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our shipping company search

our shipping company search

Old Mar 12th 2013, 4:34 am
  #91  
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Default Re: our shipping company search

Originally Posted by Kaye5
Interesting. We are at the moment deciding between GB Liners, PSS and Moving Partnership. Who was the move actually with for GB Liners (we've been speaking with McKendricks in Aberdeen, which now strikes me as odd seeing as Edinburgh must be their nearest branch)?
Hmmmm, I've racked my brain and been through the paperwork and as far as I can remember the truck had GB Liners on the side of it so I'm not sure if it was sub contracted or not. Sorry I can't be of more help.

Of course everyone has different experiences and we may have just been unlucky. I just would hate not to pass on our experience and for someone to go through what we did.

Regardless, the very best of luck to you. Moving your stuff is just one part of the big adventure and once you have that sorted you'll have a great time here I've no doubt!

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Old Mar 12th 2013, 8:49 am
  #92  
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Default Re: our shipping company search

Originally Posted by spiffington

Of course everyone has different experiences and we may have just been unlucky. I just would hate not to pass on our experience and for someone to go through what we did.


Oh absolutely. Good to hear the bad reviews as well as the good ones. It's certainly an experience that I will run by GB Liners when I speak to them today.

McKendricks themselves get good reviews online - if it turns out it will be someone from Edinburgh doing the move... hm. I am wondering why they send someone all the way from Aberdeen to do the quote...

I think a lot of them do use other firms - Moving Partnership use Hamiltons I believe - so perhaps you don't get who you think you're getting!

In terms of insurance claims, my recent experience of such has been that they will do anything at all to get out of paying (make it difficult for the claimant; make them work; make them sooooo frustrated that they will simply give up). Sadly, I suspect this experience is all too common with insurance claims in general.

Out of interest, was your shipping groupage or sole use of a container?
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Old Mar 12th 2013, 9:09 pm
  #93  
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Default Re: our shipping company search

[QUOTE=Kaye5;10598539]Oh absolutely. Good to hear the bad reviews as well as the good ones. It's certainly an experience that I will run by GB Liners when I speak to them today.

McKendricks themselves get good reviews online - if it turns out it will be someone from Edinburgh doing the move... hm. I am wondering why they send someone all the way from Aberdeen to do the quote...

I think a lot of them do use other firms - Moving Partnership use Hamiltons I believe - so perhaps you don't get who you think you're getting!

Hi Kaye,
David from McCormicks came to see us back in January, he said to me that the head guy from Edinburgh was long term sick or had recently left and hadn't been replaced hence he was covering Lothians and the North east regions as they are a partner company of GB Liners.
I'm still undecided as to who we're going with GB or MP but am erring towards GB Liners as they have actually been out to do an estimate whereas MP haven't - although Matthew has been fab to deal with on the phone.
Have you got a definite move date now?
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Old Mar 12th 2013, 9:32 pm
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Default Re: our shipping company search

[QUOTE=bcmama;10599912]
Originally Posted by Kaye5

Hi Kaye,
David from McCormicks came to see us back in January, he said to me that the head guy from Edinburgh was long term sick or had recently left and hadn't been replaced hence he was covering Lothians and the North east regions as they are a partner company of GB Liners.
I'm still undecided as to who we're going with GB or MP but am erring towards GB Liners as they have actually been out to do an estimate whereas MP haven't - although Matthew has been fab to deal with on the phone.
Have you got a definite move date now?
Yes, I spoke to David today. The guy from Edinburgh is no longer there and hasn't been for a while. I don't think they were very pleased with him, it seems....

I agree with you re thoughts on GB/MP. MP sent out some sub contractor guy who was slightly odd and made me a bit uncomfortable. GB came out in person (David).

I honestly don't know why I'm stressing so much about this. We aren't moving priceless antiques and I've moved in the past without batting an eyelid at who moved us, nor worrying about the odd battered bedstead. Right now, I have so much info flying around my head's hurting. Will probably be GB if I can't choose on anything other than price, they are coming in cheaper and every penny counts right now. If we have the experience from hell, I will let everyone know!!

