Are you currently choosing a removals company?
If you’ve ever tried to move home yourself you will be aware just how tough it can be.
Every year thousands of people in the UK miscalculate the time it takes packing and moving belongings, not to mention the burden of moving heavy furniture.
Many house movers search for cheaper van hire or even ‘Man in the Van’ alternatives.
It is common to run into problems with these services which can be ineffective or may not include something taken as a staple in the removals industry.
When it comes to moving it is key to choose the correct removals company for you.
With so many companies to choose from, each offering different services, it can become tricky to choose!
That’s why we have accumulated our top tips to follow when choosing a removals company.
These include everything to consider when choosing a removals company, any precautions you may need to take as well as how to get a detailed removals quote.
Table of Contents
Free Survey
Your first point of action when choosing a removals company should be to organise for a surveyor to provide a home or video survey.
This provides you with the opportunity to ask any questions you may have about their services.
It also means the surveyor can assess any specific considerations.
These may range from the type of access to the property to any heavy or unusual items that could require special attention.
It is important to consider that many removal companies are booked up weeks in advance, especially during the summer months. It is best to start looking for a removals company well before your completion date.
Your removals company should conduct the survey free of charge. Typically, a surveyor will either personally or via video walk round each room calculating the amount of packaging materials required and the resources needed. Removal costs are usually based on the ‘total volume of effects’ so be honest about your possessions.
Accreditation
Before you even inquire about any services they provide, you must assess whether the removals company is dependable and reliable.
An easy way to do this is seeing whether the company is a member of the British Association of Removers (BAR).
The BAR conducts regular audits and ensures removals companies adhere to strict standards and regulations to maintain membership.
Not only will they be more experienced, but should something wrong, BAR members will offer dispute resolution procedures in place to resolve complaints.
The logos for each of these organisations will be clearly on display on the company web site, usually on the home page.
What services do they offer?
Once you’ve gathered the basic costs of your move, it is a good idea to begin inquiring about any supplementary services you may need.
For example, do you require an unpacking or cleaning service?
Perhaps you require storage facilities so that you can arrange to have some of your belongings delivered at a later stage.
Whatever your needs are, be sure to clarify this when you speak to the company.
Otherwise, something you thought was included might not be.
This could mean extra costs or worse yet, the company could have inadequate time and resources on the day of your move!
Quotations
Once you have got a few quotations it is now time to choose the removals company you wish to go with.
It is sometimes alluring to go with the most affordable option, but this is not always the best thing to do.
Remember, if a company do not offer a service which you need this may push up the price.
Try to get a few separate quotations.
Organising a survey with at least three separate removals companies will allow you to examine the different prices, but it also allows you to make an assessment of the company’s level of service.
When coming to a decision ask yourself some basic questions:
- How involved are they in the details of my move?
- What questions were they asking me?
- Did they seem knowledgeable?
- Did they give me a timeframe?
- Can they conduct specific tasks such as moving or packing valuable or heavy belongings?
- What have their customers said about them?
When carrying out your research on different removals companies it is fitting to see what other people have said about them.
Were they helpful and polite?
Did they carry out the move as customers expected?
If something went wrong, were they able to put it right?
Most reputable removals companies will be signed up to Referenceline or Trustpilot websites.
You can review the latest reviews from their customers online. Be watchful of companies that only post entirely ‘super positive’ feedback or bogus reviews.
Ask About Insurance
Know where you stand should things go wrong and enquire about insurance.
Most removals companies operate a standard removals insurance and offer cover per item. It is always worth checking what you are covered for in the event of damage/loss and if need be, take out additional cover, either with the company or a separate provider.
Checking that your chosen removals company has adequate insurance coverage will give you that additional peace of mind that your property is safe and secure in their hands.
Are You Still Choosing a Removals Company?
Hopefully, our top tips have shed some light on the process of choosing a removals company.
Regardless of your reasons for choosing to use a removal company for your move, Curtiss & Sons can help make your move effortless.
Curtiss & Sons was established in 1871 and have been holders of the Royal Warrant for over 80 years.
We continue to offer quality removals and storage solutions to the Portsmouth community to this day.
If you are preparing to move home, put yourself in the safe hands of Curtiss & Sons by allowing us to organise your move.
We also offer a variety of storage solutions for each of our customers via our secure storage units.
Give us a call today to find out how we can get your move started and ensure that you have a smooth move to your new home.
Alternatively, fill out a quick enquiry form and we will be in touch to discuss your move.
