. Couple of hours easy drive to Melbourne -
depending on Police 'revenue collecting' on the highway!

Misterbean

Yep - that's the sort of stuff to take note of - more than 'on-line tracking'!!
Shipping schedules are published by the 'boat's agents' a long while in advance.
There's no excuse for that rubbish. They would be able to quote you the Vessel and
it's Voyage number if they booked a container spot for yours. Thereafter, a couple of
days either way should be the arrival date dependant on the weather, strikes and the
like. The container would be available 'ex-wharf' in Australai within a couple of
days. If your container is one of the ones on top the Port Authority could love to
have it off the wharf the day the ship berths. Customs, like most other Government
Authorities, run their own race here
- for them - not you!!! Raises a good point though - the professional Removalists
will have there own 'Customs bonded storage' - so your possessions won't leave
their premises and control.

sophia

Hi misterbean

Thanks for all the valuable info! We're shipping everything next week with crown so we'll have to just wait and see how they turn out, but you've raised a very good point about the shipping schedules and vessel number...will put that to them tomorrow and see what they come up with...cheers!!

love sophia xx

Nicki

Ooo - I dunno! Gotta love k'nex cos it keeps my young'un amused for hours! We keep
finding bits all over the house though. And when you tread on a piece - OUCH!

Nicki

On Sun, 25 Aug 2002 13:37:58 +0000, ywoods <[email protected]> wrote:

    >OMG is k'nex a nightmare or what.. been collecting it for about 7 years now, but
    >thank god for young nephews... and poor unsuspecting sisters HAHAHAHAHAHA have 2
    >black bags worth... NIGHTMARE (over !!!)
    >Yvonne
    >20 days til we leave, 22 til we arrive. WATCH OUT MELBOURNE