(We are moving end May/first week in June.)
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Old Mar 12th 2013, 9:39 pm
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Default Re: our shipping company search

[QUOTE=Kaye5;10599963][QUOTE=bcmama;10599912]

Yes, I spoke to David today. The guy from Edinburgh is no longer there and hasn't been for a while. I don't think they were very pleased with him, it seems....

I agree with you re thoughts on GB/MP. MP sent out some sub contractor guy who was slightly odd and made me a bit uncomfortable. GB came out in person (David).

I honestly don't know why I'm stressing so much about this. We aren't moving priceless antiques and I've moved in the past without batting an eyelid at who moved us, nor worrying about the odd battered bedstead. Right now, I have so much info flying around my head's hurting. Will probably be GB if I can't choose on anything other than price, they are coming in cheaper and every
penny counts right now. If we have the experience from hell, I will let everyone know!!

(We are moving end May/first week in June.)[/QUOTE

Thank goodness it's not just me that's obsessing about removals - no antiques here either!
Likewise, we're moving around mid-May so will be sure to update.
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Old Mar 12th 2013, 10:27 pm
  #96  
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Default Re: our shipping company search

Originally Posted by bcmama


Thank goodness it's not just me that's obsessing about removals - no antiques here either!
Likewise, we're moving around mid-May so will be sure to update.
Hope it all goes well - whoever you choose!

Where are you moving from?
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Old Mar 13th 2013, 10:42 am
  #97  
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Default Re: our shipping company search

We're also moving in mid may, and I'm also getting far too neurotic about shipping! I think its trusting your worldly goods to someone else and not see them for weeks... I get neurotic with hold luggage on a plane lol!

One more company coming on Monday, then we're choosing one...
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Old Mar 14th 2013, 4:15 am
  #98  
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Default Re: our shipping company search

Originally Posted by Kaye5
Out of interest, was your shipping groupage or sole use of a container?
Groupage. We took up probably about a third of one container.
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Old Mar 14th 2013, 8:28 pm
  #99  
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Default Re: our shipping company search

Originally Posted by spiffington
Groupage. We took up probably about a third of one container.
That explains why it took so long - but you should have been told that by the guy who is no longer there....

I'm reading through the small print at the weekend. Had a quick scan and can see some of the conditions you were caught out on.

If anything, it is certainly a lesson to read the documentation. I'm not liking some of what I read, especially on the insurance side. Anyone who forces me to take their insurance won't get my business as Letton Percival's cover seems much better - albeit with a £250 excess - and at lower cost.

We will see.

Hope you are now settled in and can put that experience behind you.
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Old Mar 14th 2013, 8:44 pm
  #100  
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Default Re: our shipping company search

Originally Posted by Kaye5
Hope it all goes well - whoever you choose!

Where are you moving from?
Edinburgh was supposed to be to Vancouver although now off to Kelowna BC . Was happy with our Vancouver quote of £4k, now that we're off to Kelowna, the additional handling and mileage means we're looking at another £750...more money to be thrown into the PR money pit.
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Old Mar 15th 2013, 1:02 pm
  #101  
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Default Re: our shipping company search

Ok my 2 pennyworth.

We leave for Calgary on 13 April.

I sold my flat which completed 1 March so have sale proceeds. My wife finishes her job next week, I am studying for a Canadian exam on 30 March.

We sold all electrical goods and furniture and my parents are holding 2 crates of books and CDs at their house. We have temporarily moved into my brother's house who is living/working in Dubai and have 20 Ikea boxes (medium sized between 15-25kgs each approx) and have packed all clothes, possessions, kitchen bits and extras and Tranglobal Express appear to be best quoting international courier at just under £800. We'll land, find an apartment to rent then provide destination address and courier will collect boxes from my parents etc so we shall have to live out of suitcases for a couple of weeks. Insurance is an important point too and probably expecting this to maybe be 50% of the shipping cost again. Its not worth shipping lots of large items - not cost effective - don't really know why people do it. Our laptops, cameras, kindles and iphones are going in luggage so everything else doesnt have that much individual value. On Air Transat you can take your laptop +10kg hand luggage +23kg stow luggage which is a lot really.

