Finding The Right Removals Company

By Author: Loma Hooper
Total Articles: 6
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Moving house can be very stressful, so much so that it is ranked right up there with divorce and bereavement on the most stressful life events scale. There is so much to think about, from keeping children and animals occupied and happy and remembering to forward the post, to ensuring that much valued ornaments don’t break in the move and labelling boxes correctly so that the essentials (tea, coffee and biscuits) can be found quickly and easily at the new house. Add to this a removals firm that doesn’t live up to expectations, damages furniture or costs the earth and gives bad service and it is no wonder that moving is so traumatic.

Most of moving house is down to organisation and planning. Finding the right removals firm should be part of this planning, and is probably the most important aspect of a good move compared to a bad move. Look in any Yellow Pages or online directory and there are a plethora of removals companies vying for business. Some are good, some are bad and some are truly awful. So how can the bad be avoided when they all look the same? There are some basic questions that can be asked that will help ...
... to weed out the bad. Firstly and most importantly, does the company have insurance and if so what level and what is covered? If the maximum insurance offered is just £50 per item then it will not begin to cover the repair bill for a damaged antique. If the contents is being stored on the lorry or van overnight there should be insurance against theft.

Another important question is whether or not the company is a member of the British Association of Removers or the National Guild of Removers and Storers. Both organisations have minimum membership standards and members need to comply with a code of conduct. The general feel of the company can also speak volumes about how professional and efficient the expected service will be. Look for sign written vans, smart and competent estimators and a quick response to any questions or queries. Gut feelings should also be listened to: if you don’t like the look of someone don’t use them.

Recommendations are always a good way to find a reliable and efficient removals company. Ask friends, colleagues and relatives if they know of anyone who has moved recently. Even another person’s bad experience can be helpful in flagging up the company to avoid. Another thing to take into consideration is the actual distance of the move and the amount of furniture and boxes that will need to be moved. Many of the larger removals companies only have large lorries and their prices reflect the bigger running costs of these lorries. If you are moving within Birmingham, choosing a Birmingham Removals companyis sensible and can be much more cost effective. Even with a larger amount of contents, two smaller vehicles can often be cheaper to hire than a lorry, and parking right outside the houses at both ends becomes less of a problem.