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Removals Companies

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emmab
  4/10/2002 07:21 EST

I recently relocated from the U.K. to Sydney and have a few words of warning about shipping companies.
I had a very bad experience with both Personal Shipping Services (PSS) in London and also TransInternational here in Oz. I have arrived minus some very precious articles as a container "got lost". Neither company has any explanation nor has attempted to locate the items. Please be careful and if possible use companies recommended by past customers. Anyone else have any comments??

Shyla
  4/16/2002 11:00 EST

I moved from Canada to the Netherlands. Although I didn't loose anything in the move, I was faced with extra charges because my container was held up at customs due to the moving company in Canada and their less than adequate ability to fill out the necessary forms. The moving company in the Netherlands were extremely helpful and helped correct the errors and move the process along quickly. Storage fees for each day it was held up was $60 euros. My advice would be to make sure you find out exactly who is responsible for glitches before hiring a company. My contract said "door to door" but I still had to pay for storage fees. The Canadian company would not assume the financial responsibility for their obvious mistake of not forwarding the necessary forms to the customs office therefore costing me extra fees. Incidently the company was United Van Lines.

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ionephoebe
  4/29/2002 17:24 EST

What companies did you use that lost your container? And what companies would you or others recommend? We live onthe west coast of USA and are trying to find a company to move our household goods and auto to Finland.
Thanks for the warning.

moving
  5/17/2002 07:17 EST

What can go wrong will go wrong. In order to compensate for items that are lost or damaged it is advisable to take the insurance packages offered by moving companies. Although additional cost will be incurred it will compensate towards having the items replaced or repaired. Of course it will not compensate for items of sentimental value such as photos, etc. There are different types of insurances and it is best to ask for the policy terms and conditions beforehand and to ask for the rate you must pay. Companies who lose clients goods should make a reasonable effort to recover the items. There can be numerous reasons for loss of goods. It is advisable to check the packing list that has been prepared by the companies packers and in some cases to make your own inventory list of important and large items for future reference.

Robert O Leary
Moveone International Movers
Member of AES Group

moving
  5/17/2002 07:32 EST

This can happen with some companies. How to avoid this is quite simple. Constantly check with the moving company to ensure they have all the documentation they need for customs clearance and ask them if these forms have been sent to the customs house where the goods will be cleared. Of course they can tell you that all is OK even if it is not. Make sure the company has been in business for some time and ask for a client list. It is very difficult to find out exactly where the fault lies, either with the moving company or the customs agent. When shipments are delayed there are always demurrage charges or storage charges as the transport companies do not assume responsibility for such mistakes as it is only their duty to transport the goods using their trucks or containers. In your case United Van Lines is a reputable company but this does not mean that all of their employees are the same. I would suggest that you contact the main office of UVL to file a formal complaint and see what transpires.

Robert O Leary
Moveone International Movers
Member of AES Group
Czech Republic

ClampSD
  6/10/2002 16:42 EST

I moved from Chicago to the UK 5 years ago and used a company called Sterling International based in New Jersey. They worked in conjunction with North American Van Lines who came and packed all my stuff and shipped it to Baltimore where it then went on a ship to the UK. Sterling kept in touch with me throughout my move and I lost nothing nor was anything damaged. My cost included insurance and door to door transport. I would highly recommend them.

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