Which removal company to use?

Hi... we have our flights booked to Perth on 20 June so are just starting to look into removal companies. There are so many to choose from so was hoping for some good feedback and recommendations? At the moment we are considering Crown and John Mason. Any help would be very much appreciated!

Many thanks

Jane, Darren, Elle and Molly xx

We used Abels... but that was back in 1991.

I expect most of the big players - Crown, John Masons, Britannia, PSS, Doreen Bonner etc provide a similar standard of service. Out of those, across the forums we run, John Masons do seem to enjoy a very good reputation.

I expect most of the big players - Crown, John Masons, Britannia, PSS, Doreen Bonner etc provide a similar standard of service. Out of those, across the forums we run, John Masons do seem to enjoy a very good reputation.

Thank you! That helps a lot, I'll contact these and hopefully get something booked very soon

Wow that was a long time ago! You must be very settled by now Thanks for the info. Am contacting a number of firms this week so hopefully able to make our decision and book one very soon.

Hi,

We had quotes recently from both Crown and Anglo-Pacific, both prices our shipment more or less the same. I tried to make an enquiry with Pickfords but nobody rang me back so they were struck off the list. We were almost ready to sign on the dotted line with Anglo but having read various reviews they seem to get a bad rap. I would be interested to see if anyone has used their services within the last 12 months or so. I understand that they move many thousands of containers each year and there will be cases when it does not run smoothly.

Also now I hear Pickfords and John Masons provide a good service although the guy from Anglo really ripped into Pickfords basically saying they were in a lot of financial stress.

Our main worry is insurance as we have many high value items (antiques) that need a lot of care during shipment.

I would appreciate any more comments from people who have been through the shipment process recently.

Thanks

djj

We used Crown and had no problems at all, so can recommend them :-)

Had John mason out today, was quite happy with the guy that came out havent had quote yet will get it in next 24 hours was quite helpful with suggestions of filling drawers and cupboards with stuff to save space etc.

Crown coming out tomorrow so will let you know how that goes.

Also had Bishops before xmas but didnt rate them really

Lou

well Crown didnt turn up!! when i rang them thye said it hadnt put on the managers diary and now they cant come until 24th jan , he did say the quote would reflect the inconvenience of today.... john mason have come in at 4050 for 20ft container from cardiff to perth

Tx Sally, when did you make the move and is all going well?

Ah how annoying but if they will slash the price to make up for the inconvenience might be worth it ;0) John Mason do seem to have a great reputation so I think for us it will be between them and Crowne. Will be interesting to hear what quote Crown come up with? I'm contacting them next week to make some appointments and hopefully get a date booked in the diary eeeek exciting times x

Interesting about Pickfords, best stay clear of them then? John Mason's seems to be standing out from most at the moment with regards to good reputation. Hopefully getting quotes this month and make a decision. Good luck with your move!

After getting quotes from most of the big players we decided on John Mason, best price and were most comfortable with the rep and the people we dealt with via phone and email. I think i posted my shipping experience on this forum or poms in oz.

Crown (leeds) have just come and collected our stuff today> can't fault them. We'll see what happens at the other side.... flying to perth on tuesday!!!! excited now x

You can read about the Pickfords situation here - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-20592674

With regards insurance, remember you don't have to take out the shippers own offering, you can take out your own removals insurance via someone like http://www.insure-your-move.com/ and save a fair chunk in the process.

Hi all,

We used Crown when we came in 2011, they include the Aquis feee in the quote so for peace of mind that was great....the service was excellent both in the UK and here in WA...

Thanks

Steve.

HI We have had Crown, Anglo, PSS and John MAsons out. Masons guy who came to see us was really good. All pretty good who came and want about the same in costs. Crown include everything but we are still waiting for the cost to come and John Mason will be the one if not Crown and they want £3750 from Chorley to Perth for a 20' container. Only extra to pay with Masons is the customs inspection fee in Freemantl, Usually about $400 I'm told and the marine insurance which none of the companies do. You can always ring your current contents insurance provider to check your current cover for removals some do cover international but even if they don't they will likely give you a quote.

Hope that helps

We have just used Pickfords no problems at all, really good service, I wouldn't take too much notice about what one removal company says about the other, Pickfords are now pretty much secure ( I know one of the managers ) check out the link posted above it pretty much explaines what happened, I think all the removal companies are feeling the pinch with the financial climate in the UK at the mo.

We used Doree Bonner and they were very helpful and agents Grace were good in Perth.. Price wise the quotes we got were all very similar within £150 of each other..

Hope this helps

We are flying at the end of May so have been getting quotes too. I think we will go with PSS or Britannia. The quotes we have had are all pretty similar so will go more on personality of the guys that have been out to see us, their attitude and experience and the 'extras' they are offering.

We used Doree Bonner and all went well. If you know a volume you can compare with their on line quote system.

We used Doree Bonner before and they were very helpful. They now have an online quote so you should be able to compare the price you got from the others. I suspect most will be similar

Jane

Go for the shipping container being packed directly at the door, this avoids being slugged later on with the additional "groupage" costs.

Keep an eye on the packers. They are experienced at packing boxes........remember you are employing them & they are not friends for life.

Trust your head & not your heart.

What do you mean keep your eye on packers?are they guys who often steal?im looking or hoping to have them rather than have them wrap and pack my stuff from home but from container,i emailed a few of them to ask if this would be a problem most said no and depends on if enough room etc in that contanier,and some said they could take the stuff away and pack in there warehouse,i would rather they do this where the items are at and where i can be there or watch them,how do i know stuff might be missed out or maybe even stolen,at least if i see them packing everything i am at ease,Normally when they pack your stuff and its in the shipping container is this locked and next time its opened is over in oz.