Good luck all, please reply if you have any other good courier options.
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Old Mar 15th 2013, 1:16 pm
  #102  
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Default Re: our shipping company search

Originally Posted by 99problems
Ok my 2 pennyworth.

We leave for Calgary on 13 April.

I sold my flat which completed 1 March so have sale proceeds. My wife finishes her job next week, I am studying for a Canadian exam on 30 March.

We sold all electrical goods and furniture and my parents are holding 2 crates of books and CDs at their house. We have temporarily moved into my brother's house who is living/working in Dubai and have 20 Ikea boxes (medium sized between 15-25kgs each approx) and have packed all clothes, possessions, kitchen bits and extras and Tranglobal Express appear to be best quoting international courier at just under £800. We'll land, find an apartment to rent then provide destination address and courier will collect boxes from my parents etc so we shall have to live out of suitcases for a couple of weeks. Insurance is an important point too and probably expecting this to maybe be 50% of the shipping cost again. Its not worth shipping lots of large items - not cost effective - don't really know why people do it. Our laptops, cameras, kindles and iphones are going in luggage so everything else doesnt have that much individual value. On Air Transat you can take your laptop +10kg hand luggage +23kg stow luggage which is a lot really.

Good luck all, please reply if you have any other good courier options.
Have you considered sending the boxes etc air cargo on the same flight as you are on? My son did this and it was reasonably priced and the insurance was something like 1% of the value. http://www.airtransatcargo.com/en

As to why people bring furniture etc., if you look at prices to purchase large items here you will see that it is actually quite often cheaper to ship them than to replace them.

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Old Mar 15th 2013, 1:23 pm
  #103  
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Default Re: our shipping company search

I'm very surprised re comment on furniture as looked into this and my oak dining table and chairs were very expensive to ship. The cost to bear in mind is not necessarily the new/replacement cost but the value of the items as second hand - it rarely makes sense unless valuable and nearly new.

The complication in using Air Transat cargo is we don't have a settling address at the other end - we are staying a hotel for a week or two then finding an apartment to rent - also you have to arrange transit at both ends which is added complication and cost.
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Old Mar 15th 2013, 1:24 pm
  #104  
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Default Re: our shipping company search

Originally Posted by siouxie

As to why people bring furniture etc., if you look at prices to purchase large items here you will see that it is actually quite often cheaper to ship them than to replace them.

I've only calculated cost for beds and our sofas and it's about £8k at UK prices (suspect more at Canadian prices). Add in dining tables, book cases, drawer chests etc....

Shipping c. £4.5k.

We're not taking white goods though - voltage issues rather than shipping issues. Simply can't be bothered with all that transformer lark and our white goods are old - time to replace anyway.
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Old Mar 15th 2013, 1:46 pm
  #105  
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Default Re: our shipping company search

Originally Posted by 99problems
I'm very surprised re comment on furniture as looked into this and my oak dining table and chairs were very expensive to ship. The cost to bear in mind is not necessarily the new/replacement cost but the value of the items as second hand - it rarely makes sense unless valuable and nearly new.

The complication in using Air Transat cargo is we don't have a settling address at the other end - we are staying a hotel for a week or two then finding an apartment to rent - also you have to arrange transit at both ends which is added complication and cost.
No, the cost to bear in mind is the replacement cost with something of equal quality, plus the value of the item in Canada.

For instance, I sold my 1920's solid oak drawleaf table in the UK for £75; had I bought with me I could have sold it for thousands - it was identical to the one in the link. To replace it here cost me considerably more than it would have cost to ship it. Most dining sets here are 'oak' (or insert other colour) finish or an amalgamation of different woods - not solid oak.

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