sarahandstew

hello there

currently deciding between PSS and Excess International for the shipping of our furniture etc in 2 weeks time?!?!?!

they both have us pencilled in, we just haven't taken a final decision
- confident we can fit everything in a 20ft container
- both quoted us around £3400 using NYKL shipping line for a shorter sailing time (34 days)

does anyone have an opinion / advice please?

all the best

Sarah

alanmacc

to be honest its really a gut feeling on your part who to go with, if you search the threads there are a few on removal companies so you might get some pointers there, but the only advice I can really give is to cram as much as you can into it

MOSO

We had quotes from Pickfords, Anglo Pacific, PSS and Crown.


We had 2 concerns about PSS, firstly they were the only ones who said we could get everything in a 20ft container. Anglo Pacific said we may do but we'd have to prioritise and be prepared to leave things behind. Crown said we couldn't but were mega expensive, so I'm sitting here surrounded by Pickfords boxes as they offer a service where we can have as much of a 40ft container as we need, and have charged us for the volume they measured which suits us as it means nothing is left behind - I just have one slight issue this morning - they've packed virtually everything and I need to take the curtains down but can't reach them without any chairs, ladders etc - time to knock on the neighbours door again - we've already borrowed their vacuum cleaner as ours is sparklingly clean.

Sorry, I digress, it must be the stress! Anyway, our only other concern with PSS is that they use NZ van lines in New Zealand, not their own packers and there have been a few scathing comments about them on the forum.

Apparently according to another thread, I should have packed some paint.....we were told we couldn't so too late now!

Is it worth getting another quote from someone else to get another perspective, if you're not sure? Definitely negotiate - when we told Crown were £2000 more than the others, strangely enough they dropped their price. We also negotiated on the insurance and got Pickfords down from 3.5% to 2% by using other quotes. I hate haggling - but it was definitely worth it. They all said they were busy in some parts of the UK, but others especially in the North were very quiet, so there must be room for negotiation.

sarahandstew

Thanks ever so much for that, MOSO
- I will contact Pickfords now...

So you're shipping out today ?!?

And when are you flying out?

We're planning on leaving it about 7 weeks between our furniture going and us flying...

alanmacc

There have been a few scathing comment on NZ van line but they also did our stuff here in CHCH and we had no issues atall with them, the guys were fast, pleasant and tidied up all the boxes and paper before they left.

I really think its your luck on the crew you have that day

Genesis

Like wise we were VERY happy with the unpack in NZ by NZ Van lines..not so the UK pack up by PSS. However many have said PSS were great in the UK. If I were you I would give it to them straight..you care not who you use, both the same price..who really wants this job? The one that does will come down a few sovs one imagines. Go haggle and save some money.

MOSO

Well, we're now homeless waif and strays, camped out at my mother-in-laws before we go to NZ in September (it could be a long summer!!).

Just to say our removal men from Pickfords were great, but as they said it was over 20ft. They didn't get everything into their removal lorry and used a van as well to take a few bits - mainly white goods and bikes so I'm glad we didn't use PSS or Anglo Pacific who told us we would get it into one container.

Let's hope our stuff sails safely past the Somali pirates and we can continue with our adventure...

Good luck with choosing, it can be all down to who you get. The 2 guys who were packing on Tues pm while their boss went off were definitely slower and spent longer on their mobiles without their boss watching them!

sarahandstew

cool - whereabouts is that?

we're going to stay with my sister in Dunstable

gonna try and talk to our CO tonight before we commit any money to a shipping co
- want to try and get a scrap of assurance that our application should go thru ok by October...

worries me that you couldn't get it all in a 20ft container as they've certainly said it'll be a squeeze for us
- but I'm concerned if we point out a couple of bigger things that we would consider leaving then even if they would have fitted, by the time they work it out it'll be too complicated to squeeze them in.... does that make sense?!

still, there's much more pressing things within my control to worry about!?!