cancov

Please excuse my total thickness, but is a shipping agent a company like the ones I have been mentioning (such as Anglo Pacific, Cargobookers,Excess Baggage)?

I think I will be packing myself but using one of those companies-if I can get my head around this maze of cubic feet, cubic meters, quotes, extra charges....

Kellie

Butch Cassidy

Yep I'd class them as shipping agents, as far as I'm aware ITS assumed that they will have been SENSIBLE enough to ADVISE you to clean anything that could carry soil contaminants etc (eg garden ornaments, gardening implements, footware, even bikes and golf equipment).

cancov

I have about 25 pairs of boots, the kind you go clubbing in as opposed to hiking in....would I list these as "25 pairs of boots" in the inventory list? Could this cause trouble?

Anyways I have gone into detail on this footwear thing, which is very useful to know, but I don't want to stray too far from my original enquiry.....

Going back to quotes...I had a message from a local Britannia movers. She said door to door, 75 cubic feet= £535, I pack, they supply the boxes. I will need to ring her back tomorrow to find out if there are any hidden/extra charges to this quote. I am thinking this sounds good. I have decided I do want door to door service because I don't drive, I'll be on my own with 2 kids, and I'll be busy trying to get a job/work/get a home/and nurse my Mum, so trying to arrange getting the stuff from Toronto to London Ontario will be too much for me.

So, in anyone's experience, are Britannia good?

If you have used them, anything to watch out for, any tips?

Does 75 cubic feet sound like the right amount of space for the essential belongings of a 29 year old, a 9 year old, and a 7 year old? This will include: photo albums, paperwork, some books, clothes, shoes, boots, CDs, some toys, and sentimental nic nacs....no furniture, no crockery, no bedding, no electrical items?

Does £535 for 75 cubic feet sound like a good deal?

Thanks in advance (You guys are really helpful, and I do mean it)

Kellie

Butch Cassidy

The price sounds good, BUT the amount sounds too litle (IMO). I'd say closer to 100.

Canada Jane

Hi Kellie

We have just finished packing up all our boxes today - leaving next week.

We are using Excess Baggage and have 14 boxes - 8 are 51x41x61 and 6 are 51x41x27. You can fill each to a max of 35kg. In total we have packed clothing, photos, books, footware, Cd's ornaments etc. Total approx 400kg.

We are going to be paying around £1200 I believe - this will be confirmed either tomorrow or Thursday once they receive the boxes and weigh them. Then there is the additional insurance at 5% of the declared value.

We have been told to expect additional charges at the airport (Toronto) of around $150.

Once we get confirmed costs and exact weights I will post for info.

regards
Jane

R2D2

Ah...........see we had the full package from the movers.............they packaged everything up for us, door to door service and as we had a part shipment,(albeit quite a large part shipment), it went off on a truck to the depot in Machester first.

Can't remember the cost now or the size in cubic ft, but it included all port charges etc too. It was more than you guys are looking at though. Well over 1000 gbp. Then you have your ins costs on top.

We never even considered packing ourselves ............for 2 reasons :
1........we wanted it all done and out in one day, the day we moved out of our rental property.

2...........although it wasn't enough to warrant paying for a full container, there was still a lot of stuff and awkward shaped stuff too and some large items.
It would have taken me forever to export wrap and that would have meant living with hardly anything for weeks...........we had enough of that at this end.

As for bikes..............the guys from Anglo made it look easy. Pedals came off , and it was all loosened so the handle bars went flatish etc. Quite a neat little package when done, heavy export wrap on to protect and then into its own box.

Stu-pot

Hi Cancov, the shipper is trying to volumise your load to see who / what else they can get on the container. If your unsure of your specs 27 cubic feet is just under 1 cubic metre, this might sound daft but try putting masking tape 3' by 3' on the floor and have a stick /piece of wood 3' high. If you can pack all your belongs into this space in just under 3 times you'll be fine. As for the price because your shipping personnel belongings, shippers panick and give higher rates because the insurance scares them.

Stuart.

lousid

Hi all,
I've just shipped the following with FOX from Cardiff to Mission, BC. Door to door service for £1,300 including insurance. I sent over 30 boxes, a telescope, 3 bikes (jet-washed to remove grime), a 4drwr filing cabinet, 3 wardrobe cartons of clothes, 5 CD boxes packaged together to form a large box/parcel, various pictures, frames, prints etc and I was quoted up to 15 weeks. The stuff was shipped last week and I had a call to say they expect to make it to my new home (which I haven't yet purchased or moved anywhere near!!) possibly by the end of July! I'm impressed. The service was excellent and the follow up so far (after just a few days) has been great. No issues, no worries - so far, anyhow.

