Living Overseas Forum

advice on int'l moving companies

1/18/2002 18:07 EST

Poll Question:
I am moving to Barcelona, from Chicago, in April and have contacted two companies, North American and Allied, for estimates on the cost of moving my things. I would appreciate some advice about the move, and especially if anyone has used one of these companies to move themselves i'd love to hear about it. With a move this complicated, it seems like a lot could go wrong, and i'd like to use a company that was recommended by someone with experience.

Thanks!

Christine

Answers:
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matmik

1/20/2002 14:21 EST

Consider this first..Allied and others seem to offer ' franchise' ownerships in cities. I don't believe Allied has 100% ownership of all Allied offices. With that said, I used Allied over two years ago and I regret it. I had to move 200 lbs of goods by air (required 5-6days) and a 20ft sea container of furniture. I was moving to germany with all my belongings.
First the air shipment which was supposed to arrive in 5 days took 12 days instead. No one calls you and tells you it is late, no one really appologizes for it. If you get a certain amount of ' emergency items' shipped via air (childrens food/formula) than MAKE the shipping company sign a statement that they will guarentee it in 6-7 days or they pay a penalty. Just watch how quickly they back down on their guarntees. Same goes for the sea-container. They never told me.. it was on the ship.. never said how many days till arrival.. nothing. Watch out, you quickly become just a ' number' on some of these international moves. They realize their is not much you can do from 4000 miles away.

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1/30/2002 12:08 EST

Dear Christine,

Moving overseas can be a very stressful event.
Choosing a moving partner is not easy and
should be done with careful consideration to
both service and cost. As a representative of
Atlas Van Lines International, I'd be happy to
mail you a pre-move packet to help you plan
your move to Spain. If you want, you can email
me your mailing address at:
[email protected]
Our pre-move packet contains some information
on customs requirements for importing your personal effects into Spain.
If you are interested, we can also help you with a free estimate. You can contact our Customer Service Department in Seattle at (888) 669-6031 and ask for Susan Hetrick at extension 4142 if you'd like an estimate.
Susan can also advise you on estimated transit
times for both air and ocean shipments and
help you with any other questions you might have.

I hope this helps.

Pam

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