EllisG

OK...to set the scene.

I am doing up my house and bringing kitchen appliances from the UK, obtaining quotes from shippers. Whilst in the poligono in Estepona I notice a company called Murray Harper and think, that's handy a local shipper.

I get home and send the list of appliances to them.

A day later I get no reply so I phone them and get told that this woman's computer is broken and they have not received my email (despite autoresponder confirmation of receipt). I ignore my initial thoughts and resend them email.

I then get a reply from a person telling me that it would cost me 1300 euros + iva for the 16 cubic metres (I had worked it out to about 1.7)

I query her calculation and she tells me it will be passed on to her colleague. I hear no further.

At this point I must admit I got a little rush to the head and decided to complain about their service and did not hold back on the criticism.

I shan't bore you with the bulk of her response which was rude and sarcastic (I accept, as was my criticism). However her justification, especially for those in the shipping industry is PRICELESS

"Let me break it down for you, it like teaching a baby how to count:

Total Height of goods: 519,5 cm
Total Width of goods: 477 cm
Total Length of goods: 556.5 cm

519,5 + 477 + 556.5 = 15,53 cubic meter"

the quote was for

fridge freezer - H 182 X W 66 X D 63cm
oven - H 67 X W 67 X D 68cm
hob - H 14 X W 58 X D 65.5cm
cooker hood - H 36 X W 65 X D 36cm
front profile of hood- H 4 X W 5 X D 66cm
washing machine - H 87.5 X W 66 X D 69cm
Sink - H 31 X W 55 X D 64cm
Tap - H 11 X W 28 X D 56cm

Spot the mistake with her method (please bear in mind it is not possible to simultaneously place units side by side, back to back and stacked on top of each other...well at least not in my world)

missile

Are you buying appliances in the UK to ship to spain?

jimenato

Do you want me to PM you a local (Manilva) removals/shipping company who I would personally vouch for?

BTW the error is stunning

jackytoo

I have used murray harper a few times in both directions. They were excellent and gave free storage for a month whilst we were sorted. Not the cheapest quote we had but not the most expensive either. maybe they have a duff staff member?

JLFS

could it be the owners ker-reader?

EllisG

I can't use them now...not after the tone of emails ...her reply to my complaint included the phrase

"DO you believe that you are the only client we have?"

when complaining about the time it takes them to reply

Jimena I would love a well priced and reliable shipper recommendation

Missile - yes I am getting my appliances from the UK, I am in a position where I can buy far better in the UK than I ever could here in Spain but that's another story and would definitely involve some promotion of a business I have a definite interest in (save to say, if you are after top end appliances I am the person to ask...hint hint).

All said and done I am a little stressed out since I measured the kitchen area I had set aside yesterday. At 3.5 m x 1.9 m with a 2.45 m ceiling my kitchen is 16.3 cu metres. I have a solution in mind though...Kitchen will now become the fridge, upstairs bathroom is now the washing machine and downstairs bathroom would become the oven. I was planning a porch with 1st floor terrace but this idea can be scrapped now since it turns out my telescopic cooker hood will do the job

missile

I seriously doubt you will save enough to make it worth the cost and hassle of transportation. What will you do if one of these appliaces gets damaged in transit or you need to make a warranty claim

EllisG

I seriously doubt you realise how much cheaper I can buy the appliances (I did mention in my previous post I am in that line of business, my company sells high end kitchen appliances in the UK).

Transit damage is what insurance is for but for added protection the goods will be in their original boxes and a bit of extra protection added by the guy in our warehouse

There are no issues with warranty on appliances bought in the UK and used in Spain or any other EC country the full 2 year warranty HAS to be honoured. I do a lot of business sending appliances to customers in Australia, even there a company like Miele Siemens Neff etc would honour their 1 year international warranty as long as their is a subsidiary of the main company within that country.

missile

We will, if you tell us the prices
You will have to save more than 1300€ + IVA for shipping and the cost of insurance plus the hassle. Good luck getting that warranty honoured.

EllisG

1300 + iva for shipping ??? The only reason I went to Murray Harper for a quote was because I noticed them on the poligono and thought they could better the quote I already have for £400 (incidentally, despite this stupid woman's calculations I do have under 2 cubic metres).

I haven't gone to the bother of speaking to local retailers (if their kitchen companies are anything to go by I would still be waiting for a quote 5 weeks later...which is why I am in the middle of building it myself). However I did price my order up using the best prices on the UK (not going to tell you from who as some price came from competitor's web sites) and it came to about £3900. Considering the UK market for appliances is far more competitive than Spain I doubt very much I could obtain my list of things for below 5000 euros here ( with mucho use of the word descuento).

They will cost me about £2500, I'd say thats a worthwhile saving even if costing 500 for the shipping

EllisG

just as a quick update

I got an apology and an explanation that the person dealing with my enquiry was not that experienced and filling in for someone. The information was second hand and she was a little p-ed off with that person who made her look a tad silly.

fionamw

..... and their revised price? I hope there WAS a revised price?? !!

EllisG

she didn't seem interested in quoting..just apologising.

Domino

silly mistakes aside, every company has to make a profit to be there next week next year when you want them again.

if buying goods at wholesale/trade direct from the manufacturer then using yourself you are not making any profit on the transaction - isnt there a tax liability there (?)

but bearing in mind this is all going on in the EU there shouldnt be much difference in those prices in Spain or UK - unless there are massive import duties in Spain or there are artificial prices in different countries which is an illegal act in the EU.

missile

Many newbies claim there is a huge difference in prices. That is not what we have observed.

Many claim there are bigger discounts if you know where to shop in UK. We find similar discounts if you know where to shop in spain.