As for packing, I self-packed, but left the cartons open so they could put their own seals on, thereby effectively packing professionally and avoiding custom hassles further along (I hope). The whole process of loading took two hours as I had already boxed things, placed the majority in my garage and measured the floor space (very roughly) to see how much cu ft I had. I estimate about 125-150. It came out as 140, so I was pretty chuffed. I didn't bother with furniture, pretty much the same amount as Cancov; try boxing and taping the EMPTY cardboard cartons, place them in a room stacked and then work out the approx footage. We also used a shared container to save on costs. I think we had a good deal. My price was all inclusive, too.

Hope this helps. Sorry for any typos.
Sid

Butch Cassidy

Mate,
did you know theres a spell check facility????

cancov

It sounds like I have a bit less to send than this....no telescope, no bikes. then again, add some toys etc, maybe not.......

Is my maths right here?:

75 cubic feet is approx equal to 2 cubic meters, which is approx equal to 15 boxes of approx50x50x50 cm dimensions

Have I got this right or am I way out?

Kellie

shan

Hi,

We moved 17 boxes over in December. A man from Glasswells came and quoted us in advance, free, and came and packed them himself which only took about 3 hours. We had toys (lots), photos, cds, dvds and nic nacs.
Only 500 pounds, no extra costs anywhere.

Shan

Buchan6

Kellie,
Our load 12 Boxes, of approx50x50x50 cm.
1.6 cubic meters Wt 365 Kg
Cost 750 door/door as per PM

cancov

Hiya

This is a good price. Was it door to door service? Where were you in the Uk and where did you ship to?

About to go google this company......

Thanks

[/QUOTE]Our load 12 Boxes, of approx50x50x50 cm.
1.6 cubic meters Wt 365 Kg
Cost 750 door/door as per PM[/QUOTE]

Thanks for that. Gosh, I really hate maths!

Kellie

cancov

Hi everyone

You have all been so helpful and I really feel like I have learned so much about this just since yesterday, thanks to your help.

I have just spoken to the lady at the local Britannia Movers, here in Coventry. By far, she has been the nicest, most helpful person I have dealt with and I have to give praise to that.

So, this is the quote:

£532 for 75 cubic feet (approx 15 boxes sized 46x46x69cm)

£634 for 100 cubic feet (approx 20 boxes sized 46x46x69 cm)

They supply the boxes (£100 deposit), we pack. It is a full door to door service. They said I could expect up to 12 weeks to receive my stuff.

The insurance is 3% of the value claimed, with 5% tax on the premium, and £35 admin fee.

I think this sounds like a reasonable deal overall and like I said she was very nice and helpful. Its amazing what a bit of good customer service can do for a company!

The only cheaper quote I got was Cargobookers, but the woman made me feel quite dumb and wasn't overly helpful. The quote was:

£322.52 for 20 boxes at 50x50x50 cm dimension

Only door to Port service (which, as I already explained, would be problematic for me as it will be difficult for me to arrange to pick up my stuff from Toronto)

A further 'handling charge', which was 'guessed' at £100/£150 at the Port, when I go to collect my goods.

Only the first 8 boxes supplied free, then a charge of £1.50 per box.

No mention of the insurance cost

On the surface of it, Britannia looks to be twice as much as Cargobookers. My initial response would be to go with Cargobookers.

But then when I factor in that guessed 'handling fee' of up to £150, and the the extra £18 for boxes, then Cargobookers creeps up to £490.52.

Ok, there is still a difference of £143.48.

But then I still need to factor in the cost (and inconvenience) to have my stuff picked up from Toronto and brought to London Ontario. And I am presuming that there will be storage costs if my stuff has to sit in Toronto waiting to be picked up?

I don't drive and I can't think of anyone who could drive a van for me if I hired them one. So, I'm not too sure how I would go about arranging that final bit. I have no idea if it would likely cost less or more than £143 (or the Canadian dollar equivalent).

So, now the question is: Is £143 extra worth it for the convenience and peace of mind of a door to door service, and for the far superior customer service I received from Britannia?

I think my mind is already made up if you didn't notice!!!

Does anyone have any further advice for me on this? Any reviews of Britannia vs Cargobookers?

I wonder if these companies read these boards and realise how much the customers act as spokespeople for their businesses?......

Thanks again

Kellie

Buchan6

"So, now the question is: Is £143 extra worth it for the convenience and peace of mind of a door to door service"

ABSOLUTELY - It will cost you at least 100pounds for van hire, gas, insurance, etc then as you say theres the hassle of getting it from the warehouse to yourself.

Whoever you use be prepared for a price increase as you will likely exceed the weight that you originally quoted your shipper.
Best of luck !!!