mlacey

Don't make the mistake of using Britannia Movers Glasgow - learn from my mistake!

Britannia Movers are not a single company! You think they're a reputable UK firm right?! Glasgow branch are just 'members' of the Britannia group which is very deceptive. There is no re-course to complain about anything.

Having forked out £4k for a 20ft container I then got hit with:
- £150 fee as my piano was loaded and although Britannia checked, their agent in Australia slapped on an additional fee after the container had left and I had no choice but to pay up
- quarantine inspection charges to the tune of $600 - for nothing
- $75 to destroy a christmas decoration
- $300 to fumigate a dresser

AQUIS will get you somehow! And I'm a bloody Australian - contrary to my other patriotic aussies I think it is daylight robbery and NOT in the interest of protecting our environment. A bit of common sense wouldn't go astray.

Britannia Movers Glasgow also stepped right out of the picture the moment the container left port in the UK and I was left to deal with their agent in Australia myself. Very poor value for money. The agent in Oz and Britannia clearly didn't communicate properly - they could even tell me when the container was expected to arrive - until the day it arrived. And with delivery planned to the wrong address. TOTAL SHAMBLES.

Get in touch if you want to know more,
Michelle

Rudi

Apart from the fee for the piano, the other costs have nothing to do with your shippers. It's a shame that your first post on here was not one to introduce yourself, rather than one to complain about something.

Rudi

Deedee13

I think its a shame that someone cant give their opinion to an experience and possibly help others. Quarentine costs seems to be the biggest scam of all shippers. I for one have no problem with the posters experience and his desire to share information. thanks.

Pollyana

Quarantine charges are down to AQIS. They are nothing whatsoever to do with the shipping company. They can't be paid in advance because the shippers can't predict what AQIS will charge.
Christmas decs are the most common item on here that people get charged for, there are hundreds of warnings on here about pine cones etc.

I know I complained about my own shiping company, but I didn't blame them for something which wasn't their fault.

Lord_Farquar

They are not a shipping company. They are removalists.

Surely they could have indicated the potential for charges from AQIS, when they were loading the stuff into the container.

Pollyana

They can't.
AQIS decide when the container arrives how much they want to inspect - and indeed whether they want to inspect anything at all. They then charge the basic fee, plus a fee for every item they consider needs to be destroyed or fumigated. Unless the guys loading the van are AQIs experts AND are psychic enough to know which boxes AQIS will look at there is no way they can quote a figure in advance.
The only figure they can quote in advance in the basic inspection fee, which is around $160. The rest is unpredictable.

Lord_Farquar

My point (which you missed) was that the removalist could tell you that AQIS might want to inspect your container and there may be further additional fees.

Weird Fish

Sounds like you didn't read your paperwork or do your homework and are now looking for someone else to blame.

We used Britannia and I agree the after service once everything left the UK was poor, but we were given a contract and export forms which clearly had information on what you can and cannot import into Aus. You as I recall have to sign a declaration for AQIS of what is in your boxes it is pretty clear about what penalties apply.

Lord_Farquar

I am not looking for anyone to blame. You as I recall from reading the thread that it wasn't me who use this removal company.

slipshot

It is probably fair for the OP to have an issue that the removal company did not advise him that things such as Xmas decorations would have been tagged and removed.

That said, it's hard to know in these situations what was and was not advised and we've all heard of numerous stories about issues with removal people who are extremely experienced...

Probably another one to add to the list with all the others...

mlacey

Thanks for the replies but many of you are missing the point. There are lots of people who want practical advice and experience. And for the record this might be my first post, but it isn't the first time I've browsed the site in the past two years.

People who are shipping their goods need to know who they can trust and what happens when things go wrong. A customer doesn't care of they are a 'shipping company' or 'removalist'. Where you are sold a full service - then you should get one.

When I shopped around for people to ship my container there WERE open and transparent companies like Anglo Pacific and I wish now that I'd used them. They were the same price but the sales person from Britannia insisted they were a more reputable company and bigger - which just isn't true. And with a bigger company you expect things to be co-ordinated. In this case there was no co-ordination or communication between the agent in Australia and Britannia. I may as well have dealt with someone direct in Australia and not paid the additional premium for a full service.

The paperwork is not clear from Britannia - it refers to agricultural inspection charges, nor did I sign anything that was to go to AQUIS about what was in the boxes. You would think that a basic AQUIS charge would be included - and it is with some firms - always ask, and ask again! Britannia did not set my expectations that I should expect additional charges at all. And they come swiftly!

The piano issue was basically against any consumer principles - they didn't quote me for an additional cost when I had a choice to do something about it. This is holding someone to ransom. This happened again when the container got to Australia where the agent emailed me paperwork to ask for my consent to fumigate but when I questioned this they said that they had already sent the item for fumigation and I just had to pay up. I am demanding photographic evidence of the two items and I would recommended other people do the same.

I'm not looking to blame anyone - just saying go in with your eyes wide open and ensure you get value for money £4k was money enough in my opinion and I should have got a damn good service!!!

BW,
Michelle

PS - Don't bother complaining to Association of British Removers - they have never even reponded to me when asking about their conciliation service.

Pollyana

And you think that using them would've been a guarantee that things went smoothly.....search the forum and think again

Kingseat

I had to complete quarantine forms before I left the UK. The packers took them back to the office when the container left. I also had to sign off all of Anglo's paperwork which detailed what was in the boxes. It was a triplicate form 1) one to me, 2) one to AP and 3) attached to the customs forms.

kar-kier

I guess I must have been one of the really lucky people. We paid Crown £3300 for a 20 foot container and only paid an additional $50 import tax on 2 bottles of alcohol when we arrived!

moneypenny20

Not knocking the fact that you're not happy with the service you received. Containers by the many thousands are floating around the world constantly, no shipping company is perfect all the time. That would be unrealistic to consider.

However, if you've browsed BE for a couple of years, I'm fairly amazed that you've never come across info like AQIS charges and fumigation issues with christmas decorations etc. Many many people have been vocal about what has and has not been fumigated or destroyed.

We were very lucky and just had the basic AQIS fee which had already been paid to John Mason before leaving and had nothing opened or checked but that is the exception. More often than not things are opened and checked. AQIS are very stringent and anal about anything coming in but you honestly can't blame Britannia and really can't expect any come back for the problems you found. Nothing was damaged, broken or lost (stolen), you did quite well imo.