12 Things Removal Companies Hate
1. Key wait – There can only be one thing to kick this list off and that’s the dreaded key wait! There is nothing worse than being at the new property with excited clients wanting to access their new home so they can settle in waiting for the keys to be released. This can sometimes take hours; our record wait so far is 5 hours 25 minutes
2. Single walled cardboard boxes – To any mover these are the worst thing in the world. Our job as removers is to protect the items you give us and if they have been packed in single walled cardboard boxes they may as well not be packed. We can’t emphasise enough the importance of using quality packing materials. The minimum standard is a thick double walled cardboard box.
3. Incorrect packing – There are many different ways to improperly pack, firstly it could be the boxes you have selected, there is a reason why we use industry standard moving boxes. Single walled boxes are as much use as a chocolate tea pot when it comes to protecting your items. There are many places like amazon and eBay where people read through the descriptions and think that sounds like a great moving box but are disappointed when they receive their good. We would always recommend that if you want to protect your items to the best possible standards ask us for packing materials. China and Glass must be wrapped in paper rather than just put into a box as they will break very easily. We advise all our clients to read our self-packing guide, its full of handy tips to make sure your possessions are packed in the best possible way to avoid breakages.
4. Step counters – The average daily target for an adult is 10,000 steps, our record is 59,826, our average is 26,000. When you see the step counter approaching 40,000 you know it’s been a long day.
5. Rain, Snow & Ice – Bad weather can have a serious impact on your move, we have worked through all types of weather from heatwaves in Malaga to snow and ice in Norway but we will always work hard to protect your belongings no matter what the weather throws at us.
6. No tea or Coffee for the team! This is a tools down offence! Although it’s not necessary, our team of removal experts will be far happier with a cup of tea or two throughout the day, it’s a tough physical job and usually after a quick cuppa they are re-energised.
7. Vehicle breakdowns – Although we keep our vehicles regularly maintained and serviced even our vehicles can get tyre punctures or have mechanical issues. There is nothing worse than breaking down in a foreign country and not being able to speak the language, thank god for google translate!
8. Gazumping – Gazumping occurs when a buyer has had an offer to purchase a property accepted by the seller, but before the sale is completed the seller accepts a better offer from another buyer.
9. Added furniture – When we survey a property, we are calculating the volume of the items we have to move to make sure we have allowed enough space on the vehicles to hold all your possessions. Then when we arrive on move day the client has had delivered their brand new bed, three piece suite and wardrobes to the old property without telling us. This can not only lead to additional charges but could mean we do not have enough room for all your items on our vehicles.
10. Dismantling and reassembly – Ikea has a lot to answer for! one of the biggest pitfalls is with flat packed furniture as you build it in the room and its only on moving day you realise it won’t go through the door or up the stairwell. Its good practise to measure any items you are unsure about as they may need to be dismantled and reassembled to get them out of or into your property. If you are not confident dismantling and reassembling your furniture, contact us and we can do it for you.
11. Connected appliances – Unfortunately as removers we are not trained or insured to disconnect/reconnect your appliances, this should be done pre move by yourself or a qualified installer. Also avoid taping the pipes to the top of the machine as this does not allow us to stack on top of the machines.
12. A full Fridge or Freezer – Easily overlooked is the contents of your fridge freezer, although our teams will happily munch on your fridge contents, the freezer food will spoil within a couple of hours and become inedible. For long moves especially your fridge freezer should be empty and defrosted. It’s always best to run the fridge and freezer contents down as much as possible before the move and have a few cold storage boxes to hand on moving day.
